The idea of writing this post seems so strange. While I flew out of Incheon airport one week ago, it still doesn’t feel real that I won’t be going right back. At this time last Thursday, I was wrapping up my final classes, grading end of semester tests, and finishing my last report cards painfully trying to ignore the fact that I would be leaving in less than 24 hours.
How did the time go so quickly?! Thinking back to the summer of 2015, I so clearly remember tensely packing my two huge suitcases to fly to Korea and start this adventure. I was anxious about where this decision would lead but excited and ready to try something new. Never could I have imagined that a one-year hiatus from my Chicago life would so easily become a two-year reality.
In the time that I was away from home, I met incredible new friends, decorated a sweet little apartment, mastered a new job, taught over 400 students, and got to travel the world. I feel so lucky to have had such an incredible experience.
While it doesn’t quite seem like time, indeed the time has come to say a grateful farewell to the country that allowed me to make it my home away from home. Thank you, Korea, and I’m sure we will meet again.
As for now, I’m currently off on an entirely different adventure as I continue my explorations through Asia for the next three months. Follow along via Instagram.
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Every few weekends or so I find myself wanting to get away from bustling streets of Seoul and Incheon and explore new parts of Korea. That said, the recent start of the warm summer months has really amped-up those feelings and has had me reminiscing of past getaways. One of my favorites from last spring was the day trip some friends and I took to Ganghwado Island in search of azaleas on Goryeosan Mountain.
Once we had made it further inward on the island we realized we were definitely lost and actually traveling away from our destination. At that point, we decided to hop off the bus and trust our luck to catch another bus returning in the direction of the mountain we were so desperate to find. Forty-five minutes, two peeled oranges, one snack sized bag of peanut M&Ms, and a few pictures later we managed to hail a lone taxi that seemed destined to pick us up. After a brief drive we were dropped at an azalea festival which we wandered for a bit before starting our hike up Goryeosan Mountain.
Finally reaching the peak late in the afternoon we were able to take in the sun and the spectacular views of the island. Being from the midwest where even a good sledding hill is rare, seeing the lush mountains that cover Korea is always a breathtaking experience.
bbm travels 