What I did on my Summer Vacation

I went home for a week of vacation this summer. There's something strange about taking time off and buying a plane ticket so I can sleep in my own bed, cook in my own kitchen, and get reacquainted with my friends. My concept of vacationing changed this year: instead of visiting someplace far away to enjoy and appreciate the foreign culture, I simply wanted to go home. Having been in Korea for four months I needed the familiarity and relaxation I have come to enjoy at home.

At home I did many of the things that aren't available to me here in Korea: smoking brisket, salmon, and ribs for a potluck with my friends; motorcycling through the Santa Cruz mountains and stopping for a real American hamburger with my friend Rich (pictured) at Alice's in Woodside; going to the range with Vic and punching .44 caliber holes in paper; talking (in English!) to people on the air via amateur radio. It's also an under appreciated luxury to be able to buy shirts that fit without the shopkeepers snickering at my large American size, and passing up shoes on the clearance rack because they're actually too big. More guilty pleasures: eavesdropping on conversations in the supermarket, joking with the sales clerks, and generally being included in society instead of being shunned everywhere.

I also went home to bring back the things that I didn't pack the first time, things I didn't think I'd need or thought I could buy here. Simple things, like my favorite toothpaste, socks, and underwear. Books that I've been wanting to read but had left at home, shirts, another pair of shorts, and new shoes that fit. Being home for a week really drove home the point of how comfortably I really have it.

I knew what to expect upon my return to Korea, so the culture shock wasn't as severe as when I first arrived in April, but I also realize that I've got to make a few subtle changes in my daily routine to keep my sanity intact. Specifically, I now know more than ever how important it is for me to have human contact -- friendly conversation and interaction, like discussing the news, trading ideas on the latest political developments, sharing a joke and actually having it understood and appreciated.

Here in Korea I work with a team of ten or so people, two of us are English-only Americans and thankfully Erik and I have similar senses of humor and political views. After work, however, it's like solitary confinement, the important difference being the locks are on the inside of the door. I cook dinner for myself since I can't handle the spicy Korean cuisine anymore, which is a shame because I enjoyed it when I first arrived; Ordering food in a restaurant is playing dinner roulette: I never know what I'm getting without an interpreter. Besides, cooking my own food gives me opportunity to interact with the Korean people in the supermarket, and it alleviates some of the evening boredom.

But I am back in Korea, well, rested, and ready for more adventures.

Jerry.