So as of right now, I am sitting in a restaurant in Busan, South Korea. I have just gotten off my third plane ride within the past 26 hours and I have one more bus ride and taxi trip to go. My trip back to Korea was the same as when I arrived. From Detroit to L.A., then to Shanghai and finally Busan (부산) before Jinju (진주) as the final destination. In the past week, I have done more traveling than I want to in the rest of the year that I am in South Korea. Yes, that is an exaggeration, but as of right now I would be happy not to see another plane until 10 months from now.

But there are positives to this story. I have become more comfortable asking for directions, even in foreign countries where the likelihood of the person speaking English (영어) is low. I have also discovered that people will always surprise you. Almost everyone I spoke to during my trip to the US and back to South Korea spoke at least a little bit of English. This fact has made me more committed to learning Korean because other people are expected to learn English. And in my opinion, I should not take advantage of the privilege I have as a native speaker.

I have also learned to go with the flow and not panic about transportation. If anyone knows me, they should know that I am literally the worst person with directions, so going anywhere new always stresses me out. Especially going across the world by myself, my stress levels were through the roof. But this trip has made me realize that people do it all the time, and most people are willing to help with directions as long as you ask them.

But that still isn’t to say I am going to make it a habit to spend days at a time in airports. I would prefer to keep it limited to no more than two times a year.

On a side note ad in case you are curious, in my opinion, LAX is literally the worst airport ever created. There are no signs posted for anything, and I had to walk to the correct terminal for my connecting flight because I could’t find the shuttle bus. I also had to run up an escalator the wrong way because it was taking me to the wrong place. But I made it on time and certainly got my exercise in.

I am almost home! I think I definitely need a break from traveling anywhere at this point, but I am sure I will be going to new places before the end of the year, so I will be sure to tell you about it.

And don’t worry, I have a lot to say about my sister’s wedding on Friday, but that requires much more time and many more words. Later this week it will be posted, I promise! Thanks for reading! Stay safe and stay happy (행복해요)!