It’s been just over three weeks since I have made my return to the U.S. and you might be wondering what I’ve been doing. Of course, I’ve been visiting friends and family and spending some quality time at home.

Actually, one of the first things I tackled when I first returned was cleaning out my closet. You my remember my minimalism post, where I cleaned out my closet in Korea and promised to do the same for my closet in the U.S.. Well I am happy to say that my room has been cleared of all of the extra things I didn’t need and were just taking up space. 4 large trash bags of clothes were donated and 3 trash bags of other miscellaneous items were disposed of. It was definitely easier to get rid of things because I hadn’t seen or used them in an entire year.

The next item on my agenda was to find a job. Unfortunately, I am still working on ticking off that box, but I have many applications out and hopefully there are possibilities on the near horizon that will come to fruition. In the mean time, I have been using Upwork to do a little bit of freelance work.

One of the first things people have asked me when they first see me is, “Are you glad to be home?” And my answer always is the same. “Yes and no.” To be honest, it’s complicated. My home is here in Michigan, but now it’s also in Jinju, South Korea. I miss my job, my friends and the life I made for myself there. And yes, of course I missed my friends and family, and certainly my cat, in the U.S.. Now that I have had a taste of living a different life, it is a bit of a struggle trying to return to my old life and the person I was before I left because I am a completely different person now.

The next question people generally ask is, “Are you going to stick around for a while?” Again, it’s a hard one to answer because I had the opportunity to travel and have amazing experiences, which means my desire to earn and explore has been ignited even more. I would love to have all of these things while continuing to stay in Michigan, but I won’t make any promises. So for now, yes I will be staying in Michigan, but I don’t know where life will take me next. I am definitely not opposed to moving again and beginning another adventure.