Being here for just shy of a month has been absolutely amazing, and I’m sure that will continue, however I have slowly noticed a strange transition happening. Slowly I am moving from as endlessly energetic and adventurous tourist into a full-time student living in Seoul. This is not to say I am enjoying it less or lacking excitement, in fact this weekend I left Seoul for the first time travelling to Gangneung to swim in the sea before the temperature drops. In fact it is almost the opposite, exactly because I am becoming more confident with the country many more doors are opening to me. I now feel able to get transport cross-country with ease, communicate (not quite in Korean) with locals both in and out of Seoul, and generally have a stable life in Korea. The change is in fact just happening in my head. After many many days you become used to the city and a newfound comfort sets in, bringing back everyday elements which were lost during the ‘tourist’ phase in the first few weeks—for example I have started cooking for myself more, and spending more time in my room in the evenings. This heavily contrasts the ‘tourist’ phase, where every waking moment was spent exploring Seoul and finding my place within the city, but it is probably a direct result of having such an intense touristy period.
Settling down in this way feels strange as I’m abroad and it feels like I should be spending every second exploring, but then again I have never spent over a month abroad and knowing I am here for the year changes that. So maybe now instead of getting used to Seoul as a city, I need to get used to living here long-term having exhausted a large number of the touristy things to do in the city. That said I am excited to see what lies beneath that very superficial surface, which I am sure to find over the coming months.
Despite all this talk of settling down I actually have a number of plans for the near future, both in and out of Seoul! The 30th brings my first Korean music concert, which I’ve been looking forward to since early September. A DMZ trip on the 13th will bring a new insight into the North/South division. Visiting the Busan International Film Festival for a week is possibly what I am looking forward to the most (we even get a week off uni for it!). A temple tour organised by Dongguk (as they are a Buddhist university) will bring in yet another layer of Korean culture.
Not to mention the period of Chuseok which gives a week national holiday, which may allow me to travel around the country a little (if transport permits it!).
In all I have even more to look forward to than I have experienced thus far, and although I feel more comfortable with my student life in Seoul it shall not halt my explorations farther afield!
