BUT my picture perfect Korean family has been deteriorating these last few weeks as I've been forced to say farewell (more like, until we meet again) to my dear friends Kristen and OTS. It has brought out some serious tears.
Kristen was one of the first people I met in Korea besides my managers and directors, seeing as she was the closest foreigner teacher to my desk at work. She was a huge blessing at ELC, showing me around the city, how to maneuver the buses, where the English church was, etc, etc...Kristen and I have been on so many great Korean (and Chinese) adventures together, mostly as a team of 3 with Kat. The triple K threat...haha. Now it just feels strange without her around, and I don't like it one bit! We have promises to meet again and this I am sure of.
ELC is definitely not the same without her. Thank goodness I am down to 6 more weeks or I might just go insane there.Then there's OTS. Aww, OTS. Maybe you faithful readers remember the blog I wrote soon after I met him (and the other sk8ter boys) for the first time:
"Also this past weekend, Kat and I managed to meet our first counter-culture friends...Korean skateboarders! In America you've got your plethora of counter-culture groups...you've got the goths, the punks, the hipsters, the heavy metal-lovers, etc. In Korea, you never see any of that. So to say the least, we l-o-v-e them and had a b-l-a-s-t hanging out with them. Their unique, outgoing, and fun personalities reminded us of our favorite friends from back home. It did our hearts good. I'm positive many hilarious adventures involving them will happen in the future." -February
And many hilarious adventures with those boys, particularly with OTS, indeed there have been! Birthday camping, trips to the beach, Busan, fishing, scooter rides, movie nights and countless nights out on the town. He's by far the most unique Korean I've met...I mean, he doesn't like kimchi the staple Korean side dish. Beside just being flat out crrrazy, his style and music tastes are very much his own which is what I love most about him.
Now he is off being turned into a square for the next 2 years in the Korean military. He is late going in (most go a year or so after high school) because he had an opportunity to train for the Korean snowboarding team after high school. Now he is 23 and will be considered "old" in comparision to others there. I don't know if it's possible to make a square out of OTS, but I'm worried he'll be a different guy when he comes out.
All Korean men are required to fulfill this duty so it is to no surprise to OTS (or anyone)...he's known he was leaving in June and been counting down the days since I met him. The American in me screams, shakes my fists, and wants to write nasty letters to the government saying their 2 year mandatory military service is BS. Two years is sooooo long. And they generally make it a miserable 2 years. His high school friends have all finished by now and have very little good to say about their time, which makes it even harder for him.
Needless to say OTS was super down about leaving. No phone, no Ipod, no skateboarding, no scooter, no email, no contact with friends or family (except through letters), no goofy glasses or strange T-shirts for 4 months. Plus he was sent to the training camp right at the border, notorious for being harsh. Argh. Bad timing with all the North Korea jazz as well. Oh life.
To make all this short: I am missing them both terrrribly and my life in Korea will be not be the same without 'em. Sarangheyo!
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