I’m still slightly jet-lagged and REALLY deep in my feels and as much as that phrase makes me cringe as a broad in her 40s, I am at a loss to think of a better way to explain my listlessness, like I’m going through a bad high school breakup. It hurts to be so in love with a country on the other side of the world, lol. Is this a past life thing, I wonder? Because I feel so whole and alive when I’m there and then just whatever when I’m here. What does it meaaaaannnnn.
Anyway, I haven’t even started going through my photos yet because every time I start to, I end up weeping uncontrollably (like just a few minutes when I called Henry and gurgled, “I AM SO SADDDDD” and he was like, “Jesus Christ, we will go back.” So, until I’m able to compose myself and type out proper recaps of each day we were in South Korea, here is a list of things I have been wailing about missing since we’ve come home.
- The uneven sidewalks that Henry constantly – and I mean like perpetually – tripped over.
- Using my Haechan T-money card for the subway/bus everyday:
- Dunkin injeolmi lattes :( Generally we don’t do American chains while on traveling but injeolmi is one of my fave Korean flavors so I had to try this. It was so good, I had it twice – tried for a third when we were at Seoul station waiting for the airport train on our departure day but apparently this was a limited menu and it ended after March. :(
- 87 convenience stores on every block (ok maybe an exaggeration but really there are a ton) where we’d get total delicious trash food (& sometimes healthy food!) for breakfast ever day. I even bought a cute suitcase at a 7 Eleven in the subway station outside of our hotel and it was filled with treats!
- 24:7 kpop and I mean good kpop and barely any BTS, what a blessing. I was so happy at how much BIGBANG we heard as we walk down the sidewalks. One night in 명동 there was a bar and a store across from each other blasting two different BIGBANG songs at once, and a shop when we were in 경주 that was cycling through an entire BIGBANG playlist while we were there! Lots of Seventeen too – probably the group I heard the most of while there honestly.
- Chooch getting his semi-daily shot of coffee in the subway station:
- 그녕…the way it smells. I can’t explain it. But it’s nostalgic and comforting to me.
- The language. When I say it’s music to my ears…
- Matcha.
- MOTHERFUCKING SALT BREAD. Changed my life. Full post coming soon about the 소금빵
- Barely any Taylor Swift assaulting the airways! Blessed be.
- The convenience of being able to grab snacks from subway ajummas (kimbap, hodu gwaja, etc).
- The self-serve store in the subway station by our hotel exit that sold Levain cookies.
- CAFES BEING OPEN LATE unlike here in Pgh where most of them close at 2 or 3 because apparently no one drinks coffee after that, we move on to Bud Lite or something, I guess.
I will end with my current favorite NCT Dream song from their new album (that came out while we were there!!) which has become the soundtrack to the way I’m feeling post-SK. I’ll be ok, I know. Just bear with me while I work through this and be glad you’re not Henry, who has to deal with my mopiness IRL. (I think I probably just need to go to an amusement park….HINT HINT, HUSBAND. LOL not as gross as “hubby”, but I’ll still never do that again don’t worry.)
(RENJUN AT 2:51!!! THAT SMILE.)
(Great now I’m sitting here sobbing right as I have to begin working, I’m going to be loads of fun in group chat today.)
(Do I possibly need therapy?)