Reintegration

It took just over two years but I’ve finally made my clean break from Asia. Leaving behind my little world of like-minded transient friends, a mediocre music scene, Hite hangovers and of course my chubby, video game loving students.

Over the past five weeks I’ve slowly been reintegrating myself into the west. It’s been bumpy but I’ve come along way. I remember to tip people now. Rather I should say, people have openly reminded me they needed to be tipped. Regretfully, the hair stylist who I had an appointment with on my first day back certainly will not be excited to see me in the waiting room in a few weeks.

I also now manage to get in and out of the super market in less than an hour. The bright lights, the vast open lanes, the fruit, oh the fruit. My concept of time and space was lost for the first few visits. I’d find myself having just spent twenty minutes in the wine aisle marveling. Simply marveling. The cheese aisle, whew, if they had samples to sustain me I might not have ever returned home.

There still, however, remains to be one thing that I haven’t fully acclimated myself to – strangers, even an arms length away, saying “excuse me” in passing. In Korea that is simply not how it’s done. Push or be pushed. No apology necessary. Now I have to remind myself with little thoughtful phrases like, “How would you feel to get elbowed in the chest?” or “Shouldn’t you let the old woman go first”. And yet I still fight the urge to push people out of the way on the L platform and knock into people on the street. Perhaps this could be hinting at a deeper aggression issue…I’ll look into it.

Aside from these western cultural short comings I have been making progress in other areas. I'm gradually accepting the fact people can come visit me - on a whim even. It's no longer an eighteen hour flight that will set them back a month's salary. In fact, I actually just picked someone up and drove them back to O’Hare international airport. Up until now I’ve only been driven there or been picked up. It feels strange but I think I could get used to it.

And although India or Thailand would be much more pleasant climates to spend my days loafing around in before I get a job, I’m very content to be home. Happy even. I guess that’s until the questionable sleeping pills I bought in Vietnam run out or until I decide to actually open my bank statements. But as of right now life post Asia isn’t so bad. Not so bad at all.