20 something and figuring out life

Now I may make some vast generalizations here, but of course this is my space and about my observations in the cultures I have lived in.

As we all know last week Korea suffered from a horrible incident wherein the cargo ship, Sewol, listed and sank with almost 300 people on it that are in the process of being recovered from the sea floor. Most of these people were teenaged children on a field trip to make this even more heartbreaking. I'll keep my commentary about what I feel should really happen to the SOB of a Captain who made it off the ship safely while all those young lives perished and go to the aftermath and how Korea grieves.

Last Friday a group of friends attended a SK Wyveryns baseball game, which usually are high energy filled with singing, yelling and cheerleaders to rev up the crowd. At the time I didn't understand why, but it was explained that they were absent that night due to the ship sinking. Fair enough, it just had happened a few days before and should rightfully be mourned. However, during the race my friends who had signed up for the race in Mokpo three weeks from then received a text saying that the race would be cancelled due to the events. Fair enough again, the rescue crews probably wouldn't be done and that area is heavily trafficked right now by media and family of the lost ones.

However, it seems even more events are being postponed or cancelled due to this event. Ansan Rock Festival has been cancelled, which since the people were from Ansan I get it a bit- but it's also the end of July when it happens so by then shouldn't we be onto the proper remembrance period?

Even this weekend the annual Lotus Lantern Festival to celebrate my homeboy Buddha's birthday has been reduced to a small production with a shorter run time so I've heard. Also, I haven't seen any flags at half mast in honor of the fallen. Furthermore,  I have heard zero talk about any type of grievance counselors for the families nor do I think they would even have those types in the country. A bit odd when they have internet addiction counselors at almost every school.

Tonight was my last supper with the coworkers as it was my last day. One of my coteachers was getting on my case about crying, which I'll admit though I disliked my placement due to the students lack of wanting to achieve in life, the staff were kind and generously warm people and I am sad to be leaving those relationships though we couldn't communicate in one common language. I had said as long as there was no alcohol I would be fine and the head teacher in charge of the dinner said we wouldn't be having any alcohol anyways because we cannot cheers or celebrate at this time (due to Sewol).

As I sit here hundreds of thousands of miles away in South Korea streaming lived feed of Coachella 2014 I can't help but feel nostalgic, which of course shoots me into memory lane as well as personal reflection. I can confidently say that without a doubt Coachella and EDM changed my life.

Two years ago I was 26 and attended my first Coachella. Why so late you may ask? Well if Backstreet Boys would have landed a spot at Coachella any year leading up to that year I would have been there. But they weren't and I had since grow up- a lot- and progressed into better more evolved music (sorry Boys, you just are stuck in the past).

It was a time in my life where I had a job, one that for the most part I liked, I was living in Arizona- a place I never thought I'd be, but then again I owe most of my love of EDM to my Arizona friends. I was content with life, but I wasn't fulfilled and worrying about the next step and the next big exciting thing was far off into the distance and I truly believed excitement was only for your college years.

In came Coachella 2012. It was the first time in a long time that I completely let my life be for one whole weekend and was fully present. Listening to the likes of David Guetta, Kasakade, Sebastian Ingrosso, Swedish House Mafia, Alesso and others tele-ported me back to my college days when I had my visions of what I wanted and dreamed my life to be like years later. (Maybe it was being near all those late teens and young twenty-somethings as well). I was completely and utterly happy with life and those around me.

However as it goes Coachella ends, you go back to your real life and well Coachella Depression hits you. For me it hit me hard and for many many months. It was so bad that it affected my work and my overall happiness. I wasn't doing what I really wanted- yes I was helping students go around the world, but I didn't want to tell people HOW to do I wanted to be the one booking my ticket to some unknown land and figuring out the ins and outs of that place (or places). I had looked a long time before and after Coachella for jobs that would let me work abroad with my skill set as well as pay off my student debt from college (that ugly elephant that I have to lug around in every life decision). I had seen Korea as an option, but after thinking about it I just didn't know if I would want to live there a full year. Until that right moment came where I was at my lost and felt completely defeated and wondered if this was really it in my life. Going to break with a friend and coworker one hot Arizona day in 2012 she got in my car and said, "I've looked into teaching in Korea, the money is good and I can do anything for a year." In that moment I was sold.

The rest is really history as I am sitting here writing this in my apartment after almost a full year of living and working abroad in Korea. The path before me is still unknown, but watching Coachella 2014 this year reminds me again that this is my life and I have all the power to make it what I want it to be.

Okay so obesity hasn't entirely hit Korea hard, yet. However, with my new influx of elementary turned middle school students I couldn't help but notice that my classes of students seemed to be chubbier and had a love of fried chicken and pizza over their national dishes.

This makes ponder: "what will become of this naturally skinny nation once they all start conforming more to fast food, frozen dinners and convenience foods over their lean ancient ways of eating?"

Sitting next to my coworkers at lunch I have noticed that most of them tend to pray before their meals (more a Catholic trait than Christian). After reading an article that stated that South Korea is the first country in this Northern Asian region (including China and Japan) to embrace and adopt Christianity I found myself asking the questions "why and how?"

So I did a little google search and found this really interesting article. I find it extremely interesting how Christianity can spread in one country and not in another two. But after living in Asia, I have found that conformity is key, so how did it catch in Korea and not Japan or China. My haunch was right about the Korean War as well as Japanese Imperialism. 

It is quite interesting that this article also states how Christianity increased within the women's community as a way to help women become more educated. I have been to Ewha Women's University and it was a beautiful campus. It's so interesting that a Western woman was the foundation of this university. 

It's funny with all the countries that I've traveled to and all the things I've done with my life in the past 28 years including bungee jumping in Korea, Sky Diving in Arizona, Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef in Australia I have yet to say I have a bucket list. To be honest, I don't think I've ever said "That's totally on my bucket list" because if I want to do something, I do it.

But thinking about it there are places I want to go and things I have yet to do so I thought as I'm aging I might as well get one going.

1) Swimming with Sea Turtles despite my complete terror of the ocean and open water.

2) Seeing or helping release baby sea turtles into the ocean.

3) Learning to speak Spanish fluently while living in a Spanish-speaking country.

4) Traveling around Latin America and being able to communicate in only Spanish (after becoming fluent of course in the language).

5) Hiking down the Grand Canyon then water rafting through it only to hike back up!

6) Yoga & meditation retreat in India and learning the foundation of those ways.

7) Owning a house in the mountains of Colorado (if global warming allows for cold, snowy winters).

8) Tomorowland in Belgium.

9) Travel to Africa and help a community grow.

10) Help small communities in the world develop into something greater than they ever thought possible.

11) Visit all 50 temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

12) Aurora Borialis in either northern Norway or northern Canada.

13) Alaska trip