My nephew turned two Sunday! The second year of his life has certainly been an interesting one, and I’m so glad I’ve been able to be home and see him so often. As L turns two, I also realize that it is the two-year anniversary of my return to the United States. Recently, a friend from my Fulbright cohort asked if I had re-adjusted to American life. So, I’ve been reflecting on that recently.
A year ago, I would have said, “No. Definitely not.” My year teaching in PA was a battle with reverse culture shock, homesickness, and constant stress. I missed Korean food, but could not find any in the small town I was living in; I missed having 12 cafes within walking distance; I missed effective public transportation; I missed my apartment on Jeju (a stove with only one working burner was still a trade up for shared laundry, green linoleum, and industrial toilets); and, most importantly, I missed my friends - sorely. There were many times that I lamented on the phone to my mother that I wished I was back in Korea, back teaching on Jeju Island. I was so homesick for Korea that I even planned a trip there - in February! February! Of course, that trip never happened.
Having to cancel my trip to Korea was rough for me, especially once the lock down hit and I was teaching from behind my screen. I had only just started to feel more connected to the faculty in PA, only just started making friendships, to be separated by distance and a computer screen. I had already often felt like an island unto myself during the school day as the main French teacher with a schedule that didn’t match up with anyone else, a classroom located in a corner, and a difference in pedagogical philosophy with my department members. I saw other teachers at lunch, and at dinner. With virtual learning, I saw them even less. This disconnection only fed into that longing for “home.” In June 2020, I most certainly did not feel adjusted to US life.
Being at home with my mom, and my sister’s family this past year has been a blessing. I think I can say that I feel slightly more adjusted, though there are certainly times that I have felt the pang of homesickness - and the amount of waste produced in the US, the astronomical medical bills, the corruption (not that Korea is uncorrupt), etc. still sometimes makes me want to pick up and go back overseas, though these days I have been thinking more of Europe, or, since my new school has an international campus there, Vietnam. However, I won’t be packing my bags for an international adventure of any particular length for quite a while. Although I wouldn’t say I have fully adjusted to life in the US, I’d say that, for now, I am more content being here. We’ll see, though; Sagittarius is not known as a particular sedentary Zodiac sign.