It is with a heavy heart that I write of my departure from the beautiful Republic of Korea. The country's people and culture made such a deep impression on me and has helped to assure me that studying Korean is really the right thing for me to be doing with my life.
Here begins the final chapter in my Korean saga...
As Sandy and I were waiting for our bus in Tongyeong, I called the travel agency that was in charge of ordering my vest for China. I wanted to make sure that I could pick up my visa later in the day since I wouldn't be able to make it until around 5:00. The woman seemed suspicious when I asked her how late they were open and insisted that I just come then, but I explained that I was in Tongyeong and was about to take a bus to Busan. She then warned me that I shouldn't be traveling in the typhoon and could come the next day instead. I told her that I had to catch a train to Seoul that night and she finally begrudgingly surrendered the information saying I could come before 6:00. All of this was done in Korean of course. I can't believe how much progress I made in a short eight weeks.
Upon arriving in Busan, we made our way to the Sabeopsa Buddhist temple, one that was recommended in our guide book. The temple was a beautiful, built near a small river where Sandy and I explored for a bit. Eventually we had to leave in order to get to the agency in time, so we made our way to China Town (fitting right?) and I picked up my brand new visa. It was such a relief to finally have it in my hands, as I had been very worried that I wouldn't be able to get it in time and therefore wouldn't be allowed to enter China. In celebration, we went to a nearby Chinese restaurant where we spoke a jumble of Chinese, Korean, and English with the owners and waitresses who were all very friendly. This made for a good farewell to Busan.
So beautiful
Busan Station
We had to wait a couple of hours for the train, so we went to the station's Baskin Robbins where I had my last Patbingsu of Korea. Eventually we boarded and I spent most of the ride listening to my audiobook "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula LeGuin, which had been recommended to me by my friend Oliver who I was staying with in Seoul. We didn't get back to the apartment until around midnight. It had been a long day of traveling and I was ready for bed. The next morning I went to lunch with my friend Jungsoo and tried to get a hold of my other friend Michelle to say goodbye, but she was out of town and was unable to return in time to see me off. I as really disappointed since she was one of the best friends that I had made in Korea and I wasn't able to giver her the gift which I had bought her in Jeju.
That evening as I was searching for somewhere to eat dinner I ran into Oliver returning from work. He hadn't eaten yet either so we went to a restaurant nearby and we were able to have one last meal together. Afterward Oliver, his friend Jesse, Sandy, and I all hung out listening to music and talking. I had an early flight in the morning though and I hadn't even started packing so I got to work. The process was long and rather emotional as I went through the few belongings which had lasted me through the past eight wonderful weeks. I had some trouble deciding what to take along to China, what to ship back to the US, and what could be thrown away, but by the time I had to leave to catch the bus to the airport at 4:30, I was ready.
I made my way to the bus stop and arrived just as the bus got there. The ride was pretty long and I was exhausted so I slept the whole way. My time in the airport was short and before I knew it I was looking out the airplane window getting my last look at Korea.
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The End
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The End
I'm really happy that I could share these experiences with all of you who read my blog. Thank you for taking the time to follow my adventures. I've been in China the last few weeks and will probably be adding a few more entries to the blog, but I'll be returning to the States in a couple days and with everything else I have to catch up on it may be a while before I can recount my wonderful journey through the land of the Han. I love you all and can't wait to see those of you who will be in Oregon when I get back.
