A kind of solitude

My language exchange partner asked to reschedule our meeting today, so I decided to explore the area a bit more. Actually, I had an ulterior motive, which was to find a table cloth or something that could serve as a table cloth. I scored a table yesterday and I'm working on a drawing/eating-toast-in-the-morning/nice-place-to-put-a-potted-plant spot in the apartment. Anyway, I did find a table cloth and even got a slight discount. I had a nice walk and didn't get lost :)
This is the first Saturday I've been here that I haven't had plans to go out with anyone, my first solid day without somewhere to be or someone to be with. I realized how much I depend on being busy to take my mind off of being alone. This is so odd because I've always enjoyed being alone and doing things by myself. The kind of solitude you look forward to, to just do your own thing, has always been a big part of my life. There's a difference between loneliness and solitude and I think I'm finally starting to move from one to the other.



More and more, I appreciate certain aspects of Korean culture. Friendship and loyalty are highly valued, and reflected in daily life. Even my older, tougher students are not ashamed to hug one another, and many (both guys and girls) will walk arm in arm. I have already witnessed numerous times, two business men casually carrying a drunken friend between them down the street.

The girls in the photo above eventually came over to talk to me while I sat on the bench. They introduced themselves and told me with total sincerity that they thought I was beautiful. They asked my age and where I was from ("Ohhhh, oooooo....CANADA!") and whether I could speak Korean. I told them I could only say two or three words, and they were completely impressed ("SO smart!") even though they themselves could speak ten times as much English as I could Korean.



Now I'm off to take a nap.