I who love to be astonished: Lessons from 2024 and notes on my brief trip to South Korea
It is incredible to me that only hours ago I was in Busan, South Korea, enjoying a bone broth soup for late lunch with my family at the Gimhae International Airport. Then, before I knew it, it was time for the farewell hugs—see you soon, ingat sa biyahe—that, despite plenty of practice the past few years, never gets easier. With my carry-on trolley bag and backpack, I breezed through security check-points and long, brightly-lit terminal hallways in Gimhae, then Incheon, Seoul, then Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Suddenly I am waiting at gate D41 for the final leg of my long journey home to Austin—because, yes, the United States is home to me now too, a fact that surprised me when an immigration officer stationed by the US citizen and Permanent Resident inspection line greeted me with welcome home.
Astonished is the feeling that seems to glow from my body when I think about this past week and the rest of my 2024. Let me begin with the impulsive decision to travel to South Korea, which I made on a whim on the tail-end of November so I could spend Christmas with my family. The trip takes over 20 hours and 3 flights one way, so by the time I’m heading back home, I will only have just begun to adapt to Korea’s time zone. It is a grueling, inefficient journey—I lose two precious PTO days just traveling—but one I am glad I had the opportunity to pursue.