So I'm back in Seoul after spending some much needed time away reflecting, contemplating, showing Louie the beauty of the 오토바이... and just taking some time to recover. As I got off the bus last night in Soul, I noticed a particular smell... not necessarily bad, but not exactly pleasant either. I was talking with my housemate this morning and told her about it, she commented, "Ahh the smell of metropolitan Korea." Hmmm.. Interesting. As I got back to my room and proceeded to take a shower the subtle scents took me back 11months ago to my first impression of the "mother land" as some refer to it... I remember the excitement, the anticipation, and then the shear exhaustion of my first transpacific flight in over 20 years. Anyways, it's amazing how the slightest scent or voice can take us back days, weeks, even years... translate us for a few breathes... I'm glad to be here another year. The opportunity to study, work, learn, teach, give, experience, I welcome them all.

Oh yea... I saw my other roommate just a few mins ago... His first words, "Nice to see you're back... you gained weight, ha ha ha" My response... yea 2lbs, thanks for noticing.. :P On vacation, all the comments were "wow, you're small" or "you look sick, you need to gain some weight" or "man, I don't even recognize you." Here, they're just the opposite, how a few miles can change people's perceptions so much... It's good to be back.