One Monumental Bound

In discussing this life, Ryan and I concluded that the expatriates here are either motivated by a desire to leave something in their past or run towards the future. Sure, that's a generalization and the line in between is blurry, but most fall in one side of the equation. With very little thought, I aligned myself with the latter. I am aware of many dissatisfactions towards my America, but, after leaving her, I've discovered more reasons to romanticize my native soil. This is largely brought on by a constant need to defend America in a place, like most countries, where she is under un-yielding scrutiny. I have been forced to look beyond the hypocritical political aspirations that condemn America in the international community and focus on the unique, optimistic attitude of it's people. A Korean friend who studied in America once told me that what struck her about Americans was, "how happy the people as a whole are." "How are you today, I'm great, and you?" She said all this mockingly, but I agree with this observation and sometimes I miss that blind optimism. I write this because I'm sitting in a posh hotel room in the 3rd largest city in the world, Seoul. This is one of the rare moments when I feel important. Teachers in Korea are people of status and dignity but, no matter what my salary, I know I'm far from prestigious. Still, the work I've been doing here is getting me closer to that ideal every day. It was a demanding week and now I'm able to afford my own room in this affluent hotel. Tomorrow I will go shopping for Asian art. Right now, I understand that every travail, every frustrating student was well worth this opportunity to feel accomplished. This is a moment when I realize I'm leaping into the future.