Minelli’s Journals

November 4, 2024

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

안녕!Time has been flying so fast! One minute, I’m sweating from the humid summer, and the next, I regret not bringing warmer clothes from home. The air grows cooler, and the leaves change color, coating the mountain in reddish-brown hues. The walk to school is smelly due to the fertilizer, but scenic as you pass wheat fields blowing in the wind. Birds fly in V formations migrating to warmer areas, I am wearing extra clothes, and making sure to pack an umbrella. It’s fall. 

In September, I had my Rotary orientation. Alex and I gave self-presentations of our lives in Korean in front of many Rotarians. Korean has been coming along great with my classes and self-study. Although, it has gotten harder the more I talk about more nuanced topics. However, It was a proud moment as the presentation went great, and I received certificates and pins.

Just a few days later, we celebrated Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving—a time when families gather to eat, drink, and reconnect. My older sister traveled from Cheonan to spend a few days with us. On the morning of Chuseok, there was a table set of foods and a piece of writing on a wall above the table.  My sister and father performed a bowing ritual to honor our ancestors.  After this, we cleared the table, and we ate ramen. Imagine my shock when my host mother put a huge bowl of ramen in front of me at 7 in the morning. That was when I learned Koreans don't have morning foods. Breakfast is just food eaten in the morning, not specific foods like bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Morning Ramen was 10/10 though.

Later that day, I visited my host grandparents, who have six children, including my host mother. We all drove down to a house by the beach and met up with my host mother’s entire family. They grilled all types of meat and fish, we had rice and kimchi, and ended the day with ice cream.

September and October were significantly different from August. For a while now, I’ve found myself having, what I like to call, "mouse moments"—those quiet and peaceful times alone during my daily routine, like riding the bus home or walking to school.  Some days my host parents go out at night and it's just me. I think it's important to be alone with yourself, but it is those moments that can get stagnant and lonely. However, after spending a day out with friends for the first time, I realized what I really wanted to do was explore. It came to me then that this is what I love—going out, exploring new places, seeing people, and building connections. The fall months have been transformative as I’ve stepped out of my bubble with my host family and formed new friendships. I put myself out there more than I ever have.

One highlight was the school's sports festival. You can sign up for dodgeball or volleyball, and every lunch you get to play against the other grades. Through this, I met a lot of people who taught me the rules and I enjoyed it a lot. I signed up for Volleyball but next time I think I'll do dodgeball. Let's say I only do combat sports for a reason.

There was a middle school fair that I attended to promote my high school. All the high schools in the area set up tents and talked to middle school students about why they should go to their school. My high school brought me along to explain the youth exchange program. I brought my school yearbook to showcase the sports, events, and American school life. That day I met a lot of people, answering questions they had about America. I and a few others who helped during the fair were rewarded afterward with a trip to a nearby cafe paid for by the teachers. I was recommended this sweet potato drink which tastes a lot better than it sounds. 

Afterwards, we had a lot of testing. Korean school’s testing weeks are much more rigorous, but after testing the school made up for it by taking the juniors to Jeju Island. We had a nice hotel and every night me and my roommates ordered food and played games. We had buses take us all around Jeju. We went to parks and cafes, laser tags, go-karts, performances, and a circus. The last day was cold and rainy, but I and a few other friends jumped into the pool fully dressed and stayed for a while. That was probably one of my top days. 

The week after I had the opportunity to go to Laos. Laos was such an incredible experience, if I could, I would go back a million times again.  The reason we went to Laos is because every year Rotary comes to Laos to fix a school there. Along with many other Rotarians, I took a bus to Seoul and then flew five hours to Vientiane, the capital. From there, we drove two hours to Vang Vieng.  When we arrived it was nighttime, but in the morning when I woke up and saw the city for the first time, it was so beautiful. There were large mountains that rivers flowed between and lush fields. Vangvieng is known for its scenic nature and activities, there were many foreigners there to hike mountains and go backpacking.

Our first day began early as we headed to the school, a pre-K/kindergarten in need of repairs.  Many of the classes had no lights, and when it would rain the potholes in the floor would fill with water making a puddle. So many more things that we had noticed but didn’t even get to finish. 

The first day, Alex and I had to make lunch for the students and the Rotarians. The kitchen was filled with pots and pans. There was no stove or oven but outside, there was a place to start a fire. Me and Alex took the chopped wood and kept the fire going, so the other Rotarians could cook the food. For the children, the Rotary brought ramen for them, and for the teachers and Rotarians, they made rice and kimchi stew.  We opened and pre-prepped 150 bowls of ramen. The next day, we made over 150 fried eggs for a curry dish. For the rest of the day, me and Alex smelled like oil and eggs. 

Most of my tasks were usually cooking, doing activities with the students, and handing out new uniforms. By the end of our visit, we had painted the school, installed lights, and even gifted them a TV and computer. The joy on the children’s faces was unforgettable, and I felt proud to have contributed to the community.

Usually, we would work from 10am to 5pm. We would return to the hotel to wash up. We left again to go eat dinner, and every night after we ate, we would get massages and go to the night markets. The night market was a long street where vendors would set up and sell all sorts of things from clothes to toys to fruit. Once the Rotarians figured out I liked to eat mangoes, there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't eat a bowl of sliced mangoes at night. The last few days in Laos I went boat riding. We rode dune buggies through valleys and arrived at a blue lagoon. At the blue lagoon, I jumped off a high ledge into the water because why not. We saw Buddhist statues and the next thing I knew I was on a plane back to Korea (After a massage and mangoes of course). 

This trip truly embodied the spirit of "service above self" and this experience will definitely be a memory that I will cherish forever. Those students will forget me and the rotary members, but it is knowing that you made an impact. It is one thing to make memories, but it is another to be able to leave footprints. I really hope more opportunities like that arise!

Then days went back to normal, and the excitement faded. Unfortunately, I can’t leap into blue lagoons or repair schools while enjoying massages and mangoes every day. Nowadays, the only footprints I leave behind are on the school floor after a rainy day. My last journal spoke about finding the special each day, but it's not as easy as I previously thought. It's been difficult adjusting to the monotony of a normal that has never been your norm.  To break this repetitive chain, I’ll take a new path home, get off at a later bus stop, or try a new cafe. I learned that sometimes, you are going to have to do it alone.  And sometimes, when there's a free day on your calendar, you call up your friend, and you have some of the best days of your life. I want to practice this balance between quiet times and making connections with others. It's in both of these moments where I want to find joy in stillness and in shared laughter.

  A few other updates include me starting Judo. I'm so glad to be starting martial arts again. The manager let me borrow a uniform and gave me a free shirt! The December festival is coming up, and there are 3 songs I am singing for it. I’m super excited. The band has been working so hard. Finally, I am also in a dance club, learning K-pop choreography is lots of fun. That’s all for today!

Stay tuned for the next journals!  곧 봐요! Love Ya!