Happiness is U-shaped

Before we left for Korea, my coworker who lived abroad let me know that after the initial excitement of arriving and the adrenaline of the first few months, there would likely be a point where I was sad. But she said not to worry because it'll get better. Happiness vs. time on a graph tends to be U-shaped. I always thought that December would be the saddest time of the year, especially as it would be my first Christmas without my family. But it wasn't too bad. It was sad... but I felt like I was too busy to be that sad.

Roof of a yoga studio that I went to a few times

I did get to a point where I was feeling anxious. I realized that I was constantly aware of the number of months since we'd arrived and the months that we had left. Cam and I were having big discussions about the pros and cons of teaching, and our options in September. It was over Lunar new year when everyone in Korea was visiting their family around the country that I think I felt the most sad and a little homesick. I had this surprisingly sad moment when I was Facetiming a friend while she was out running errands. She was paying for groceries and thanking the cashier and I teared up a little because I forgot what it was like to understand what a cashier is saying.

Cafe where Cam and I set up to make our end of month tests and write report cards

Since I became aware of my unnecessary focus on time, I have been very intentionally trying to live more in the moment and appreciate this experience for what it is. While waiting for the bus, I'll look at the tall buildings with signs like "bowling alley" and "virtual golf" on the 10th floor and remind myself how cool it is that I'm here right now. As I learn more Korean, I get super excited when I recognize something as simple as a sign saying "office building" in Korean. When Cam and I go on hikes around the city, we feel a certain satisfaction looking at a view and being able to point to all the places we've been.

View of Haeundae beach. Cam and I have explored a good chunk of this coastline

At our most homesick, I remember both Cam and I being so tired from all the stimulation. In January, we were on the subway during rush hour everyday and we could never find a seat. When you walk past the driveway of a parking garage and a car is leaving, there's a flashing siren outside to warn you. When someone mistakenly tries to go the wrong way on an escalator - same thing (I actually find this quite comical whenever it happens). People here, in general, do not default to passing on the right on the sidewalk and I always felt like we were going to crash. There are speakers on the beaches here making announcements and sometimes playing music. I think I've started to become desensitized to all these things.

This burger came with gloves to keep your hands clean

For me, February has flown by and I feel like we're past the low and on the upward trend of that U-shaped happiness graph. Although Cam and I don't have any cool, new weekend trips to share, we've been really enjoying discovering new restaurants, revisiting fave areas, and living in Busan. The weather has been lovely - 10 degrees and sunny most days - and we're trying out a new habit of going on a big walk Friday mornings (we did a 10 km hike/walk last week and a 6 km walk yesterday). And of course, we're looking forward to friends and family visiting in April and May (and maybe June)!