moving on

So I have had a day here in Korea and I have been able to process some things. First thing is how extremely blessed i am to have the people in my life that I do. The last week although exhausting was so good for my heart. I already knew that I was loved but to be able to tangibly see it did wonders for my heart and made me realize how much God has used all of the people in my life to show me His love and grace.

Second thing that I realized by actually being here is how much peace i have about the decision I have made. Even yesterday when I was just walking around my apartment and I was so lost and it seemed like there were millions of people around me and I had no clue what was going on. All I could think was how cool this is and all the things I am going to learn. Not once did I go "what did I get myself into" or "I have made a huge mistake" So those have been the last couple of thoughts that I had on this journey so far.

Now......

time for some of the things I have learned in little more than 24 hours in Korea. I'll give you the top five

1. Do not ever and I mean ever cross the street without the green walk signal. Just when you think it is safe a big green bus will come out of nowhere and make your life flash before your eyes and not even slow down. Also on that note do not think just because the light turned green that you shouldn't wait a second in case a bus decides that they need to get to their destination before you or you might be squished

2. Being Black in Korea means you will get a lot of looks. This I have noticed is not always a bad thing. There have been so many people that will be looking at me and when i catch them they just smile and bow or say hello. Kind of different from what I expected.

3. Koreans are horrible drivers. I kind of eluded to this with number 1 but I have never seen so much chaos on a street. There are people driving scooters and motorcycles on the sidewalk, there are like 7 lanes on the street and there are hundreds of people walking around everywhere and everybody keeps going it doesnt matter if you get bumped or pushed on accident by time you see who did it they are already halfway down the block so you cant take it personal. Drivers cut each other off all of the time and no one honks at each other. I have figured out that Koreans are aggressive drivers just not aggressive people.

4. Everything about Korean culture is different from America. For example if you are shaking someone's hand that is older than you Firm is not good(actually disrespectful Doh) a nice handshake and a bow shows respect not the mano y mano handshake. And if you are going to pour some water make sure to pour for everyone else first and yourself last. Koreans are very big on giving and respecting others but they dont take things serious like holding a door open or letting a lady sit down. Comparing things to America will just drive you nuts so dont do it.

5. Last for now make sure to have a group of people with you when you go out to eat because you are going to get a lot of food and it will be awesome. So make sure you have people to enjoy it with. Luckily I somehow managed to meet people and have enjoyed meals with many different people. (i know thats a real surprise)

Honorable mention- dont have smelly feet because your shoes are coming off everytime you go somewhere, if you are going to buy something do it in the subway its a little cheaper, and the best snack in the world is a waffle folded with honey and whipped cream in the middle.

Thats just a little of what Korea has shown me so far. This is going to be a wild ride