Finally....
Goodbye Korea. Goodbye ajummas and ajosshis. Goodbye girls who wear shorts in winter. Goodbye kimbap, kimchi, ramyan, chapjae, veggie mandu. Goodbye weird brand names that I won't see elsewhere (Ask Enquired?). Goodbye random children saying hello. Goodbye scooters that pass you on the sidewalk. Goodbye tiled rooftops. Goodbye wall of ass. Goodbye bent over halmonis with silver teeth. Goodbye taxi drivers that smell like ginseng. Goodbye hangeul. Goodbye Yudal. Goodbye Kimbap Nara. Goodbye Dak galbi. Goodbye soju. Goodbye chunners and man won. Goodbye the feeling of understanding or being understood. Goodbye Samsung and Hyundae everything. Goodbye small white or black cars (and rarely blue or yellow ones). Goodbye Konglish. Goodbye circular logic. Goodbye temples. Goodbye big bronze bells. Goodbye colourfully painted pagodas. Goodbye neon lights. Goodbye norae bangs. Goodbye boybands. Goodbye random gifts and service-eu. Goodbye newbies and lifers. Goodbye giving directions to people using a million different landmarks. Goodbye miming in the post office to buy stamps. Goodbye my awesome cellphone. Goodbye PC bangs. Goodbye skinny cigarettes. Goodbye spitting on sidewalks and being pushed out of the way. Goodbye recycling everywhere, even in McDonald's. Goodbye Mokpo and Suncheon and Gwangju. Goodbye Yeosu and Wando and Seoul. Goodbye Gyeongju and Jinju and Busan. Goodbye mountains like Jirisan and Wolchulsan. Goodbye quiet beaches (outside of beach season). Goodbye self-camming in public. Goodbye cherry blossom season. Goodbye yellow dust. Goodbye barking dogs, and mini-puppies carried as fashion accessories. Goodbye Hello Kitty everywhere. Goodbye cheap and weird socks. Goodbye young guys dressed to the nines. Goodbye technology that is ahead of its time. Goodbye squat toilets. Goodbye heated bidets with blowdryers. Goodbye flower arrangements that are out of this world. Goodbye almost being hit by a car every day. Goodbye cheap buses, in and out of the city. Goodbye the uniformity of appearance. Goodbye stripey scarves and sparkly t-shirts. Goodbye cafeteria food, including tentacle surprise. Goodbye Spam in everything. Goodbye hot goguma on the street. Goodbye fish shaped cookies. Goodbye ddeok. Goodbye metal chopsticks. Goodbye gochujang. Goodbye funny winter hats that look like animal heads. Goodbye Jeju. Goodbye "I don't know, lives in sea". Goodbye "It's Korean tradition". Goodbye annyeong haseyo and kamsahamnida. Goodbye Mr Kim and Mr Lee and Mrs Park and Mrs Oh. Goodbye Hite. Goodbye Homeplus and Emart. Goodbye fishing boats at 5 am and the Jeju ferry boat at 9:30 pm. Goodbye taeguki. Goodbye taekwondo. Goodbye flat-screen satellite TVs everywhere. Goodbye to the noise. Goodbye jimjilbang. Goodbye face masks. Goodbye ridiculous high heels (that I secretly covet). Goodbye mascots on street corners. Goodbye hanuiwan and acupuncture. Goodbye "good for health" and "good for stamina". Goodbye green tea in temple tea shops. Goodbye cranes hunting frogs in rice paddies. Goodbye bongo trucks. Goodbye ddong-chim. Goodbye being told how beautiful you are by strangers. Goodbye cheap eyeglasses. Goodbye to being waygook. Goodbye dabangs and double barber poles. Goodbye to weird Korean comedy programs on TV that involve hitting each other with inflated squeaky hammers. Goodbye "I'mfinethankyouandyou". Goodbye "Whel all you prom?". Goodbye to the crazy old men outside of the train station. Goodbye walking to the head of the line in a bank or post office because you have no idea where else to go. Goodbye lotus ponds. Goodbye amazing fireworks. Goodbye surprises every day. Goodbye quiz nights. Goodbye squeally musical instruments and wavering voices. Goodbye canned keyboard accompaniment. Goodbye French nights. Goodbye world travel. Goodbye Nami, Minsu, Thomas and the rest of the weird kids on the government approved CD-Roms for ESL. Goodbye "Maybe". Goodbye yes as no and no as yes. Goodbye friends from around the world ~ you have become our family.
Goodbye Taie-lun.
Goodbye Baginia.
Goodbye Taie-lun.
Goodbye Baginia.
15 Comments:
We will miss you.
By Zach, at 7:42 PM
That was awesome!!!
You summed up everything only an expat in Korea would understand after having spent a number of years living and teaching here.
I'm soooooooooooooo jealous, too. I'm thinking I'll stay one more year, and then see if they raise salaries because nobody new is coming here, and too many 'veteran' expats have left . . . then I MIGHT stay for another year or two if the money is insanely good--MIGHT.
Where are you going?
J
By Jason, at 8:19 PM
I'm a super-BABO . . . I had read the post about you going to the UAE and then forgot . . . doh! Or should I say, "Igoh!" or my personal favorite from having taught high school girls for a year, "Otike!"
Good luck!
J
By Jason, at 8:22 PM
Hi Its MOM I'll miss your blogs, hope you start one in UAE, but I think life there will not be such a cultrual change as in Korea. But then again, it may be. It will be interesting to know your thoughts. Good luck in your new life Love MOM
By Anonymous, at 4:14 AM
I am laughing and crying!
"Goodbye technology that is ahead of its time. Goodbye squat toilets." Your contrast is impeccable!
You have totally summed up an ex-pat's time in Korea... I don't believe you have left much out! I would add "Goodbye red plastic bowls at the market."
I feel like I'm leaving Korea all over again. Good Luck you two!
By Jen @ Light Enough to Travel, at 6:09 AM
bonvoyage
"V" and "T"
By Anonymous, at 8:05 AM
wow- that actually made me miss korea a little bit! i'll be going back soon enough though.
hope your trip to the uae goes smoothly and that you guys like it there. i can't wait to read your new blog when you get it up and running!
luv, randi
By Randi, at 3:07 PM
That was pretty great, i would have added:
'Goodbye for having to fight for your contractual rights every day, goodbye boiled pig heads everywhere, good bye black fabric covered in drying chilies, fish, and everything else imaginable..."
LOL
We'll miss you
"oh, and good by strange Korean illnesses"
By Unknown, at 10:02 PM
I kept looking for goodbye doctor fish... maybe in the UAE?
By Anonymous, at 11:54 AM
Goodbye weird candy covered peanuts, tasteless frootloop puffball things, dried stringy squid, and shrimp fries in those little wooden bowls. Serbiseu!
By Jen @ Light Enough to Travel, at 9:03 AM
Awww, now who will I vicariously travel the world through? Please start another blog, you have always been such a great and entertaining writer Poody!
By Unknown, at 12:21 PM
I can't believe how concise that was. It must've taken you hours. And, personally, if I'd written that I would've cried the whole time, lol.
I hear all is strangely entertaining so far in the west...or near-east... depends which way you're looking... ^^
if and when you get a mailing address (are you allowed care packages in that place? I'm so super-sketch about arabland), I'll be sure to send to you and Ty a large box of love :)
By Alex, at 10:08 AM
New blog will be coming at some point.
We finally have intertubes.
For now, though, we are going to just write up a big thing and send it out as an e-mail attachment.
We've had the MOST BIZARRE WEEK EVER... so, yeah, hold on to your hats... it's going to be a weird e-mail!
By Anonymous, at 8:30 PM
V, it's Barb... that was so emotional and beautiful and funny and sad... Thanks for sharing it with us! Looking forward to hearing about your new adventures!
By Anonymous, at 11:40 AM
I just re-read this, and it brought back so many memories. Love love.
One thing you said goodbye to that you didn't mean to was 'world travel'-- I don't think you guys are done with that yet.
Best of luck in Burma!!
By Jen @ Light Enough to Travel, at 10:38 AM
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