Getting Domestic in Korea

This does not apply just to South Korea. Though, it’s damn important here. It may be a personal thing, it may be universal.

If you have just arrived here, you’re starry-eyed and excited and everything is just so. Damn. New. You’re taking it all in. It’s, in a word, whacked. You’re partying. You’re socializing, or at least trying to. It’s a hell of a first few days, especially if you’re young, energetic and seeing something like Korea–something so damn FOREIGN–for the first time.

But, whether you’re 23 and everything is passionately new, or you’re 33 and it’s the third time you’ve tried this thing, there comes a time over the course of a year that you’re going to need to get a little domestic. Party down is great, but those emotional, physical energy stores are going to deplete themselves eventually. Some faster than others. And, with that aforementioned Korea Foreignness kicking you in the senses regularly, a little domesticity will hopefully give all the weirdness a normal, familiar base. This is your space, your escape, your common ground.

Tonight, my common ground was making chili.

I let the pot sit and cool, closed for about an hour and checked again. Now, it’s actually good! It was fine before. But, damn, it’s amazing what time can do to a good pot of chicken chili-like soup-stew. And, I feel accomplished. And, I feel a little more domestically restored. For me, especially for now, I am going to need some sort of safe haven when/if I feel low, out of sorts, out of my element. At least now I know I’ll be well-fed should that happen.