So here's the thing....

So here's the thing.

I love me some America. I truly, truly do.

I kinda have a Master's in the subject. And that's no joke. (Just ask The George Washington University and the nice people at Citibank who will be receiving my student loan payments for the next bazillion years of my life. And, why is it THE George Washington University? Are there others that I'm unaware of?)

Deep thoughts. But these are not THE deep thoughts which prompted me here in the first place.

So here's the thing.

I love me some America. But I'm kinda scared to return. It's been two years, after all.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm super duper excited to see friends and family, meet my new niece and nephews, show off my most adorable baby, eat In & Out with reckless abandon, and buy shoes that are bigger than a size 8. But I'm also 100% sure I'm going to have a serious case of reverse culture shock.

David and I went to Insadong last Saturday to admire all the paper lanterns out for Buddha's birthday and to buy some Korean-y things. We peeked into the Indian Cafe or Cafe India or something equally clever for dinner. We'd eaten Korean the night before and I was feeling the need for curry and so in we went.

I should have known something was amiss when we realized that we were surrounded by only other Americans except for a pair of Koreans who probably felt they'd just wandered in Oz. It was weird to realize that I could eavesdrop on any conversation going on around me because I could totally understand what people were saying. And I haven't been able to do that in a long time.

But here's the thing, when you can speak the same language as the group of loud-mouthed Americans sitting across from you, you can totally hear everything they are saying.

And I was totally ashamed by these rude, obnoxious, arrogant group of young Americans who laughed too loud, boasted with pride, and acted like all the bad things people say about Americans.

David and I weren't having it (also, it was also a hookah bar and who brings an 8-month old to a hookah bar? and I swear we're good parents we just didn't know it was a hookah bar when we sat down) so we requested our food to go and high-tailed it out of there. Instead we found a coffee shop (Star Moon....WAY original there guys) and settled down with our Indian food and about 30 Koreans.

And I felt so much more comfortable in that room full of Koreans than I felt in that cafe with my fellow Americans.

So that's the thing. I love me some America, but also...? I love me some Korea too.

I totally didn't see it coming.