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In December of this year I got back home to London and I was so glad to be there I wanted to kiss the ground... of Heathrow Airport! I then went on a six week fabulous drinking bender in London & Prague, had the time of my life, drinking in places I wanted to be in and recognised, among people I understood and related to. But why such relief though? Was Korea giving me such a hard time?
Not really, I had a nice job in a university and made half decent money; had a fabulous girlfriend plus an array of real friends; mini-skirts & boots were in fashion and I knew all the best places to go. But: I'd been away from home for longer fifteen months, longer than my comfort zone. Plus in a far off place like KR, significantly different from Europe by any measure. I was a bit homesick underneath. Yet mainly for Prague, where I thought about every day all year. Seoul was a lot of things, very fun but leaving CZ left a huge hole in my life and I missed it and everyone there like crazy. I'd moved on from the time of my life and nothing was going to measure up to that!
Anyway life goes on and it was still quite a year. A fruity social life in the early months, always in Shinchon & Hongdae, mainly with Nicki, my drinking and laughing partner. Lara Morgan showed up, another one from CZ to join in the fun. Friendswise & birds aroundwise things were very good. I met Eun Jung in March, and "it was love", we went to Chuncheon, Daejeon and Pusan together on weekend breaks and met all the time in Seoul. Perfect! A bird to educate me about KR and show me the way to live here properly; I couldn't have chosen better.
Steve Pashley came! Then for six weeks he had a look, and walked away. Maybe that was what was bothering me? Some close friend took a look and walked out the door! What kind of message was that? Even though we'd had really good fun and caught up properly, the place weren't right for him. Maybe it weren't right for me? Thinking material...
Or probably I was just knackered. KR was harder work than I expected: 7:20am - 9:20pm, all stop-start, all year, you needed balls to handle that schedule. Okay I have some of them but even so, days like that zombify you a bit. You go numb and some teachers' arms dropped off.
But I can't fuss. 1996 I met Eun Jung, now my wife and most important person in my life. It was the year "that love came along". Just when I didn't even need it. But there you are, that's when it comes, when you're doing just fine without it. But then doing just fine is a nice place to enter.
My last night in Seoul before leaving was awesome, we were in heaven, drinking in Woodstock, dancing, hugging, pissed out of our brains, feeling like the best, unbelieveable. And yet I was dying to get away? Yes! All good stuff around me but I wanted to breathe some normal air...
And get back to UK/CZ where I wanted to be. What was getting on my nerves about KR? Maybe I was sulking because I'd missed Euro '96?