SEEING FRIENDS FROM HOME

When abroad, nothing is more exciting than having the opportunity to see friends from home. A few weeks ago, Shanel & I were blessed to have had the chance to visit Tokyo, Japan over the weekend and met up with our friends Ashley and Keita!

If you're feeling homesick or just miss the sense of comfort in being around the people you love most, definitely try to visit friends nearby! The flight between Tokyo and Seoul was very inexpensive, however, they were very strict on luggage. So be aware of that. Being someone who likes to have a wide array of outfit options in addition to getting heavily involved in a skincare routine (I mean, I'm in Korea!), having a 10kg combined carry-on limit was something I really had to work with.

Seeing Ashley and Keita was so refreshing. I haven't seen Keita in almost a year and the last time I saw Ashley was during my last weekend back in Hawaii. Their personalities are very bubbly and outgoing, so they did an amazing job at helping me enjoy Tokyo to its fullest! I say this because during my trip there, I was flown a wild curveball, to say the least, but I'll cover more on that later. I am so thankful for people like them.

Moral of the story: experiences are defined by yourself and those around you.

Another good friend of mine, James, was also in Seoul this past week. Around early February, he mentioned to me how he was intending on visiting Seoul to see his family and old friends (having studied abroad a few years ago in Seoul as well). I didn't really take it into account, because based off of previous experiences, travel plans can change as time progresses. However, a week before he was arriving, he confirmed and messaged me on Kakao asking to grab coffee so we could just catch up over what's been happening over the past couple of months. It was nice to find time to sit and talk over our jobs and personal life, especially since we both had busy schedules while he was here. We then met up with Shanel and Connie afterward to grab some classic k-bbq.

Seeing friends from home is definitely a good stress-reliever. Again, if you have the chance to do so, I say do it! I'm excited for this coming month and a half, despite finals and more tests and more presentations, because I will be able to see a few more of them! ;)