Thursday, March 3, 2011

Feeling Love from Across the Globe

What's the best part about living halfway across the world (in relation to my country of birth that is)? Getting two days of birthday wishes!

Yesterday (my birthday in Korea), I was greeted with a influx of facebook and e-mail birthday wishes from my friends in Korea. Today, my inbox was flooded with well wishers in North America, Europe, and Africa. I definitely did not feel any shortage of love for my 23rd birthday! Thank you all for inspiring me, supporting me, laughing with me, loving me, and just simply being amazing people! I am so blessed to have met so many incredible people every place I've been and lived.

Yesterday, I was surprised by a knock at my door around dinner time. I assumed it was a friend delivering me my promised ice cream cake, but instead I was greeted by a group of my friends bearing food, gifts, and drinks! Naturally, we had to set up shop in my messy apartment (give me a break--I did just return from Japan), and I was dressed in sweats but it was lovely to be surprised and treated! Thank you Korea friends! If nothing else, coming to Korea has given me the opportunity to meet amazing people who I've grown so close to in just short six months.

While being far away from the people that are dear to me isn't always ideal, it is certainly a good feeling to receive heartfelt birthday wishes from around the globe for two straight days! Today a friend from the States asked me: when are you returning home? Ha! If only I knew where home is. Ultimately "home" is not a location for me, but a feeling that is generated by the people I'm surrounded. My favorite dictionary definitions of the word home describe this best:
1. any place of residence or refuge
2. the place in which one's domestic affections are centered.
3. (perhaps taken out of context a bit) deep; to the heart.
If I use these definitions I think I have many "homes" around the world. Thank you all for being home to me! I hope I can reciprocate the love that you all have showed me!

 Map of my facebook friends. Love you all!
I will post pictures and write about Japan shortly. I need to gather my thoughts and get my life in order now that the new semester has started and I'm "busy" teaching. Plus marathon day is a mere 2.5 weeks away! Yikes!

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