It's been a while. I finally stepped foot on Japanese soil for the first time in over two years since I left holding back tears after an airport breakup with my then girlfriend (who is now happily married and pregnant! Congratulations, Rika). I was only there for a weekend, but I got to enjoy many things I missed. Most importantly is ramen. They have ramen in Korea, but even in Busan I can't find a restaurant that gets the Japanese style quite right. Nothing a trip to the infamous Ichiran can't fix!
Fantastic! I miss it already. I also got to meet up with my old friend from college as well as fellow study-abroader in Japan, Nate, who is now a fledgling MMA fighter with a 3-0 (two of those wins against Koreans! Oh, the drama.) record in Fukuoka. We ate, we drank, and we were merry.
Back in Korea, things are getting serious. Finals are tomorrow and we're out of cramming time, and there are two competing feelings in the school. The teachers are nervous about the students' scores and all wish they had just one more class to cram more review into, and all the students are tired of studying and just want their summer break to start.
I'm less than a month away from the end of my first year here, and I will be leaving on August 6th for a much needed vacation all over the USA. Unsurprisingly, the only things I've planned so far are all the different restaurants I'm going to eat at. Tex-mex, here I come.
I leave you with this photo and no explanation. Draw your own conclusions.
