A lot has happened and somehow two months have passed without warning. The leaves have changed and blow off, a signal of another changing season. I’ve done a lot since I’ve gotten here, but less than I expected, but more in other ways. I’m not sure where I want to go with this honestly. I’m just sad to leave and to even think of going back to the US.
I got the tattoo I’ve been thinking of, in a design that I never even considered and a friend who I wouldn’t have thought of
I’ve hiked Bukhansan. Twice.
I’ve managed to party a lot and meet so many new people.
Fell in love with the roommates that I have and trust them entirely.
Met people from so many countries and form bonds.
Gone to the spa overnight.
Eaten the best food I’ve ever had in my life.
Survived off of ramen and sesame sticks.
And most interestingly, I haven’t felt lonely since I’ve gotten here. Not once when I was alone for days on end or exploring by myself. Somehow I feel so happy here.
Make your own food! Food is definitely a big expense for me, and it’s strange because I really don’t care about food that much! I realize that it’s just a way for me to socialize but I could definitely save by cooking my own food.
Breakfast: oatmeal
Lunch/DinnerFried rice
Create a list of things you want to buy and then revisit it in a month. I definitely have a habit of seeing something and immediately buying but it’s not necessary! Try to write down some items that you want and by waiting, you’ll see what’s actually a necessity.
Budget! Tell yourself how much you’ll spend and stick to it.
One helpful tip for this is to do a daily budget, ex: $20 a day. This makes it really easy to stay on track because having a monthly one can sort of get lost on me. In doing this, you can see what days you save on and move that money over so that maybe you have more money for a certain purchase!
Today was the day that I received my official acceptance to Korea University but now that I’ve gotten it, housing has made things scary for me. It all began when Fiona invited me to live with her and I was happy about it, but it began to be difficult because there had been no official acceptance yet. Fast forward to yesterday, I was finally ready to book the apartment, but to my surprise, it had already been booked. At this point, I was freaking out and randomly booked a room that I wasn’t sure about. Fast forward to this moment in which I’m writing this, and I have continued to worry.
Pros:
Cheap rent
On another floor but still within the same building
Opportunity to meet a lot of people
Get me to be out of my room and do more
Location
Cons:
Might get robbed
Might hate the people
They might mind if I go out/come back late
Small everything
Room
2 bathrooms
Limited place to wash clothes
Not on the same floor, which might make me distanced from them
All in all, these are concerns but I can get over them. I’ve never needed a lot of space, I’m always in bed anyways. likewise, this might help me restrict the amount of things I have, hopefully... Plus, I might get to meet a lot of people and that would be nice. I just hope that it’ll be ok and that I haven’t made a big mistake with such a small room. Positivity though!!!
Thinking about it more, I have always been in small spaces when I visited Hong Kong. I think that my main concern seems to be with living with so many people on one floor, especially since many might be coming and going. In that sense, my worries would be loud noises, weird men, and not getting along. Aiyah, I wish I had booked a goshiwon...
Recently I’ve finally settled on an idea I’m happy with; a tiger reaching for the sun. I was inspired by the Korean art that featured tigers and the stories behind them. Likewise, I wanted to incorporate something that included some aspect of the sky because i find it to be so grounding.
I reached out to 2 artists and settled on tattooistjuda. She was the only one with art that resonated with me and was within my budget. I also reached out to another artist who goes by yuuztattooist, but for the same design he charged $600. While I want to invest in something that will be on my body forever, it was a price I could not afford sadly. However, I am excited to work with this tattooist as she was the one who originally inspired me to finalize my design.
Although it is many months away, I’m excited to get it! I hope that this doesn’t restrict my access to any places, especially in Japan x.x
I like the implementation of all these things, I feel like if I were to get mountains of South Korea and somehow incorporate the poppies, that would be great.
spring fling! I’m happy with where I am at this point, with my friends and loved one, I feel like I’ve been trying more and happier because of it. The week began in the 80s, unheard of in Binghamton at this time. Initially, I imagined my day to be quite dull simply because I tend to shut myself inside but Mel ended up going to the hot tub and I decided to join her. I honestly rarely ever do this and it was nice to be out of my comfort zone and to be with people even when I’m uncomfortable.
The day continued to where Justin came over and we went to Blaze Pizza, a new place that opened. We progressed and made our way over to the nature preserve, which I was particularly happy about. I like it when we do things together ,rather than being holed up in the room.
Honestly speaking, getting a tattoo has never been on my radar. I never felt the need to put something so permanent on my body, and nothing ever arose that made me feel like I needed to. Now that I’ve been accepted to study abroad, something has shifted in me and made the idea more appealing. An opportunity to remember a moment in my life that will hopefully be unforgettable. Already, I am beginning to think about so many things to do that I never considered before and I can already feel the influence it will have on my life. In this way, what better opportunity to get something to commemorate that time in my life?
I’ve begun to think about tattoo ideas and artists that I could hopefully get while I’m there. Many artists in Korea are quite expensive given that it’s illegal to tattoo someone without a license, so that’s definitely going to be a factor.
Cost: Under $300
Location: Arm, around thigh, back, ribs
Size: Small-Medium
Design:
Something Korea related
national flower/bird
writing/calligraphy?
Nature (landscape- sun, moon, stars)
05/07 Main idea:
On the ribs
Handpoke by artist (nah...)
Orange sunset with mountains and peonies
Korean cloud (traditional design)
Tiger (tattooist_juda) chasing the sun.
With this one, the death represented the end of Korea’s unity but at the point where I go, hopefully they will have been reunited.
Also a story with respect to solve problems
A tiger that has overcome trials and tribulations and understands the world is known to turn white, becoming a white tiger. Although it is a sacred creature that doesn’t harm people, it becomes angry when the ruler of the country conducts evil and inhumane deeds. Therefore, it has been told that powerful people become humble and rich people become generous when a white tiger appears.
Tiger playing with the sun
Future Tattoo Plans
Ultimate tattoo plans: I would like to have a decent amount of tattoos, with one semi-large back piece and many on my arms. This makes it so that I am not sure if I would want to put it on my back or arms as they might interfere with other pieces in the future
Back piece: dragon?
Back arm: something practice related (similar to Hitomi)
