A 13 hour flight isn't as bad as it sounds because of the destination. They say that travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer and I fully recognized that with the people I love the most.
South Korea is home to my parents, beautiful traditions, and delicious food. In fact, this was the country that made us all so grateful to be who we are and we were all excited to be here. After all, it had been 10 years since we last came together and so much had changed since our last visit. Once we landed, the air here felt different. It felt more at home, which was surprising because I had never lived here before. What I mean by this is that I felt at ease because of how proud I was to be Korean. I was eternally grateful for all that my parents had done for me and was extremely lucky to be welcomed in the hands of my happy and healthy grandparents. They were both waiting in the lobby with smiles wider than their welcoming arms and I couldn't help but stand there and take it all in.
It was raining a bit, but that didn't stop us from being in awe with this new world around us. For a second, reality was paused and time felt like it was completely on our side. It was a feeling hard to put into words, but I know everyone around me felt it too. Imagine a feeling of serenity and hopefulness - now combine that with excitement and pure joy - this is what we all felt at the same time.
My grandparents's house was beautiful. It was the kind of house where you walk inside and it feels like you've lived there for years. There were large glass windows that welcomed the sun each morning and a kitchen that held the magic behind my grandma's recipes. It smelled of comfort and my childhood. You see, my grandparents were genuine and spoke from the heart. Not only had they come to the airport to pick us up, but they had prepared an entire meal of our favorite foods. They were our heroes. After one of the best meals of my life, the jet lag hadn't quite hit me yet and I was able to fall asleep with ease because of the long travel time. In fact, the next few days were going to be packed with exploring and I wanted to make sure I was wide awake to take it all in.
The first few days we visited Gangnam, a popular city, that held a large shopping strip. Here, they sold beautiful sweaters, shoes, backpacks, jackets, and more. In this shopping strip, we walked past a famous Castella bread stand that took a break from 4 pm - 6 pm due to its high sales. The bread was so delicious that people started lining up at 5:15 pm just to make sure they were able to buy a box before going home. We had to buy a box to see what all the hype was about and man was the wait worth it.
Next stop were the palaces: Changdeokgung Palace and Gyeongbokgung Palace. Both palaces were in close proximity of one another and held so much history. I had never seen anything like these before - they were beautiful. As my family and I struck our feet against the gravel we were able to learn many facts. For instance, did you know that the Queen and King slept in different buildings, the color of the palaces symbolized who lived where, some palaces were known to be built among nature, and the more modern palaces had garages like those today?
As we walked up to the end of the Gyeonbokgung Palace, there was a changing of the guards ceremony in the front and we were able to watch in awe as we saw the guards walk in perfect unison. There was a drum that led the beat of the march and us visitors watched with complete amazement as each guard perfectly mimicked the other. The ceremony was incredible.
Here, there were people from all over who came to visit these famous spots as it was in the heart of Seoul. To travel is to learn more about how there is more to one's hometown. There is such beauty in diversity as people come together to learn about one another's culture. Take this for example: imagine if we were all given the opportunity to travel the world when we were younger for just a few days, we would be more aware of the world around us and understand what it truly means to be a positive leader. We would be able to empathize with one another because we would understand that we are all a part of this great world. It would be a true game changer.
Right after the palaces, we visited Namdaemun market and had some of the best street food I've ever had. This visit was one of my favorites because these markets held the dishes and shops that reminded me of my childhood. My favorites included dumplings and Tteokbokki, a spicy Korean dish made from soft rice cake. This was my all time favorite food and to have the authentic version of it as I looked through all of the shops on the streets was amazing to say the least. My family and I smiled at the trinkets that I had when I was 3 and my brother and I were amazed to see that they still had the 2002 version of Pokemon cards and Hello Kitty wallets.
Aside from all of the shopping, the street food, and the cultural lessons, though, I was able to understand why it was important to step foot outside of my comfort zone. There was so much more to the world than city lights and suburban neighborhoods and traveling to Korea was one of the best things to happen to me at this time. It opened my eyes to what was to come and allowed me to realize how important it was for me to stay open-minded in a world such as this one.
They say that travel is good for the soul and that couldn't be more true. Here's to the next destination.
