happy and then some...

There's something about the Korean National Anthem that without fail, almost always brings tears to my eyes. My heart swells with the rise of the music and my chest tightens with pride and patriotism for a country that is not truly my own. Yet, as I round out my sixth month of being here, I've come to embrace my environment and appreciate this place where the subways smell of garlic and the streets teem with shovers, spitters and the rude. Is it possible?

People find it hard to believe when I tell them that I am truly happy here. I've learned much from various people I've encountered. One of the lessons I've learned is that it's okay to feel things. Mostly, that it's not weakness to feel hurt, happy or love. And love, from my travel encounters is a unifying, humanizing thing. Our need to be loved, to love and feel love unites us all in a way that is beautifully rich and wonderful.

I've often belittled the idea of relationships and love, but travelling has opened my eyes to just how important it is. Seems like people from all corners of the earth, poor or rich, big or small, regardless of color, are concerned with... love. How to get it, how to give it, how to receive it, how to show it. It's silly, but it's real. It's real and it allows us to feel something so universal that God has somehow condensed it all into one being.

Jesus.