Notes | January in 10 Photos

I actually posted somewhat steadily this month, so consider this post to be “January in 10 more photos.”

It’s hard to believe that the first couple of weeks of January were spent back in the States, while the latter half were spent here in Korea. It almost seems as if months have passed since we were in the US, not just weeks. Besides the going out, eating, dancing, drinking, that occurred during the first half of January, the remainder of the month has been rather quiet. We escaped from DC just before the inauguration and have more or less holed ourselves up in our cozy little apartment, reading, and making up for lost time with our kitties.

I don’t know what it was about January, but I did not feel like doing anything besides read. And eat. And read some more. Part of it was missing home and trying to readjust to life back in Korea, but the other part of it was avoiding social media as much as possible. It’s amazing how much time (and sanity) I gained in my life when I stopped scrolling through various social media feeds.

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted much, if anything, regarding American politics and that has nothing to do with me not having strong opinions on certain political agendas, being a passive bystander, or not caring because I live abroad. If anything, my American-ess is even more pronounced outside of the States, and my love and appreciation for my home country – as imperfect and f’ed up as it may be – is that much stronger. In short, I care very deeply about what is going on back in the US, maybe even more so after having the perspective of living and traveling in this part of the world.

I believe that there are many important conversations to be had, just not on this blog. Political debates, like religious beliefs, don’t feel like something that should be fought over or forced upon, especially in an online forum. To me there is no “winning” and even less resolution. I know many people will disagree with that, but I personally feel like those conversations are best had in person, face-to-face, rather than trolling social media feeds or leaving counter-productive one-sided commentary that only promotes frustration, aggression, and hate. I’m not going to stop being friends with people who don’t agree with me, rather, I want to try and understand why they feel the way they do, and hope that in turn, they will respect my opinions as well. I know people who voted for Clinton, Trump, and third party candidates. They are all good, decent, loving, people, who had their own reasons for voting one way or the other, and who, despite what the media says, are more alike than they realize.

That being said, I will continue to do my best to be an active and informed citizen, to donate my time and energy to causes I believe in without the need to promote my every activity online or post receipts of organizations I donated to on social media, and to consider multiple perspectives before jumping to conclusions (or unfriending someone). I realize that my blog in itself won’t change the world, but I will continue writing my boring stories and posting my banal photos in this space because I enjoy it. It makes me happy. And because sometimes when the world as a whole feels like a dark and hopeless place, the simple memories of eating a cheese tart, cuddling my kitties, a meal shared with friends, or cooking with Sly, reminds me of how much I have to be thankful for and how much good exists in the world.  Sometimes appreciating the small things first gives me the energy, strength, and inspiration to tackle the larger, harder, more difficult things in life.

On a lighter note, here’s a feel-good video that has gone viral lately. Substitute America for Denmark. ☺

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