많이 섭섭해요...

teary goodbyes in progress.

왜 많이 섭섭해요 you ask?
because today, crazy jayne and hyeong left me all by my lonesome in this big, scary city!

it's not that dramatic, but my cousin and her husband did indeed embark on their jesusland relocation today. cuz's green card allows only 5 years outside the usa, and her time is almost up.

when i quit working at mavin in 2005 and was pretty sure that i wanted to live in asia, cuz and hyeong made moving to seoul much more attractive. when i came here in april, they softened the discomforts of strange new environs and gave me the kind of support that you can only ask from blood family.

for starters, i lived in their apt for over a month, hyeong negotiated my apartment contract, and miss jayne guided me through my bank and federal ID card rigamarole. sure, the horror of doing these things alone would have made for fantastic writing fodder, but convenience is also ok.

their assistance through the moving process, helped me to cultivate a foundation of affection for seoul and korea, which to this day colors how i take in new experiences. sometimes shitty starts inspire a shitty domino effect, but thankfully i'm having the opposite experience.

although their departure has me a little melancholy, their gift to me while they were here keeps on giving, and i'm excited for what awaits them o'er yonder. 잘 가고 빨리 연락해주세요!

this was shot just before they went through the security line, when hyeong hugs me and deadpanned: "we've switched. now i'm american and you're the korean."