This would be where the countdown until school ends and summer begins would go, except that I am far too lazy to be calculating it. But it’s coming so much sooner than I think, and yet it’s taking so long to get here…oh, lazy summer days, how I want you here so, so much. I’m getting excited with all these summer plans (that probably sound reasonable now, but when the time comes it probably just won’t play out…but that’s me, the pessimist): once-a-week amusement park trips, hitting all the California beaches we possibly can (and not just Zuma), a one-day road trip to Santa Barbara, exploring vintage stores on random streets in the SFV...I spent the last thirty-ish hours debating whether I should go visit the majority of my family in Korea for either a three-week or five-week interval, maybe go on a trip to some other Asian country like Thailand with my cousin, and follow her around as she creates a newspaper written in English (basically, an amazing and coincidental opportunity that does not come easy). What did I end up choosing? Oh, just staying home. Perhaps getting a job or doing some dead-end volunteering that my heart isn’t really into (don’t berate me, I know how “horrible” it is that high schoolers aren’t passionate about community service and just do it for college. I know).
Why? Why would I throw away a great opportunity, plus the option to visit a whole new country (which I have wanted to do for quite some time)? Simple. I can’t stand boredom. As much as I complain about “stress” or being soooo busy during the school year, listlessness is something I just will not ever tolerate. Sitting on my ass at home with the fan on high, refreshing Facebook every five seconds while I look to someone, anyone to make plans anywhere, anytime is generally not my idea of fun.
But imagine there, the problem increases tenfold. Not only am I bored to death and stuck watching Asian TV (really, all the television I don’t watch in America I more than make up for in Korea), I’m also stuck in awkward situations where I have to work to create conversation with my family. As fluent as people might think I am in Korean, I’m not. Simple as this, I don’t think in my head in Korean, and never will in this lifetime. The words don’t flow out naturally. And honestly, I’m a horrible conversationalist talking in my native language. How am I supposed to manage it in a new country, with family members I haven’t seen in years? I know I’m supposed to try. I know they’re my blood relations. I realize I’m guilty of a billion crimes, and this is probably up there on the list. But you really can’t blame me for not wanting to force these situations upon myself. And as much as I love my cousin, she also has friends and a life and I can’t exactly leech off of her for three weeks straight.
So there it is. Home for the entire summer, for the first time with nothing really to do except (try to) make money and enjoy the best season of the year (well, almost). Home to be able to go to Warped Tour and the endless number of other concerts I’ve been wanting to go to all year but never did. Home to experience the 100-degree weather and burning my hand on the steering wheel. Home for my parent to yell at me to start working on college apps (yeah, right). So there it is. Home.
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