Hiraeth

For four years, I have dreamed of visiting South Korea. It is a joy and a blessing to finally be here, visiting the homeland of so many of my dearest friends, and experiencing Asian soil beneath my feet. Here I am next to Korea University Sejong Campus with the city of Jochiwon behind me.

Today I thought I would write about home. Home of course, is the theme of my blog and is on my heart often. I haven't written for a few days, mainly because my thoughts have been focused on "hiraeth" and I am not exactly sure how to form them all into words. Hiraeth is a Welsh word that does not translate directly into English. It conveys a longing for a home of long ago; a kind of homesickness; eagerness for something undiscovered; nostalgia; grief of past and future goodbyes; a yearning for home.

As a third culture kid, so much of my longings for home are represented by that word. It is a place unknown, long past, distant and vast. I cannot quite reach it, and yet in so many ways it is so tangible and is rooted deep inside of me.

Here in Korea sometimes I feel at home but other times I feel as far from home as possible. My heart is in Asia. My heart is in Turkey. My heart is in Colorado. My home is everywhere: the places I've been, and the places I have not been, with the people I love and with the people I have yet to meet. 

My home seems very far away, 

Exactly where I cannot say. 

Sometimes it hides in countries afar, 

But other times within my heart. 

I cannot tell you where it lies,

No one knows except the wise. 

You'll find it here, you'll find it there,

You'll find pieces of it everywhere.

To know my place is all I seek,

To be where my heart feels complete,

To have this wisdom is my goal:

To make each place 'home' within my soul,

To set my feet firm on this ground,

Where joy and life spring all around,

Where bonds of love grow and spread,

And to have a place to rest my head.

Oh take me home! To where I'm from,

To where I've been. To where I've run. 

Take me to places I've never known,

For maybe there I'll find my home.

Where family is, where friendships thrive,

Where culture holds and hugs me tight,

It's nowhere and anywhere, for all of my days.

My home will be everywhere, always.

A view of Seoul from the top of Namsan Tower. 10 million people, each with a home.

While the city life prospers, the village life thrives! New high-rises and electrical lines create an interesting backdrop as locals next door continue planting crops year after year. I LOVE views like this - seeing the difference of lifestyles & the differences of homes. <3

The other Colorado girls, Stephanie, Susanna and Clara, in Jochiwon, Korea. They have become some of my best friends in such a short amount of time, and I'm so thankful that I was blessed to travel with girls from my Colorado home. I love them so much!

Me in CheongJu, by a resting pagoda at the top of SangDangSanSeong Fortress. :) I am in love with Asia. <3