Packing for Home

They say that packing to go to your destination is the hardest part, but in reality, it’s packing to go home.

Coming to, you only have to worry about what to bring, and what ever is missing can be purchased upon arrival. But, packing to go home, whatever you leave stays behind. Whether that be a sock, a friend, a favorite coffee shop, or boyfriend. If these are not packed, they stay behind forever.

These things last as memories. They last a receipts kept in you wallet, ticket stubs tossed in your purse, pictures on your camera that you never got around to uploading. The strongest thing you have to keep is a memory of brilliant smile.

What I remember here? Who will I remember? Will I remember the feeling of 삼겹살 (samgyeopsal, pork belly) as it burns my tongue, the bitter taste of 소주 (soju, Korean vodka) as I do it in “원셧!” (One shot!), the sight of street vendors selling every knick-knack that you can think of?

As I pack things into my suitcase, I trace my hand across my Korea University shirts. At Texas Tech, I only own one shirt that I bought quickly before a football game, but here, I have over 6 shirts with Korea University proudly displayed on the front along with several sweaters of the same variety. Why have I collected these? Will these things be my memory of students who have given me my most cherished memories?

I can only hope as I pack my remaining souvenirs into my bag, that I will return to Korea one day. I have lived here for so long and have become so comfortable calling it my home. How can I not come back when this place has become all that I love and know?

To Say Goodbye

It is one day before I leave for Korea, actually 15 hours and 30 minutes to be exact, and it is now crunch time.

I have spent the last week preparing what I need to go. All my clothes are ready to pack, all medications in a bag, all shoes stuffed with socks and other miscellaneous items. All that is left are the little things. In the end though, it’s the little things that are the big things—and the hardest to do.

I start the morning off calling my bank to let them know I’m leaving the country and please for the love of God, do not cancel my card, I can’t handle that again. I send off any remaining papers to Texas Tech and let my advisors know what’s going on and what they will receive. I buy the remaining gifts and trinkets for friends I will meet in Korea, and cross out others like buying deodorant and packing a towel. These are important, but only little things.

Next comes the most important thing—calling my grandfather. It seems late when I call him even though the sun is high in the sky. I am wondering why I put this off to last. When he answers the phone, he doesn’t recognize my voice. It takes me a little bit, making sure my voice is loud and slow, to let him know who I am. Eventually he recognizes me and asks how I am. I use my smiling, salesman voice to tell him about my chores for the day, and how wonderful everything is, but on the outside I am thankful that he cannot see me. My eyes are watering and I am biting my lip, for I hear how sick he is and realize that it might be the last time I talk to him. I try to drag out my time, listening to his voice and think of times where he was spry and I would sit on his lap, laughing at the mooning Santa Clause. I think of burning wood in the fireplace, and his warm smile as he would pull me into his arms. The phone call goes all too fast, exhaustion clear in his voice. I wish him goodbye, say how much I love him, and that I can’t wait to see him when I return. He mumbles, saying he’s holding on and hopes he will see me in December, just in time for Christmas. When he finally hangs up the phone, I look at the time and see that the call has lasted only five minutes—five minutes too fast—five minutes too short. I find myself in tears while I realize that a line that had been on my checklist now needs to be crossed off. It was just a bullet, but my hand trembles as my pen runs through the words. Task done. Completed. It was so quick to do. Why?

As I cross out the last item, I look at my mom. We are sitting at lunch where I am enjoying the last salad that I will have in months. She smiles at me and I smile at her. I turn over my checklist and write on the back, “엄마, 사랑해요,” –“Mother, I love you.” As I hand he the card and tell her the meaning in Korean, she cries, grabbing my hand. I can no longer hold back my tears and cry with her, tightly grasp the hand that has held mine for so long.

“Write one for your father,” she says, choked up.

“Ok,” I reply, giving her hand one last squeeze.

I leave for Korea in one day—15 hours and 30 minutes to be exact. I have checked everything off my checklist and am ready to go, yet there are tears in my eyes.

Time to Pack Up

To start off, this is not my first time to Korea—it is my second and I could not be more excited. Coming a second time gives me a better chance to know what to bring, what to do and what not to do.

My trip begins even before I get to Korea—with the process of packing. I am fortunate that this is my second time to Korea so I know what I should bring. Korean fashion is a lot different from American fashion and what is considered inappropriate there is not considered inappropriate here and visa versa. Consider shorts; short shorts are usually a little taboo here in the states for they often represent promiscuity, but in Korea, short shorts and mini skirts are all the rave and are actually so short, many westerners find themselves gawking at the lack of length.

This is acceptable.

On the other hand, showing shoulders and too much chest represents a “loose” woman in Korea, so girls, make sure that you shoulders are covered and that you are not showing any cleavage.

This is not acceptable.

As a foreigner, I will have a little wiggle room when it comes to the shoulder department, but I will not get wiggle room when it comes to the cleavage department, people will stare—a lot.

Koreans also dress in very neutral tones: grey, black, and white, is the general color palette so I’m going to dress accordingly. I have found that the one color that Koreans are ok with is pale pink, and as someone who loves color in their wardrobe, I have a feeling that there will be a lot of pink in mine. Also, Koreans dress a lot nicer than we do here in America, so I’m going to pull together the nicest clothes that I have. This is not to say that I’ll be going to class in my Sunday best, but I certainly won’t be going in my pajamas.

Now, what to pack? Nice clothes—name brands would be best, but since that’s not in my budget, I’ll have to make due with what I have. For the summer months, it is hot and humid like Houston so I have to dress accordingly. Shorts and cotton shirts are great when it comes to staying cool in the heat. Skirts, shorts, and dresses are great for girls so I’ll be packing a lot of those. While I’m tempted to pack an umbrella, I’m not going to because I’d rather just get one in Korea since you can find a pretty nice umbrella for a great price. Mosquitoes are a big problem in Korea so I’ll definitely bring some bug spray. The mosquitoes have a nasty habit of getting into rooms at night, so I need to pack some spray that doesn’t feel too gross or smell bad so that I can wear it at night. And of course, the most important thing is shoes. I will be doing a lot of walking in Korea—a lot, and I need to be prepared. So I’m going to bring a few pair of comfortable flats and a pair of tennis shoes. Almost all Korean girls wear heels, but since I’m not comfortable in walking in them for long distances, I think I’ll just bring one pair of shirt heels in case of a formal occasion (Korean men are short relatively speaking and often times feel awkward or offended if a girl is taller them than, though they won’t say it aloud. Since I’m 5'9" and the average Korean man is 5’8”, it’s really not a good idea for me to bring heels for everyday use).

Summer lasts until from May to about mid-October. It is here when it starts to cool down a bit and it’s not so horribly humid. For this, I’m going to pack a light jacket or two and sweater as well as pants for this month.

Autumn does not last long in Korea. At all. It will be winter before I know it, so I’m going to pack a thick, waterproof coat and gloves, thick sweaters, long-sleeve shirts, and a snowcap. I’m also going to pack a pair of boots to keep my legs extra warm in the winter.

The last thing that I’m going to pack is gifts. Giving gifts is a big part of Korean Culture. When you visit someone else's home, it is important to bring a gift such as wine. Wine and other types of alcohol such scotch, whiskey, and cognac make great gifts, especially if they’re foreign brands (but never bring food to someone else’s home unless asked to, because otherwise it’s rude). Also, when visiting your professor for the first time, it also important to give them a small gift like a nice pastry or pen. I’m going to pack simple things, nice, decorated notebooks and earrings for girls, Texas themed shot glasses and t-shirts for boys. For my male teachers, I’m also going to pack some Texas Tech themed golf balls (Korean men love golf), and some American perfume for my female professors. When I get to Korea, I’m going to buy American wine to give as gifts as well (I would buy it here in the states, but I’m under 21, so I can’t do that legally). I have also packed some Texas themed wrapping paper to put the gifts in.

Things that I'll leave out include toilet articles like shampoo and soap. These items are heavy and can easily be purchased on arrival. I'll simply bring a few "plane safe" toilet articles to last me my first few days in Korea. I will be bringing one small towel on my carry-on for the hotel I'll be staying in since hotels in Korea don't provide towels. I'll buy larger towels once I get moved in to my dorm.

Now that I have what I want to pack, it’s important for me to put it into a suitcase that will be easy to transport. My airline allows me to have two check-in bags at 50 pounds each and one carry-on, and I’m going to maximize this. I’ve chosen 1 large suitcase that rolls and a large duffle bag with the idea being that I’ll put the duffle bag on top of the rolling suitcase’s handle bar for easier transportation. I have chosen a large over-the-shoulder bag for my carry-on. For me, it will work great because my carry-on will only be holding a few days worth of clothes and my computer, so I can just sling it over my shoulder and use my other two hands to pull my other heavy suitcases.