Snoozeletters
Prologue
In 2021, I flew to Seoul during a global pandemic. My friend and I decided to do some s(e)oul searching.
Prior to this, the Philippines was the only other country I traveled to in Asia and that was in 1998. I was amazed by the surrealness of this experience. I loved getting lost in the sights and sounds, the smells, tastes and all that come in a new country. I somehow stepped in the future but felt like I left behind all who supported 14 hours behind. I documented my experiences by sending messages back home to friends and family. Below are some excerpts of my observations.
01: November 01, 2021 | Incheon, SK
Hi! I made it to South Korea.
It took me a long time to get to this place. And I'm not just talking about the 36.5-hour commute from DC to Seoul.
I'm quarantined at a hotel in Incheon. It sounds swanky AF but it's really the equivalent of a Best Western. It’s comfy: I have a bathroom, a big ass window (which I unfortunately can't open) and two twin beds for myself. I can't go outside at all during quarantine or else I'll get fined, deported, or risk not being able to come back to the country for a few years. I'm required to enter my symptoms and body temperature in an app twice a day. The only time I can open my door is to put out my trash and grab the meals delivered to me.
I'm loving this time to adjust my sleeping schedule, meditate and do squats in between. My days are mostly channel surfing and playing with my food. I'm attempting to learn enough Korean vocab and phrases to get me around the next few weeks. Truthfully, idk how much it will help bc I have the retention rate of a preschooler. What's wild is that my brain wants to bust out Tagalog words when I don't know how to respond to people. I am not even fluent in Tagalog yet my brain defaults to "Hindi ko alam ng Korean" instead of "나는 한국말 못해요" every time someone starts talking to me.
This is Kaylee, my roommate for the next 36 days. We worked at NPR many moons ago. A few months ago she texted me that she's gonna meet her eomma for the first time and I jokingly replied, "Oh shit, I should go with you."
and here we are
Kaylee is turning this experience into a video portrait. Her adoption story isn't mine to tell so I'm just here to help film and eat our feelings together. For me, the next few weeks will be about exploring this beautiful country and attempting to have a more meaningful, present relationship with myself. I'd like to say what shenanigans I'm getting into but I don't wanna psyche myself out.
02: November 01, 2021 | Incheon, SK
Hello from the future!
Friday is the day we bust out of quarantine! The new quarantine period is at 10 days instead of its full 14 day isolation period. Can you believe I get to spread my wings and feel the organic, free-range sun on my face for the first time since Halloween? I’m gonna cry.
The most beautiful banner message of all
Speaking of crying... I may have shed some tears the first time I got checked for COVID-19 here. It was truly an experience. I got hit with a double whammy: the silent-but-deadly oral swab and the infamous nasal swab attack.
The lady testing me was efficient but omg ma’am. Why did it have to be that way? Without warning, she pierced the q-tip in my throat the exact moment I opened my mouth. Then she shoved a separate swab into my brain through my left nostril. God bless her for doing this dangerous job but also how dare you, Auntie. I trusted you.
Actual footage of me after the 1st and 2nd covid test
I swear, there’s something going down with South Korean technology. As soon as that q-tip XXL entered my nose, it transformed into a damn spartan spear!!!!! It was so sudden, so sharp, so far in the depths of my soul. You would have thought she was checking to see if the ‘rona set up shop in my frontal cortex. I’m totally over this– it was all very invasive for a friday night.
All jokes aside, I’m fortunate to be here. I feel safer. South Korea is transitioning out of lockdown and rolling out phase one of their “Living with COVID-19” plan. It took a while to secure enough vaccines for its citizens, yet here they are rolling out the shots and tests as efficiently as possible. I found out that 78% of South Korea reached their vaccination threshold (the U.S. plateaued at 58.6%). Of my experiences so far, I feel somewhat of a communal duty at people wanting to protect themselves and go back to their normal. It's like I get a second chance at re-entering the world, especially since I had such a rough time doing it a few months ago.
Talking about this helps me feel less guilty for traveling abroad during a pandemic. It’s more of an informed global citizen. My vacation brain is about to kick in!!! Soon I’ll be able to walk to 7-11 for snacks and then bike along the Han River.
PS. I binge-watched my first k-drama the other day. It was “Crash Landing on You,” which is apparently the crème de la crème of its genre.
We are free!! here are some clips of what we’ve eaten so far
Daegu entry
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sounds like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest.
Make it stand out.
here’s all the BTS stuff we’ve seen
Make it stand out.
Oh hello from Busan!
Korea is incredibly beautiful. We just walked around Haeundae Beach and will be heading to Gwangalli Beach soon. Even with all the camera gear we brought, I can’t capture the beauty of this place. The photos I took so far don’t encapsulate how I’m feeling when I look up.
I have eaten a hefty yet acceptable amount of pork belly, hotteok, soondubu, and kalguksu. I also learned how the cafe culture is a big here! It’s not just a skewed section on my tiktok algorithm. I allowed myself to drink more latte’s and espressos here. I went 11 months without drinking caffeine for health reasons and now I drink at least 1-2 cups a day. I am both wired and tired.
Hello from quarantine* again
I am ok!! There was a snafu at our Airbnb so we booked a hotel room at the last minute. We are stuck in Myeongdong Hotel until we get our negative covid test results.
The restrictions are tightening up again because of the omicron variant. There are now six known cases in Korea. Group gatherings are back to being limited and a new quarantine mandate is in place for people staying in hotels. Businesses are scrambling to figure out what to do with these government updates. I'm not mad– just a little butthurt about losing a day of sight-seeing/sight-eating. It's not that big of a deal so I'll use today as a rest-and-regroup day (yes we will just watch the PTDLA BTS concert and finish Start Up.)
I left this morning to go get the nose-to-brain swab test. It wasn’t as bad as the first time yet I still teared up. While I anxiously wait for my results, here's a quick recap of the trip so far:
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*Update: I am out of quarantine now!!! This all happened yesterday, December 03 and I didn't get a chance to send this draft until today, December 04. I dipped out as soon as I got my results in