The senses that hit me when I leave the airport always leave the strongest imprint on me. In Thailand, it was the hot humid air that was so heavy it was hard to breathe. I yelled toward my dad, a little shocked, "how is it this hot?" He just chuckled and said this is something i'll have to adjust to from now on.
This was four years ago and as I went through the sliding doors of the entrance of Incheon International Airport, it was the aching cold that enveloped me. I was wrapped head to toe in winter clothing but it felt as though I had a mere thin sheet that went between the cold and me. My teeth chattered uncontrollably and my neck and back went stiff from trying to stop myself from shivering so much. I stepped onto the transport bus and melted the cold away in my seat. I looked out the window and it was odd to see so many signs with Korean words on them. I kept mumbling to my mother how weird it was to see words I could actually read on the streets. It was odd enough to hear so much Korean as well. Words I could understand. Buildings were cleaner, the roads were wider, and the people busier. I've been pretty adept at adjusting in new environments from moving around often, which is why it was hard for me to admit the thought of having to adjust once more in this unfamiliar country struck me as cold as its weather.
After getting of the bus and walked towards our new home, we dragged our luggages at 1 a.m. in the quiet and in the dark. If not for the cold I may have been sucked into a pit of depression. The cold numbed my mind from thinking about the few friends I had in this country, the new school I had to adjust to, and how out of place I felt even in that moment with no one on the streets. I felt as though people could smell my vulnerability, my weakness and I felt stripped away from the strength familiarity gave me. I didn't realize how much power familiarity had. I did now.
People's laughter felt unfamiliar along with my new phone. I had very few people on my contacts list; my parents, a few relatives, and a few friends. I missed the old Blackberry I used back in Thailand with long lists of friends I could chat to. Here, I had so few.
Winters are cold here but the winter of 2013 was the coldest of all. All of its memories smell of winter with a coldness infused in all of them.
as discussed, I'll be using this piece for my first essay and the essay I wrote initially as my first for my second essay.
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