My Love Letter to Seoul

This feels impossible to write because I can’t believe it’s coming to an end. Sometimes you connect with a place so easily and while you can’t quite put your finger on exactly why, it matches your energy in just the right way.

This is my love letter to Seoul.

I wrote one to Cartagena many years ago and I’m so glad I did. We need to remember how the food tasted, how the bakery smells wafted down the alleyways, how the subway sings sweet little tunes and how the snowfall brings everything to a halt.

Here is to the electric city that was my gateway to knowing and loving Asia. This city hums with energy, alive with endless ways to experience culture and cuisine. Always trendsetting, serious but youthful, there is never a lack of cute mascots, lines to line up in, tasty cafes to sip at, or photos to take. This has been the best choice I never thought we would make, and it will sit fondly in my heart forever.

From K-BBQ to K-Pop and of course K-beauty, it felt like Seoul was the center of the world while we were here. We have felt kindness, curiosity and joy in exploring all the different neighborhoods and experiences. Seoul has shown me that clean and safe living are the foundation for enjoying life. I am so grateful for getting the chance to experience a mega-city in this way. I will never get over how easy and peaceful it has been to live in one of the largest cities in the world.

To my second tall house, she may be small, but she has served as well. It is a way of life I have really grown to love. From my heated floors to my heated toilet seats, to the smallest oven I have ever seen and the annoucements that interrupt my evening dinners. This has been our cozy corner of the sky, watching snow fall over the city and the hum of daily life carry-on below us.

We have ventured into the teenage years here and watched our children blossom while being foreign. We connected, explored and built a beautiful life that will shape us as we move to the next adventure. I will sing Seoul’s praises for the rest of my days and be so grateful for our time here.

감사합니다