jayroop

better known for meatballs and ikea (or even better, meatballs at ikea!), sweden has been my home away from proverbial home for the past 11 months. throughout my time here i have made many great friends, and experienced life as never before. from soaking in sun at summer houses on the east coast, to the dead of winter where the light is sucked out of the sky here in the rain plagued landscape of västragotlands’ göteborg. and back again to seemingly never ending sunsets and a new appreciation for the concept of seasons.

the journey that has transpired along the way has been a memorable one, to say the least. but my time has now come and gone and it is time to write a fitting ending for this milestone in life.

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i’m a believer in the idea that the more we bend, the less likely we are to break. life rewards the ability to roll with the punches, and unlike our bodies, as each year passes our minds become more flexible and open to the idea of change as inevitable.

last month the clouds of change started rolling in. they came in different shapes and sizes than before, but they were unmistakable. faced with a choice of attempting to hold out in sweden or experience something else, i choose to go with the flow and allow myself the freedom to move on.

for several years now, i have been gravitating towards korea. both as a reconnection with my motherland and as preparation for the rest of my life. it is something that i have literally dreamt about. it didn’t used to keep me up at night. but it does now as i ready myself for a journey that spans much more than the 9 hours and 7077km of atmosphere that i will pass through while encapsulated in a speeding bullet in the sky.

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on wednesday, july 21 i will say hej då (good bye) to göteborg. behind me i will leave people, a school, and a city that have been fantastic in every sense of the word, and which other descriptors regretfully fail to add any significant understanding to.

i will make a 36-hour pitstop in helsinki to visit friends, eat food, and shave.

on thursday, july 22, barring any earth-shattering events, i will board a plane to seoul.

and on friday, july 23, i will arrive in the country of my birth for only the second time since leaving. more than have of my life has passed since my previous trip, and when i touch down i feel as if i will be embarking on a sojourn that has been 26 years in the making.

i’m ready.