In My 25th Year

photo from juiced pixels 

In my 25th year

I moved to Korea

I grew to love 30 children

and hate them just as much 

all within an 8 hour period

I learned to eat kimchi

and to twist a few Korean words

around in my mouth

I picked up chopsticks

I dropped chopsticks

I wore my food

I picked up chopsticks 

I started blogging 

with the intent to blog

and I started talking about my blog

without planning on it

I started saying 

"The other day my friend said"

when really I could say

"I was reading a blog the other day and it said"

I slept 

I read good books

I did not read enough poetry

I lost a beautiful friendship 

to culture and customs different from my own

I had my appendix out

in a hospital with pretty nurses

 and ajummas rustling plastic bags

like they had found their true calling and purpose in life

I didn't sleep

I got engaged

I got pushed and whacked and handled

on the subway 

and expressed, suppressed, and channeled my Rage in the A.M.

I got angry

I got angrier

I drank coffee

I found things to be happy about

I lost 8 kilograms

I ate delicious donuts

I hiked up mountains 

I ate cookies on mountains

I hiked down mountains

I missed my mom

I missed my dad

I missed my sister

I missed my wifey

I missed my friends

I saw my mom, dad, sister, wifey, and friends

I watched my sister get married

I watched my fiance discover my home

I learned to wait 

I got married

I got a new family

I made new friends

I found a community

I had snow and ice on my eyelashes and in my eyebrows

I sat in a hot tub without any clothes on

surrounded by staring naked ajummas

and bowed to old women

with no teeth

I discovered that I was so much more than I had ever been before

I discovered that there was so much more to be

I laughed

really loud

I forgot certain things

I remembered others

and I wrote about my 25th year

after I had lived it's last hour