Seoul. Soul. Singleness.

one:seoul 

Stepping off of the bus and into Central City, Seoul, I was so excited to see more of what this city offers. I planned to meet with my friend Lindsay, who is teaching in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do. I taxied from Central City to Dong-Seoul Bus Terminal, where Lindsay greeted me with a bright smile,   a big embrace, and her familiar South African accent. We've been keeping in touch almost daily since EPIK orientation, but I haven't seen this girl for about a month from the last time I visited her in her city. It was lovely being in her amiable presence again.

Central City Station

Lindsay navigating the Dong-Seoul Subway...She's too cool.

We endeavoured to visit Itaewon, Hongdae, and Daerim while in Seoul for only about one and a half days. Firstly, Seoul is massive. Before coming to Korea, I thought of Seoul as a small city, but it is actually a giant mother-metropolis comprised of different sections. Lindsay and I declared that by the end of this trip we would be confident in using and navigating the Seoul subway system and I'm happy that we conquered it. A few stumbles here and there, but we got everywhere pretty smoothly and rapidly. 

Itaewon is foreigner central. Immediately after stepping out into Itaewon, we saw a diverse collection of people. Shopping and food were manifold and varied; cars and taxi's swiftly drove by; Christmas lights twinkled and shone colourfully as the day darkened. It was really exhilarating and pretty. We also had a vain mission to get our hair done because our hair colors were really faded. In a shopping area, I asked a few workers where we would find a hair salon. Eventually, one gal pointed to Oda Hair Salon, where the staff warmly welcomed us and sat us down after consulting on types of hair dye and colour.

The sunlight makes our hair so bright!

For dinner, Lindsay introduced me to South African cuisine at a restaurant and pub called Braai Republic. I have to say that South African is one of my favourite cuisines now. We ordered the chicken pie with cole slaw and wedges, prawn green salad, garlic bread, (I didn't taste any garlic though), amarula shots, and lastly my favourite -- amarula cheesecake. Amarula is a tasty cream liquor from South Africa. What makes South African cuisine so unique is that the flavours are influenced by the Dutch, German, French, Italian, British and Indo-Asian (and even more) during the colonial period. The flavours married so well together; the taste was indescribably delicious, rich, and fresh. (***Might have to take you here when you visit, Jessica.) Nothing like I've tasted before:

Dearest Braai Republic,  I will be back for more of you.

Then we proceeded to Hongdae to find an accommodation for the night. Hongdae holds the university known for the best architecture and design institution: Hongik. It's where all the university students hang out at so there's a lot of cool, hipstery places. I also heard the crowd is different and more socially open, whatever that means. Lindsay found a dormitory style guesthouse called Da-On. We attempted to find it by foot in a myriad of turns and paths, but after about forty-five minutes we decided to taxi it instead. Da-On was nice, clean, and whimsically decorated by a red velvet couch, mini foosball table, and medieval-looking fencing  mask. We left our bags there and set out to  fulfil our goal of dancing the night away. So...we walked, walked, and walked into the maze that is Hongdae. Plus, it was 11:30 PM and everything appeared different to me at night. We somehow ended up in an area with an ample amount of norebang's, street food, and hole-in-the-wall type of restaurants. We explored it and grew tired, so back to the guesthouse for some sleep we go. On the way back, we found a club around the big Hongdae shopping area (where we originally were supposed to go to), but it was 1 AM and we could barely feel our legs in the freezing arctic air and our little stroll was really turning into a strenuous hike. We got lost again, but this time for over an hour. It was frustrating, so we finally gave up and tried to taxi it again. However, the taxi drivers didn't even know the destination we stated. Consequently, we zombie-walked back into Hongdae the labyrinth, but this time stuck to the main road and backtracked our way to the guesthouse by using recognisable landmarks. Finally, we got back around 2 AM. Good night. 

Da-On Guesthouse

Hongdae

We'll return to fulfil our goal of dancing the night away.

two: soul 

The next morning we visited an awesome church called New Philadelphia that I researched before coming to South Korea. Their vision is:

"To raise up an army of mighty warriors 

who will go out in the anointing of the Holy Spirit 

to bind up the brokenhearted 

and proclaim freedom for the captives." {Isaiah 61:1}

Experiencing unreserved worship at New Philly was so liberating and gratifying. Lindsay and I sang our hearts out and heard a good word {by Pastor Christian Lee} that aligned with our discussion while walking afoot lost in the streets of Hongdae. God is so faithful and good to us in confirming our conversation and revelations. A message I took note of during the sermon - "People are moving towards maturity to reflect His love, character in Christ, so that we are no longer perpetual spiritual infants." Struggles and challenges in life are supposed to mold and mature us in our relationship with Christ. It substantiates our character and deepens our understanding of our purpose in the undeniable gift of existence. However, some stay stuck in childish ways because they believe in demanding and receiving from God while staying in their comfort zone.

I believe being born again in Christ is one of the biggest challenges in my walk with Him. A word that resonated with me was from my friend and mentor Shannon: your faith is only as strong as the test it survives. It does not matter how long I've accepted God into my life; what matters is who I am in Him and what I will do through hearing His word.  Hence, my life and struggles will be a manifestation of the character God is if I am absolutely available, willing, and dependent on Him. There are definitely times when I am confused but God is my retreat, and He is always accessible and present for me. He is my stability, the serenity in my sheer surrender. 

{You are such a banquet of pleasure to my soul.}

three:  singleness

Church sparked a conversation on relationships during lunch. Our lunch was ice cream at Cafe DropTop; no bad decision there and it sure paired well with talking about being single. The last time I've been on a date was a little less than a year ago. I have this odd interest in observing couples interact on dates. It sounds a bit pathetic but - who cares - it's especially fun in Korea because couples coordinate matching outfits and display affection discretely, but when I catch them in the AW moment, it's so adorable and sweet. Like a guy fixing smeared eyeliner on his beloved's face or when two 'oppas' are fighting over one girl to get into their taxi's with them. Live action Korean drama for me right there. (*Cough*  Riza you know you enjoyed it as much as I did.)

Reflecting on my unusual interest, it was strange to me that I wasn't thirsting for a relationship at this point in my life even with all the romanticism surrounding me. For the first time, I felt fully content as a single woman even in all the persuasion and advocacy for participating in couple culture and modern dating. In my last two months here, there was  a strong outside encouragement to 'go for it' and 'initiate things' with potential guys. I'm usually friendly and open to making new friends. However, I genuinely want to get to know the person before anything else - their values and character - just, you know, that proper, darn sexy swagger. This takes a lot of time obviously. It's liberating for me to discover my contentedness in singleness. I'm single but I am not alone. I find beauty and love in the way that the snow falls, the ground supports my feet, the tree leaves sway poetically, the mountains still my heart. God reveals himself evidently in nature and in the complexity of our life source. When I have already encountered love in the truest and purest way, I sold my heart in exchange for Him.

Singleness and alone-ness are opposite concepts; one is pure joy and the latter is a problem. God created us to have a relationship with Him, so technically we are never alone.  We must initiate and activate the most important relationship...with Him. In fact, when I viewed myself as 'alone' in the past, it's more like labelling myself as 'unmarried' which in turn creates a sense of lack because I wasn't where I envisioned myself to be. It was more about working towards this false vision of being married instead of truly appreciating the benefits of the present moment: "Your marriage is only as good as your singleness." {Pastor Myles Munroe} Simple and well said.

In other words, your relationship will only be good as you are. My dear friend Lindsay also stated: You can only find your place in a heart of a man if you found your place in your Father's heart. I love that she said that so eloquently with conviction. Something else that really stuck with me was a word of wisdom from bestie Betty: choosing the right partner will be like your spirit is doubled in Him. Just - wow. It will be worth the wait then. And my 'lover' Ly recently wrote a blog post as well: Singleness: A Time to Embrace, in which she beautifully encourages single women through her testimony, "For the first time in my life, I am embracing every part of me knowing that His love is greater than any relationship I once had. In my loss, I gained his overwhelming love. His love is intense but not forced, gentle but not passive, persistent but not predictable." Amen! I'm very grateful to have friends who are willingly single and in tune with God's voice.   Hearing from my friends confirms that God knows my heart the best and I won't settle for anything less ever again. So, I rejoice in this romantic, snowy winter season, and it's truly a blessing because my singleness is the most important stage of my life, where He will develop His truth and confidence in me.

I found a giant Kai. Sarange, Korea.

Though...this weekend in Seoul was the first time my soul was 'romantically curious.' There is a generous supply of scenic strapping lads in Korea, but for now I prefer observing and enjoying the view, lol. There has been opportunities for me here and there, but for now I stand by my singleness until I choose to go further. Ultimately, I trust this spiritual journey in God's devoted and wild love. Nothing can compare; I want Him before all else. And I would like to encourage others to love their time of singleness because there is just so much wealth in it. It's the most wonderful time!

Your soil is rich and plush

a single bloom opens, gently but surely

petals of my soul unfold

in the midst of your blossoming Love

//m