My Korean Dream ～

As this year is slowly coming to an end my new plans have taken concrete form and are approaching with every passing month it's time to officially announce my new project! 

Remember my last post about the future? It was only 1 year ago and I was so insecure with all the possibilities but my life was so much different than now because I was also including my (then) fiancé in those plans since I wanted to move abroad with him. ( ‾ʖ̫‾)

Many things changed. 
My new plan is none of those I listed last year, I made a completely new plan. After visiting Korea 2 times, this summer I finally fulfilled my wish of going to Summer School in Korea for 3 months. It was a super hot summer (even the locals were complaining) but I never got sick of Korea or the food or the people and when I had to leave in September I felt like I had just warmed up and the best (refreshing) season was yet to come, I also felt bad leaving my class at Yonsei University behind, studying Korean was such an enjoyment... 

So I've decided to pursue a Master's degree in a completely different field (let's leave the exotic languages aside, shall we?), most probably it will be international trade at Yonsei University's Graduate School of International Studies and combine it with my dream of living in Korea for an extended period of time. 

It has become a new dream, my Korean Dream. 

I am aware that I sound like a Kpop fanatic who fantasizes about their dream country Korea (sorry to my readers who are such fans!) and I really want to deny that impression: I've lived in Asia (China) before. I've cohabited for years and had marriage plans with a Chinese guy. I don't idealize Asia and know all of the challenges that I'll be facing but still I really want to do it. I go as far as saying that if I'm able to find a good job or/and find a serious relationship and don't experience any opinion-changing trauma after my 2 years of studies there I could also imagine settling down there. 

~ Flashback Start ~

Learning Chinese was my father's idea and became a hobby in my childhood. During my teenage years and many short travels to China I'd already started fantasizing of leaving Europe and staying in Asia. I decided that I wanted to study Sinology (mainly to be able to live in China for a year) when I was 16 and that became my driving force. I breathed Chinese culture through extensive lecture of historical novels and watching Taiwanese dramas all night long and listening to Cpop on my way to high school. After starting university and studying like mad during the first year I received a scholarship from the Chinese government. Thus I was able to fulfill my teenage dream and live in Beijing for a year when I was 20. Thanks to my studies I was able to go there but also due to my studies I had to come back to finish up here. After meeting my Chinese fiancé and making plans I was ready to move to China but in my recent travels I found that the changing society and specially the pollution had become a big drawback for me. Now without my Chinese fiancé I feel less inclined to settle there. Still, I really love the country and want to visit there frequently. There are so many places in China I still want to discover and so much yummy food to eat! 

On the other hand this year I visited Japan for the first time. I'd started my passion for Japanese things   when I was about 12-13 and started drawing in Manga-style. I watched Anime and bought Manga and learned about Japanese culture. But I never considered myself a Japan Fan because back then Visual Kei was super popular and I never got into JRock or dreamed of marrying a Japanese guy like many German girls in my online Manga/Anime community. Still, I kept my passion for Manga and Japanese culture and in my twens I also started getting interested in Japanese Fashion. I wore general Asian fashion and Lolita clothes, tried some Gyaru style and even Mori Girl. I tried wearing wigs and false eyelashes and colorful contact lens (I failed TT). I bought and downloaded Japanese fashion magazines and read them like a bible. I also scanned my own Gothic Lolita Bible. Recently I've calmed down but I still consider Japanese fashion styles my favorite and Japanese culture intriguing. When I visited Japan and discovered not only the prevailing Kawaiiness and food that was great plus the friendly and helpful people but also nearly went mad with the available fashion. In my opinion  Korea doesn't lack many things I need (except for chocolate), but I think Japanese fashion has much more variety so I definitely plan to take shopping trips to Japan! Also I only visited the Kansai area and I'm eager to discover many more places in Japan.

~ Flashback End ~

Korea and its language did not only reignite my passion (the one I also used to have for China) but it is also perfectly situated between the other two countries I'd love to explore more. To me it seems like a dream being 2-3 flight hours away from either China or Japan, being able to eat lots of yummy Chinese food or go shopping in Japan. On the other hand I remember I was perfectly content while i was in Korea. I ate Korean food pretty much every day, all day and I didn't get sick of it, no, I kept having cravings for Korean food. I only started discovering the country and making some new friends. Applying learned words outside class gave me sensational feelings of success. After some beers I held conversations about couples or Korean society and theories in Korean while still being a complete beginner, I just didn't feel any shame and speaking Korean was a delight. ❤ I also really liked Yonsei University and the teachers and it being a top university just added to its positive points. I want to go back. As fast as possible. But at the same time I still don't have a profession, so I decided to go for further (and more useful) studies. I hope to be able to both study and have a part-time job (maybe as a German teacher) while experiencing the real Korean life. 

Actually I shouldn't feel the urge to list any reason for my decision. 

It's just the way it is and I want to follow my heart. But I think everything I wrote down might bring my decision nearer to you, didn't it? Thank you for bearing with me. 

❤ Do you share a similar dream? What are your dreams?
❤ Which ones have you realized? Any upcoming ones?
...btw do you like my new animated laurita mascot?