Changes

Today I found out that the brother of a buddy of mine will be moving to Seoul in July to teach. He just graduated college in May, and man does that make me feel old- I remember him visiting us when we were undergrads and he was just a little squirt (albeit infinitely more mature than his bro). I got to thinking about how I would have handled the transition of not only living in a foreign country, but also in one of the world's largest cities, at a mere 21 or 22 years of age. I doubt I would have survived. I had a hard enough time adjusting to life in the big city of Eugene (population 140,000) after 13 years in Ontario (population 10,000). I would get lost walking from Autzen Stadium to the dorms.

I believe that a person experiences the greatest number of changes and growth between the ages of 22 and 25. The young man venturing to Seoul this summer will undoubtedly learn some of life's most important lessons sooner than most. Among them:

1. Soju is evil
2. Respect other cultures because not everyone was raised the same as you
3. Just because it smells bad doesn't mean it doesn't taste good
4. Respect the elderly
5. There is an entire world of people out there who have no idea what the NFL is, who your favorite team is or if they win or lose.
6. The way you act will reflect in how foreigners perceive your country. (If you don't eat watermelon, all Americans hate watermelon. If you give up your seat on the subway to an older person, all Americans are kind and selfless)
7. Never underestimate the power of a smile and a nod
8. Patience is not merely a virtue, but a necessity required for maintaining sanity
9. You will not get everything you want all the time, and you definitely won't get it when you need it the most (this is especially true when trying to establish your vacation schedule)

Just for fun, here are a few things that have changed in my life in the last year (note: 2009 refers to the period before I came to Korea in August, 2010 means after):

Rent
2009: $810/month
2010: $0

Miles Driven
2009: 1,600/month
2010: 0

Dollars Spent on Gas per Week
2009: $100
2010: $0

Dollars Spent on Food per Week
2009: $150+
2010: $26

Job Description
2009: Fundraising (majority of time spent asking people for money and asking people to ask people they know for money), Event planning (on average about three a month including dinner auction and golf tournament) Management (weekly interviews and training, evaluating/motivating a 10 person call center), routinely driving 100+ miles a week for public awareness speaking engagements.
2010: Teaching 9 year-olds how to say "I like chicken"

Total Countries Visited
2009: 2
2010: 6

Marital Status
2009: Single
2010: Married

Weight
2009: 195lbs.
2010: 165 lbs

Belt Loops Reached
2009: 2
2010: 5

Typical Lunch
2009: Burrito Boy bean, cheese and rice burrito, coke
2010: White rice, soup with tofu and vegetables, kimchi, pork, fruit, vegetables, water

Number of Meals Consumed with Kimchi 
2009: 2
2010: 400+

Hours of Football Watched (per week, during the season)
2009: 20+
2010: 0 (Not entirely true. Sometimes I could find the Duck games online)

TV
2009: 42" Panasonic Plasma with HD, DVR, Comcast Digital Cable and HBO
2010: 19" Samsung box set with 7 channels (one English)

Hmmm. After running through this list of things that have changed for me over the past year, it is safe to say that there is one more life lesson my friend's brother will learn before most of his peers:

#10. You don't need to have more, or spend more to get more out of life.

Enjoy the ride young buck.