Here are some things I’ve learnt while living alone for the first time in my entire life and entering the “Singles Club” in my second year in Korea:
1. I’m not an orchid killer – 6 months in and I’ve managed to keep Orchi (that’s his name, original I know) going strong. Yes, I did kind of cheat and get him in Summer when it’s humid as hell and basically orchid heaven, but I got him through Fall and hopefully can manage to keep him alive through the Winter.
2. Earplugs are wonderful – Neighbours with erratic schedules who love coitus forced me to invest in some ear plugs. I’ve never really believed in them but their effectiveness is startling. If one happens to pop out in the middle of the night and I wake up, its a mad scramble to find it before my neighbours start their… “stuff”. I’m basically an earplug master, I’ve got the art down to a science, if you need earplug advice or ‘How to’ tips, I’m your girl.
3. Weekends are for sleepovers and I’ll never be too old for them – Drinking, twerking, eating copious amounts of food, talking about bodily functions, sharing our past experiences and moaning about men are just a few of the many greatness’s that are a zillion times better because they’re done at a sleepover. I’ve developed serious laugh lines and sleepovers are one of the significant culprits. Sleeping over after a merry night out is also just as good, whether it be watching the sun rise with an ice cream on a rooftop or patting eachother’s hungover backs, it’s never disappointing.
4. Being alone is okay – Having always had my family or significant other around before, when the realization of not being surrounded by people for more than a day settled in, I felt like the world was ending. What the hell Chelyn! Alone time is essential and being solitary isn’t a drag at all. Yes it does get lonely occasionally but I’ve had so much time to develop my own habits and routines that I don’t exactly know how I’m going to fit another human into them in the future.
5. A meal doesn’t have to be a textbook meal and expired food is totally edible – Basically a hodgepodge of whatever is in my fridge is a regular nightly meal, and that hodgepodge may contain slightly off foods that many people would throw directly in the trash. Man, I used to be fussy! Never eating anything that was past it’s expiry date. Now, the wise words of a woman who grew up way before my time, “You’ve gotta eat a bit of dirt before you die” are ringing true. Cut off the mould, get rid of the bad bits and its good to go. If the cream cheese is growing mould on one side, just scoop that mould out and eat the good half, as long as it tastes okay. I maintain this is the main contributor to my thriving stomach flora.
6. Some things just aren’t for me – Attempted frisbee. Saying that, my family would immediately laugh hysterically at the picture that it brings to mind. I am a complete clutz, embarassingly so and have very little co ordination, if any at all. You know that saying, ‘Like a fish out of water’. Well, that actually doesn’t even begin to describe my inability to play this sport. It wasn’t all bad though, I gained a good story to tell and a heck of a laugh.
7. I can literally do whatever the hell I want – Whether it be booking a last minute flight to the Philippines for a long weekend or lying in bed all day!
Looking back on just these 7 I’d say my 25th year on earth has been pretty enlightening thus far, here’s to 3 more months!
Chelyn 