blink

My trip home felt like I blinked, and it was all over. Like a wrinkle in time. A small break from one of my realities to remember I have a whole life back home. Just, waiting for me to come back to it. Two, completely separate realities. My friends here don't know where I come from, and my friends and family back home can't even begin to conceptualize what my life is like here.

I was so enthralled with being home, I was hardly on my phone. I failed at taking pictures and at communicating with people. I was sad to arrive back to Korea with few accounts of my trip, but the documentation I do have will suffice.

I didn't do as much as I wanted, or have the chance to see everyone that I wanted. But, I think I ended up doing all the things that really mattered in the end. 

I gorged myself with food from Whole Foods.

I did Bikram Yoga and ate at Raw Cafe, in my one attempt to keep my gluttony under control.

I was lazy with my sister and the pups.

I hung out downtown and surprised people with my presence.

I had a small gathering at my house with friends, which resulted in a late night Roberto's delivery.

I road tripped with my mom to see my brother in Utah. We watched shitty reality TV and went on an incredible hike in the morning. We played Scattegories and ate sandwiches.

My sister and I made our way up to my cabin. My favorite place in the world. It was a short trip. Less than 24 hours. But, that didn't matter. I was just happy as hell to be there. In the woods. At the meadow. Taking in the fresh air and re-exploring a place that was a big part of my childhood. A big part of adulthood too.


I shopped and ate and shopped and ate. And spent time by the pool. And shared cuddles with my dogs.

I appreciated my chance to visit home. I wish I could have stayed for longer. It helped me put a lot of things into perspective. I have a better idea of how I want the next few years of my life to pan out. I want to spend more time in Vegas than I previously considered. I am so lucky to have so many amazing people at "home". Not all are quite as lucky as me.

Nelson, Nevada

Thinking that this place has been so close to me for so long and I've never come out here REALLY grinds my gears. I was tasked with finding this place to start with and some how the general address to Nelson was input. Whatever. The map was taking me through a dirt road to the middle of nowhere past a short stretch of houses of all shapes and sizes, all with loads of character. It was interesting to see, especially the little shack like houses and all of the things accumulated in people's yards. Definitely a nice detour. Getting lost can often take you to the coolest places.

Eldorado Mine - Nelson, Nevada

El Dorado Mine is a bit down the road. It's a quaint touristy spot that a family set up when they bought loads of land with an old mine on it. The preserved a lot that was on the property and have been hoarders ever since. They collect old cars and artifacts, most of which are donations. They love what they do, which you can see in the care that they take for the property and how happy they are for you to explore the area; respectfully.

The mine tour is my favorite part about this place. They take you around the property and then eventually through a small portion of a quartz mine. It was much, much cooler underground. Even though it was only the beginning of April it was nearly 90 degrees outside. Deep in the mine it was 65, with a chilly breeze. It was a great history lesson, there was even a ghost story or two to be told. It lasted a little over an hour and cost $12. We got lucky and a tour was about to start literally as we got there, but if you want to do the tour I would call ahead and check their schedule to be safe.

It is crazy to think that Nevada itself is less than 200 years old, we have such a short history. Especially compared to that of other nations. A major piece of our history is the Gold Rush, and this is the perfect place to get a taste of what it would have been like. Every corner you turn is another machine or piece of equipment with a story behind it. There are a lot of Native American artifacts as well, which is by far my favorite piece of Nevada history. The gift shop has crystals and other cheap trinkets for sell, so I was happy!

Rediscovery

Alright. Before I left the country, it was pretty safe to say I absolutely hated Las Vegas. I didn't like the industry and the type of person it bred. Club promoters, aspiring DJs, models and photographers. Money. Boobs. Party. The people who come to Vegas also typically come for the same reason - to get hungover. To get so irreversibly drunk that morals and responsibility are thrown out the window. Because, it's Vegas... right?

But this post isn't supposed to be bashing Vegas, so I'll stop :)

I learned so many things throughout my experiences abroad. Most of these things I am just realizing now, in retrospect. That will happen a lot, and goes to show why it is so important to always reflect... in every aspect of your life.

Taking a step back to look at something, changing your perspective, helps to see it in a new light. I could have easily came back to Las Vegas in complete misery to be back in such a sucky place compared to the loads of cool European places that I just frequented. That would of been silly though, because Las Vegas is actually pretty darn cool.

There is no other place like it in the world. No where. It is so unique in its culture, location, and really just that fact that everyone knows about it and EVERYONE is confused when I tell them I was born and raised there.

Do you deal blackjack?
Which casino do you live in?
No, no you don't. You can't BE from Las Vegas.

I literally had someone argue with me.

Anyways, considering I am not even to the point of this blog, I am going to sum up the fact that I came home with a huge appreciation for Las Vegas. And, well America as a whole really. I'm over here, chilling in a destination that countless people want to visit and all I want to do is get out. Guarantee you there is a girl in Barcelona wishing she could get out too, when ALL I could ever dream of is living in Barcelona. Or anywhere other than here. So. Perspective.

That's why I have been treating these past few months as opportunities to explore my home before I no longer have the chance to call it that. I'm looking at Vegas as I never have before and taking an chance I get to go to California, Arizona, and Utah. I've always taken these things for granted, but that's a waste of time. There's a lot of explorin' to do!