Fin

Well, this is it. Before I get into any sort of reflection, I want to thank you all for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Seeing all your views (over 2,000 of them! Wow!)  has given me such a strong connection to home, and I don't know if I would have made it through this experience without that. Especially at some of my low points. So thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It means so much to me.

Alright, so, surprise everyone! I kinda don't want to leave California. Of course. I'm finally feeling at home here. Now. Of course. This semester has been incredible. It has been a time full of a lot of self discovery that I couldn't even begin to explain. Only a few weeks ago, I felt as if I'd accomplished a lot, but now I'm realizing that I've only experienced the very start of changes that are to come. Its a strange feeling. And going back to exactly how my life was four months ago is going to be even stranger. I've grown so much as a person, and I'm curious to see how this improved me is going to adjust to life back to Minneapolis. I'm excited to come home and see everyone, but it just...it feels wrong. I don't know why. I feel like there's something more I have to do here, kind of this heavy feeling as if I'm leaving at a time when I could really be discovering something about myself, which is a strange thing to think about, and even stranger to say to you all. But, I've done all I can here in the short time I was allotted, and although something in the back of my mind is whispering to stay, I know I need to come home.

I've met so many amazing people here. My roommates, Grace, Isa, Uno and Kristi, who have accepted all my little quirks without a word against me; my drinking buddies, James, Casey, Bren and all their awesome friends, who made me feel at home and provided me with many awesome drunken times to remember (hazily); Stephanie, who showed me a gorgeous side of California and gave me a lot of amazing advice and inspiration; all my Korean friends, especially Bill and Jeff, who made me laugh so much and took me into Korean culture as their 'nuna'; Jacky, Kat, Melvin and Alex, who showed me more of LA than I could have ever done on my own; and my tattoo artist friend Edgar, who made the end of my trip into something I will remember for the rest of my life. I love and will miss all of you more than you could ever imagine. Thank you for making my California experience more than I could have ever hoped for.




I named by blog "A Short Visit to LaLa Land" because before I came to L.A., my Aunt Karla told me to 'have a good time in la la land', implying that Los Angeles is kind of a day-dream, hazy-eyed city. I can see why she calls it that. This whole semester has been dreamlike. Thinking back on all the things I've done and seen and all the people I've met is surreal. This is all going to feel like such a dream. Such a roller coaster of a dream. But it wasn't, of course. I have this blog to prove it. And I have a strong feeling that I'll be back someday.

 

Deadgar Tattoos 

Someday.

Thank you everyone, and goodbye from my own personal LaLa Land.