Why did I leave Korea suddenly after almost a decade?
When did I leave?
I left Korea officially in January. As in I actually handed over my ARC (alien registration card) and didn’t turn back. My last day working in Korea was in December, over 2 months ago.
Why?
This is more complicated to explain. So let’s break it down into some parts.
I wanted something else.
I’m 33 and literally spent 10 birthdays in Korea. That was definitely a wake-up call and I didn’t want to have 12 or 15 there. That’s just too much for me especially when I was feeling anything but happy while living in Korea for at least a few months at that point.
Also, it was never my plan to be in Korea for almost 10 years (ended up being 9 years and 6-7 months). The most I wanted to be there were 2 or 3 years. That’s it. I was going to go to law school and go into international law. That was my goal. As you can see, that definitely didn’t happen. I don’t even really want to be a lawyer anymore, which is fine since I have other goals.
I wasn’t dating anyone. There wasn’t really anything to tie me down to Korea, so why stay when it wasn’t what I wanted anymore?
Felt like I was in a weird cycle.
I had a lot of ups and downs in Korea. I’m honestly surprised that I’m even here able to tell these stories now. That’s how dark my life got and then I would get back up and try hard only to be knocked down somehow again. After a while, the wear and tear on your body will get to you. Mentally, physically and emotionally I am exhausted.
Also, the jobs are honestly not the best. I will definitely explain in another post. There are some good jobs but even those can turn on you.
I went from having good times in Korea to just nose-diving suddenly. It was weird but you can always get another job and move. It’s easy to do. BUT, things can always change even if it’s okay at the beginning. I was tired of feeling like I’m gambling with each job and move.
Realization
Near the end of last year, I felt like it was time to go before I hit another severe low point. I felt so helpless and hopeless last year in such a way I don’t want to feel it again. Let’s be real, I was hitting a low and was just used to dealing with such things. I don’t think I would have been able to look at Korea in a decent light if I did admit to myself how horrible I really felt. The thought of finding another job and moving was not appealing at all to me. Seeing the job posts just helped me make up my mind.
You know, follow your gut. My gut told me strongly to leave, so I did without a doubt.