Weeks

Less than 27 hours until release from quarantine! It was great, then dragged a bit around day 10, and then it suddenly picked up so that now I can't believe it's already over (because that means...yet another round of re-packing). I had considered ordering a pillow for delivery my first week but was advised against it because then I'd have to carry a pillow around the country with me for the next few months. But sleeping on a rolled-up fleece blanket was getting tiresome, so I splurged on another buckwheat husk pillow (I have three at home). I always remove a bunch because as is, they are too high for my neck, and my aunt said that they get crushed to powder over time. So the key is to every so often dump the contents of the pillow over a screen so that the powder falls away. She said in the past, people who sold those husks traveled from town to town because everyone needed to replenish. At home, I had sewn a small pillow full of them for driving lumbar support, so now I know I should replace the husks.

I stare out the window a lot and in particular at that red sculpture in between food deliveries. My wonderful family surprised me with three deliveries over the two weeks. That kind of care through home cooking and careful shopping makes a world of difference and made me feel so loved and held—especially knowing how busy they are, and aging/ailing. My aunt even hand delivered ingredients for lunar new year's rice cake soup: packets to make broth from anchovies, kelp, and other dried seafood, dumplings handmade by my cousins, rice cakes, sliced green onions of the large variety, and soup soy sauce—different from what passes as soy sauce back home at Asian restaurants.

This is the ugly view, where I wonder after rain and water pooling why architects/builders make flat roofs, and near where a persistent ringing sound emanates. I'm surprised I've been able to tolerate it since arrival, the not-so-low hum of a city, but am curious what sounds I'll hear at my next digs. Tomorrow I go to a hotel in Seoul as I take care of errands that can only be done in person, and continue to untangle what my next steps will be. At this point, I only barely know what the next week brings, and where I'll be sleeping, but I hope housing gets settled soon. Already, my initial plans to live south are starting to look untenable, but living in Seoul is not a bad back-up plan if I have to take it. In the landscapes that I don't inhabit, there's a post about my work with a hanji dress here, and a link to my last show here.

See you on the other side! I am so excited to be able to simply walk outside.