March 2020: Art and Comfort in the Time of Corona
Hello dear readers, it’s time for another monthly update. This is my monthly series in which I discuss how I’ve been doing, where I’ve gone, and what life is like teaching in Korea.
Except, I haven’t really gone anywhere, and I haven’t been teaching at all this month.
First, I hope wherever you are, you’re doing okay, physically and mentally. I hope you and your loved ones are healthy.
I know many people had to leave their current work or study situation to return home. For me, that’s not the case. South Korea, as I mentioned in my last monthly update, had a huge increase of cases in February, but by all accounts the government did an incredible job testing and quarantining those affected. Daejeon, for example, only had 20ish cases for most of March.
So life here in Korea isn’t as shut down as it sounds in Europe or the US. While concerts, tours, and any big events are cancelled, most restaurants, cafes, and bars are open. I still go out maybe once a week to get dinner with friends.
Really the biggest indicator anything is different is a) more people wearing masks and b) no school.
I really miss my students so, so much more than I ever expected, but I did meet my new coteacher (one of them), and she was lovely. Too bad we’ll get so little time to work together :(
I don’t need to explain to you how it is working or studying from home. I’ve been going on about week 6 of it, at this point, BUT I’m able to see friends now and then. I was on quarantine after returning from Taiwan, and then I took some days off, and now the DMOE is letting us stay home provided we fill out reports and show our work.
Being at home drove me crazy, at first, but by now I feel grateful for it. I know many people who aren’t in a similar position—whether they’re necessary workers, parents, or recently unemployed. That could be you, reader, and if it is, my heart goes out to you.
(I’ve had a lot of people ask. My plans to go to Spain are still on; they sent me an email saying they were still processing applications. The program would start in October, so it’s too early to know yet.)
There’s also the very real concern for my friends and family back home in America. I try not to think about it. And by trying not to think about it, I mean obsessively listening to podcasts and reading newsfeeds about Corona, the economy, and just the general shit state of affairs. Healthy, right?
In efforts to not entirely lose it, I’ve had to find something productive to do. The cherry blossoms are out, and I take walks around the neighborhood to get fresh air and snap photos. Yesterday I sat in the sun and read for a long time. I went for a hike with two friends a few weeks back, and at the top of the trail, it snowed. I felt like I was in Skyrim.
I went thrift shopping with my friend (I’ll eventually write a whole thing about thrift shopping in Daejeon). I got a ton of summer skirts, although they all need hemmed. #shortlife. I tried figuring out how to hem at home, but uh….I‘ve got a pair of rusty scissors and that’s about it.
What else?
I’ve had plenty to catch up on BTS stuff, which if you’re an ARMY you know just how MUCH content there is.
But, really, this time in my life is devoted to creative stuff. My friend Lauren commissioned me to make a portrait of her three Dragon Age heroes, so I did.
We went out to a cafe the other day, and with the warm weather lately, the windows were open. We wrote, drew, or played games in silence together. That’s the closest thing to therapy I can get these days. Kidding. Mostly.
I want to draw more, and I will. I’ve wanted to work on this blog, and I have. I created two new series, My Favorite Cities, in which I highlight spots in each country I’ve been to, and Cafe Reviews, in which I review my favorite cafes. I keep myself busy, as my friends like to tell me.
But beyond the creative stuff, my life has been dedicated to hella nerdy things.
I replayed the Mass Effect trilogy, which is a video game series set in 2183 following this military badass named Shepard. I used to play it all the time in high school, back when I was going through some rough shit. Pretending to be Commander Shepard, this powerful and unstoppable hardass, was empowering.
Buuuuut if you know anything about Mass Effect, you know the ending of the last game is shit. I was honestly so reluctant to play through it again, but I got some mods (here and here) that helped with the ending. They deleted some of the nonsense and lets you end with your crew, reflecting on their story together.
A curious thing happened, replaying it.
I felt all of the excitement and joy. I cheered and cried, fist-pumped and danced. It had been so long I’d forgotten so much of the story. But I felt none of the dread, the loss, nor (forgive me for being dramatic) the grief of finishing that game. Used to be, the only way I could stand to finish those games (and dealing with its terrible ending) was to restart the whole damn thing and replay it.
I don’t feel that anymore. I feel peace with it. I know I’ll probably replay them in a few years again—I don’t think I’ll ever stop, to be honest.
I think I have the best of both worlds: I still love the things I used to, but I’ve changed, and my emotional tolerance has changed. I don’t rely on those games to cope anymore.
Yet they’re still comforting. I wonder if I’d feel the same if I rewatched Avatar: The Last Airbender?
So that’s what I’ve been doing to bide the time. I’ve been seeking out those things that always give me comfort, but I’ve been exploring new things too.
Liiike, for example, I watched Tiger King lmao. I’m from Oklahoma, and uh…well, it wasn’t so surprising, I guess lol.
I’ve also been reading Dune, I finished the second season of You, and I’m in the middle of a playthrough of Detroit: Become Human.
here’s a meme in this trying time
Essentially, the essence of this month’s update is that to cope with the isolation and stress of this time, I recommend surrounding yourself with the things you love. What gives you comfort in this time?
Take care, friends, and let’s hope next month’s update (my birthday month!) has more to offer.