This week was an "international" day for me personally, which aligns with this week's topic. I flew from Korea back to Tallahassee after visiting my family for three months. As someone who has lived in the UK and the US for a fair number of years but spent the most time growing up in Korea, my home country has never felt so exotic. When I landed in Korea at the end of April, everything felt surreal. People walking on the street, cars and transportation, cafes open late at night—it had only been nine months since I was last home (still wondering where I should call home), but it felt extremely different. When I returned to Tallahassee, I had a similar feeling: "Why is everything so surreal?"
I guess this is where reality kicks in for somebody living away from their home country in a different culture, speaking a different language, etc. Social media can definitely connect you with "what you miss," whether that be casual conversations with friends or your favorite places to visit. It also helps in gaining an international view—I found that there are so many statistics and travel information shared on Threads (the new text-based version of Instagram)! However, it can at the same time deepen the gap between those who have access to it and those who do not. This is an interesting point to delve into further, and I'm also interested in having a more international viewpoint when conducting research in my areas of interest.
Idam, I am glad you had safe travels! When I was living in Korea and visited the US for short periods of time, I had a similiar sort of culture shock. It is interesting how quickly we assimilate to an environment.
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