Sojin Park

I’ve lived in Jamsil for about ten months now. It’s a really nice neighborhood to live in. Department stores and marts are just a short distance away. There are so many parks that I can take walks around Seokchon Lake, the Han River, and Olympic Park. Since the area is flat, you can run, walk, or bike anywhere. The roads are laid out neatly and clearly, making it easy to find your way. It feels safe, being a large apartment complex area. It’s only a ten-minute subway ride to Gangnam, which makes commuting convenient. Counting all the little things too, I think this is the most comfortable place I’ve ever lived.

Still, it doesn’t quite feel like home or somewhere familiar. I still feel like I’m living away from home, and my sense of identity still seems to be rooted in my hometown. Is it because I’m too busy with work on weekdays and too busy going out on weekends to spend much time in the neighborhood? Is it because of the emptiness and loneliness I occasionally feel when I come back to a quiet house? Or is it because my home feels less like a home and more like a hotel I’m briefly staying in? For whatever reason, I can’t love this neighborhood as much. Jamsil is just Jamsil.

I want to love the space and area I live in. I miss the quiet happiness that comes from a home and a neighborhood. I should fill my home with things I truly want. And I should find at least one favorite little shop in the neighborhood that I come to love.