While I sort of understood those familiar feelings of isolation, homesickness and overexposure were going to come back at some point on this third attempt at completing a teaching contract in South Korea, it doesn’t really hit you until it hits you. And, this weekend, even though I got to see some more old friends from 2010, it hit me.

Which is why this came as such a pleasant surprise this afternoon when I got back to my apartment:

 

Inside this mixing bowl, found just outside my doorstep in the hallway, are eggs, a frozen chicken breast, a container of milk, carrot, Craisins and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.

Michael, my fellow foreign teacher, wondered if Julia, our boss, had stopped by. But, certain things were already open, like the butter and the chicken had obviously come from a larger package and put into a baggie. Was it from someone in the building? Maybe the woman who tends the place? Was it mistakenly placed at my doorstep when it was intended for someone else? I can’t really be sure. But, with perishables like eggs and milk, I couldn’t just leave it out there. 

While it was not a cure-all to this anxiety that has kept my heart beating hard in my chest all day, it was a little help that came at the right time. I’m not alone out here.