Awww @mistyisles that was so nice!! Welcome home!!! 😇 😉

I am touched by your words and they ring true for me as well, even though I am a stay in one place person. No matter the circumstances outside dramas, coming here to share both about dramas and real life (on the Open Thread), to cry, laugh and 'bitch' together, is so comforting. We are assured that we are not alone, (at least not crazy by ourselves! 😬😜 Heh!), that we are heard and that our thoughts matter. More than that, we realize that there's this community or rather, this great drama-family always here for us, and that we belong.

I wish you all the best as you pack and move. And as you're go about, come on over, back home here and tell us all about it!! 😀

@mistyisles Your writing is beautiful! What you've said is absolutely true for my life. K-dramas and the people who watch the same stories alongside me are a home that I can always rely on. I also often feel caught between two cultures, but the unique and wonderful space that Korean dramas create is shared by all of us.

I hope that no matter how difficult or easy your transition back to the states will be, your Korean drama home will continue to be comforting!

This was brilliant, I loved reading it, @mistyisles! I don't think I've seen you around since one of your older Theme of the Month posts, so it was especially nice to read.

I love this! Being able to talk about something you love with someone who understands and shares that same love is indeed really comforting. It is a form of coming home. Welcome home!

More importantly, I also love the double DAY6 shoutout.

So on point about being a "cultural outsider". It's funny how you can belong to more than one place yet belong nowhere (except glued to the screen watching dramas).

Really nice post, thanks @mistyisles! Safe travels.

this is really beautiful! i know it's hard, but welcome back !

the life on mars thing....that really is beautiful like their concept of home and which world you would like to live in you know? i agree about kdramas, you can get lost in them. sometimes i need something in english to ground me and get my thoughts in order, to remember that i can't just escape and check out as opposed to face things head on, but sometimes it's just the best medicine. and it's one thing that brings so many diff ppl together, u know?

i recently moved back to the US too! it's been tough, but those constants are helpful.

so well written...all the best!

Well written!
I do relate to this sense of home or or lack of way too often. My father used to transfer frequently so I had to shift schools every two years. I never made any friends until I came to university. I have moved to places/countries for jobs and finally now I feel I have a place called home. And even then at times it all feels fleeting. What ties us to a place is our heart. Where it can feel peace, comfort and a sense of belonging. If it can be on an internet forum so be it. Only we know what that means and there will always be people here who will understand that feeling.

That's so nicely written, my reading was smooth, I glided through your words (if that makes sense).

Your definition of home is beautiful. I hope your next 'home' in Seoul will be as warm & welcoming as the one you are leaving rn. Good luck!

Ah @mistyisles ~ Dramas and kpop are how my sister and I have kept in touch through the years as well. From my first semester away back in high school, to us both going to college and now grad school in different states, dramas and kpop are always a touch stone for us. Even when the rest of our lives seem so different, we can discuss the latest day6 comeback, and bewail the Hong Sisters' plot choices as though we still share a room.

Dramas are a good constant I've found in different cities, a space you know that you can go it wherever you are.

Anyways, thanks for this lovely piece. ^_^

PS My sister is still angry at me because I sent a spoiler-filled letter to her from Europe back when I was living abroad. She says it ruined Master's Sun. (I still hold that international mail gave her plenty of time to catch up)

I agree dramas do keep you connected with your family. Me and my sister used to be nearly strangers because of the 5 years age gap. But after she completed her studies overseas and came back, suddenly we became much closer because she started watching Kdramas. Suddenly we started talking more to one another. Kdramas lead to kpop which lead to her first trip to Korea ( I didnt join her because I'm still a student and not working like her haha) , and which lead to our first kpop concert together. Now, most days even when we're in different states, we still keep in touch because of the latest dramas or which oppa is coming back/leaving for the army.

In a way, kdramas made me feel like I'm still home with my sister, binging on kdramas regardless of where we both are.