I’ve moved a lot.

1) Seoul to San Francisco when my family immigrated to the US.

2) SF to New York City when I had memorized every pothole in SF and needed a challenge.

3) NYC to SF and then to Santa Barbara and met Butters at a dog shelter in Compton.

4) Santa Barbara back to SF and then to Roseville, CA so my Dad could be near family before he passed on to another world.

Now I’m in Seattle. An unfamiliar city. Prior to moving here, I had not even visited the city. I used to think Seattle was a rainier version of SF so I thought, why would I visit there?

In the past three weeks I’ve been here, I came to the realization that this place is not a wet version of SF but instead a new start for me…in what specific ways, I am not sure. What I do know is that with each new city I’ve lived in, I have evolved as a human being. I not only grew older but a tad bit wiser. Now that the boxes are unpacked, pictures are hung, fridge is stocked, I feel more secure to see what I can learn.

My goal for the next year is to explore Seattle and its surrounding areas, the people, the food, the RV campsites. These activities will help me to enhance my intellectual and emotional capacity.

So from now on, when I meet people I’ll say, “Hi, I’m new here” and see what happens.