Ten years ago, I started this blog. It’s been a decade of blogging.
I wrote my first blog post just before I left to get my TEFL (teach English as a foreign language) certificate in Costa Rica. To quote my past self, “I am not sure what may or could happen.” Little did I know that I’d still be writing today, or where I am in my life now, just a semester and a half away from obtaining a master’s degree in architecture. My journey since those early days has been incredible, teaching English in Spain, South Korea, and Costa Rica for a total of 7.5 years. I’ve visited amazing places and met incredible people.
I started this blog with a desire to keep my friends and family informed about the events in my life abroad. In the winter of 2013, I studied abroad for six weeks in Argentina and one of the professors had us create a blog and write a series of posts. Without that class requirement, I might never have thought to start one. Unfortunately, I have no idea what happened to those posts. They must have disappeared into the digital universe; I haven’t come across them since.
Looking back on old posts is nostalgic and cringeworthy. I chronicled every experience, eager to share my journey with my family. My sister, at one point, teased me for detailing the step-by-step process of catching a bus in Costa Rica, including wait times. I’m hesitant to dig up that particular post because of how poor my writing was.
I’d like to think I’ve evolved into a significantly better writer since then. In the past, I never quite grasped the importance of proofreading, thinking it was only relevant for school papers. I have long ago learned the value in proofreading and the aid of third-party grammar checkers. However, even with these tools, the occasional spelling or grammar error still manages to elude me. There’s probably one lurking in this very post*. The temptation to go back and rectify my error riddled posts is strong, but, like a time capsule, they represent a snapshot of the past. To alter them, would be to alter who I was back then (I will at least go back and fix the glaring spelling errors).
In an age dominated by one-minute TikTok videos and YouTube shorts, and video blogs, a written blog may seem like a relic of a bygone era. Yet, I persist in maintaining mine. It is an integral part of my life. While my posting frequency varies from month to month, dependent on the demands of grad school, I strive to post at least once a month. It is an internal goal that has continued to push me forward. My blog serves as an online diary, allowing me to reflect on things that I’ve done and current happenings. I’ve transitioned from writing about life abroad and my travels to life at graduate school, with some travels peppered in. Now, I’m using it as a platform to reflect and write about my thesis and anything that has to do with it. Regardless of the subject, blogging has fostered self-reflection and heightened my awareness of the world around me.
*my sister found one within minutes
Hey Joe,
I am one of those glad to see someone maintaining an old blog. There is something almost nostalgic about the medium. But beyond that, it allows for more thoughtful reflection than tiktok, youtube shorts, or even a long-form vlog can deliver.
And it is cool to check in and see the different adventures you’ve been on since I last saw you.
By the way, this is Mathew. I met you when you were teaching in Boseong.
Matthew!
So nice to hear from you. I agree with everything you’ve said! I think from each medium you can gain something different. Glad you are still following along. What are you up to now?
That’s true, every medium has its advantages. One of the big revelations for me in the last few years is hearing different versions of songs : for example, the Steve Albini mixes of songs from Nirvana’s album “In Utero”. Or isolated drum, bass, guitar and vocal tracks. Or just amazing covers that showcase talent (like this Spanish drummer. Maybe the best drummer on earth : https://youtu.be/22-gbE-tjr0?si=Fa2l_ngIRh2t65K4).
That is something that a text description can’t really convey. So yeah, there are trade-offs with everything.
I stayed on in Korea until August 2022 at which point I moved back to Canada. Nothing too exciting here, just a regular job in Toronto. I do miss Korea though. I actually visited back in October. Hopefully every few years I will be able to do so.
Good luck with architectural school. I have been reading up on your posts and its kind of a good text-based insight to balance out many of the architecture/urbanism channels on youtube I like (like The Aesthetic City, Kirsten Dirksen, Not Just Bikes, RMTransit, CityNerd, About Here, Oh The Urbanity!, etc).
Take care.