5 months

As I've written in my first blog post, I am currently here in South Korea as an exchange student. The first three months were definitely hard for me. This is my first time away from home and away from my comfort zone. I spent most of the nights crying myself to sleep because I miss home so much. After a couple of months, I felt comfortable living here in South Korea. I feel so comfortable here now that I can live here for a few more years.

Well, that's not exactly my point here. What I want to write about is my realizations while I stayed here. So that after a year or two, I can still go back and re-read whatever I have written here.

Here in Korea, they have a standard of what is "beautiful". Beautiful=big eyes, white skin, slim body. It's either these criteria or you're out. And of these three criteria, I only have one, big eyes. Girls here are dying to be able to qualify in all three, and honestly, it's not good. I mean, I met two Korean friends here that are pretty. If you put them in the Philippine society, Filipino guys would definitely find them attractive. They have a very fresh face and they always smile, and that is what makes them attractive. Most importantly, they have a very good personality...something that we find really attractive. But if you ask them, they don't think of themselves as pretty...just because they don't have "big" eyes, "white" skin, and a "slim" enough body.

I'm dying to tell my friends how beautiful they are in their own way.They're pretty because they have a very nice smile. Also, when they laugh, they laugh heartily. They're bodies are proportionate to their height. Likewise, they carry themselves well and exude an aura of confidence.

And because of this reflection, I also realize how much I need to appreciate myself more. I need to appreciate myself more despite of all my imperfections. Yes, I have big arms and big thighs and I have to live with it. All I have to do is to focus on my assets and work on it. I have learned to accept my sort-of-chinky eyes, my cleft chin, my arched eyebrows,and my smile. Realizing where my strong points are, I know, I am beautiful in my own way.

Someday, I"ll convince my friends that they are too.