Take It Slow

Had a conversation with hanliang the other day about taking it slow in a rural city. 

When I first got to Jeju, I was like "fug, I need to take an hour and half long bus ride to the guesthouse".

but after 2 weeks here "50mins bus ride? wow that's really near."

Initially, I was so uptight about following the buses' schedules, checking the arrival timing to make sure I catch the next one on time, running like my life depended on it, cause sometimes the intervals can be an hour long. 

One day, it just hit me. Like, why am I rushing? So what if I miss the bus? Am I in a hurry? Most of the time no. What's the worst that can happen? If I miss the last bus? Well, if I'm desperate to save money, there's always the option to walk back, if not, there's taxi. If not, I can always get my host to rescue me (as much as I want to try avoid doing that).

So that day, I decided not to rush for the bus that was arriving in 5mins while I was 15mins away from the bus stop. Instead I strolled and chanced upon a Cafe Olle on the way, had a cup of delicious vanilla ice cream, listened to the chill music, watched the sun set from a distance. 

Then I checked the bus timing and realised it's not coming. shit. did I miss the last bus? 

Asked the lady boss Angelina, and she said the next bus was about 45mins later (at this point i've already waited for 50mins). So I just sat at the Cafe just chilling and waiting.

Then Angelina approached me and offered to send me back, but I rejected. So she got her assistant Min (who speaks fluent english) to chat with me and convinced me to accept the ride. So she closed the Cafe for the day and we rode back to Coshe!! (Apparently my host Denzel used to frequent Cafe Olle, so she knows him). 

My point is, it feels like things will work out eventually. The best encounters happen when you least expect it.  

Told hanliang that I was scared to fall in love with this lifestyle, what if I go back Singapore and can't get used to the fast paced life where people crave immediate accessibility.

He said there's nothing to be scared of. 

The important thing isn't being afraid of fast or slow paced life, but to experience both so you learn and know how well you can adapt to the environment you're placed in. And as we travel, we learn about ourselves and strive to adapt and improve.

Let adaptability be the priority thought rather than fear.  

So yeah! Just wanna put this up as a reminder for myself. I can't say for sure if I'd stop my habit to rush entirely, but at this place, it feels like I have all the time in the world to take it slow. 

And i'm gonna embrace it as much as I can :) 

loves, 

marilyn