Making memories!

This is my third year of third time in South Korea. Of course, for someone it wouldn`t sound impressive, probably you work here as an English teacher for 7th year. For someone, it may sound confusing: "Why South Korea?". For this I don`t have an answer. But being here feels so right. So close and so far, so known and so unfamiliar. It all started in 2009 when I visited first for summer vacation. This trip felt like mosaic of different events, meeting Koreans and their culture for the first time. Bustling streets with neon signs, endless nights of consuming soju and singing in small karaoke rooms, road trips along East Sea coast (be sure not to call it Japanese Sea, the biggest offence here), struggling with fire in your mouth after having some super-duper spicy dish, stylish Korean guys and a lot more...this is was my first time and I was longing for more after coming back. After six month of struggle in my home university I got a chance to go there as an exchange student. I should admit, more of soju, kimchi and karaoke was coming. This 6 months felt like prolonged summer vacation. I never stopped feeling every vibe of Seoul, got even deeper into its world of consumerism and entertainment. All this little tiny shops with cookies or some fancy outfits, iced coffee or cute socks, this variety of cute and useless...only in Seoul. But, how about culture, how about Korean people? All this time I was in a foreign bubble thinking that I know much about Korea, but i was sliding on a surface failing to squize into Korean brain.
I came back third time to find out. My third year coming here is coming to its end. Now I know about hard lives of Koreans, how much they should struggle in their lives, not knowing that their might be other ways. This society is full of hierarchy norms, restrictions, stress and sleepless nights. To gain so-called success, they try so hard so they forget who they are and forget how to enjoy life, even though I don`t want to generalize. My life here and life of ordinary Korean is just too different.
But, nevertheless, knowing of its real life doesn`t stop me from loving this place, its mountain ranges, colorful temples, numerous coffee shops, gingseng smell, TV screens in subway and all other small things that I definitely will remember and miss once I leave this place. I don`t want to stay here forever because I want to keep my sweet memories and not get vanished in routine life here. The best way to love this place is to leave in time.