Seoul, South Korea 5/11/2025

Today was a complex day for me. I had the opportunity to do so many wonderful things but the reality of life back home snuck in. I started off my day heading to Hongdae, a neighborhood in Seoul known for their shopping. I wanted to check out this breakfast place called Egg Drop where they make the most incredible egg sandwiches. As I ordered my sandwich and a matcha, I received a call from my mom. My grandma has been struggling with her health for the past 6 years, but the past 6 months have really expedited things. So at 10:00am this morning, I get a call I have been waiting for from my mom, my grandma is preparing to leave this planet. She’s been on hospice care since November and we did a big birthday party for her last month that I got to go to. Early in the morning, she decided she was done fighting. They gave her the medication she needed to not suffer and recognized that it could be anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks before she is truly gone. Hearing this news from back home complicates things, but also I know she wouldn’t want me disrupting my trip with the heartbreak of what we’ve all known is coming. So I got my sandwich, found a place to sit down, and made a show of myself crying in the street eating my food. It’s hard to conceptualize what to do when you are a world away and can’t do anything, so I just went about my day with a heavy heart. It feels wrong to leave this part of my day out of this blog because all the fun and joy I had today, also had a layer of hurt underneath it as I say goodbye to my grandma. So accept the fact this journal is going to be weird and sad and reflective all in one.

After breakfast, I spent some time wandering around Hongdae. I had an appointment to get a color analysis done where they were going to tell me what my ideal color palette is. I had seen this all over the internet and knew it was something I wanted to try in Korea. Luckily, the woman helping me informed me I can keep all my gold jewelry and I don’t need to change my hair color because both of those are things that suit me with my undertones. She went through dozens of different colors of fabrics and tones and was incredibly thorough in explaining how some colors pop on me and bring out my eyes and lips, where as others can wash me out or make undertones you don’t want to show show up. We decided I am a bright spring at my best but I can also use dark winter tones for a more elegant pallete. She helped me realize that Autumn colors are not at all flattering on me (so I can finally throw out that burnt orange sweater I’ve been trying to make work), but the best colors are going to be bright and happy. I saw my mom call a few times while I was doing this analysis and I knew what that meant. So I tried to stay in the moment and accept the inevitable. My grandma was gone. After Dana, my analyst helped me try on some makeup that suits my undertones, she sent over some mood boards with fashion and makeup choices so I can make the most of my shopping.

I left Vic’s, the location where I did the color analysis and called my mom back. I was correct in my assumption. My grandma had passed away about 12 hours after she decided she was done fighting. My heart was broken and I quickly cried off all the lovely makeup Dana just put on me. In a way, I am thankful it happened quickly so my family didn’t have to sit there and watch her slowly fade as she was unconscious. So now the family will gather and grieve, and I will be on the other side of the planet processing my own grief. I went back to my hotel to get my phone charger and power bank and returned to hongdae because retail therapy was going to be my solution today.

I spent the afternoon shopping and exploring Hongdae. I went to a cat cafe so I could get some animal love and got to see so many different little munchkin cats. I drank way too much matcha until I had caffeine shakes and through rounds of being in my feels, embraced the chaos of today. Seoul has so many different photo booths so I hopped in one and got some cute memories to take home with me. Of course the booth I chose happened to be playing Italian music and have decorations talking about grandmas in them which I am taking as a sign that I have to keep on living all the happy moments even in the sad times. I dropped my shopping bags back at my hotel, laid in bed and processed for a bit, and then headed out to Myeongdong to go to a Michelin-star restaurant that everyone raves about. They only sell 4 dishes, but they are incredible. When I got there the line was out the door but I had an audiobook and nothing but time. I was shocked that the line actually moved quite quickly and even though there was probably 25 people ahead of me, I was sat within 10 minutes. I ordered some noodle soup and dumplings which absolutely lived up to the hype. It was still fairly early and I was still feeling things so I said okay. Retail therapy round 2. Then continued to buy even more things. I have no regrets about the amount of stuff I purchased today because it was actually all quite affordable and I was intentional because now I know what colors really suit me best. However, I will struggle to get it all home, but that is a future Katie problem. I made my way back to my hotel as the sun set, and got my things organized. Tomorrow, I will leave this hotel and head to a more authentic homestay. I am so excited for this next location in Seoul as it is going to feel more authentic to the country. So thanks for reading this trauma dumpy confusing in the feels but still had a fun day journal. I’ll consider making tomorrow’s light and bright, but only the universe knows if that will be possible.