12
STUDYING ABROAD
Because I was studying Korean language and culture, and there’s very
little of either in London, I had the chance to move to Korea for a year
to continue my studies. I was excited to see the country and meet
more Korean people, who had always been so friendly to me in
Qingdao, but I was sad to be leaving Ollie. Muncho was the most
emotional of us all.
“Can’t Ollie come with us to Korea?” he asked, little carrot juice
tears rolling down his face.
“I wish he could, but he has to stay behind in London.”
“But why?”
“He can’t move with us to Korea because he would miss his
classes here, and he would also miss Lizzie.” Lizzie has asked not to
be included in this book, but she is happy with this sentence clarifying
that she exists, and this other sentence helpfully explaining the first.
Legumasaurus Rex was bothered too, but as always, he showed
less emotion. When it’s hard to say what we mean with words, it can
be helpful to turn to meaningful art instead. Rex made a giant sculpture
of a potato in honour of a year of happy memories (because Ollie’s
face had always reminded him of a potato). Obviously a potato is
pretty easy to make into a sculpture, it’s nowhere near as inspiring as
other root vegetables, but it was still impressive in the circumstances.
Being unable to see Rex, Ollie thought the sculpture was from me, and
it didn’t hit an emotional chord with him at all.
When I arrived in Korea that familiar feeling of loneliness crept over
me again, as it had done on my first day of school. ‘Hello darkness,
my old friend’ I thought, but stopped myself going any further for
copyright reasons. The problem was I didn’t know anyone in Korea,
and I felt like hiding in my room and forgoing the sights and sounds of
Korea that I had dreamed of for so long. But then I picked myself up (I
had the longest arms in the prefecture), gave myself a stern talking to