By Matthew Walters, ETA ’15-’17
Now in its 10th volume, Infusion continues to immortalize the stories and memories of an ever-growing Fulbright Korea. Volume 10 marks an important milestone for the magazine and speaks to the prevailing importance of reflection in the Fulbright Korea experience. Even halfway through the grant year, our cohort has amassed innumerable experiences that deserve to be shared.
Having worked on three issues of Infusion thus far, I began to think about how the magazine is sustained. As busy as we all are, we still take time out of our days to create—to draw, to write, to photograph. We do this to meditate on the changes in our lives, and 2016 was as much a year of change as any. Some of us arrived in Korea for the very first time, tasked with tackling a new language and culture. Others have taken on new adventures, from graduate school to a different career path. Every year of our lives challenges us with change.
The work featured in this issue of Infusion demonstrates a key way in which we process change: by finding a place of belonging. All of us have different places we hold dear, whether in Korea, the U.S. or anywhere across the globe. From the volleyball court in Rebecca Brower’s “Sting of a Hard Serve” to the singing room in Paige Morris’s “Nights at the 노래방”; from the dinner table in Eugene Lee’s “Scenes from the Kitchen” to the subway train in Dawn Angelicca Barcelona’s set of poems; we all latch onto places of familiarity in the face of newness.
Wherever in the world you are, reading this, I hope this issue of Infusion helps you to think of your favorite place. If you are currently carving out your own place in Korea—amid, for many of us, an unfamiliar language and culture—I wish you continued success in doing so. Especially when life seems anything but consistent, we owe it to ourselves to stop and reflect. The pieces and photographs in this issue will doubtless serve as a reminder to do just that.
Please enjoy Infusion, Volume 10, Issue 1.