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Hi, so, it's the night before I turn 21yrs.
Oh, I just dropped my airpods I can confirm Jade is still clumsy.
I don't think that's going to go away with one year extra age.
I just took myself on a dramatic night walk.
I've casually got Namsan tower there.
One of the most beautiful landmarks in all of Seoul.
And I'm just walking along the road to where I live.
Look how inspiring it is.
It feels like the LA LA LAND song, CITY OF STARS.
And just at this moment, I was listening to Mystery of Love
which is a song from Call Me by Your Name.
And I was just here vibing to myself by this view. I was like, "Oh my God.
I'm turning 21."
21years old.
I am a child.
I am a literal child.
I am the kind of person who is clumsy and
doesn't know what they're doing.
The kind of person who walks by the road, dancing to themselves and jumping to like
whack a leaf. How am I 21yrs?
21 years is adulthood and I'm not ready for that.
And at the same time, if you had told 15 year old me that I will be turning 21
in South Korea
I would never have believed you because
I mean, all of life and the fact that I get to be here
and how lucky the opportunities I've had in life are,
I just feels very existential and grateful and reflective.
Another year is gone.
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I also spent the first two months here not feeling like homey.
Like I didn't feel at home in the residence hall or in Korea.
But the last few days, I was just walking around my neighbourhood and I was like,
I love it here. I don't want to leave.
Why? I have probably not seen any of it.
I don't want to leave.
I know my way around.
I know how to do the bus system. Look, I can name random buildings for you.
I can explore a little cute narrow alleyways and feel like I'm
tracing the lines on the Palm of my hand, you know, it's so cool.
I feel like I'm a classic Pisces baby right now.
I think I'm doing the whole sensitive, emotional thing.
Hi, I also don't think I've expressed it for awhile.
So I just want to say truly thank you for being here.
Like, I'm just walking alone in South Korea. Talking to myself
yet I'm not because you've chosen to be here. Like, wow, you're so cool.
Thank you. It's such an honour to me that
you're interested in my life in some way. So, thank you.
Thank you for enriching my life.
Thanks for helping make baby Jades' dreams.
So that start-of-adulthood Jade can just feel so content with life.
Oh, Korea. Gimme that lighting.
Goodbye, 20.
[Typing]
[Music Playing]
Woow!
Jade,
as you very well know,
I adore you.
I'm so lucky to have found a soulmate to share this crazy life with.
I have never felt so connected to someone before.
And I am so lucky to be your sister.
You're so cute!
I can't remember. We only got closer this semester. Your vibe,
your energy is really good and inspiring.
I'm so grateful for our late night and heart to heart conversations.
You are a goddess who empowers everyone around you with kind words.
I love you so much.
This is so exciting!
Good morning, guys.
I feel so loved today.
I just feel loved. These roommates
are everything. I couldn't have asked for more.
The number of little surprises last night when they created this whole
surprise experience with a saxophone and cute little gifts, like all these
thoughtful, meaningful gifts. Today, I wake up and there's two little cards
and it just tells me what I need to wear and what you need to bring.
And they've just, just planned a day for me.
I woke up super early to have a call with my family.
And it was my Dutch family, my home family, and our closest friends
who are basically your family.
And it is just so cute.
I have to shout out my best friend, Charlotte.
Who's basically my sister back home.
She got me this St Patrickss Day Clover necklace.
I don't know if you've seen it, but I don't think I've taken it off
for like three years. And she got me flowers.
How on earth did she find a Korean company
that would deliver them. I'm just in awe.
Look at this gorgeous butterfly, cutee that my roommates got me.
I had vegan yogurt for the first time in Korea this morning, which was luscious.
I've just put makeup on pretty much for the first time in Korea too.
I don't really wear make up here.
This is just, Oh, I feel bougie, I don't know we're doing today, but
I think we're going to be maybe hiking or in nature because I've been
told to wear leggings and trainers.
This is my birthday outfit.
Oh, I washed my hair so I feel fancy.
And this jacket was my mom's when she was 21. She lived in Scotland because she
was training to be a hotel manager there.
And if I can't be with my family, it feels meaningful to wear her jacket.
I'm very excited for today.
If my birthday was to end right here, I'd be happy and satisfied.
And yet it's only the start.
I love you.
Noo
Such a gorgeous day.
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As if, you get to guess where we're going to go. Oh, my God. Okay.
Oh, is it in Insadong mountain again?
Not the same mountain. It is a hike.
I love hiking.
Get ready. You're going to
Ansan Mountain.
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Wow!
This is so beautiful.
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We made it. Yaay!
We made it
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Woow!
There's Namsan
We went to the prison right there.
Woow!
so big
Are we climbing that right there?
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Wait, food as well?
Yeah, food please. Oh, My God!
This is so beautiful
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It's the breathing for me.
[laughter ]
It's the beautiful view for me.
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Wow!
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Whoa.
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[Burble]
I am still in awe.
Stumble through this
Blossom! Oh my God, this is the first pink blossom I have seen. Yaay!
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You're art, Jade
You're art
What?.
I have never seen this photo before. It's mine
[Laughter]
Whoa!
Look who joined us.
I'm back. You thought you could get rid of me but you can't
Gabriel, how are you finding Seoul?
So interesting. It's my first time in Asia and it's just fascinating.
Very different in everything I have experienced.
And it has been a really good place to solidify who I am.
And they question a lot of things about my identity and how I process culture.
In what ways?
In a place where there're so many people that are very different than you, and live
life differently. You're such a question how you're doing things.
And I think a lot of things have been automatic.
And here, I've started to see the reasons of why I think the way why I think,
of the things I do, why I do such things.
Oh, that's so interesting.
Do you have a specific example of like... I think so. ... a personality, trait
or where you do something?
I think one simple example for me is, I think how much of a culture of
beauty there is here.
There's huge focus on how you look.
And I think it's important to be feeling confident or comfortable for yourself
but this was a place where I actually thought
that it's intentional for me not to pay too much attention to how I look.
This is just not a coincidence
because I think you can easily be carried away.
And to me, I was hit with it.
And I was like, "Okay, actually, these are reasons why I just
don't do like you because I think there's different ways to view the world
in my way is trying not to focus too much on those things and
try to get distracted from others.
But I respect people's choice how to live.
[music]
The second location in the surprise day is you are mural village.
My roommates know I love art.
And so they've taken us there.
I didn't even know this place existed. This is so exciting.
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What?
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This is so pretty.
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Aww
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Hello, World.
Hello world! Oh, yes! yes!
The person has to literally the first thing, any sales person
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Amazing
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Do you know anythiing about
No. Listen.
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Oh my God I should be in bed.
It is 3:00 AM.
3:00 AM, Jade.
I wanted to post my video today
but I didn't have any time to work on it all day.
So I started at midnight. Oops!
Both my roommates are understandably asleep.
So I just came to the bathroom to quickly debrief.
That was a special day.
That was a very special day.
I don't like to set expectations for things because that's how you get disappointed.
And I just want spontaneity, but that exceeded any expectations I could have had.
I just feel so loved.
People.
People are so cool. It's also funny because when I was 15, imagining my
21st birthday, I think I always imagined
me in a club, probably somewhere in London, getting smashed,
like that's just the vision at 15 I have for 21 being like.
I haven't even touched alcohol today. I don't miss it. I don't need it.
Like, how has it been to today was so me. We just went to nature.
We just chilled with friends and had a picnic. They did such a good job.
It was such a beautiful day.
I'm just in awe.
I'm also just so grateful that Seoul is open enough for us to be able to
go to an actual space like that and hike a mountain, you know,
being in lockdown in the UK or quarantine could never have envisioned this,
you know, it was just a gorgeous day.
I feel incredibly grateful.
I feel incredibly lucky.
And to everyone who said happy birthday to me, I love you. I appreciate you.
Thank you for being here at this corner of the internet, and for making me feel loved.
You're just awesome.
Okay.
I'm going to go to bed.
Oh, and as a gift to myself, I'm missing my two first classes tomorrow.
I'm allowed to miss four classes a semester, but I don't like to do it because
when you miss a class, you get behind and you have to do makeup work, which
is writing an essay for the class which is unideal, but I deserve it.
Okay. Goodnight friends.
Hopefully, you find this one better, but I then decided to do a poem for you.
Honestly, I said all these creative juices are flowing today.
But yeah, it's all star.
The woman I call sister can always make me smile.
The woman I call sister has the greatest, greatest fashion style.
The woman I call sister never fails to stay UnJaded.
The woman I call sister is always A-star graded.
The woman I call sister by choice is my best friend.
The woman I call sister will be there till the end.
The woman I call sister,
is a sister that I'll always love.
The woman I call sister is someone I'm an aura of.
There you go. I thought it was quite cute.
But yeah, I hope the best day, Jade.
I love you so much.
Yeah, that's it.