Yes, dear reader(s) this blog turns one year old today. It’s been interesting experience to say the least. LTG has not turned out to be exactly what I expected or hoped for perhaps, but then life is generally like that, isn’t it?

I don’t have any particular insights to offer (which I guess pretty much sums up the last year of posting, eh?), but I do actually enjoy having the moments I spend here with you. I’m not sure I have met my own expectations of what I hoped to accomplish as a blogger, but I am not totally unsatisfied with the result either. There are many political bloggers who express perspectives I share much better than I am capable of doing. There are expat bloggers who are better able to document the “trials, tribulations, and adventures” of living in Korea in ways that entertain and enlighten. And of course, there are people who are actually leading lives that are infinitely more interesting than what I have managed to achieve. Not to mention the fact that my writing skills, while hopefully adequate, do not make LTG a must read.

So for the nearly 22,000 visits I say thank you. An insignificant number compared to many blogs, but more than I expected and appreciated more than you will know. It’s funny that a blog is so much more than an online journal. It is like a mother who makes you feel guility for not writing. Like a friend you don’t want to disappoint. Sometimes like a chore that you wish you could avoid. Once in a while its the bartender you confide your troubles to. Mostly its just there, a familiar place to go for refuge.

What I like best is the feeling of connection to the other travelers in the “blogosphere”. The people I look forward to visiting each day for words of wisdom or just a glimpse into the daily routines that make up a life. And in a weird way these strangers become your friends. Thanks to all of you for your kind words and encouragement through good times and bad these past twelve months. It’s been a long strange trip, but I still can’t wait to see what’s around the next corner. Thanks for joining me on the ride.

If you are interested, here’s a link to that very first post one year ago today.