Starting Life in Korea!

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men cannot be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” -Mark Twain

This quote has been inspiring Tim and me for the past few months. We have been feeling a desire to experience life in a new way, open up our world view, and get out of our comfort zone. Friends and family members with their own experiences sparked our interest, and we started looking into traveling/living overseas. When the idea of teaching English in South Korea first presented itself, the one year commitment seemed daunting. We didn’t know how we could give up everything for one year of our lives. But the more we thought and prayed about it, the more we felt like this was the path God had for us for this year. So we went through the long application and interview process, got our passports and visas, packed up our apartment, sold a car and some furniture, said our goodbyes, and got on a plane to South Korea! And now we are here, experiencing our fourth day in South Korea! It’s crazy! I never thought I would ever do anything like this. I was always comfortable to stay in my “corner of the earth,” but then all of a sudden, I realized that there was more I wanted to experience. I knew I had so much to learn about myself and the world around me. And the great thing about it, is that Tim and I get to experience this adventure together. It’s funny, we were talking about how, on our own, we both would never choose to come to Korea. But together, we’re not afraid, and we’re ready to be changed and molded and immersed in this new culture. And as Tim said before we left, “It’s just gonna be you and me, baby, and a bunch of Asians!” It’s true. And I love it. Now let me back up and tell you everything.

Saying Goodbye

When we signed our contract in May to come teach at YES Youngdo English School in South Korea, we knew that the goodbye process would soon have to begin. Tim gave notice at his school that he was leaving, and I did the same at the theatre. This was really hard for us because we were giving up great things! Tim had been teaching and coaching at his school for 6 years, and I was in my second season at The Round Barn. But we knew that Korea was going to be an amazing adventure, and we were ready for it. So we had our final and emotional get togethers with family and friends, and felt so much love from so many people in our lives. We love you and miss you all so much! Thank goodness for Skype! If you don’t have it, GET IT, so we can talk to you! :)

The Flight

So we flew from Chicago to Los Angeles, and then Los Angeles to Seoul. I was worried about the flights because I sometimes get really sick on planes. But thank goodness, there were no major problems! Emotionally, I had a hard time on the plane from Chicago to LA. All at once, it started hitting me that we were really leaving for a year. I had to stop listening to my ipod because all the songs were making me cry. But we made it to LA, and had less than an hour to find the gate to our next flight. We got on a bus to go to the International terminal, and there was an Asian lady standing next to us, who couldn’t speak English, but needed to know how to get to Asiana Air. She held up a piece of paper with her flight information, and it turns out that she needed to go to the same terminal as us. So we told her to follow us. When we made it to the check in desk, she was so happy and grateful that we had helped her. She kept talking to us in Korean (we think), and we didn’t know what she was saying, but she was smiling, and seemed really relieved. We parted ways as we went through security, and then we saw her again when we were at our gate waiting to get on the plane. She was smiling and relaxed. Suddenly, she was the one who was in her element, and we were the ones out of place and anxious. We found it to be symbolic of the change that was taking place as we traveled to Korea. Soon, we would be the minorities, the ones who couldn’t communicate, the ones who would be lost and asking others for help. As I walked on the plane that would take us to Korea, I felt like I was moving in slow motion. All of the emotions of the day and the past week hit me all at once, and I started sobbing. Tim asked me if I was ok, and I was. I was extremely excited about the experiences and adventures that we would have in Korea, and I really felt like this was where God wanted us to be. But at the same time, I felt so aware of everything we were leaving behind. Wonderful family. Amazing friends. For me, theatre and music for a year. For Tim, a great job that he loved. The comforts of living in the US. It was a lot for me to think about. After we found our seats, I had composed myself, and was ready to be excited and not sad. As we flew over the Pacific Ocean, we said goodbye to America for a year. We knew that by the time we saw the American soil again, we would have grown and changed, and have a different outlook on the world. Or so we hope. So we said goodbye, and then settled in for the 12 hour flight. And it was actually a great experience. We had two meals: steak and potatoes with bread and veggies and cake; and chicken and rice with bread and veggies and cake! YUM! It was really good! The private TV in front of me with all the movie and game choices was amazing! I watched two movies: “Bride Wars” and “He’s Just Not That Into You.” Two chick flicks because I knew Tim would never want to watch those with me! I played some video games, listened to some music, slept quite a bit, and before I knew it, we were there!! It actually did go by really fast, and I did not feel sick once on the flight. I was very thankful that it went so smoothly. We got off the plane, found our four suitcases, exchanged our money, and found the people who were picking us up. We had made it to Korea, and we couldn’t believe it. It still did not seem real.

Our Apartment and City

The drive to our apartment was about two hours long. We tried to stay awake to take in all the new sights and sounds of our new country, but we couldn’t help dosing off a few times. From what we saw, our first impression of Korea was that it was beautiful! City lights everywhere...mountains...water... We couldn’t wait to see what our apartment and city would be like. Finally, we arrived at the cutest city ever, and instantly felt at home. There were shops and restaurants everywhere, and there were people out strolling the streets. We pulled up to our apartment in a quiet neighborhood of the city, and were greeted by our branch manager, Sue. She hugged us, and was very excited that we had made it. We were too! When she took us up to our apartment, we were in awe and so relieved. It was so nice and big and modern! Tim made the comment that this place could definitely start to feel like home. And it has. We have had fun over the past few days unpacking and reorganizing things to make it feel really comfortable. We could not be happier with our apartment. And every day, we are falling more in love with the city of Yongin. I am convinced that it must be the most perfect city in Korea. It is so nice and safe and picturesque. Not too busy, but still has a city-life vibe to it. And we can walk everywhere, which is my favorite thing! We can walk to our school, the grocery store, E-Mart (Wal-Mart equivalent) any type of restaurant we could ever dream of, any type of shop we could ever dream of, the subway station, the park.... It is perfect for us. I have always wanted to live in a city where I could walk everywhere. We always see kids and families out at night, so we can tell it’s a really safe area. In the park, there are skate ramps and a climbing wall! And there’s a path by the river that we see people biking on a lot. My favorite part of town is the brick walkway about two blocks from our apartment where there are cafes and restaurants galore! Since eating out is my favorite thing, I can’t wait to explore all of them! The first coffee shop we visited was called Holly’s Coffee, and we went there every day for the first few days to use the internet. They have really good tea! And they play all American music, and all GOOD American music too! There are just so many things to do and see, and we have only just begun our exploration!

*More about our school and the culture later!