A perspective on my last misadventures in Korea...

Hey everyone (and by "everyone" I'm pretty sure I mean "mom and dad")!

My friend/roomie/travel buddy, Cadena, also blogs her time in SK. She just posted some fun pics and observations on my last days, so if you'd like to check them out, go take a look at My So Called Life. She has done a ton of stuff on the peninsula, too, so check out her other posts as well. She's a photographer so her pics are awesome! And she's the only person I'll ever willingly let take pics of me with food...mostly bc I didn't have a choice. :)

PS. Apparently, in my last week, I wore that dress OUT!:)

More later on my ever-interesting transition back to A-murr-ica! 

Farewell, Korea

I started this blog just 8 months ago, and it seems strange to end it now. I've loved having the outlet for thoughts, feelings, internal and external struggles, and the connection with people - even if it was ever only my family and some friends:) I'll miss it as well as having regular adventures in this crazy country (and I mean that in the best possible way!).

I know I've already waxed thankful for being here (see Okinawa blog), but over the last two weeks I have felt a tremendous amount of gratitude for the people I've met here and as well as this place. Korea allowed me perspective, not only on myself but on the world. It gave me opportunity to explore the literal "other side" of the globe and taste, see, smell (and what a smell!) different things. It introduced me to some exceptional people who dedicate their lives to their country, or to adventure. And I couldn't be happier that I took advantage of this opportunity at this point in my life.

I think transitioning will be a bit difficult or even odd at times. I've been thinking about how my mind is going to handle constant stimulation - just think, it's been free to focus on other things because there isn't the constant hum of a language I can understand in the background, or the ticker of words to read on signs or buildings as I pass. I also think my new perspective on the world might change how I interact with people - not only will I speak slower at first, I think, just to sort out the constant din in my head, I'll talk about the world differently because I've seen it from the other side - and I wonder how that's going to affect me in my everyday. It should be interesting, to say the least, and I hope you all won't mind a few last entries here to tell how my move-back is going!

For now, again, I'm too busy saying goodbye to friends to worry too much about what all is going to happen once I'm back on American soil. And I thank Korea for such an adventure. If I can make it through all of this, I  feel like I can really enjoy my new life back home now, without reserve or (too much) worry.

I am going to miss this...

Because everyone needs a daily laugh...I just happen to get mine in my Inbox every day!

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Things to do in Daegu

So, the DMZ tours are fully booked the entire month of august, which means, sadly, that that trip will not be my last hoorah in Korea. I will have to settle for Daegu. A daunting a task as that seems, I am not willing to simply sit around my last full weekend on the peninsula! That means Daegu city tour!

A view of downtown Daegu

Not a lot of things to see in this city that seems, increasingly, like the same neighborhood over and over again. But there IS color...

Seoman Market wares: Traditional Korean formal dress. I'm sorry, Katie (my cousin) and other members of my family that requested one after her brilliant (at the time) idea...I can't bring them back! They are custom made, very dainty, and relatively expensive. I will bring you all make-up gifts!

Pretty pillows

...and everyone is getting excited about the upcoming track and field world championships that begin (sadly) shortly after I leave, August 27. The city is peppered with international flags and brightly colored signage like this one:

I have a special place in my heart for this mascot, because he is simply so cute...and who doesn't love runners that are blind? :) 

Finally, I did get to take some pictures of my daily walk to work on base. It still surprises me, after 8 months, to walk along barbed wire fencing and Restricted signs, even as overgrown and relatively pretty as they are.

It was another scorcher of a day, hitting an amazing 95% with 75% humidity. Bleck. I can complain only because, in watching the news, I see that most of my own country is suffering a similar heat wave. It's hard to believe it's slated to get even hotter this coming week, my last living here. Wish me luck! I only have about 5 outfits left that weren't carted off by the movers, so here's hoping I left out the coolest ones:)

All packed up and ready to go!

Ah, Korea...

I am definitely getting reminiscent in my last days living in Korea. I have really enjoyed living abroad, embracing the craziness that is Asia, Korea, government work OCONUS, etc. Here's some of what I'll miss...tempered by some things I won't miss at all, ever (always the Libra!):

Things I will miss
easy travel to nearby, tiny, often exotic other countries
my 4-bedroom apartment with a great view
living among mountains
working a 40-hour week
being able to walk everywhere
water coolers everywhere
small portions at restaurants
being called beautiful by perfect strangers
Engrish
constantly learning - every moment being an experience
automatically smiling at a person on the street because she looks Western - instant camraderie
posing automatically with the peace sign in pictures
the KTX/speedrail in general
enough closet space to fill my entire wardrobe and linens, with space to add!
saying "hello" and "thank you" in 2 languages, one right after the other
being able to have a conversation and know that about half of it won't be understood
the every day opportunity for shooting photos
cheap cabs
tax free goods at the PX and Commissary
being the mysterious foreigner
eavesdropping when I start to hear the one English word in thousands of Hangul
outdoor markets
shopping in categories - all the light stores on one street, all the pet stores on another, food, clothing, cellphones....
car art
shopping at 11pm because everything is still open


Things I won't miss 
the smell of methane wafting up from sewers everywhere - quite the way to start a morning
missing my rich social life back home
working in substance abuse
working a 40-hour week...for an asshole
being able to walk everywhere...but not wanting to walk anywhere!
monsoon season (it's a killer!)
it being difficult to be a vegetarian
the staring
not being able to communicate at my education level (to hair stylists, to coworkers, to my cleaning woman, my movers, on public transit, etcetcetc)
constantly learning - it's exhausting!
being yelled at "Hello!!!!" by little kids trying to practice their English (or being asked "Where are you from?" and then having the conversation end right there.)
the military and civil servants
people taking off their shoes in restaurants...having to take my shoes off when I totally forgot to wear socks or easy-off shoes
saying "hello" and "thank you" in 2 languages, one right after the other
the rudeness of the Korean people - they can be so sweet when they know you, but they can be so harsh automatically when they don't
people being afraid of my cat when they see her
bureaucratic nonsense
not being able to order takeout other than pizza or chicken (and only from one restaurant, aptly named BBQ Pizza)

I am sure there's more.

I keep telling people Korea is great, come visit the country, see the beauty, stay in Seoul or at the beach in Busan, and enjoy a tech'd-out country that welcomes foreigners and has big goals to be a player in the big world. It is an amazing place, and I'm so happy to have had the chance to experience it, in spite of the crazy! It was all good crazy, anyway. 

OKINAWA: Not exactly Japanese for "last hurrah", but we can pretend...

Okinawa...

Boats in a small harbor

...tropical island in the midst of the Sea of China...

...southerly vacation destination of mainland Chinese...

...birthplace of a fantastic person (Ms. Cadena herself!)...

...last hurrah for two travel-crazy friends and my last out-of-country trip before flying home!

I have always had a thing for palm trees

And was it ever some relaxing trip!!! First of all, I want to announce/apologize that this blog post will, in a sense, double as my application for a photography position at Travel + Leisure Magazine. Not that I'm that talented, but it was just TOO EASY to take great pictures of fabulous sights on the island. (Side note: if you think the pics are crap, move on to another blog, please:) ).

Ahhhhh....

Second, I want to admit that this is actually a relatively difficult blog entry to write, simply because the trip was so fabulously relaxing.

An Okinawan beach with concrete "jacks" for typhoons

We drove,

Cadena mans the wheel on the right side...she's the only one with the int'l license...must work on that!

we saw sand and secret beaches (thanks, Martha!) and pokey islands out in the water,

Tide was out

we basked in sunshine, and dipped our toes in bath-like water,

Tide pools

we took photos (obvs!),

Martha taking pictures

we ate sushi (YAY!!!!) (we also ate too many power bars and too much trail mix, but budget-eating is not the stuff of T+L, so I will not go into detail here!),

I didn't take pics of the best sushi ever, so here's the closest thing I "pic'd" of food...an empty crab shell

we read books (I personally started 4 on this trip - Adult ADD?? perhaps...),

We also read lots of Engrish:) 

we spent time with good/new friends,

Martha and Cadena over the menu at Jacapo's

we explored the crazy-biggest base I have ever seen (and spent a little money in their BX, not gonna lie),

The sea wall

we drank coffee and walked and explored on our own schedules,

Look at the cream in my coffee!

we visited the end of the island, with all its jutting, rocky cliffs and bellowing surf, at sunset,

At the edge

and I, personally, felt the utmost gratitude for so many things. After a tumultuous year, I was able to stand on the end of a country, look up at the pinky-blue sky and thank God for my life, for its crazy-adventurous tilt-a-whirl of a year, for its opportunity and for its adversity and its pleasure in the little things. It was an epiphany, self-actualization, and the end of a transition all wrapped up in one perfect sunset. And even on the verge of another move and the start of something else, I was able to look back on the last 7.5 months and feel joy in them.

For that, I thank you, Okinawa - a place I may never have visited but for living in South Korea with a good friend who just had to get there this year (Happy Birthday, again:) ), and my healthy sense of adventure, of course.

Life is good at the beach!

Here's the full album - I warn you, lots of sand and water pics!:)

Today's (Tiny) Trauma

And I was just saying to people how EASY my move-back to Chicago was going...


Today, reality hit me in a seemingly-minor but emotionally-major way. Basically, I was scheduled to fly out August 14 on China Eastern and Continental airlines, with short layovers in a couple cities. While attempting to finalize my reservations and let them know I would be bringing my cute fuzzy with me, I discovered those companies do NOT allow animals in-cabin AT ALL. What the...? If you're an animal owner who travels, you've heard the horror stories of cargo travel for pets. I went into full-on fix-it mode. 


So, I was scrambling after hearing that news, as it was not my experience from my flight here. By "scrambling", however, I mean "sitting on the phone for 6 hours of my day waiting to talk to someone who eventually failed me." First, the process of registering her on each flight (Daegu to Shanghai, Shanghai to Newark, Newark to Albany) was getting really complicated - I found out, after registering on the cargo website, that I would have to hire someone outside of the airline AND the cargo company in order to get my paperwork together just for Continental. I couldn't even REACH China Eastern, as no one was answering the two numbers I had for them. And the price of all this just kept increasing with each call. I was looking at spending a) the money to get her a hardsides case with all their requirements and have my parents ship it here because they don't have them ANYWHERE in Daegu, b) the time I would have to spend either running around looking for a hardsides here AND/OR on the phone in order to arrange all this, and c) the expense to put her in CARGO, let alone d) the stress of two international flights without her, worrying that she was uncomfortable, hungry, tired, hating me, or worse: crushed! 


And then it happened: I was on the phone toward the end of my day with a lovely operator from Expedia (thank you, Fiona!), and I started crying. Not just the tearing up kind of crying, either, but the I-cant-talk-I'm-so-embarrassed-but-I-can't-respond-because-I'm-so-frustrated-AND-crying kind of crying. She was very sweet, and tried to empathize, saying things like, "Please don't cry" and "She's your baby, isn't she?" But it didn't help. We finally had to get off the line while she called Continental on my behalf. Wow, I was a mess. 

Ultimately, I simply canceled my first flight, decided to use the credit for travel around the States (Dana, I'm talking to YOU), and booked a different flight with Korean Air. THEN I booked Furgie on Korean Air, making sure via telephone that she could, indeed, ride by my side for a little extra cost. I only talk about the money, however, in order to emphasize the fact that she is TOTALLY WORTH all the effort!!!! 

Being the lovable cuddle ball she is, I think she knew I was stressed, as she has been by my side, nuzzling, or just sitting near me all evening. And she has gotten tons of love and TONS of treats for being so sweet. 


All's well that ends well, I guess! I am much happier, and I know Furgie will be on travel day. I arrive hours earlier at Wellspring New York, which will be wonderful (can I put in my request for bison sloppy joes now??)  I still get to say I've never flown into one of the big NYC airports - a strange distinction, I know:) And a BIG thank you to everyone who sent well-wishes in response to my FB distress call. I so appreciate the love!

Stuff Korean People Like

Inspired by one of my personal favorite webpages of all time, I am adding this regular segment to my blog. Enjoy!

1. KIMCHI
Ubiquitous, smelly, and famed for its dietary properties (questionable, as all claims made by Asian peoples are questionable [see also "world's tallest buddha" and "world's longest wall seen from space" posts...ok, one of those IS true}, kimchi is a Korean staple. And the people - they LOVE it! There are about 4 billion different kinds of kimchi, all served in tiny little dishes before a meal. I have only tried about 8, but I couldn't tell the difference between any of them.



2. LADY UMBRELLAS
When in Korea (and other Asian countries), bring a smallish umbrella, preferably in pastel shades, maybe even some lace around the edging, to shade yourself from the sun and preserve your whitest skin possible. Tanning is not big here, and I've even seen some men attempting to block out the nasty sun's rays using their European men's leather carry-alls.

3. SAMSUNG

The home company of everything electronica, the Korean muse seems to rise and fall with the stock prices of this corporate conglomerate. A great many Korean families are way over their heads in debt these days, and technology is one suspected culprit!

4. BLACK PEOPLE

The stereotype is true: Asians think Black people are an oddity. Now, take it to heart that they also think I am an oddity, but still, they're not lining up to touch me or take pictures with me (well, now that I think about it, they kind of do...anyway...). But I have seen great crowds gather around black friends and fellow tourists, just to get a snapshot with them.

It's also been said that Koreans sometimes try to wipe the dirt off, but I have never seen this and that is most likely something that happened many, many years ago. I have seen some distrust in Korean faces when I walk with a black friend (but then again, you see that in the States, too!), but nothing so overt as cleaning behavior. Overall, I think Koreans simply see a photo op and take it!!

It has been raining for days...

I guess I've only been home from China (CHINA!!!) for a few days, but it has rained on each of them, for a majority of the time, and yesterday all day - a steady, continuous downpour, peppered with thunder and lightning. For the past two days, I have been greeted by a white line and nothing but clouds instead of my mountain. I miss Apsan when it is not there, and I will miss this view when I leave Korea for good.

And there it is once again - I've referred to leaving in a very passive, throw-away kind of manner. But it's time to let everyone know what my parents have been hoping for for weeks...I'm coming home! (cue song...sing it to me, Sean!)

I have talked briefly about a chauvinistic boss (all true) and health problems (resolving, hopefully), but I've stopped short in discussing home- and work-sickness. This blog has mostly been about adventure and embracing the craziness of life on the other side of the world. I chose not to discuss the sadness or the longing, because a) that's what my journal is for! and b) there has been relatively little of it, because I've been making a concerted effort to get over it:) I came to Korea for space and time, a sort of self-imposed exile to clear my head after devastating personal upheaval, and to try something completely new - new country, new colleagues, new work. I can admit that it was an effort to escape; not you, my friends or family, but an environment that was both oppressing and depressing. I left not knowing for how long or where I was headed after Korea.

All this time and space - and travel, of course! - have given me great perspective on the things that are important to me. And I have found the most important thing of all (and PLEASE don't be offended, Mom and Dad!!) is my work. I spent the last 6 years amassing a body of research, immersing myself in a public health movement that I believe in, and working with awesome people who find the effort and sleepless nights in pursuit of this work totally and completely worth it. Substance abuse treatment simply cannot fill the void left when I exited Wellspring and teaching. At this point in my life, my career is really all I have, and I know now that I must do what I love with people who love it too, and who appreciate my work.

I have also come to a better understanding of my friends and loved ones, and how much I really want to be close to them. Sure, our careers and families may someday separate us at some point in the future, but I will never again feel I need to isolate myself from the comfort of these things so that I can live independently.  I need them too much, and I am no longer afraid to admit that.

Someone asked me recently if I felt this experience was a failure, because I'm leaving so soon. My answer was a definitive "NO!". I have always been a "grass is greener" type of person who needed to experience that  the "other" was not really so much better than "this". Had I not come here, I would not have met some amazing people, I wouldn't have known that my work was so important to me, and I would always wonder, "What if Korea....?" Now, I don't have to. For that lesson alone, the trip was worth it. I have commented on Facebook a couple times how much closer I feel to people back home because I moved away, and I am thankful for that. Korea has also allowed me the time to embrace some things about myself that I would have felt tortured over had I remained in Chicago. Time and distance have led to acceptance, and I can deal with all of that stuff better now (but the details I'll keep for my journal, again:) ).

I leave Korea on August 14. Yes, I've already purchased my tickets home:) But there is so much more traveling left to do before then, and I'm determined to fit at least 2 more trips in: Thailand and Japan. And, of course, the DMZ! I booked Thailand yesterday; Japan may be my last hoorah. So please continue to follow my adventures for my last month+...they will be good ones, I promise.

Yep, this is where I live

The garden just outside Camp Henry wall, near my apartment

So, you have a roommate now?

Yes, I now have a roommate, due to the inanity of the Army organization supporting civilians here - my friend, Cadena, moved in this week. I am excited, but I'm also a little upset on her behalf. Believe me, she's upset enough for both of us, and does not need my help:)

The Housing Office here, who was supposed to find her alternative housing to the bachelor's quarters she was living in, totally dropped the ball and told her to move out without an alternative to move into. Ridiculous. But this is a good example of how silly the civilian side of the Army can be - disorganized, confused/confusing, and not altogether very supportive. I, too, have run into overstuffed bureaucracy and people without answers who are unwilling to find them or direct me properly. It has affected my job and my overall happiness, but not to the extent it is affecting my friend here. I am happy to help, and, thanks to the enormous amount of living space granted to me by my GS position, she can comfortably have her own wing of the apartment.

Having her here is going to increase exponentially our ability to travel on a whim, to explore with a buddy instead of alone, and to find camaraderie whenever we need it. I am glad of that. And I can't tell you how many people have told me how good it will be for me to have a roommate (whatever they mean by that!:)). But I am sorry for her circumstances, and think they should not be. There must be a better way.

Oh, and btw, because we're living together does not mean we're sleeping together. Apparently, the Army is enough like high school that our current situation means we are lesbians to may people. Not true, and that thought process is fascinating, as well as frightening.

Can you tell I'm getting a bit tired of Army life???:) 

Home tugs at my heartstrings...

Home is definitely where my heart is these days, and it tugs at my little heart much more often than I expected it to when I moved here. Just now, I had an email from a friend who I wish I could be there for - to support, offer words of encouragement, give a hug, whatever it takes to help her through this.

This kind of thing actually happens a lot. Maybe not emergency situations, and more often it's something like a book club or a party or pictures on Facebook. With the way the world is now, I can stay tightly connected to people even from the other side of the world, and leaving home isn't really leaving friends and loved ones. I am so glad for that, I really am. It just sometimes makes starting over more difficult.

I wouldn't change that. Instead, I'm finding it to mean, maybe, that my place is not as a wanderer, but really at home.

Care Package

Clearly, my mom supports my health obsession.

In this month's care package, I found
1 package dry skim milk
3 containers Splenda (one granules, 2 packets)
saline (not HOB related)



Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Puppies and Kitties and Marines, oh my!

The local animal shelter, Korea Animal Protection Society (KAPS), is a local agency that allows volunteers to come and play, groom, feed, and generally love the animals that live there.

My friend Cadena and I decided to volunteer this past Saturday, and it was a wonderful experience. We started with walking dogs through a local park. The Marines from the title came up from Camp Mujuk, and I mention them because these big guys walking such little dogs were a satisfyingly funny sight:)

My pup, I called her Cody 

Dog kennels in Korea are not very regulated, and they are not required to vaccinate, spay/neuter, or generally de-bug the animals. KAPS works on donated funds, and they don't have a lot of money to provide for the animals as they would like to. They do the best they can with what money they have. But it is hard to see how different the conditions are here as opposed to in the states.

Like all dogs, these just needed a little love and exercise.

The cats, however, live under different conditions. They are given lots of room to roam around, outdoor and indoor spaces, and volunteers can go in, sit down and allow them to come get lovins.

Cats are not well treated in Korea because the people are traditionally  superstitious about them. They are thought to be dangerous to children, and as this society values children above all else, cats are frequently disposed of whenever a woman becomes pregnant. Mothers-in-law are said to be especially serious about this belief. 

This one came jumped into my lap the minute I sat down:)

Cats are also kicked, thrown stones at, or cut if people can get close enough to them. We witnessed this tiny kitten being fed, and then tended to by a veterinarian, because it was losing it's entire left paw up to the shoulder joint. It was a new wound. Not pretty. I will not picture it here. 

It felt good to help this organization out, and I am sure I will go back again. They do need people to help bottle feed all the kittens!!! And a generally good cause to work. for. 

If you'd like to donate money, visit the KAPS website. Any donation is a blessing. 

My first trip to the doctor

I have been feeling under the weather lately (ok, for the past month!), so I finally found my courage and made an appointment with a doctor here in Korea. Amazingly, and most helpfully, they have a "foreigner's clinic" attached to the new Medi Park "Women & Baby's" Hospital.

Since I arrived and began processing my health insurance, I have heard stories of Korean health care. "Don't be nervous," and "Don't be fooled by appearances...it really is good care," have been a couple of the more common  comments. Korean health care is a social program, but benefits apparently run out sometime in old age, as one's children are expected to take care of their parents and include them on health care plans. As in all of Korea, health care, therefore, is marketed and designed for the young.

I should have known my experience would be different when I made the appointment.First,  I spoke with "Wendy", a nurse, who told me to call her on the phone whenever I came to the hospital, instead of checking in. "I will take care of you that day," she said, so I actually thought I was talking directly to my doctor. And second, my appointment was on Saturday. Awesome.

The hospital itself is pink, reminiscent of terracotta homes I've seen in South Florida. I walked into what reminded me of an island airport terminal, sans palm fronds - a brightly lit indoor area, bustling with families and pregnant women, with coffee bar to the left, travel agency to the right, and ads everywhere for health products and therapies. The information desk staffed by matching girls in their flight-attendant-esque uniforms sitting behind computers did nothing to assure me that this was, indeed, a hospital. I called Wendy, she came out in red polo shirt and denim skirt, and again,  I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. She led me upstairs  - a glass, see-through staircase that made me feel I was in the Michigan Avenue Banana Republic - where I was led to a red leather chair and a glass table to complete some basic paperwork.

The diagnostic interview is a little different when using a translator. She directed the interview between me and the head nurse, and it was a little disconcerting for her to focus on things that I didn't necessarily want to focus on.

Since it was a Women's hospital, and despite my symptoms, I had to take a pregnancy test first, as if that were the a) answer to everything and/or b) the gateway to everything else. They sent me off with a dixie cup (quite literally) and off I went. Carried it back with a paper towel over it, because that just seemed the right thing to do, and deposited it onto the front desk, where I was directed, to another uniformed twin who instantly dipsticked it. Nothing like instant results.

the cup

I won't bore you with the details of the rest of my rooms, doctors, and such, but let's just say that whatever you need, if it's a bloodtest, an x-ray, ultrasound, what have you, they whisk you off to whatever room it's in and get it all done right away. And, it being Korea, the needles are really tiny, so they don't hurt at all! All terribly efficient and fast: 45 minutes from the minute I arrived, I was headed out the door.

Will await blood test results in one week, and hopefully they can give me the reason for my persistent fatigue. And, as full of good blogging material this was, I hope to not have to visit Medi Park again soon:) 

My Lucky Day

The Starbuck's on Camp Walker has fat free milk! 

Drink on, happy people:) 

Fancy that...

Here is what two trips, Vietnam and China, look like - in cash! Too funny...and too worth it!

Adventures in Trademark Violation

Just a few fun shots from around my neighborhood to show that trademarks and logos are, after all, just pictures and words:)

The sign on a bakery - notice chef boyardee?

In no way related to Seattle's Best Coffee, but clearly trying to be like it.

Oh yes, they have 7-11 here - it even doubles as CVS:)