As we settle into life in EA, there are a number of “interesting” observations we’ve made about life and culture here. We’ve also had to make some personal adjustments to living in a different country. Here are just a few highlights:

  1. A country’s airport says something about the culture, both intentionally and unintentionally. 
    At the Incheon airport, there is a mini coffee shop that sells affogatos and hot juice (I guess this is a thing in Korea?). Upon entering the secure area of the airport, we were greeted by wafts of designer perfumes and bright shiny lights, a long row of duty-free shops, and charging stations at every corner. We were spoiled with amenities, including a children’s play area, well-designed bathrooms, and several coffee shops. When we arrived at our destination airport, we immediately went from line to line to line. I liken this experience to herding cattle. Everything from the walls to the floors were noticeably gray (at least to me). Luckily, we arrived at a favorable hour with few crowds. But as soon as we stepped outside into the parking area, it was a lot more lively. Cars and buses going every which way, people waiting or searching for their rides, and taxis going to and fro looking for passengers.
  2. Settling in is a lot more “fun” with a child. 
    We’re very thankful to have team members who are flexible. Kids are apparently more susceptible to jet lag and subsequently have a harder time adjusting to the time difference. H was waking up at 2:30AM almost every night since our arrival until last night. We’re hoping that the combination of jet lag and teething ends quickly so that we can all get a good night’s rest. We have been passively trained to wake up at 2:30AM in a state of panic, unsure of whether or not he will wake up screaming and disturb the entire apartment.
  3. Communal living is fun!
    As much as I’m sure we would all love to have our own space, living together has been fun. We usually have breakfast together, go out on excursions or run errands, and have dinners at the apartment a few times a week. We’re trying to limit eating out in order to conserve funds, but we’ve been thankful to be able to go out and share meals with friends as well. We meet together every night to discuss updates and to yarp together. As we spend the next month and a half together, we hope that we’ll each be able to utilize our gifts and bless one another.H has made a habit of visiting every room and finding some way to make it worth his while. His aunties and uncles are very accommodating and are great playmates. We decided to sleep in the living room and let H have his own room. It’s cold, but definitely better than sleeping in the “lion’s den”.
  4. Assimilating is hard work.
    We’ve all likely lost some weight due to non-American food portions and a general increase in physical activity, be it walking (or sometimes power walking) or weaving in and out of traffic to our destinations. Food quality has increased, but so have food prices. I was in shock at the cost of eggs at the local market. H will definitely have to forfeit his daily yogurt… or more than likely, we’ll have to forfeit any luxury items, such as our beloved Coca Cola. I enjoy living the commuter life, but it’s also challenging to figure out where I’m going or where I came from. I knew that my dependence on Google Maps would come back to haunt me someday — and that day has arrived. I’m the worst at figuring out directions, so I can see myself getting lost frequently. Thank goodness for cell phones! Coffee is ridiculously expensive here. We’ve been surviving with instant coffee packets gifted to us by friends, but we’re not quite sure what to do once our stock runs out. I’ve seriously considered completely switching to tea, but we’ll see how that goes. On the flip side, there are ample milk tea shops here. I guess we can replenish calories with boba. I’m realizing more and more that learning the language is a top priority. It’s not feasible to get by on simple greetings, especially if you want to have a meaningful conversation. There have been so many opportunities to start up conversations on the elevator or subway or even just in passing, but not being able to speak the language has been a huge barrier. This definitely gives us more motivation to study.

There is more to share, but we’ll save that for another day. Until next time!