Grocery Store:1 Alysha:0- Shopping Adventure in Korea

Oh goodness. Rough day at the grocery store.

I generally enjoy grocery shopping. I have my thoughts to myself, I daydream of the meals and projects I will create that week, and I feel like I accomplished something useful.

Except, of course, when I have no idea how to say anything and don't know how to find the stuff I need.

All the while I am getting stared at by the multitude of Koreans also grocery shopping, who happen to know exactly how to go about shopping in this lovely but confusing country. They observe me while I clumsily navigate the store, trying to find things, not knowing where anything is since Korea has a different way of categorizing everything (WHY is the baking soda a good 4 aisles away from the flour?).

I was able to find everything except what I actually needed to get. Darn. I was hoping to get some simple craft/DIY supplies, but here people generally like to buy things brand new and ready to go, so the craft/hardware aisle consisted of 4 colors of paint, sandpaper, and an electric drill.

Hm. There goes my next 5 blog posts and things to keep me busy this week.

I had heard a small rumor that the grocery store delivers groceries if you want for a small fee. Awesome, right? Supposedly, all you have to do is buy them, box them up, and take them to the counter. I found the delivery counter, but didn't see anyone use the service, so I was a bit worried. I saw this too late however, and had bought a lot of things, thinking that I could have it all delivered and not have to carry it back. I boxed up my stuff, took it to the counter, and the woman looked at me like a deer in the headlights. We've found that some folks tend to get really thrown off when a foreigner approaches them, and kinda freeze. It's okay! I come in peace! I told her my address, and she said "Sorry, no English!"

Okay, that's fine, since I'm telling you in Korean...

I try again, and then showed her my address, however it was written in English characters, so she said "Sorry, no English" again, and that was that.

Totally not her fault that she didn't understand, but now I have SO many things to carry back. So I did. Somehow the walk gets 10x longer when you're carrying a load. I must have been quite the sight, loaded up like a pack mule, taking the walk of shame back to our apartment building. On the way, I vowed for the 3rd time this month to abstain from grocery stores for the rest of my life, and to order everything online from my couch, Nutella in one hand, a cup of tea in the other.

I got home, and laugh-cried for a couple minutes while Nate hugged me and put the groceries away. Then I made pancakes, drank some tea, lit a nice-smelling candle, and listened to Christmas music (don't tell anyone!).

That made things a lot better.

He and I laughed about the fact that he actually likes people staring at him (youngest child syndrome, I think), and I HATE being stared at. While I know it's part of living here, and can usually shrug it off with out a second thought, it's frustrating when I already know I stand out, and I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. I feel like everyone is a spectator to my blunders, missteps, and confusion. GO AWAY HUMANS. Let me be confused in peace!

Also, I think this is the part where the honeymoon of living overseas is over. Oh well. It just means we're that much closer to being well-adjusted here. This phase is a pain, but necessary I suppose. We still love and appreciate so many things about living in this lovely little country, and feel blessed with the opportunity, but as with any new situation, there are things that take time to adjust to.

Of course, I know in a month or so grocery shopping here will feel more natural, and I'll be more familiar with how things are done. I still have no idea if the store actually delivers, but I think I'll ask one of our Korean co-workers and see what they say (probably should have done that in the first place).

I realize that many of you will be reading this in a time zone that is about 13 hours behind us, so I feel it is my duty as someone who is finishing up today to tell you to avoid the grocery store today at all costs! It's a doozy, folks!

What about you? Have there been any travel experience or new situations that left you dazed and confused? Tell me about it in the comments below!

Flying to Korea

Markets, confusion, excitement, adorable children, and new friends. If I were to sum up our first two weeks in Korea with 8 words, those are the ones I would choose. However, hang on to your hats, because this is going to be a lot more than 8 words.

To be honest, it seems longer than two weeks, but not in a bad way. I feel like I have to reach way back into my memory to recount when we flew here.

Moving overseas

On August 25th we set off for Korea, dragging our two bags each. We are usually very conservative packers, however we decided to sell and give away most of our things, carrying most of our worldly possessions in those 4 suitcases. Some of our wedding presents and such are being stored, and that amounted to 5 boxes. Nate and I don't know what the next few years will bring, but we both feel strongly that Korea is the first step in many years overseas. Therefore, we underwent the grueling process of decided what to get rid of, and what to take.

Thankfully, I have a gracious husband that deals with my irrational attachment to certain items (like my $12 "Keep Calm and Drink Tea" poster that I was so proud of). He let me realize in my own time that it would in fact NOT fit in our luggage. I cried, but in my defense it had been a long day.

Keep Calm and Drink Tea

RIP, dear poster.

After finally packing our bags and emptying our apartment, we were ready to go. My parents drove us to the South Bend Airport, where we took a 4 hour bus ride to Chicago. Our school is awesome and booked us a direct flight to Seoul, so we didn't have to deal with layovers.

Unfortunately, we had misunderstood the carry on requirements, and when we got to the counter in Chicago, the kind Korean woman looked at us and said that we were carrying on too much.

Oh, my land.

We had carefully weighed each bag and each was at it's 50 pound capacity, so transferring things from our carry on into our luggage would not work. Our faces fell, and I told the woman, "We are moving to Korea and I think we brought too much." She looked at us with sympathy and told me that she knew it was very hard to decide what to keep. From her accent, I knew that she too had made a move across the ocean at some point in her life.

"I help you out", she said.

With that, she told us to quickly stuff some of our things into the luggage, and that she would not charge us extra. On top of that, she told us she would also check on one of our carry on bags. We thanked her profusely, and after we did the calculations we found that she had saved us a few hundred dollars with her kindness.

We did not deserve her graciousness. It was our mistake for misreading the requirements, yet she went above and beyond to help us.

The flight itself was incredibly comfortable. We flew with Asiana Airlines, and we could not have been happier with our experience. They kept bringing us food, which we were more than okay with. We slept, watched movies, and talked with the lovely middle-aged woman next to us, who attempted to teach us some key Korean phrases and share some places that we must visit. She ended up giving us her name and phone number in case we traveled through her part of town.

When we walked off of the plane and into the Seoul Airport, we were pleased to find that it was easy to navigate. We quickly found the baggage claim, and our luggage was literally out within two minutes. I exchanged money while Nate got the bags, and then we walked through the doors into Korea. It was a bit surreal finding our way to the bus we were supposed to take, and then joining our fellow passengers on the bus ride to Gwangju.

The bus itself was incredibly comfortable and clean. Good first impression, Korea. The seats actually were like Lazyboy chairs, just smaller. The foot rest popped up, and you could lean back and watch the TV on the front of the bus. We ended up sleeping most of the way, however.

We arrived in our city at about 10 pm, and then we were taken to our motel. Completely beat, we went straight to bed and slept through the night without a problem.

All in all, it was a very smooth day of travel, and we were grateful for the little interactions with people that made it memorable.

Defining "Home"

When I was a Freshman in college, I decided that it would be a good idea to start asking for housewares to prepare for when I'd graduate. Yep, at 18 I was asking for plate sets, and then waiting 4 years to get them out. The March before I graduated, I got a job teaching in Indianapolis at a charter school, and so it came time to open all of the things I had been saving. I was thrilled. Little did I know it would be a very short stint in that little apartment. Can someone tell me why I thought it would be a good idea to live by myself, on the first floor, in the rough neighborhood I was teaching in? Long story short, many strangers hanging out by my window, and an attempted break-in (while I was home) later, I decided it was in my best interest to move. Fortunately I have wonderful grandparents who also live in Indy, and I had the privilege of living with them.

Nate and I got married after that year, and we moved into our first apartment together. We scoured garage sales, got great online deals, did some DIY projects and ended up with an apartment we love, full of things we had built together.

Now, as we sell and give everything away, I have to remind myself that this apartment is just the beginning of our journey. I hadn't realized how attached I had gotten to our things, and I'm almost embarrassed to admit it. Since when did I get so sentimental? It seems petty and materialistic.

Yet, I think it's okay to mourn leaving our home here. It where we began our lives together, had dear friends and family over, hosted parties, and learned how to be married (although that will always be a work in progress).

Maybe if I make the "Mid-Move" picture an artsy color, it will look nicer:

Nope, still horrifying.

My theory is that in a few months, this apartment will be a sweet memory, however the lives we build together are not bound to one sole location, but how we love each other (So, who's going to remind us of this when we're tired, jet-lagged, and trying to maneuver in a Korean-sized apartment? Anyone? Bueller?).

Excitement, Second Thoughts and Packing

So, we got our Korean visa numbers today.

It was met with a mix of relief, excitement, and a couple thoughts along the lines of "Holy crap, what did we do!?"

It's funny to me that moving overseas is something Nate and I have talked about for years, yet here we are, 3 weeks from our flight date, and second thoughts still creep their way in. Of course, they are over-ruled by the confirmation that this is the right direction for us, and we are being obedient in where we feel God is leading us in the big picture.

Not to mention, we are freaking excited about being able to work and live in a completely different culture and country.

I've found that in the past my reactions to big changes are a bit delayed. For example, the two other times that I've spent months overseas, the fear never hit until I stepped foot on the plane, at which point I immediately questioned my sanity and had the overwhelming urge to drop my bags and run back home.

This time, it's different.

As we say our goodbyes, sell our things, and empty our apartment (I'm currently sitting on the last piece of furniture we have: our bed), the reality is quickly setting in. We're slowly unraveling the life we've built around us here, and it feels a bit counter-intuitive. However, I keep telling myself that in a few months we will have again built a life around us, with a new normal.