A South Korean March

The entire month of March, to say the least, was a journey for me. As much as I hate to use that word (most likely thanks to its glaring overuse on ABC’s The Bachelor), it has been.

In the beginning of the month, I headed to South Korea to visit my soldier, who is in the midst of a one year tour. Admittedly, Korea was not, nor ever likely would be, at the top of the places I’d like to travel, but I was over-the-moon excited to see my other half, who had been there already for several months.

I stayed in Korea for three weeks, and to say that it was amazing would be the understatement of the century. See, my soldier and I have been doing long distance for almost two years. We haven’t been in the same place for longer than two weeks in a very long time. The long trip was more than we could have ever asked for!

Ever since I got back, people keep asking me what my favorite part of my travels were.

I could tell them about climbing to the top of a mountain in Korea and lighting incense at a Buddhist temple built into a cave. I could tell them about laughing through the language barrier and ordering dinner through a translating app only to mistake raw egg for soup and consuming our fair share of soju. I could talk about exploring a different culture, learning little things like how handing someone money with one hand is considered very disrespectful. Or I could go on about all the different districts of Seoul we explored, each having different character, smells, and sights.

Honestly, I don’t think I could pick a favorite moment. There were so many times on my trip that I just sat there thinking how incredibly happy I was, just being with my soldier, and almost had to pinch myself to make sure it was real.

I think that it’s the people you’re with that matter most. Since we were both working (I was able to work remotely) during the week, weeknights mostly consisted of my soldier and me going to the gym, making dinner together, and watching entire seasons of Homeland until we fell asleep. These moments seemed so normal and may seem mundane to some. But for us, because we are thousands of miles apart, each of these “normal” moments were so special.

The Army will most likely take my soldier and me through the rounds—I know that. We still have nine months of long distance to go at a minimum, but it can also offer some pretty cool experiences.

I mean, when else would I take a trip to South Korea?

I guess that’s the nature of the beast and the beauty of it all. Never in a million years did I expect to fall in love with a soldier.

But I have.

This is only the beginning of the journey it will take us on.

Now, you may be wondering, what did I learn from this experience?

As a girlfriend of a soldier, getting around post took a little getting used to. While I have been on army installations before, I’ve never lived on one for three weeks! For example, I had to be with my soldier in order to go to the commissary, PX, or gyms, but (thankfully) Starbuck’s was fair game!

One of the biggest things it took to get used to was that I didn’t feel like I fit in at first. To be honest, there were not too many civilians roaming around the base in Korea. While spouses came and went from Starbuck’s (where I shacked up since I was able to work remotely) at all points during the day, I often found myself as one of the only ones not in PTs at the gym or not in camouflage in the PX.

Now, I know that Korea is an exception to most American military installations—it’s a weird cross between a deployment and a PCS (depending how long the soldier chooses to stay), and not 100% of families can or will PCS with their soldier. In that regard, I had to get used to being the odd man out. Or rather, I just had to get over myself and get over that feeling! Maybe I was a bit intimidated, maybe I was a bit self-conscious, but I started to remind myself that this experience was perfect training for the future.

In military life, I need to be very comfortable in my own skin. Whether I am in the midst of 300 uniformed soldiers or a crowd of civilians, it’s important that I am confident in myself.

My soldier has been in the army for almost six years, and I understand that things always change at the last minute. But since we have yet to really live together, I didn’t really realize how much things could change day-to-day. From last minute meetings to Geo1 lockdowns, I learned quickly just how flexible I will have to be in everyday life.

The army doesn’t care if I make a nice dinner for my soldier and his friends—it will have a battalion recall and hold them there for five hours if it wants (and yes, this happened!). While things like this were a bit frustrating to understand at times, this time spent with my soldier was helpful and provided somewhat of a glimpse into what life is like on a military installation.

Having said all this, I think the most important thing I learned from this trip is how amazing life will be once my soldier and I can finally be together. I couldn’t believe how happy I felt being able to call the same place home. The most simple moments were the most special and only make me look forward to our life together more.