Mr. & Mrs. Vandebilt + kids

This past Saturday was the 2 month mark for me and Jacob being in Korea. In some ways it feels like I’ve been here forever, and in others it’s hard to believe that we’ve already been gone 2 months. I’ve only just started getting pangs of homesickness; they seem to pass quickly though. It has surprised me what I’m homesick for – it’s often the simplicity of being at home. I miss being able to run to the grocery store to pick something up. Knowing exactly what it is and where it will be in the store. I miss being able to walk to a restaurant and already know what’s on the menu and know that I will love it. I miss my dogs. I still find myself opening the door to the apartment and expecting them to greet me. I miss my family, but skyping every week really makes it easy.

Even though I’m starting to miss little things at home, the last 2 months have meant quite a bit of excitement. We’ve managed to travel to another country (Japan) for a long weekend. That was definitely the highlight for me. We’ve also seen and done some pretty great things around Korea – hiking, Songjeong beach, Busan university area, Noraebongs, Canadian Thanksgiving in Korea, and of course this past weekends fireworks festival (pictures are here). It has also meant a lot of other things though too.

We’ve made some great friends, who are really more like a family for us. I’ve started to learn 2 languages: Korean and Afrikaans. I can now read Hangul and at least say hello and goodbye to someone and tell my kids to be quiet. I really enjoy teaching. I love my kids (or at least most of them) and can see a difference in the way they speak and the words that they use. I think part of the reason it feels like longer than 2 months is because we’ve made so many memories in such a short time. We have friends that make it feel like it’s not possible that we’ve only known them for such a short time.

So with 2 down it looks like there’s 10 to go. I’m sure the next 10 will fly by just as fast – or at least part of me hopes it will. Month 3 is already filling up with plans for Halloween, a trip to Seoul and our first package from home. It’ll be nothing if not an adventure.