How to Move Your Military Family to South Korea During Covid-19

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First of all– hello. It’s been a minute. How and where are you these days? I’ve meant to write to you guys, and it’s been on my list for three weeks. I want to hear about what’s going on with you and your beautiful families. I also want you to come with me as we PCS to South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So What’s Up with Me?

I am sitting in a hotel room in Manhattan, Kansas, after packing up my life once again. And I think this move has made it clear I am finally over packing up and moving EVERYTHING every two or three years. We’ve done it for 25 years now, and I am ready to call it quits and look for our forever home. The first thing I’ll do when we move into our new apartment is buy dish detergent, bleach, and Lysol. You’ll understand why in a minute.

We are Moving to South Korea During the Pandemic

Come With Me on Our Next Big Adventure

PCS during the COVID-19 pandemic is not optimal. However, South Korea is a level 2 travel destination, according to the US State Department. It was necessary to create a moving to South Korea checklist. We’ve had to endure several quarantine (or stay in place) orders, Covid-19 tests, and processes that seem to defy all common sense. All this was because neither one of us felt like we could move so far away from seeing our families. We traveled from Kansas to the IL/ MO border to drop off my BMW, then down to MS, FL, TN, and NY before flying back to KS.

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I feel physically exhausted with all the people who trampled through my personal belongings, knowing one or more might not be Covid-19 free. And at least one of them nasty jerk who uses the bathroom frequently, flushing the toilet but never running any water. Yeah, I checked a couple of times. I actually told his supervisor, and she admitted he had been scolded before for not washing his hands. And yet and still, he was responsible for packing up my kitchen and master bedroom. At one point, I went in to check on him and had emptied a container I carefully packed and marked “personal.” I’ll leave it to your imagination what the contents could have been.

PCS Back to Daegu, South Korea

Moving to South Korea During the Pandemic

As you’d imagine, there is a checklist for a PCS during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have to quarantine, take several tests, and agree to strict movement– or lack of movement procedures. I don’t know how it’s going to play out yet, but for now, we are happily heading back to Daegu, South Korea.

As you’d expect, traveling during a pandemic has amplified the process to an entirely new level. Good grief, I had my brains scrambled like an Egyptian Goddess for my first of three (3) Covid-19 tests before I can rejoin society at large when we get to Korea. Do not. I repeat, do not believe my husband when he says I started crying BEFORE the swab was inserted. Of course, I was apprehensive. I am very excited to be going back to the same city I have lots of friends and familiarity. There’ll be a yoga mat and 8-lb weights waiting for me at our quarantine destination at Camp Humphries, thanks to one of them.

Quarantine at Camp Humphries

PCS in Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic

We’ll stay put there for two weeks, which is just time enough to get on one another’s nerves. Trust, we can actually do it in less time if we try. But I should be okay with good Wi-Fi (woohoo), my laptop, Kindle, essential oils, candles (shhh), and the Crown Royal I packed in one of five checked bags.

From what I understand, the rooms are basic but include all the necessities. And if we’re lucky, we’ll get one of the rooms on the renovated side that actually includes two separate bedrooms so we can spread out.

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Family Update

The last time we PCSed to Korea was the first move without kids. Both my son and daughter had joined the Air Force and Navy and were living their lives abroad as well. My son is staying behind in Kansas to finish his degree, and my daughter is still in the Navy down in Florida. Mom and Dad are doing well, and my dad is cancer-free, thank God. Thank you for all the prayers we’ve received over the past year. He has benefited from every one of them. I know this because he has once again started arguing with me over everything from politics to religion.

Everybody else is doing well, too—including two nieces in Ivy League universities, my grandson studying to become a master welder, and, knock on wood, no one in my family has been affected physically or financially by this devastating pandemic. Here’s a great place to stop and take a moment to pay my respects to all who have not been so fortunate.

I Had Back Surgery

Thank goodness, I am finally pain-free due to back surgery this past November. I had been suffering on and off for the past 10 years+ due to a spin class accident when I lived in Germany. The pain traveled down my left leg from my bum to the back of my knee. Because of the location, most doctors thought it was a leg problem called sciatica.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that one of them decided to take an MRI of my back. It turned out to be a herniated disc. This past year, I worked primarily from home because of the pandemic. But this (working from home, not the pandemic) was because I never received relief from the pain and worked mostly from a prone position from March to November when I had the surgery.

I am reborn and able to tackle the freaking weight I gained from being sedentary for so long. Lucky me, I get to lose it hiking my way all around Asia for the next two years.

Winding Down Our Military Career

During the COVID-19 pandemic, this PCS will be one of the last travel experiences we have with the US military. Steven has been a soldier for 27 years, and we recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. This is our second-to-last move with the military. The only other one will be his move to a final duty station and my move to the place we decide to call home. That will probably be either Austin, TX, or Hampton Roads, VA. Right now, we are leaning toward the former because we can get more for our money.

I’ve picked up a few new passions in the last year or so. I make soy aromatherapy candles, became an amateur mixologist, and a freelance photographer. I found a love for making lists. Most of the time, I don’t do a damn thing with them. I like making them– it’s cathartic, and I include them in my journals. Yoga and meditation are amazing. I love how neither one is one I can master– is that a word? But both bring me calm and the ability to voice my gratitude and humility. I am also listening to nature sounds while I sleep. Thunder, lightning, waves, wind, and heavy rain are my favorites.

But right now, I need to do the last load of laundry. Don’t you hate flying with dirty clothes in your luggage? And repack my suitcases for the 10th time to make sure if any one of the 5 checked bags is lost, I’ll have everything I need until it’s found. Hit me back. And if it takes you three or more weeks to respond, I’ll totally understand that you too can be an a$$.

 

 

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