"Go from your country, your people, and your father's household to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1)
It's hard to believe that the last time I sat down to write a post, was when we agreed to move to South Korea. Now 8 months later, after many delays, and stressful conversations we are here and "settled". It's been 5 weeks since we hopped on a plane and moved half way across the world and boy has it been an adventure already.
As many of you know, the emotional journey I was on preparing myself to move so far from home was a frustrating one. I cried a little. I prayed a lot. I stressed about things I had no reason to stress about and I got frustrated with things that were out of my control. Looking back now I laugh because I realize that my move to Texas was an adjustment that would prepare me for this and I had no reason to worry at all.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.... Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
(Matthew 6:25-27)
These were the words of our bible study last week as we discussed the story of Abram and Sarai. As clearly as it is written I see that there is nothing we have been handed that we aren't prepared for, or able to handle. This is the outlook I have had while we are on this amazing journey and it is the reason I am happy to be so far from home. Not to say we don't miss home, but we are grateful to be where we are. Garrett and I have been given an incredible opportunity to see the world, and travel to places we would have never imagined. We have been able to share quality time with each other in incredible ways. We have explored together, we have adapted together, and we have learned together. It's been an amazing experience and it has only begun.
So what have we been up to!?!?!?!
After 24+ hours of travel we made it to Ulsan on July 9th! We have been in exploration mode every day since. Garrett had a few days off before he started work so we immediately hit the streets to figure out our new home away from home.
Ulsan has a lot of trails for hiking, mountain biking, etc. The local community is very active and spends a lot of time outside- which has been great for us. I've seen 70 year old women in better shape than me- which is really funny when we hike uphill and they pass me without breaking a sweat. There are workout stations randomly placed along the trails along with parks and views of the city. Since the city is right on the coast there are lots of beaches too.
As much as we enjoy hiking and having a run through the trails, we thought we would get around a lot better with some wheels- so we both have bikes as our primary mode of transportation. We are the coolest kids on the road with our matching his and hers helmets.
If you know anything about us it's that we love to eat! I was a little hesitant to some things at first but it should be no surprise that we have been adventurous in trying all of the delicious cuisine of the city. We have even started to pack some of our favorite local goodies for park picnics as a break during our long bike rides.
There are coffee shops EVERYWHERE- which is a perfect treat after a long cardio outing.
Korean BBQ, Ramen, Gimbap, and Indian cuisine are just a few of our favorites.
While we aren't taking bike journeys and stuffing our faces we are adapting to the every day life. Grocery store trips are a bit more challenging without a vehicle....
..but I am a professional now :)
Cooking has been a learning process without some of my normal "American" ingredients & spices but I'm adjusting to use the different options I can pick up at the local stores and street markets. I've learned to make homemade curry (for my new obsession of Indian food), as well as some dishes using popular Korean ingredients :) We eats lots of cabbage now. Garrett didn't realize how much he loved cabbage until now so I incorporate it in a lot of dishes. It's been a great alternative to rice and pasta.
There are so many dishes we haven't tried yet. We haven't missed food from home too bad yet (except for Tex mEX), so we have done our best to try new things while we can.
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Aside from all of the fun we have been having in our free time we are also enjoying the business side of all of Garrett's hard work, appreciating the reason we have been given the opportunity to be here. This week was the Naming Ceremony for his rig. It was an awesome celebration for he and fellow workers and an honor to have been here by his side.
The day was filled with appreciation to all of the parties involved in this project. It was great to be able to meet so many people that Garrett works with. We were both so amazed with all of the detail that went along with the planning, and how incredible the tradition of it all was.
To be able to share these work milestones with Garrett is amazing. There are no words to express how proud I am of him. He is an amazing man that leads our household by faith, love, and joy. There is no other place I'd rather be than by his side. He is my home and our home is wherever we are together.
To say that we are enjoying Korea so far would be an understatement. We are feeling more and more comfortable every day in our new environment and we are ready for the many adventures to come. We are looking forward to keeping you all updated on what's going on in our part of the world :)
Until next time....
Love, Becca & Garrett
