The USO is a nonprofit that helps members of the military stationed overseas. The United Service Organizations does a lot to help us live here We can go out for dinner and spend about $40 and all of us will be full. Waiters and waitresses will even offer to pick up your kid if they're being fussy at a restaurant. Everyone's constantly watching out for kids. If I lose sight of him in the park for a few seconds here, I don't panic. In America, I'd be afraid if someone did that, but here it's almost like a sign of respect to the children. Korean people will often walk up to my son and pinch his cheeks. I said to my husband, "Is he going to kill us?" A man pulled up in his car and said, "Hey, do you want a ride?" In America, no one would offer to pick up a hitchhiker, let alone get in a car with someone who offered you a ride. It was pouring rain and our son was falling asleep. We didn't have our car yet and needed to pick up groceries using the subway and bus. When we first moved, an act of kindness from a stranger made me realize that I was going to love living here Also, whenever you thank someone, you always bow.īut a lot of things here are much better than back home, like the trains always being on schedule. In the beginning, the hardest part was learning how to swap our old habits for traditional Korean ones - like when you're paying for anything here, you use two hands instead of one. ![]() We didn't have driver's licenses or know how to use the subway system or order a taxi. A move like this is pretty intense at first ![]() In that time, we had to get everything packed, say goodbye to friends and family, and ship our car overseas. Since my husband is in the military, we knew our life could be incredibly unpredictable, but it was still kind of crazy. In September 2022, my husband, my son, and I were living in Fort Hood, Texas, when we were given 27 days' notice that we would be moving to Camp Humphreys in South Korea, 40 miles south of Seoul, the nation's capital - a place we'd never been. It has been edited for length and clarity. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Amber Griffiths, a 25-year-old military wife, mother, and owner of a baking business. She says after spending a year there and making great memories, she doesn't want to go back to the US. The language barrier and learning cultural norms made it difficult, but she loves her new life. Courtesy of Amber GriffithsĪmber Griffiths moved to Camp Humphreys in South Korea last October after her husband was assigned there.
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