How Germany is different...

Well, we have now been in Germany for 4 weeks!  Here are some things we have learned/differences we've noticed since we have arrived:

• We know how to use the bus system.  Germany doesn't just have a continuous flow of buses.  They follow a rigid schedule and sometimes the buses don't come but every 40 minutes so being on time is key!  It's relatively cheap to ride the bus, but not as cheap as it was in Korea.  It's about 1,2 euro which is about $1.50 for a short bus ride.  Sometimes we opt to walk, but it's worth every penny on these chilly German mornings. :)
• Germans love rules.  Driving here is no joke.  There are more signs and regulations than I've ever encountered.  Our crazy South Korean driving on the sidewalks most certainly won't work here without going to jail.
• Goodbye rice, hello bread! we have been carb eating machines!  partly because of the amazingness of all of their baked goods.  after being in korea where pastries taste like....well, not much of anything, we are indulging in the beautiful and delicious breads and pastries here.  we're pacing ourselves too and trying to eat our vegetables too (don't worry, mom!)
• Things close early here.  No more late night stops at a market or stopping at a store to pick-up that last minute item we forgot because there's nothing open after 8.  :)  Restaurants generally stay open later, but some do close early (or early by Korean standards)
• Water can be more expensive than beer.  I'm still having some sticker shock about the price of water at restaurants.  Our first night eating out in Germany I ordered water, completely forgetting that Europeans charge for water, and was delivered a beautiful, tiny bottle of water.  I'm no water chugger, but that sucker was small! And it cost 3 euro (almost 4 bucks).  So, lesson learned, drink beer, not water.  (just kidding)
• Also, Germans like to drink carbonated water and it's hard to find regular water.  When you order water you can tell them if you want bubbles or not (sometimes they call it "gas").  When you ask for no bubbles they often look at you and ask, "Just a little bubble ok?" while making a pinching motion in the air.  What I learned is no matter how little they say, you basically get the same carbonated water.  One of our new friends really doesn't like carbonated water and she also doesn't really drink either so we have joked that she needs to buy a flask where she can store her distilled water in case a restaurant doesn't carry it. I've considered it too....
• Germany is beautiful.  The rolling hills, the old buildings, the clean, charming villages, the bountiful flowers.  It's a beautiful place.

We are loving it here.  We miss all of our sweet friends and family, but hope to see you all soon!  I'll try to write again with some more details about some of our fun adventures we've had with our new school friends!  

Willkommen nach Deutschland!

Hallo!  Wilkommen nach Deutschland!

OK. I'll stop pretending like I've suddenly become fluent in the past two weeks.  :)
We are in Germany and really loving it!  We arrived on the 2nd of August and hit the ground running.  Since Peter and I are both going to be working at the school (I told you all this already, right?)  we have a lot of work to do.  We have been, as the military calls it, in-processing, which basically just means filling out a lot of paperwork at many different offices on base.  We haven't had a ton of time to just explore yet, but have tried to take nice long walks in the evenings to scope out our new home.

I'll try to post some pics soon.  Right now we're staying at the Hotel Ross in Schweinfurt.  We actually have a little apartment that's part of the hotel, with a small kitchenette and living room.  It's all located right in the heart of Schweinfurt which is a charming city with cute shops and restaurants all around.  We have successfully found many delicious restaurants, bakeries, and gelaterias!  We're pacing ourselves so we don't gain 50 lbs by the end of the year. :)

We have already made some friends with people from our school.  Everyone has been really welcoming and lovely.  I have had moments of homesickness both for family and friends in St. Louis and Korea and I'm sure I will continue to miss both homes, but we also feel really blessed and happy to be here.

We're on the hunt for a house.  We saw a great place last week that we hoped to sign a lease for, but the landlord backed out so he could lease to a friend instead.  We're hoping to get a home soon so we'll have room for YOU! :)

we'll write more soon.
xoxo
sarah

I might leave my heart in Korea...

I love Korea....

Three and a half years ago Peter desperately tried to convince me that moving to Korea was a good idea.  Being Korean American, the thought of reconciling my cultural identities was overwhelming.  I thought going to Korea would only make me feel even more disconnected to my heritage.  And, it did---at first.  I didn't know where I belonged.  I was caught in this weird in-between place of feeling like my feet were dangling between two different worlds.  The Korea that I knew was what I grew up with in my St. Louis home--Konglish, dwenjang jigae and my parents' stories about the land of their birth.  Moving to Korea myself was like drinking a glass of vodka straight up....no juice or ice to dilute the experience.  It burned at first, but I learned so much.

It made me really grateful for my country and helped me understand who I am as a Korean American and be proud of that.  Instead of thinking I had to jump from culture to culture, I learned how to embrace both.  In the past, I felt I would put on my "Koreanness" when I went to visit family or had to talk to my relatives over the phone in my broken Korean.  When I hung up the phone I could return to my American-Suburbia life.  Now I feel as though my Korean and American heritage collide and mix together.  Korea runs through my veins now--I feel it pulsing through me as if it's a part of me that's been nurtured back to life.  Something I always had inside of me, but I didn't know how to engage it. 

I am a product of both cultures.  My parents came to America around the same age that Peter and I were when we moved to Korea.  It was crazy to have the reverse experience of what it's like to move to a foreign country on your own.  I have to give my parents a standing ovation in gratitude and sheer amazement for accomplishing that.  We had many bits of assistance along our journey here in Korea and they had few.  I am so grateful to them both for sacrificing so much for us.

So all this random typing is all to say that Korea has become my home.  It is no longer my parent's birth place, but it is my country.  My father would always say, "In my country..." when telling us stories about his childhood and whatnot.  Well, Dad, now you need to say, "our country" because I feel like Korea is just as much mine now as it is yours.

A New Chapter

So, we are moving to Germany!  Peter had his last day in the Army as Captain Watt today and is not just regular Peter. :)  He changed out of his uniform in the bathroom of his building and came out in shorts, a t-shirt and his sandals.  I saluted him. 

We will be going back to the states soon.  We'll take a road trip and plan to go to Seattle to visit my sister and we'll also be going to St. Louis to see our dear family and friends.  It's been 3+ years since we've been home so this visit is long overdue.

So, in short, I have really been horrible about keeping up with this blog.  I was hoping to be dedicated and disciplined, but the number of posts in the last couple years shows my neglect.  My apologies.  Here's a brief summary of what has happened so far in 2012.

• We ate our way....er....went to Hong Kong, Tokyo and Taipei.  All 3 cities were amazing in their own way.  Hong Kong is a very laid back, cool, yet upbeat place.  The contrast of the old and new, east meets west was all very interesting and beautiful.  Tokyo was surprisingly different than Korea.  I figured they would be quite similar, but I was wrong.   Japanese people are very polite and also more western than Korean people.  They look quite different from one another and seem to be more structured people than what I have observed in Korea.  Taipei was just a food lovers dream.  Any and everything that is deep fried can be found at their night markets.  We tried everything from stinky tofu to scallion pancakes and bubble teas.  yum!
• We found out we're moving to GERMANY!  Since Peter is getting out of the military, I picked up a job transfer to Germany at the military school.  I will be teaching at the elementary school and it's our hope that Peter will also get a job there. 
• School is out for summer!  Summer vacation feels even better as an adult!

We are really going to miss Korea.  more to post soon...

HAPPY 2012!!!

a new year. some new changes. and it's already february....eek! i will post soon with some info about what's going on in our lives and where we'll be headed next! stay tuned!