Aloha! I’m a forty(something) year old mother of a toddler, former military brat, and military spouse. While our family moved a couple of times with my dad, a former firefighter for the U.S. Air Force, I spent most of my life in Hawai’i, my home.
Making the decision to PCS
My husband and I met in Hawai’i. I had a full-time teaching position for sixteen years and I loved my job. My family lives in Hawai’i. Our child was born in Hawai’i. But we always knew that he would eventually need to PCS. Especially with a newborn, I knew that our little family needed to stay together so we planned to move together.
My husband applied for and was granted an extension while in Hawai’i. Thankfully, this was something he’s been lucky enough to do a few times in his career. We felt that our chances of getting another extension in Hawai’i would be very slim. We looked at our options. Our family preferred an overseas location for many reasons. Personally, I wanted to have a more immersive cultural experience. I find opportunities for learning and growth exciting. We were relieved when we got our top choice, Korea.
PCS during a pandemic
Then the pandemic happened. (Before I share further, please keep in mind that we enjoyed our first year in Korea so much that we chose to extend. Yhe struggles did NOT make us regret our choice to live in South Korea. We are currently halfway through our three-year stay. I’m sharing this story in the hope that I can mitigate some common anxiety about PCSing to Korea in general. Especially the anxiety experienced during a pandemic.
As everyone is aware, the pandemic makes planning difficult. Due to a stop motion order, our exact date for moving to Korea was postponed. But once we were given the “green light”, we were informed that all three of us (including our one-year-old) needed to test negative prior to boarding and we needed to quarantine prior to leaving. We went to a drive-thru testing site on base in Hawai’i. We were later informed that these additional hoops we were jumping through would not be instituted until the end of the month we were scheduled to leave.
Why am I sharing this? I want you to know that others share in the struggle to manage frustrating last-minute changes that have become just another symptom of the pandemic. Ever since COVID19 became part of our daily vocabulary, every country, every person, has been trying to reconcile the difference between what we know, what we think we know, and what we don’t know.
Traveling Kids During COVID
Watching our one-year-old go through COVID tests has not been fun. Every step of the way, we have tried our best to stay safe and mitigate the spread which means plenty of testing.
Additionally, teaching a 1-year-old to wear a mask during travel and living in Korea was not easy. We did it by teaching our one-year-old to use a mask by putting masks on her dolls and normalizing mask-wearing. The process took patience we didn’t know we had, and yet we did it.
Shipping Our Homegoods Abroad
We shipped our car as soon as we could because we knew it would take a while to arrive. We made arrangements for our household goods (HHG) and were told that they would arrive in about 2-3 months. That meant we spent the most difficult months after our arrival without our own things. We used Facebook ‘buy & sell groups’ and resources from Camp Humphreys, such as the Thrift Store, during this time.
Our sponsor in Korea set up a P.O. box for us before we arrived and we mailed a few things to ourselves. We mailed cooking supplies and extra clothes, things we didn’t want to have to wait for. In retrospect, we could have saved ourselves both the time and money on shipping things we mistakenly thought we would need. We could have simply waited for our HHG, and here is why.
Preparing for US Military Quarantine in South Korea
Since I like to be prepared, I had joined Humphreys affiliated spouse’s Facebook pages and the Humphreys Quarantine Support Facebook group prior to leaving for Korea in order to know what to expect. This turned out to be a blessing and a curse due to how I internalized information. For example, I fixated, unnecessarily, on the horror stories shared in the group. I especially focused on the things people recommended were necessary while going through quarantine.
Since we arrived as a family, we had a full kitchen in our quarantine room. But, other than monitoring my sodium intake because of my hypertension and asking our sponsor for toddler snacks, we didn’t need to utilize volunteer quarantine services.
We aren’t picky eaters and we enjoyed our DFAC meals. During our 15-day quarantine, we were given 3-meals and a snack every day. A medic would check us for symptoms daily. While we weren’t charged for lodging while in quarantine, we did have to cover DFAC meals through a travel expenses. Since we accepted all of the scheduled meals for our family members, we didn’t need to calculate the cost. Saved us a headache. Other families chose to cook for themselves the entire time with food delivered to them.
We were able to exercise in the courtyard outside and do our own laundry after our first negative test. Which we took full advantage of, except on days with poor air quality readings. The USFK quarantine restrictions have changed since we arrived to align with Republic of Korea (ROK) changes. Stay current on changes in rules prior to arriving in South Korea. Since this post, the Republic of Korea has changed their quarantine requirements.
Air Quality (AQI) in Korea
Air quality in Korea requires daily monitoring, especially if you have small children and/or respiratory issues. I read about the air and yellow dust in Korea prior to arriving here but I was under the impression that it was seasonal. However, yellow dust and pollution are not the same. And, although there may be a yellow dust season, pollution and fine dust exist year-round and you will need to adjust for poor air quality.
Also, air quality changes throughout the day. Staying current via an app will truly make life less stressful and allow you to more comfortably adjust to changes. For example, there can be perfect air in the morning and terrible air 30 minutes later. We currently own an AQI meter, five air purifiers (one in each main room) and we check the AQI with the AirVisual App, daily. This website is also especially useful.
As far as culture shock goes, I have never lived in a place where I needed to pay attention to the air and fine dust particles. This was new for me. I had to learn new skills and learn to use new tools in order to adjust, but once I figured things out it was like planning around rain, snow, heat, or cold, which you’ll also have to do since Korea has four seasons.
Transitioning after quarantine
The pandemic revealed that living in South Korea with only SOFA status is not the same as living in South Korea with SOFA and Korean resident status. I learned that there is a process for registering you and your family on post and a different system for connecting to life off post. The US Military helps you with setting up items related to SOFA status and you may choose to also connect with Korean resident systems as well. This is your choice.
Setting Up Life With US Military Command Sponsorship
After our quarantine, we moved to On-Post Lodging while looking for a home and completing all necessary on-post needs. You will have 10-days in On-post lodging, which you pay for with your Government Travel Card (GTC) and will be reimbursed for later. On-post lodging is much like a hotel stay. Our room included a common area, bedroom, bathroom with a bath and shower, and a kitchenette. Continental breakfast was provided daily in the lobby and there’s also a gated playground on location.
Since my husband communicated with car dealerships while we were in quarantine, we were able to pick up a car once we checked into on-post lodging. However, there are taxis on-post or you can rent a car at the One Stop, BLDG 6400 https://www.facebook.com/HumphreysCarRental/, if you need to run errands. There are a number of food options and a convenience store within walking distance from on-post lodging.
While living in On-Post Lodging we took care of all our paperwork and registration associated with our SOFA status. This included getting a driver’s license, registering our vehicle, setting up our cell phone service, picking up our rations card, etc. Many services, like Child Youth Services (CYS), will work with you over the phone or email.
Connecting to Life in South Korea
With changes in how South Korea manages vaccine registration, getting a phone in South Korea under your own name has become increasingly important. I recommend that all adults in the family get phones registered to their names that can easily be linked with a Korean Foreign Registration Card (FRC) number. This will be required if you wish to have a vaccine pass in South Korea. However, since this blog was posted, South Korea has so far dropped their vaccine pass requirements.
To Register for your family’s FRCs you will need to complete this process off base. The process for getting your FRC is detailed here. You can learn more about how to get your FRC here. You can learn what to do with your FRC here. The FRC is not handled by the US Military. The FRC relates to accessing life off of US Military Bases as a person residing in South Korea.
Our Housing Experience
We communicated with a realtor, who had been recommended through a friend, while in quarantine. After quarantine, our realtor showed us nine houses in two days. We appreciated her but we met some resistance with the real estate company she worked with. So I went through the list of approved realtors that I received from the housing office, checked their Facebook pages, found a house we wanted off-post, and contacted the realtor that was advertising the location. In regard to housing, it helps to know what you want and need first, then select your realtor second.
The Choice Between On-Post and Off-Post
Living on post offers lots of convenience, such as the PX, Commissary, numerous eateries, the Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital, Humphreys Dental Clinic, bowling alley, movie theater, library, gyms, playgrounds, swimming pools, to name a few, and, of course, schools. The library and USO often host events for families, especially the little ones. If we had a school-age child, then we would have considered on-post housing, however, we preferred to live off-post. While Camp Humphreys is expanding their on-post housing availability, even after construction, they will only be able to house 40% of families. So, if you prefer to live off post, then you should be able to and I highly recommend it. However, if you’re curious about on-post housing, here’s a link for vidro tours. https://youtu.be/of4GOlWrAFo
You may live just outside of Humphreys, with areas included in the DODEA school bus routes, but also many restaurants, cafes, playgrounds, and services within walking distance. Korea is very kid-friendly so you’ll find many kid cafes, playgrounds, parks, and activities for children off-post. However, as parents, the pandemic and the changes in air quality will still require you to be creative. We chose a house on a lake, fifteen minutes away from Camp Humphreys. We’ve looked at houses that were twenty to twenty-five minutes away but they were too remote for me. Our friends wanted to live in an apartment in Seosabol because they wanted something that resembled city life so they had to research places on their own before contacting a realtor.
The Military / Realtor Relationships
When you decide on a house, your realtor also can be a concierge and assist in your transitional needs so, please, take care of them. They serve as intermediaries between tenants and landlords, they may help with translation services, traffic tickets, bank accounts, sometimes they become your best friends. Remember, this is a unique situation for US Military. We are offered far more support than other international residents living in South Korea.
Living Until Our Home Goods Arrived
Our HHG arrived in mid-October. However, we were provided with loaner furniture prior to our HHG arrival. I asked the military spouse community for help with air mattresses in between the arrival of our loaner bed and again after our loaner furniture was picked-up but before our HHG was delivered. You’ll find many generous and creative people in our spouse community. I have been ever grateful to them.
The New Korean Living Experience for US Military
Dependent restricted or unaccompanied tours are mostly a thing of the past as the U.S. military has moved further south. Even USAG Yongsan, in Seoul, has been transitioning most of the property back to Korea and has relocated most, if not all, military positions. However, the Dragon Hill Lodge on Yongsan remains and offers service members and families the convenience of traveling into Seoul with many of the comforts of a Western-style hotel experience.
Command Sponsorship
Since there are more opportunities for accompanied tours, there are also more opportunities for command sponsorships. This has changed the face of Camp Humphreys, especially in regard to health, education, and housing, mostly in that many services have expanded. Spouses may also find many employment opportunities while here, as well as volunteer opportunities, such as the American Red Cross and the USO.
Finding Friends
I’m an introvert so I know it’s not easy but having even a small network of people to make you laugh is a blessing, especially if it’s your first time PCSing, and especially during a pandemic. Don’t let restrictions or being shy prevent you from trying to find a couple of reliable friends.
You can find many groups online which can lead to friends offline. There are many supportive spouse pages on Facebook, such as the USAG Humphreys Spouses Page and Camp Humphreys Wives / Spouses Support Group; there are travel Facebook pages, such as Pyeongtaek Travelers, Camp Humphreys Food and Travel, Seoul Food & Fun, and, my personal favorites, Camp Humphreys Hangouts, for both spouse and kid-friendly meetups, and Cafes In Korea.
While the on-post schools include a number of athletics, there are activities for the younger ones, too. The SFC Ray E. Duke Memorial Library has some of the most creative librarians that I’ve ever met. They have weekly storytime and music time days. They have themed events for the family, chess club, Makerspace S.T.E.A.M. lab, writers club, Lego club, etc.
https://humphreys.armymwr.com/programs/duke-memorial-library
The Humphreys Child & Youth Services may also be found on Facebook. They offer many activities for children, starting from three years old, such as ballet, rock-climbing, cheerleading, and a number of other sports. Off post, you may also find Taekwondo classes, music lessons, and athletic opportunities.
Travel and day-to-day support during a pandemic
As a volunteer for South of Seoul, an app and website, that may also be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and serves to assist expats, teachers, students, tourists, military, etc. in their transition to Korean daily life, I’ve discovered that navigating Korea off-post in regard to necessary services, daily life, and travel, is far easier than some may realize.
Traveling in Korea During the Pandemic
While the pandemic has prevented us from traveling to other countries, we have still been able to travel to many beautiful places on the peninsula. Working around restrictions, air quality, and the cold winter season, we’ve so far spent the weekend in Seoul three times, Gangneung, on the East Coast, twice, Gwangju, once, Yeosu and Namhae on the South Coast, once each. Most of our these trips were during our first year here, despite having been in HPCON Charlie and Bravo+ at different times. Restricted movement can be frustrating but it doesn’t last forever and it’s not the end of the world.
U.S. military often gets twice as many holidays in Korea because USFK recognizes both U.S. holidays and most Korean holidays. The Superbowl lands on a Monday so that is always a long weekend. This gives people more opportunities for travel and relaxation.
Weekday Adventures with Kids
During the workweek, I’ll often take my toddler on adventures within a 2-hr distance to beaches, arboretums, museums, shrines, temples, and, my favorite, the creative cafe scene. If you love to cook, Korea’s markets have lots of fresh produce and seafood so it’s easy to be creative in the kitchen. Korea also has a number of delivery services as well, including Shuttle, https://www.facebook.com/ShuttleDeliveryCo/ which delivers in Seoul, Pyeongtaek (Osan and Humphreys), Daegu, and Busan. You’ll quickly discover that Korea is a beautiful country with helpful and generous people.
Managing the Language Barrier
Additionally, translation services such as the 1330 Hotline, which allows you to communicate with translators in real-time, and Papago App, which is preferable to Google Translate, have become game-changers here.
LeaDan Yee holds a Master’s in Education with a focus in Secondary Education and Teaching – Language Arts and Bachelor’s in Psychology, with a minor in Speech.
As a Cultural Liaison and Content Creator at South of Seoul, Ms. Yee focuses on creating content for families interested in traveling and those with toddlers. She is especially interested in opportunities to share her Native Hawaiian background and empower others to be cultural ambassadors.
Prior to joining South of Seoul, LeaDan worked as a High School Speech Teacher and Adjunct Communications Professor. She specializes in Public Speaking, Argumentation and Debate, Team Management, and Event Planning.
