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ORDERS TO KOREA
On the message board recently, I asked for anyone with a spouse living
in Korea to write an article that could be added to the website. Jamie
graciously volunteered and wrote the following about how life has been
in Korea. She has also volunteered to answer any questions either
through the message board or her email address.
By Jamie (You can visit with
Jamie and ask more questions in the Korea section of the
message board)
I know I may sound like a
broken record on the Korea board, but I highly recommend wives move here
if they are able to do it. My children and I joined my husband here in
April, about 5 months into his tour. He did extend his tour for another
year so we will be here until November 2008. My husband is currently
stationed at a small base in Area II (Seoul). There are probably about
450 soldiers at K-16. In our company alone we have five wives over here
non command sponsored. Everyone that has been here for awhile cannot get
over how many families are now joining their spouses and they all think
it is great. We don't have a commissary or large PX on base and have to
travel by bus (free of charge) to Yongsan to basically do anything, but
even with that inconvenience I am so happy to be able to spend this time
as a family because we all know the inevitable will happen once we get
back to the states.
Before DH left for his tour here, I wanted to get our family passports
just so we had them in case we decided to come to Korea even for a visit
and I didn't want to mess around with having to get his signature faxed
or whatever since you do need both parents' signatures for minors
passports, I just wanted to make sure I could get the kids' passports.
DH did the paperwork and got the approval for us to come over here and
all I had to do was store everything back home and buy the plane
tickets. We only needed DH's orders to bring us into the country and
with your inprocessing you will have to get the SOFA stamp that lasts
until the DEROS.
It is difficult to adjust to not having a vehicle and having to plan
your day around bus schedules, but that is just our situation because of
our base. There is a subway system and public buses to use. There are a
lot of things to do here, it is just getting out to do them. I have used
the websites: tour2korea.com and asiarooms.com just to check out some of
the different things to do.
We are currently living in a three bedroom apartment off post and
besides some small things here and there it feels just like an apartment
in the states. You have to use power converters to use US appliances
that are only rated for 110. The showers tend to be just a shower head
on the wall in the bathroom so your entire bathroom gets soaked. The
washer/dryer combo takes longer than US washers and dryers. Those are
really just the small things we've just gotten used to.
Being here non command sponsored, the only issue I have run into so far
is that I am on a waiting list to see if my son can get into school,
which I will find out shortly. I have taken my children to the doctor on
base and even to the ER and haven't had any issues.
Most of the Koreans are very nice. They love children and just adore
them. My kids get so much attention when we are out. It is definitely
interesting to get out and see the different culture. Your experience
here is what you make of it.
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