Settling In

Living on Yongsan Army Garrison is like living in a suburb… but a suburb planted smack in the middle of a megacity that has a population of more than 10 million (New York City has about 8 million).

There are high-rises visible and subways accessible outside of every gate, and yet we Americans are in our own little Mayberry—except our crossing guards wear camo.

I won’t get into too much detail or post pictures since this is a military installation, after all, but I’ll share things anyone looking could find out easily elsewhere online.

Our suburb has a movie theater, a grocery store, a Walmart-type store, several minimarts and food courts (Baskin Robbins, Taco Bell, Manchu Wok, Burger King, etc.), a hotel, a high school, a middle school, an elementary school, some gyms, offices, apartments, houses—anything a suburb would have. And our little embassy-housing enclave is a gated community that looks like 1950s Pleasantville tract housing.

In short, it’s weird. But terribly convenient.

For example, the Commissary (our grocery store) is stocked with 95 percent American imports, courtesy of the U.S. Army. There’s a (very) small section for Korean produce and another for Korean meats, but even the eggs are from California. It threw me off at first, this slightly smaller American Safeway here in Seoul, and I swore to at least find local produce in off-base grocery stores.

But then I visited an off-base grocery store and saw organic eggs for the equivalent of $7. So I picked up the $3 version (for 10 eggs, not a dozen, I realized in the checkout line) and decided shopping off base would be a treat, not the norm.

I’ve heard Americans living off base call the Commissary “heaven.” And I guess it would be for people spending as much as you’d have to at the Korean grocers, and people who just miss food from home.

So I’m officially grateful for the Commissary.

Embassy staffers say they live in America but commute to Korea, and I completely understand the sentiment. And just like any suburb, it can be hard to get out, other than for work, since it takes a while to walk to the base exits and the subway stops—particularly in this freezing weather.

So we take taxis, or (those who, unlike us, have a car already) drive to the exits, park, and walk out.

For people who love living in suburbs yet still want a city job, it would be easy to stay on base 90 percent of the time. Everything you need is here. And it seems there are people who do just that—or at least those who try.

But I’m not content as solely a suburb person.

I’m grateful for the convenience of base, particularly since we’re expecting our first child and we want to get to know other embassy people well, but I don’t want to grow content living in the bubble.

I want to explore off base and see the palaces and museums and markets and coffee shops and people and strange signs in English.

But.

It’s hard to be motivated to do that on my own when at 9:07am, it’s 1 degree Fahrenheit. If I was working, such weather would make me want to stay inside and work around the house or read or watch TV or write (ahem, like I’m doing at the moment). Plus, now that I’m pregnant, my energy level has this habit of dropping precipitously with no notice, so I’ve decided I’m going to take advantage of hibernation season and just enjoy it. Springtime and cherry blossoms will be here before I know it. I hope.

So most of my errands have been around the base. Without a car, it’s tricky to get everything done at once, as I would back in the states. The base is KIND OF walkable, but not if you’re carrying groceries or goods from the PX (mini-Walmart-type store) like toilet paper and a wireless router and Lysol wipes and a humidifier (did I mention the air is drier than bones here in winter?).

Oh, and right now, it’s only walkable if you are really good at bundling up. So I’ve become an expert at layers and I’ve become very attached to my down puffer coat.

To make my carless life easier, there are semi-frequent free buses circling the base, and I can catch one about a 10-minute walk from my house. If I’ve been shopping, I just load my bags into one of the base taxis (whose drivers understand English) for a $3 ride straight to my door. We’re looking for a used car for me, but pickings are slim in the wintertime, and it’s hard to get excited about the safety prospects of a car from the ‘90s.

But I have gotten off base some this week, and, as usual, saw some entertaining things.

Like a woman in the waiting room at the dermatologist’s office (where people also go for plastic surgery, which is extremely common and popular in Korea).

She was wearing a stylish, creamy off-white sweater with a relaxed turtleneck—something I might wear to a nice dinner or to church.

But when she faced me, a glimmer caught my eye on the front. In gold, sparkly letters, her sweater said:

“TAKE IT OFF.”

I seriously doubt she knows what that means.

In fact, I see accidental innuendo everywhere. Like at Lotte Mart (a weird but helpful blend of department store, Toys R Us, grocery store, and Target), they have a section called Digital Play Park. The slogan? “Touch. Feel. Enjoy.”

Hmm. Awkward.

They sell electronics and video games.

Back on base, I’m feeling a bit more settled in, partly because our air shipment arrived on Wednesday, so I have all my clothes and sheets and towels. Back in D.C., Joe and I were keeping our eyes peeled for a new comforter cover, but now that ours arrived, I can’t imagine parting with it. It’s part of home! It’s ours!

We are still waiting for our kitchen gear, our decorations, and especially our oh-so-comfortable mattress to arrive (hopefully later this month!), but it’s nice to have more filling our 3-bedroom house than what we could pack in our suitcases. At least our room and bathroom feel like ours.

My other recent victory is my cell phone (believe me, it was a victory; this was my fourth attempt to get one). Seoul is technologically as advanced—or, likely, more advanced—than the U.S., and it seems EVERYONE has a smartphone. So I knew I’d want one for navigation, the subway map, Korean translation help, a lifeline in case I’m lost or in trouble, and just to communicate (you now can Skype IM or call me if you want to, as long as you check the time difference!).

And that cell phone will be really handy when I start my language program next month! Learning Korean (well, one semester’s worth) is all part of my scheme to be comfortable off base once I have a little tyke joining me on my adventures. (Plus, as I’ve said before, I’ve got to impress my in-laws!)

I’m a little intimidated by the schedule: 4 hours a day, 5 days a week for 10 weeks, plus homework. But I think a serious program is the best way for me to learn as much as possible as soon as possible so my little Kimchi and I can explore together more easily once he/she is born.

The program also gives me another reason to enjoy hibernation and not feel guilty about staying inside today: In one more month, I’ll be a student again.