Cheers to Friday, my friends! We’ve officially marked 10 days in Korea and quarantine and, slowly but surely, we are finding some semblance of a pattern whilst stuck in these tiny quarters. As I’ve been sharing on my instagram, quarantine isn’t ideal in the best of times, but quarantine barracks make things slightly less appealing, if at all possible. Nevertheless, we’re here, we can almost see a light at the end of the tunnel, and we’re getting antsy to break out of this place next week. We’ll have our day 12 COVID PCRs early next week, and we should be out of here on day 14.
It’s been a hard week. Between adjusting to Korean time, living in cramped quarters, and seeing each other’s faces all. the. time., it wears on you. We’re making it through though, and there’s definitely an end in sight…or a beginning, depending on how you look at it. This week has been on of beautiful highs, but also terrible lows.
Around day 6 of quarantine, the CQ guards told us that, since we have a signed quarantine action plan (QAP), we could come and go to yard time as we please. Ryan and I can also leave the barracks to conduct essential activities on post, like going to the commissary, the PX, or working out. We’ve taken advantage of that level of freedom, and we’ve enjoyed a few hours of outdoor time each day – even making friends whilst doing so.
The beauty of military life is that we’re literally on this same, shared journey together, whether we like it or not. Since we’re quarantined in the family barracks at Camp Humphreys, we’ve met a few other families in exactly the same situation. Sure, we came from different duty stations and some of us are a few days ahead or behind, but we’re all here, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that speaking to another adult is a breath of fresh air right now. We share stories, swap info, and watch as our children do what military kids do best – adapt together.
We’ve also been able to work out this week. I’ve done a couple runs thus far here in Korea, and I think it’s safe to say I have some adapting to do to this climate! It has definitely improved my morale immensely though, much as the yard time with other kids has helped Spencer, Porter, and Mieke.
We have a big week ahead. We need to navigate a bit of a housing hurdle and see how things play out, so I definitely covet your prayers in that we might be able to live off base, which is something we’ve hoped for from the start. We’re also looking to secure a car here in Korea so we can move to a hotel for any interim between our quarantine and our actual move into our home for the next few years. Then, of course, we dive into Ryan’s inprocessing, getting the kids into preschools and schools, and everything from there.
While our adventures are less active than usual at 10 days in korea and quarantine, we’re starting to get excited for all the adventures yet to come! Thanks for coming along on this journey with us, friends!
