Welp. I accidentally disappeared again, but this time it was for good reason! I mentioned a few weeks ago that we decided to spend Thanksgiving in Busan, making new memories for a change since there was no option to go home this year. It was definitely different, but it was really neat to spend a few days in a new (to us) area in South Korea, see some new sights, and spend time with good friends who’ve become military family.
Thanksgiving 2021 in Busan
Our main goal in spending Thanksgiving 2021 in Busan was simply to decompress. After five months in South Korea, we’ve managed to move twice, clock countless hours in the car, navigated life in a new country, and really just needed a break. Spending a few days in Busan sounded like just the ticket, so we booked this Airbnb a couple months ago.
We knew going in that our Thanksgiving would be different year. Besides the obvious – not having family there and being in a foreign country – we also knew our Airbnb didn’t have an oven. So, we were relegated to either preparing our Thanksgiving feast ahead of time or changing things up. We decided on a combo of the two and ended up cooking a ham in the Dutch oven I brought with us and prepared sides to reheat for our feast. We also traveled on Thanksgiving and celebrated a couple days late.
Army Life & Making New Memories
Army life is hard at times, and spending the holidays away from family is something we’re fairly familiar with at this point. Being across the world though? That’s different, and seeing my family’s smiling faces at their joint Thanksgiving feast definitely tugged at the heartstrings a little bit. Sometimes I get those pangs for normalcy, and this was definitely one of those times; I just wish our kiddos could have those normal moments, playing with their cousins and embracing simplicity.
Our life is different though. Normal for us is a not normal. That being said, it doesn’t escape me just how blessed we are. Instead of a down-home Thanksgiving, we spend four days exploring Busan, South Korea. We visited a temple, explored a unique archaeological museum seemingly at the edge of the world, and we even sampled tasty treats at a cultural village. Different? Yes. Bad? No.
I can’t wait to share a little more about our Thanksgiving in Busan and all the things we managed to squeeze in a few short days, but for now? This. I’m so beyond grateful for these people and doing this adventure with them. I hope you had a blessed holiday with you and yours!
