Finding my place... after a year!

Hello my friends and family.  I am sorry for once again another long delay, but again I have found myself really busy and swamped with school.  Today marks 1 year of living in Korea.  In fact it was about this time 1 year ago that I step foot in a high rise in a three bedroom apartment on the 10th floor.  My world was quickly about to change from living just outside pretty Colorado Springs, where Pikes Peak was just outside my door, to a busy noisy city of 2 million people.  I remember all the mixed feelings, I was happy to be with my husband but, I knew it was going to be a hard adventure. 
Well here it is a year later.  I still know very little Korean, and I still get lost often if I am not with someone, but I have a lot more confidence in who I am and in my life.  This has been one of the most wonderful years of my life, I have truly been blessed while living here and although I miss my friends and family and American food and American shopping and......... I digress.....  the point is, that even though I am so far away, I wouldn't change any of it.  Korea has shown me a new life, a new outlook, and has brought me to a deeper stronger walk with God.  Today I think I am really starting to find my place here.  Yes sad that I am saying that after a whole year but, I am feeling great.

I have started meeting different and new people.  Some I am still not to sure about and others I absolutely love being around.  We even have a girl who lives in the same apartment complex that we do, that knew the Robertson family growing up.  In fact she told us a couple nights ago that they are the same people now that they were years ago, just a lot richer!  This woman was at the park by our apartments and there were several American kids there, Audrey actually played with them and had a good time, for some reason my daughter is really shy (I don't know where that comes from because well....... most of you know both her dad and I and neither of us are shy).  I seem some of them down at the park often now and it is really nice to meet a group of parents who just want to be parents.  No comparing where each others child is at, no judgmental thoughts or looks, no one is worried about looking perfect and no talking about rank.  Which is something I am not used to with military wives.  Rank is always part of the conversation.  I couldn't believe it when I actually looked at my husband on the way home and said, "that was a nice time, and no one asked about rank!"  I couldn't believe that was one of my first statements.  Sad but true that military spouses are so worried about who's husband holds what rank.  It was such a calm, relaxes night, talking with new friends.

I also have started up with PWOC.  Protestant Women of the Church.  We meet every Wednesday morning for announcements, prayer, and praise and worship time.  After words we all break for our classes.  There were several classes to choose from and I got into the the class that I really wanted... Calm My Anxious Heart!  Due to sickness in my house I had to miss last weeks but this weeks was awesome.  I love the group of women in that class and I can already tell I made the right choice for me.  There is homework, on top of my already busy homework school life, but it is a fraction of what I have had to do in my Bible class and that class is over next Sunday.  Anyway after PWOC there was a lunch a cross the street, now normally I wouldn't go to these things because I usually feel real out of place.  Collin had called me, and I told him I didn't know if I would be going to lunch or not and he said that I should go.  While I was still deciding if I wanted to go or not, a distant friend asked me if I was going and that she thought she would be going so I figured why not.  At least I have one person if I don't get a table with anyone else I know.  (By the way I say distant because we don't really talk and really don't know too much about each other).  I am so glad I went to that lunch.  I sat with a her and a good friend of mine and we all had our little girls.  It was amazing conversation and fellowship. 

So here I am a year into Korea and finally feeling like I am fitting in somewhere.  My husband told me today that he can see a difference in me.  Between getting out more and meeting the right crew, he says I am always in such a better mood.  I am looking forward to another 17months here and I am enjoying my favorite month here, September. 

I will be stateside for a visit soon and I am very much looking forward to stepping on American soil again.

Have a great day everyone!