Home is where the Air Force sends us....

We are a nomadic people, those of us in the military family, and we go where the Air Force sends us, when the Air Force sends us. Translation: it is completely possible to move halfway around the world in the middle of the school year, and arrive to your new location just days before Christmas.  While these are the terms we accept when we sign the dotted line, it is also good to know that it is entirely possible to make these transitions (whenever and where-ever they occur) pretty smooth!

Case in point: our recent move to South Korea.  We left the United States on December 13, arrived in Korea on the evening of December 14th (local time/day). Thanks to cargo ships and divine timing, we were able to get keys to a 4-bedroom apartment AND have our household goods delivered on December 20th.  Between the providential availability of the apartment, and the ease of getting the kids enrolled before the holiday break, Joe and I felt like we had been given our Christmas presents early!

All of the family housing at Osan AB is in apartment buildings-- we call them towers.  Tower living takes a little getting used to because 1)there are no yards, 2) you climb stairs (or take the elevator) every time you want to get to/from your house, 3) everyone in the hallway can hear what's going on in your house if it's any louder than a whisper.   So.....whether you are vacuuming or having a "heated" discussion with your kids, the neighbors know about it. And it's not just your next door neighbors.... we have learned that the kid upstairs plays the piano-- ALOT. Thankfully, he's pretty good. And, we are constantly reminding our kids to use "quiet feet"-- most days I'm happy with anything quieter than a herd of elephants charging down the hallway.  It's just a little lot like living in a fish bowl.

On the plus side, the kids all play in the hallways, so we always know where they are.  And, all the kids' friends from school are just a few floors away.  The kids in our tower have already discovered that our hallway plus the Markowski clan make for a pretty awesome Nerf war scenario.

 
 The plethora of empty boxes we have laying around were quickly repurposed into bunkers to protect the warring factions!

 Another bonus-- if you are disciplined enough-- is that all that stair climbing is a pretty good workout.  We live on the fourth floor, so it's just enough flights of stairs to make your legs burn, but not so many that you automatically head toward the elevator. Pretty good deal, especially when it's 20 degrees outside, and outdoor play/exercise just isn't an option.

And now, to your daily lesson about Korea:
There are three family housing towers: Hallasan, Jirisan, and Seokorasan
The towers are named after Korean National Parks, which we have heard provide the visitor with stunning views and picturesque landscapes.  We live in Jirisan tower, so I plan to visit that park first, but hope to travel to all three during our time here to take in all that Korea has to offer!

So, our humble abode is now 2000 sq. feet, on the 4th floor of a tower.  It is certainly different than any other house we've had, but it has it's charm.  We have a beautiful view of the flight line-- when the threat is such a short distance away, seeing the F-16s, A-10s, and U-2s take off every morning is a beautiful thing! Plus, I can see when the mail plane arrives, and the thought of letters and love from friends and family far away warms my heart too!