Another Year...Thre's so Much to Learn.
It happened so fast. Even though we had plenty of time to prepare for it, the morning of my flight seemed to sneak up on us from nowhere. It wasn't until I was kissing three sets of tear streaked cheeks goodbye that it became overwhelmingly real.
I was leaving my family behind for an Army assignment again.
This time....one year in South Korea. It was going to be fine. We had done this before....and under more menacing circumstances. At least this time I'm not going to an active war zone. And besides....this was what was best for the family, right?
More on that later...
So....where was I? Oh yes...life was smacking me in the face with overwhelming reality.
So I found my seat on the airplane for the flight to Chicago O'hare. As I sat and placed my jacket across my lap, I found a card tucked into the inside pocket. My name was scribbed across the front in my wife's handwritting. I smiled as I opened it. I didn't know she had slipped it in there.
I read the card and my heart swelled. I won't go into details of what was written there...that's just between us. But I will say that as I looked up and smiled out the window...a tear fell from my cheek.
I had just left my heart behind.
So that's how it began. But, now onto the fun part...Actually getting to Korea. A 3 hour flight to Chicago, a 4 hour layover, then a 13 hour flight to Tokyo, five minute layover and a 3 hour flight into Incheon Airport in Korea. Sounds simple, right? Well, I wanted to DIE! My big 6'6" frame is not made to sit in an airplane seat for 13 hours. Hell, my body isn't made to do much of ANYTHING for 13 hours straight!
It's torture. It's rediculous. It is absolute insanity. It should be illegal to pack THAT many seats on one aircraft.
I think it was designed by terrorists.
So...I left home at 3 am on Saturday. I landed in Korea at about 9:30 pm Sunday night. I still wasn't done. We had to take a 45 minute bus ride to Yongsan, durring which I dozed off and spilled hot coffee in my lap. In retrospect....that was probably the best part of the whole trip.
I got to the hotel and crashed. I slept for what felt like days...(actually it was about 9 hours). Then I got up and contacted the family. Luckily for me, Monday was a Federal Holiday...so I had it off. Which is good, because a couple hours later....back to sleep, until 2 am. I got up again and Skyped with the kids and my wife. Then I got ready to start in-processing here for my assignment.
So far it's been pretty amazing. The country, I mean...not the in-processing.
The Korean people are some of the most genuine and kind people that I have met. The country is rich with history...5,000 years worth. They are a proud people. I am in culture shock....yes...but it's a good feeling. I know I am going to experience life in a different way for the next year.
Which is why I find myself back in the blogosphere. I started this blog as a way to keep friends and family informed while I was gone. It turned into something completely different. It became a sort of therapy, and commentary....all rolled into one.
My tour in Iraq left me a different person. It changed me. But, through all that I learned a lot and I attempted to share that with you all through this blog. My year in Korea looms ahead and I stare ahead into it with optomism.
Korea is known as the Land of the Morning Calm. So far, I've tried to take that to heart. Each day I wake up, I spend a few moments setting my mind right. There's no TV. There's no internet. It's just me and the Morning Calm.
I know it's been a long time since I've written. I know this post is kind of all over the place. Perhaps I'll get into some of the things I SHOULD have written about durring the last couple of years. The changes I mentioned earlier in this post...The perspective I've had working at the Pentagon...The rollercoaster ride that is life in general. I don't know...maybe I did MYSELF an injustice by not writing about it.
Like I said...I'll catch everyone up on that stuff eventually.
For now...I look at the next 12 months ahead of me. I'm excited and anxious. It should be an interesting year. I look forward to learning, and experiencing new things. It's not just 12 months away from the family. It's a time to grow. It's another year....and there's so much to learn.
SFC Newman,
Out
I was leaving my family behind for an Army assignment again.
This time....one year in South Korea. It was going to be fine. We had done this before....and under more menacing circumstances. At least this time I'm not going to an active war zone. And besides....this was what was best for the family, right?
More on that later...
So....where was I? Oh yes...life was smacking me in the face with overwhelming reality.
So I found my seat on the airplane for the flight to Chicago O'hare. As I sat and placed my jacket across my lap, I found a card tucked into the inside pocket. My name was scribbed across the front in my wife's handwritting. I smiled as I opened it. I didn't know she had slipped it in there.
I read the card and my heart swelled. I won't go into details of what was written there...that's just between us. But I will say that as I looked up and smiled out the window...a tear fell from my cheek.
I had just left my heart behind.
So that's how it began. But, now onto the fun part...Actually getting to Korea. A 3 hour flight to Chicago, a 4 hour layover, then a 13 hour flight to Tokyo, five minute layover and a 3 hour flight into Incheon Airport in Korea. Sounds simple, right? Well, I wanted to DIE! My big 6'6" frame is not made to sit in an airplane seat for 13 hours. Hell, my body isn't made to do much of ANYTHING for 13 hours straight!
It's torture. It's rediculous. It is absolute insanity. It should be illegal to pack THAT many seats on one aircraft.
I think it was designed by terrorists.
So...I left home at 3 am on Saturday. I landed in Korea at about 9:30 pm Sunday night. I still wasn't done. We had to take a 45 minute bus ride to Yongsan, durring which I dozed off and spilled hot coffee in my lap. In retrospect....that was probably the best part of the whole trip.
I got to the hotel and crashed. I slept for what felt like days...(actually it was about 9 hours). Then I got up and contacted the family. Luckily for me, Monday was a Federal Holiday...so I had it off. Which is good, because a couple hours later....back to sleep, until 2 am. I got up again and Skyped with the kids and my wife. Then I got ready to start in-processing here for my assignment.
So far it's been pretty amazing. The country, I mean...not the in-processing.
The Korean people are some of the most genuine and kind people that I have met. The country is rich with history...5,000 years worth. They are a proud people. I am in culture shock....yes...but it's a good feeling. I know I am going to experience life in a different way for the next year.
Which is why I find myself back in the blogosphere. I started this blog as a way to keep friends and family informed while I was gone. It turned into something completely different. It became a sort of therapy, and commentary....all rolled into one.
My tour in Iraq left me a different person. It changed me. But, through all that I learned a lot and I attempted to share that with you all through this blog. My year in Korea looms ahead and I stare ahead into it with optomism.
Korea is known as the Land of the Morning Calm. So far, I've tried to take that to heart. Each day I wake up, I spend a few moments setting my mind right. There's no TV. There's no internet. It's just me and the Morning Calm.
I know it's been a long time since I've written. I know this post is kind of all over the place. Perhaps I'll get into some of the things I SHOULD have written about durring the last couple of years. The changes I mentioned earlier in this post...The perspective I've had working at the Pentagon...The rollercoaster ride that is life in general. I don't know...maybe I did MYSELF an injustice by not writing about it.
Like I said...I'll catch everyone up on that stuff eventually.
For now...I look at the next 12 months ahead of me. I'm excited and anxious. It should be an interesting year. I look forward to learning, and experiencing new things. It's not just 12 months away from the family. It's a time to grow. It's another year....and there's so much to learn.
SFC Newman,
Out
posted by Unknown at 2:44 AM
6 Comments:
Your gift for words never ceases to amaze me. You've got a good perspective for the next 11 months an three weeks and ... days.
Glad to see you made it safely! Enjoy the time there, go out and explore and experience the REAL Korea, not just Seoul...As much as I did get to see, I still wish I did more of that when I was there. Love ya, Bub.
I love you so much and can't wait to read about your time in Korea through your words. Your writing is so real and so inspiring. I miss you more than I have to words to explain...
Hi Luke! Excited to see that you have started to write again. You have a great gift in the way you share your experiences thru your writing. I look forward to learning about your time in Korea. Stay safe.
You are truly an inspiration. As a husband, as a father, as a soldier, as a man, as a person. Be safe and be happy in the Morning Calm! With love from Maryland!
We will do our best to keep your family out of trouble while you are gone. Take care of yourself! We will be looking forward to reading more about your Korean adventures.
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