Before I left to come to South Korea I would sit with my friends and joke about:
- Can you imagine if I meet a guy there? What if I meet my husband?
- I won't get married there, we will still come back to Canada and get married
My Chinese co-worker suggested I go to China for vacation. I pretty much blew that idea off - China just wasn't my idea of a vacation. I was looking for more beachy places like Thailand or Bali.
On New Years Eve I was reflecting with friends and I yelled out "I don't want a million dollars!" just to make sure that last thing I said in 2017 might still come true.
At the end of January 2017 I hopped on an Air Canada jet to Seoul where all I knew is that a driver for the school would meet me at the airport. I found a man holding a sign with my name and hopped in his unmarked black van. Evening came and I was dropped off at what appeared to be an office building with the school name out front. He took my luggage out of the van and walked me upstairs to the office where I briefly met the principal and some ladies in the office. The van thought he was dropping me off there to live. No, we all hopped back in the van and he drove me to a hotel beside my apartment. Again this is all in the dark. They handed me my luggage and that was it. I was expected to be at school the next morning. I quietly asked where I could eat some food and if someone could help me get to school the next morning since we drove windy streets in the dark. Luckily the principal took me out for a local Uijeongbu dish called budaejigae which is just a big pot of anything you throw in it. It's a camp stew from the war. This particular one had broth, ramen noodles, chunks of steak, chunks of hot dog, tofu, and vegetables. Not a great introduction for me. He kept putting more and more in my bowl. I kept saying: just noodles! I survived, made my way to school the next day, and here I am over 11 months later packing up to head home at the end of the month.
Remember those first few days here when I didn't sleep and I wanted to come home? After I got my wits about me I was less embarrassed and became more focused to help those in their first few days like me. The teachers who helped me really got me through that rough patch: offering me tea, taking me out for meals, showing me around town, literally letting me tag along to their hair cut appointments because I needed to get out.
Me, Danielle (Alaska), Katy (Lethbridge)
With Jessica (Kentucky)
In February I started feeling comfortable heading out on my own. I visited the Coex Aquarium and Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.
Jacklyn (Edmonton)
In March I met my friend Jean, celebrated my birthday, went on a strawberry picking tour, and went on a temple stay to Sudeoksa Temple.
Birthday with school staff
Birthday dinner of fried chicken with friends!
Lotus flower I made for temple prayer
#MonkLife
Jean and I at the end of the temple stay
In April things really took a turn. Spring had sprung in Korea. The cherry blossoms were in full effect. I went out to see them twice with friends I met on the temple stay. Then I went on a tour of The Garden of Morning Calm and Nami Island with another friend I met on the temple stay. On the way to meet the tour I spotted a handsome man on the subway, gave him my contact information, and you know the rest.
Me, Dawn (USA), her Korean friend
With Marilyn (Florida) on a boat to Nami Island
From our first date at Durga (Indian food)
His infamous Roughriders jersey
10 days after we met he headed home to Nigeria for a month.
We had a long weekend in May so Katy, Danielle and I went away to Ulsan. My main goal there was to have a beach day and we soaked it in! I also went on my first segway!
Kenneth was back in June and we got to spend a lot of time together because he didn't start working right as he came back. I value that time because we really solidified our relationship then, got to know each other really well and fell in love. It also was getting to be quite hot here so we could spend a lot of time outside!
One of the dresses Kenneth brought back for me
Our love happened fast and even though I was still in the middle of my contract, we knew we had to get the ball rolling for our future. How would we be together? Where would we live? Those are big questions that had simple answers. We would start the immigration process to have him move to Canada with me. So . . . . we eloped! (Some of you know this, I imagine most of you suspected this, and some of you are shocked. And some of you don't care.) We slipped out of work early on a quiet Monday to the city hall and tied the knot. In fact, Caitlin took our engagement photos after we were already married. We will still have a wedding back home in Edmonton.
Kenneth's dowry to me: an onion. I needed one for cooking the next day and he
had a large bag of them so he brought one for me.
In the cab on the way there
Did I wear my croc sandals to get married? Yes.
Romantic dinner after
A week later we went to Jeju Island for our secret honeymoon!
To be honest, August - November kind of just rolled together. Fall was beautiful. We spent most of our time gathering documents and applying for Kenneth to become a Permanent Resident of Canada (which is still in progress). Caitlin took our "engagement photos" in October, which is a real highlight of my time here in Korea. She did an amazing job and we can't thank her enough!
Lantern Festival in November
Another fun blip in those months was the week Caitlin and I went to Beijing for the Chuseok holiday. There is one main reason to go and that is the Great Wall of China. It's hard to put into words!
Caitlin (Iowa) and me on the way to Beijing!
December was full of anticipation for Christmas vacation to Nigeria. I was nervous and excited. I'm so glad I went and got to meet Kenneth's people!
What a year! I went to two continents! I made friends from all over the world! I met and married the love of my life! And now we are planning the relocation process to Edmonton. Who am I? Whose life is this? Ahhh!!!
It was an exciting year but I'm also looking forward to a bit of some normalcy (my normal) back in Edmonton. I have not baked anything in a year. I want to make cookies! I want to drive a car! Small things matter.
Thanks for sticking by me and supporting me both near and far. I honestly would have left in that first week if not for your support.
Love Alli
Me, Katy, Caitlin, Frankie & Jesse (New York)
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