2020 Update
From late February until late May our boys were doing Virtual School from home due to the rise in Corona Virus cases in Korea. It was NOT an easy time for any of us. Tim and I were still working from home, we had all four kids at home, three boys in different grades doing different things (not to mention two of them struggle with reading and needed help on everything), plus a not quite walking toddler who was/is in to everything! It was a time of patience, family “bonding”, and learning new things. We also had a few opportunities to go glamping, workout as a family, and Tim and I even got to go on a date or two. Thankfully we were able to go back on campus to close out the last few days of the 2019-2020 school year. We are extremely thankful for the return to campus because we have some big changes in our lives and we all needed to have closure of this chapter.
After 11 years at our current school/job, Tim has accepted a new job at a new school beginning August 2020. We will be staying in Korea and moving about an hour outside of Seoul to another International School. Tim will have the same position, however the school is young and has a lot of room to grow/improve in the aquatics department. Also with moving schools I will be able to stay home with Baby L!
Why move? Well, it was not an easy decision. When we arrived back in Seoul in January after Christmas break, this school approached Tim asking him to apply for the position. We were not seeking to leave our current school, but figured it would be a good idea just to see what they had to offer. So, a few weeks later we drove out to the school for a tour. Man, did they treat us like they wanted us to be there! While Tim had meetings with different department heads, the wife of one of the staff welcomed me and toured me around the town. She answered all my questions and I even got to go in to one of the family apartments to see what it was like. After the tour I headed back to the school to meet with the Lower school principal where he asked about each of my children, their personalities and character;he wanted to get an understanding of who they are and how they would fit in to the school. This meeting was unexpected and took me a little by surprise, so I had few questions, but felt my children were already cared for and valued as individuals, not just “staff kids”.
Anyways, we are excited and a little anxious about what is next for our family!
On the triathlon front, as many of you know, or you may be able to assume, all triathlons have been canceled for the start of the season here in Korea. Tim is continuing to train hard 2-4 hours a day, but not having a race in front of him it is challenging to keep pushing himself in training. During this time we have been extra thankful for his partnership in coaching with BPC (https://www.buildpeakcompete.com/ )that he started up last summer. Hiring a coach was honestly one of the best decisions Tim has made, not just for himself, but our family.
Summer 2020
The summer of 2020 is unusual for just about everyone in the world, us included. With Corona virus still looming we are unable to travel back to the U.S. this summer. Well, I say unable, but in reality we could we would just have to endure may obstacles along the way; including a 2 week stent of being stuck inside our apartment upon our return to Korea: 3 active boys, a toddler, and a husband who couldn’t go outside for long runs/bike rides/ nor swim... NO THANKS!
So we, like many other expats, are staying put this summer.
The summer is a crazy one for us with about 5 moves in a 7 week period. 1. Back in May our landlord would not extend our contract, so we had to move out of our apartment by May 30 (with the return to school on May 27). We moved in to an Air BnB for the last few days of school. 2. Then on June 3rd we moved in to a new place for the month of June. (A staff member had moved to new housing, so we were able to move in their old place the day they moved out, as it was still under the school’s contract). 3. At the end of June we are moving out of that house and going on a 7-10 day bike trip up the East Coast of Korea. 4. After our bike trip we don’t know exactly where we will be. We will have about 2 weeks until we can move in to our house at our new school. We are thinking the best option will be another Air BnB for at least one of those weeks. 5. July 19 we can move in to our home!
Through all of these changes all of our stuff is being stored in a storage unit and we are living out of suitcases.
So, now that you know what is going on with us we can dive in to our bike trip. We hope you join us along the way!
-Kristin
