I grew up in a small town in Puerto Rico on the southern coast.  My dad would take us on road trips around the tiny island and our plane rides consisted of visiting family in Upstate New York.  My most exotic trip was in 1986 when I visited Toronto, Canada with my mom and my cousins.  I dreamt of faraway lands watching National Geographic with my father.  We would analyze the animals and talk about nature.  At times we even wept together when we saw an animal die as part of the circle of line in four the wild.  I would fantasize of visiting these lands one day.  Okinawa was my first opportunity to immerse myself in a culture completely foreign to me and know that to live in a country is radically different than just visiting.

To live in Okinawa has opened my eyes and palate to a new and familiar world at the same time.  In many ways, this small island south of mainland Japan reminded me of Puerto Rico.  From the block cement home to brave the hurricanes to tiny dirt roads leading you to epic beaches, it was a familiar feeling in a foreign world.  11 years later, I still see those similarities in many other things such as pig feet at the market (in Puerto Rico we love pig’s feet), the smiles of the locals, and random gestures of generosity that are not lost in translation.

Okinawa inspired me to see more of the world and to realize that we, the citizens of this earth can be so different and so similar at the same time.  With that realization shortly into my arrival in 2003, it fueled my desire to see more of this beautiful and complicated planet.  From there, I traveled to Thailand twice and to Australia. Now at my 36 years, I’ve seen over 40 countries and I am still in awe of the things I encounter.

During this trip, I still had that awe factor. I had it when tasting Agu Pork or having to literally stop my car on the side of the road to take in a sunset, it reaffirms why I love to travel.  I still do not understand how people get the opportunity to live in Okinawa and stay in the confines of a base or in their expat communities.  It defeats the purpose of the experience.  I know firsthand that it is uncomfortable when trying to explain something when both parties cannot communicate in the same language (thankful for Google translate).  The fear of the unknown is real but when the first step is taken, you realize how easy and rewarding it is to get by.

So dear Okinawa, thank you for staying beautiful. Thank you for your turquoise beaches, delicious fish, and smiling elderly people.  Thank you for taking me in and making my first living abroad experience a memorable one which inspired me to subsequently live in four other countries in Asia and Europe and visit dozens of others.  My 8 year old self watching National Geographic with papi knew she wanted to see the world but did not know how at the time.  When those opportunities come to see beyond your backyard, take them!  If they don’t come to you, create them. To live in Okinawa was the start of years of living and exploring the world. The only regret I have is not staying there longer.

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Can’t help to be thrilled when I find a fellow Marine who is a creative as me! Chris Beasley is a talented photographer with Chris Beasley Photography. I enjoyed his natural landscape photos on his Instagram account and now I am even more in tune with his page as he lives in one of my favorite Asian cities, Seoul, South Korea. Due to his work schedule, he’s spending the holidays there. This is his perspective: 

Contrast of the Old and Christmas Lights, Seoul

1.What do you like to the most about holiday season in Seoul? 

Well, Jessica, first of all, thank you very much for including me in your Holiday Abroad blog.  I think what I personally like the most is that the weather reminds me very much of where I grew up in New England near Boston.  In fact, as I write this it’s raining and snowing at the same time and I can hear cars skidding and spinning their tires out in the street, just like home.  I also approach the holidays with a split personality, a serviceman and a photographer.  As a serviceman, it’s a special time for us.  We are all from somewhere else and many of our families are not here in Seoul with us to celebrate the traditional aspects of the holidays like family dinners, giving and receiving presents and visiting with friends while drinking egg-nog and eating Christmas cookies.  But as servicemen, we also form a unique and close bond that allows us to navigate through the sometimes lonely holiday periods since it’s also a time when many take leave to vacation with their families or travel home to the states for a brief reunion until they have to make the trek back.  Mostly though, it’s a time to re-focus on the mission at hand and re-dedicate yourself to a life spent serving our country, no matter the clime or the place.  My other personality, a photographer, thrives in this environment.  I yearn to explore every nook and cranny of this city with a camera and attempt to capture it’s spirit and personality.  Seoul is a combination of New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas all wrapped into one.  On one street you can see a stylish and trendy nightclub while one street over is a historical palace gate set among a village filled with traditional Korean homes and markets. 

 

Namdaemun Market, Seoul

2. Where is home and what do you miss the most about holidays there?  

As I  mentioned, Boston is my hometown and mostly miss the time spent with family to include my extended family of cousins and Aunts and Uncles that are scattered around the great Boston area.  Nothing to special, just great memories city around a crackling fire sharing stories of the year past, catching up on the news of births, marriages, divorces, achievements and failures of our large and colorful family.  But mostly just great conversation with great food is what I miss most.  I will have that again one day as I near retirement and make plans to settle back in the states.

 

Traditional Korean Dress, Namdaemun Market, Seoul

3. Any interesting holiday traditions in Seoul? 

Being a country of about 50% Christian, there is a good amount of Christmas cheer here with lights, Christmas Trees, and even American Christmas tunes playing in the shops.   However, New Years is not celebrated quite as much here in Korea since their main celebration of the New Year centers around the Lunar Calendar which has February 18th as the big day, called Seollal here in Korea.  Also, little do many know but Korea has a very strong hiking and skiing culture here.  The entire Korean Peninsula is quite rugged with mountain chains that rival the Adirondacks of New York and the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Especially in South Korea’s Eastern areas, people flock to ski resorts and remote cabins to enjoy the bounties of Mother Nature.  A very spiritual people, Korean families very much enjoy quiet, natural settings for reflection, contemplation and renewal.  One of Korea’s trademark labels is that it is the “Land of the Morning Calm”.  Koreans often find this calm in the Mountains.

 

At Namdaemun Market, Seoul you find everything from Christmas decorations to fresh fish.

4. What do you recommend to travelers thinking of spending their holidays there?  

Seoul is COLD.  Bring an extra layer, bring a hat, and prepare to scurry from shop to shop or from cab to subway train quickly to avoid the bone chilling cold and wind.  Additionally, Seoul is an extremely navigable city.  The subways have floors you could eat off of, taxis are cheap and prevalent, and crime is virtually non-existent.  Although you should always be careful in any surrounding, Seoul is widely known for it’s safe neighborhoods, streets, public transportation and lodging.  Korean law is brutally harsh with criminals and Korean culture breeds honor and respect in it’s youth.  Most Americans would be shocked at the good behavior of the Korean populace.  Also, bring your mobile electronics.  Seoul is widely regarded as the most wired city in the world.  You can walk down the street and into almost any store and obtain excellent wi-fi coverage.  If you have cellular service here, you will enjoy 4G LTE just about anywhere in the city…including 500 feet below the surface in the subway…that goes for wi-fi too!!!

 

Seoul, South Korea

 5. Any holiday tips for people living abroad?  

Technology has come a long way since the days of letter writing.  Make sure you have a way of communicating with family on those special days.  Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts and Viber are my main methods I use to keep in touch with family and friends back home.  Write to Mom and Dad often and you’ll generally stay out of the dog house.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!!

All photos taken by Chris Beasley. Check out his work at Chris Beasley Photography.

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Rewind to 1996.  After my freshman year at University at Albany I had itchy feet. I wanted to live a life of adventure. I joined the US Marine Corps Reserves.  As a young enlisted Marine, I did not get to travel abroad I got to see many places as a 19 year old Puerto Rican girl in Western NY didn’t get to see: Missouri and Kentucky! My senior year I ended up signing up for a study abroad program. It wasn’t that exotic (at least for me): I returned to Puerto Rico to spend a semester at Universidad del Sagrado Corazon. I needed the income from my reserve job and Puerto Rico had a unit I could work with. Fast forward to 2014: Did you know you can use your GI Bill while studying abroad?

Although I did not need a passport for that adventure, I was immersed back in my Puerto Rican culture. I spent my semester honing my writing and speaking skills in Spanish.  Although I grew up in Puerto Rico, my high school studies were mostly in English. It was great to master the literary part of the Spanish  language. I still use those skills at my work and my upcoming Spanish Language travel segment with Despierta DC.

Upon graduation, I was commissioned as a Marine Corps Second Lieutenant. My first assignment was in Okinawa, Japan. Needless to say, I was in a work/study abroad situation.  I loved driving around the island and walking into small shops and ordering from a menu that I couldn’t even remotely read! I pointed at kanji script and prayed (everything was always delicious)! During that year in Okinawa, I also got to do extended assignments in Thailand and Australia (45 days each). Those assignments opened my mind and my palate to travel. My next assignment was just as exotic but dangerous: Baghdad, Iraq. There, I learned from talking to the locals working on base, eating the best hummus I’ve ever had, and reflecting on myself and humanity.

In 2005, I returned home physically and emotionally exhausted from my deployment to Iraq and decided to use my GI Bill and all of my savings to move to Belgium, where I found a Masters in Management and Business Administration from Boston University (the program is no longer available in Belgium). Before my big move I visited Brussels for the BU program and the Copenhagen School of Business.  Although I was more keen to move to Copenhagen, I was turned off by the staff member I met with. She told me (by the way she was American) in a condescending tone: “you are aware that you have to have 5+ years of work experience to apply”. She automatically judged by my appearance as she had not seen my resume.  When I told her everything I had accomplished since my college graduation, she was quite humbled. Needless to say, it was a turn off. I was happy that the BU staff was so open and eager to have me join their program.

Although I had lived abroad before arriving to Brussels: Japan, South Korea, and my deployment in Iraq, Brussels was a whole new world in so many levels. I recall getting my student visa at the Belgian Embassy in Seoul (where I was living at the time) and the whole process seemed so foreign to me. I arrived to Brussels with no sponsor waiting for me at the airport, no housing office, no tax-free benefits, and no paycheck! Being overseas in the military has a lot of privileges that I was no longer entitled to now that I was on my own. I’ll be honest, it was difficult to adjust, especially as a graduate student since the environment was much more independent than my undergraduate experience.

Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium

At My Farewell Party in Brussels, 2012

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