Ohana

I just finished typing up the crazy that was my life recently. Let me tell you about the calm.

And that calm was my family.

Even with our own issues (what family doesn't have their problems?), they still continue to support me and my shenanigans. I'm so thankful for their kind words, their strong shoulders, and supportive attitudes. October would've been brutal without them.

To my parents, always keeping me out of my head and in the present.

To my big brother, for understanding me when I don't know even who I am.

To my sister-in-law, for being patient.

To my nephew, for being a shining light with his cute smile. 

To my dog-nephew, for always wanting kisses and fresh air when I needed to be out of my head.

To my cat, for making things amusing even when they really shouldn't be.

With my upcoming departure for a minimum of two years and a maximum of four...the physical distance will be great, but per the rules of Ohana....nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

Wouldn't be here without you.

Love,

#SaveOurToya

Rule Number One

 Y'all....you will not believe the craziness I've been through in the last week, let alone the last two months. And after everything, I couldn't not write about it. I do not want another person to go through what I did. So, if you're about to PCS with the DoD, have a pet who will fly with your abroad, getting your Household Goods (HHGs) picked up, and thought you could trust people?

Well, let me tell you...you can't.

That's rule number one. Don't trust anyone. I can't tell you how many times I would learn of something new as I was going through various motions that kind of took my carefully laid plan and through in the garbage disposal. 

Okay, now that the number one rule is written, let's get into the nitty gritty.

Hope you're ready to count, but if you want to skip down to the bottom...and get the tips and tricks like this were a recipe blog....you're more than welcome to do so.

PCS-ing (Permanent Change in Station)

Moving is stressful. Period. There's no getting around that fact. And one thing you definitely don't want happening when you're moving, are systems that aren't working.

After being directed to submit my request to have my HHGs picked up in their online portal early September....nothing happened. Not until I called over two weeks before I departed and they tell me I never submitted my documents. Now mind you, I verified multiple times that my file stated 'submitted' online. 

And yet..."we did not get your forms. When did you email them?"

Me: Since when was I supposed to email them? I was only directed to submit into the portal and that my counselor would get in touch with me.

Rule Number One: Don't trust anyone: 1

Trust: 0

Now, after a week long of negotiating and requesting an exception, my HHGs shipment did not get picked up. And it is now a week before I leave. Outside of that, everything else was pretty much ok. I already gotten all my flights arranged, my hotel for the one night layover I have, and my suitcases packed. All that I had remaining was my cat's health certificate. Which had to be done 10 days before departure.

5 days before I depart, I was informed that my cat needed to have a Rabies Antibody Test (FAVN) completed at least 30 days before departure. I'm no math wiz, but even I know 5 does not equal 30. And her vet told me she wasn't comfortable completing the Health Certificate without it. She listed various reasons of which I understood, but I was also having a break down.

Why did no one mention this sooner? Did no one think to mention this when I called to make Binna's appointment for a Health Certificate? Where I stated where we were going?

Rule Number One: Don't trust anyone: 2

Trust: 0

I did not want to fly without Binna. She's been such a sassy godsend since I adopted her. And while working in a high stress job, she's been what's kept me calm and motivated during a lot of bullshit. The only reason I got up on most days was because I needed to make sure she was taken care of. I've already had to re-home one cat, I could not do it again. I did not have the strength. Not again.

Never. Again.

For a moment there, I considered turning down my new position.

But, I ended up having a delicious dinner and slept deeper than ever. 

When I woke up, I started making plans.

1 - Call around to get verification on if that test was really needed.

2 - Reach out to my sponsor to talk about my situation.

3 - Talk to the HHG people on the soonest everything can be picked up?

3a - Find someone who can be at the apartment to pick everything up.

4 - Health Certificate for Binna...?

5 - Talk to the leasing office about staying longer.

6 - Find Binna potential Pet Transport to Korea...?

7 - Breath.

After many phone calls, not only was I able to verify that if Binna didn't get the test done or have pending results, she would be quarantined in Korea until the results came back. Verified that with the airline.

Early morning, I shot an email to Korea asking my supervisor if she could call me when she could. This was a conversation we needed to have over phone, and not email.

After work, I called Binna's vet and told her what I learned from the airline, she agreed to do the health certificate. She sent me the file to verify the information, and after I clarified the information is correct....guess what I learned next.

"The health certificate also has to be endorsed by the USDA. So...you'll need to pay $121."

Rule Number One: Don't trust anyone: 3

Trust: 0

Now I have an additional payment to make?!

I just realized, I forgot to mention that the FAVN test costs roughly $350.

Rule Number One: Don't trust anyone: 4

Trust: 0

But hey....the health certificate was going to get done. If I was willing to pick up the health certificate, get a money order of $121, and get to Fedex before the last pick up, and I could get it overnighted to the USDA. But of course, there's no guarantee when the health certificate will get back. And i'll have to pay for overnighting fee with Fedex, too.

Rule Number One: Don't trust anyone: 5

Trust: 0

If anyone is keeping track, I'm almost to $500 and that's not even counting Binna's flight tickets. 

While I was running around town, making a (maybe) miracle happen, I get emails saying my HHGs could be picked up 11-2. Maybe. Its peak season, and everything has already been pretty screwy. But hey! My stuff finally has a pick up date!

Almost two weeks after my flight to Korea.

Rule Number One: Don't trust anyone: 6

Trust: 0

I was able to talk to my Leasing Office, they agreed to pushing my date out. 

Rule Number One: Don't trust anyone: 6

Trust: 1

My sponsor called during dinner time (timezones and all that) and I was able to tell her about my whole situation. Bless her. After one conversation with her, I felt not only better, but relaxed. My departure date got pushed back a month to allow for me to be there when my stuff got picked up. And for Binna to get her test results back....hopefully. That way she can fly with me.

Rule Number One: Don't trust anyone: 6

Trust: 2

When I called my leasing office the next day to extend again, not only was I informed that my previous extension request wasn't actually recorded, I would have to switch to the month-to-month rent amount. 

Rule Number One: Don't trust anyone: 7

Trust: 2, 1

Yeah, I asked if the lead leasing office person could give me a call back. So I can verify everything. I spoke to her today. She verified that I would pay a pro-rated amount of what I'm currently paying for November, and that the fee that I would owe by breaking my lease was waived.

Rule Number One: Don't trust anyone: 6

Trust: 1.5

And that's where I am. A departure date set further out, and waiting for things to get done. And like any good recipe blog, here's a recipe to get through PCS-ing with a pet. 

• Make sure your pet has all necessary testing done well in advanced. The FAVN test is good for 2 years, and can take up to a month to process. Do not hope for expedited testing. Testing will cost you money.
• Your pet will need a Health Certificate no more than 10 days old from your departure date. You will need it to be endorsed by the USDA. (Once I know how long it took mine, I will update this post to give a time frame.) This will cost you money. (I'll also list the final cost)
• Make sure your pet is familiar with their kennel (soft or hard, but only soft can be in the main cabin) before their flight. 
• Call your airline (if you have any commercial flights) to add your pet to your ticket. Pet space fills quickly!
• When booking anything, make sure you're always notifying everyone you will have a pet. If you have a cat, make sure you verify there is a litter-box available. 

• Verify two days after you submitted your HHG request. Constantly call. Leave nothing to chance. Assume everything is broken. 
• Make sure you have more than enough time to get your passport taken care of, if you need to request an official one. Go through the official passport office. It'll go much quicker than the post office. Especially if you're doing this during the pandemic era. 
• If you're renting, make sure your leasing office updates the exact dates. 
• Print all necessary docs and make sure you have at least three copies of your flight information. But a copy of your papers in your suitcases.

I will update this list, as more things come together. After all, I'm still stateside for another 30 days.

If there's anything I hope you leave this post with its that when it comes to moving...is to remember Rule Number One. Don't trust anyone, make them prove you differently.

As always,

#SaveOurToya

PS, here's some pictures of Binna after a long read.

Well...Well...Well...

Look who's back.

It's me. (And, I suppose, you, too.)

Must make you wonder why we're back? Well, fear not! This will be a short post.

For the last several months, I've been hard at work in putting things in motion for my next journey in life. And now, I wait for a single email that will decide my fate.

Iowa has been an unexpected chapter that left me with hard truths. A candor so frank that my time here must come to a close. 

Now, as I said, this will be a short post, but I will leave you with this: I'm leaving Iowa.

#SaveOurToya

Know Your Limits

Wildberry Smoothie with Pearls~

If it's one thing this picture doesn't show, it's that quite recently I made a decision for my mental health. And no, it wasn't buying the drink. 

Not completely, anyways.

I rarely talk about this, but a few years ago I was on the road to becoming a functioning alcoholic. I never reached a point that the first thing I drank was alcohol and ended my day on alcohol, but I was definitely falling into the category of becoming reliant on it when I got overwhelmed.

And a few years ago, I had a lot and nothing going on that it was quite common to see rum or tequila filling up one of my glasses. I even had moonshine in the house, at some point. Naturally, if I'm gonna be an alcoholic I'm gonna do it right.

But here's the thing, I caught myself and forced my way out of the bad habits I was developing. I went sober for a long time after that. It wasn't easy, but I managed it. 

These days, I still don't drink. I may partake in something small with a friend or on special occasions. My main rule, never drink when I'm upset, overwhelmed, feeling negative in any way.

Yesterday, I wanted a drink so bad because of a situation I found myself, I realized that something needed to change in my life.

Immediately.

This was a sign that my mental health was standing on the edge of a mountain and looking at the trees below with the babbling brook and majestic waterfall in the distance.

Last night, I could almost taste my homemade rum punch and how it would dance with my taste buds to make my day better. I could hear the ice clinking in my glass. I could see how the rum and mango/passion fruit juice mixed together in a sweet temptation. I could smell that tropical getaway in a glass yesterday and I was scared.

How could a situation have gotten so out of hand that I was back to this?

Small things, that's how.

But you know what? Despite where I found myself, I knew what I had to do. I needed to take myself out of the situation.

Was it easy?

No.

Did I still try?

Yes.

And I'm glad I did, because within 24 hours, a solution was found. These coming weeks, I might still teeter on the edge, wanting to drink and get through it without having to put in the effort. But I can't do that.

I can't.

I need to process it, clear headed and with my own strength.

This is why it's important to speak up. Yes, it's terrifying. Maybe some would say a sign of weakness, admitting you need help.

But isn't it a sign of strength facing your fears and weaknesses head on?

The decision that was made wasn't just me, it was those I consider honored to know who helped me come to a solution. They asked me questions, they helped me craft my wording, supported me before I even knew I needed help standing tall.

It may have been my mental health that told me my crown was slipping, but it was my people who helped steady it.

#SaveOurToya

I'm an Addict

I am an addict.

Every day I think about, you

with your tempting ways.

You make me sway.

I am an addict.

I push against your hold,

but you keep me locked in.

I don't want to sin.

I am an addict.

Seduce me with your promises.

I crave you with never-ending regret.

There's no safety net.

I am an addict.

Not once or twice or thrice.

It's almost like you shine,

that was my last dime.

I am an addict.

These pains make me quake.

You took me to the butcher,

how are you only sugar?

To be or not to be....a Vegan...Again

That is the question.

And while I try my hand at a Shakespearean level dictation, and fail miserably, my question is no less lacking.

Am I ready to be a Vegan again?

Or...should I really be asking myself, am I ready to move on from what I've become.

When it comes to food, I've had an on-again, off-again relationship. It doesn't hurt that the Tinder for dining is so accessible. Grubhub, UberEats...

Don't tell me you don't get tempted by other options as you swipe through your options of what or where to eat. It's not like you'll feel any shame when the food comes to you or while you gorge out on delicious potatoes and scrumptious naan. And when it's all said and done, not only did you eat well, you didn't have to go out into the world to get it.

It's so nice!

It's so tempting!

It's killed my self control.

What little remaining self-control I had disappeared in the last week.

Since coming back to America, I have gained 20lbs (10kgs). I worked hard on losing the weight to begin with, I finally felt all the guilt from earlier knock me right off the scale.

"Oh nooo," I told myself when those guilt-fed numbers flashed laughingly at me. "Something has got to change."

So, I began thinking back to what helped me best in losing weight in America. "In America" is the most important part. Because what I can do in other countries, I can't pull off as easily in America. Everywhere else, it's so easy to include walking in your every day life. In America...you have to go out of your way to walk.

That being said, while I was a vegan, I also was going to the gym 2x per week, and was doing 5k conditioning. While COVID19 has me 'nope'-ing  in all social interactions/going where other people go. I'm basically more of a homebody than I've ever been.

But...I can take charge of my eating habits.

It's crazy that I have no problem telling other people 'no', but lack the strength to do the same for myself.

But I did do it once...

I can do it again.

Which is why I subscribed to HelloFresh. They have a $80 off deal right now, and if anyone wants to try it out for themselves, here's an additional $40 off if you click on this link.

With HelloFresh, I'm getting 3 meals per week that has 2 servings in it. Thankfully, I live alone, so I technically have 6 meals. And I can customize my meal options per week. It's not all in their hands, but also in mine. And while this isn't veganism, it is eating healthier.

I cannot tell you how often I've had pizza in the last week alone.

And cookies?

Let's...let's just let it go and move forward.

Okay...here's the deal.

From 7/19 to 7/31, I'm going to do right. Eat proper meals, no ordering delivery, and go on a walk at least three times a week. Maybe I'll try getting my sleep worked on as well. Just the other day I only had an hour and a half. That was a rough, rough day.

On 8/1, I'll post the before and after results. As well as talk about what worked and didn't work.

It's time for me to stop giving up.

#SaveOurToya

Just STOP

...Where to even fucking begin...

This job/workload isn't even a drop in what I'm able to take on. This job is easy for me. It is...sure, sometimes I'm at a loss for what to do, simply because the practices are different than what I did before. 

But still. 

A conversation with a Subject Matter Expert later, and I'm back on track.

I know my learning curve can't be the same for the others, and I always do my best to take that into consideration. Critical thinking is something my mother cultivated in me, and that's why HR stuff comes so easily to me. (As well as other things)

But sometimes, I can't be considerate. Sometimes, I really can't help but stare dumbfounded at people.

Not because they ask a dumb question. I can see that it comes from a place of curiosity and their own attempts at connecting things. Which is great. Work your mind how you can.

But when the behavior gets rude, then...then we have a problem. And my consideration goes out the proverbial window. 

Passive aggressive bullshit and microaggressions are distasteful, unprofessional, and childish.

We are grown fucking adults in roles where that shit has no business being in. Honestly, my kindergartners had more respect than some of the behavior I see in people here. And they had no idea how to interact with a foreigner! It's frankly, very disheartening that grown adults bring childhood rudeness into the workplace.

"I'm just saying..."

"It's not fair..."

"Well how was I supposed to..."

Newsflash, complaining isn't going to get you anything from me! You think I don't have the same problems? 

Stop expecting things to be handed to you. Stop expecting things to happen just because you demanded it. Stop with the bullshit childishness. Just STOP.

Take charge in your lack of information and make something of your ignorance. Learn about your resources and cross reference them! Because I can promise you, at the end of it all, you'll feel empowered and confident in yourself and the work product you push out.

In the past, I would say people would just be hurting themselves. But they're not. They need to take some fucking responsibility for their behaviors, because it's hurting those around them too.

Good lord!

Sometimes, I wish I wasn't so helpful or friendly. 

And I can't believe I just wrote that. I like who I am (on most days) at work, but lately it's as if my 'team player' attitude is condoning such shit behavior.

But still...I am polite. I am professional. I get the fucking job done. Because that's what is expected.

I didn't complain back when I had a full time job, part time job, grad school, and a relatively good social life.

I didn't complain back when I had to deal with Korean work politics (Everyone in America should be damn thankful they don't have to deal with that).

You don't see me complaining about this job and the unexpected demands that befall me every fucking day that puts my own training behind. I look at the positives, as much as I can. 

I really do.

But today, if I hear that whiny or demanding tone, don't expect to hear from me for the rest of the day. Because I have had it.

#SaveOurToya

My Story #BlackLivesMatter

The day someone told me I looked like my mother, I almost cried. For years, I've always heard that I looked like my father. And when I think about it, I can maybe see it.

My nose.

My height.

And when my dad had hair, we have the same hair line. 

We especially can't forget these baby cheeks!

But when people say I look like my father, I wonder if that's what they see or if it's my beautiful milk chocolate skin that relegates me as black.

And that's why I look like my father.

Black = black, right?

I wonder, did other biracial kids ever think about this? Did they wonder if people thought of them as charity cases when they were with their white parent? That my white parent wasn't mine? 

So often, I would have these thoughts, but have no one to talk to about it.

Being biracial puts you in a spot that you can't get out of. I'm not fully black, but I'm not fully white. I will never know the true experience of either side. On one side, I'm supposed to have privilege and the other is oppressed and lost. I have both and none. 

I can't say when I started to put myself to a lower status than my own mother because of the color of my skin. I do know it was around the time I started to notice people's gazes on us. At some point, I would try to hide my 'blackness' when I was with my mother. I would take care of how I would speak. I would do whatever I could to promote my German half over my black half. 

And is that weird. I don't see my white half as white. But German. I have never labelled myself as "half-caucasian/white", only "half-German". Bi-racial and bi-cultural, that is who I am, but growing up, I couldn't reconcile both sides. 

Believe it or not, when I was younger, before the stares and fumbling attempts at adulting, I took pride in the color of my skin. It was what set me apart from those around me. Goodness, I can remember looking up to my older brother and thinking he was so amazing. And that I could never surpass how cool he was. 

But I had something he didn't have and that was my milk chocolate-y skin color. It was also the one thing that I could see at any time that I wanted without a mirror and have a connection to my father. After all, being an Army brat isn't easy. Sure, you get to travel and meet new people and experience new cultures, but at what cost?

Did you know there was a point in my life that the first time I 'met' my father, I couldn't communicate with him? That I thought he was a stranger? It wasn't because I was a baby and just recently born. But because he was doing his duty for America and hadn't been around those first few years. I spoke German and he spoke English. I can't even imagine what that must've felt like for him to come back and not even be able to speak to his only daughter. 

I am proud of my father and proud of what he's given me. 

I am proud of who I am and the color of my skin. 

But growing up....I was ashamed. My milk chocolate skin was becoming a hindrance and I hated...I hated that I was shunning half of who I am because others thought of me as less. 

It took me years to learn how to accept myself again. 

You know...I wonder why I never spoke to my parents about how I felt? I mean, parents are supposed to fix it all, right? I'm like 99.99% certain my mother is magic and my dad would move heaven and Earth for my brother and me just to ensure our happiness. 

Yet...I said nothing.

I couldn't confide in my awesome older brother, either.

All of my thoughts and emotions, I kept them all to myself. I wonder if that's why I felt so numb when I was younger? Why it took forever to notice my depression and anxiety? 

I was so focused on being perfect and not a burden for my parents and brother, that I forgot about me. 

I can speculate that the reason I never said anything was because at home, skin color wasn't a defining piece. We were simply, mom, dad, older brother, and me. I know my family kept me sheltered. I was the baby of the family, after all. It was like an unspoken rule that we didn't let the outside world come between us. 

The first time I joined the race discussion was in college. Of course, I was confronted by racism every damn day. Just because I didn't know what words to use or how to express my experiences, doesn't negate what was happening around me, with me, inside of me. That first semester in Sociology is what gave me the first tools to express my own experiences. 

While kids younger than me were getting the 'sex talk', I was getting the 'race talk'...at least...the beginning notions of it.

Since then, I've been doing my own readings, joining discussions, and learning to come to an agreeable peace within myself.

But every time I think I found peace or made progress in someone getting it, I see another brother or sister taken away.

I hear that even when doing nothing, we are still targeted, deemed less.

Just the other day, amidst the protests and a day before George Floyd's funeral, I learn of something that leaves me disgusted with certain individuals that I know. Instead of speaking up, instead they hold their silence. 

Must be nice having the option to be silent, but I guess you can still breath. I guess you don't have to keep your hands up or worry that you'll be shot in your own home by the police. I guess someone says your name just fine.

To those who do speak up, thank you. Thank you so, so much. 

To those who want to do more, it's hard to find what you can do. Maybe you're limited financially or you're not the type to protest in front of the capitol. There's always something you can do. Spread the word, educate those around you, show your support when you can. (Twitter thread for #BLM resources)

For me...this is how I can contribute. Let me show you how racism has effected me. Let me tell my story.

#BlackLivesMatter

I am not ok.

Do you know what it's like to wake up in the middle of the night, terrified for your life? All you can hear is your heart racing alongside the sounds of someone breaking into your house. All you see are the lights flashing outside your window. 

Do you know what it's like to fear that your life will end at 3:32 in the morning and thinking it's the police? 

And no matter how you yell at yourself to fucking move, your body refuses and continues to lay tangled up in your sheets?

I do.

This morning, I feared for my life and there wasn't anything I could do about it.

When I first left for Korea in the summer of 2018, I thought that by the time I returned to America, life would be better for Blacks. I hoped I wouldn't be so terrified to live here. 

But life did not get better, it got worse.

I don't even know where to start, but I know where it ends. If it's not in the grave, it's in continued fear.

As you all know, I do my best to be honest on SaveOurToya. It's not easy putting this out for the whole world to see. But I do it anyways. And in my struggle to be honest, I confess that I am so terrified that I have to psych myself up to leave my apartment these days.

I don't know if someone will see me walking to the grocery store and see me as a threat. I am terrified to go on a walk. 

This is what my life has become. A constant cycle of terror and fear. 

I hate this. 

I hate it so, so much.

I hate that because of a terrible storm this morning, I thought I someone was trying to kill me. 

I am not ok, and I don't know when I'll ever feel safe living here.

#SaveOurToya

What was the Click?

Last Friday, I posted about how I got out of my rut. I wasn't very descriptive and there's a reason for that. While something may have clicked, I wasn't ready to talk about it. Not in full detail, anyways.

So let me take this time to describe what all went down.

Since moving back, my emotions have been at an all time high. However, those emotions were not all positive ones. I was excited to start my dream job and the contact high of reaching a dream that I had been waiting for since high school was indescribable. Sometimes, I still can't believe where my life is.

I mean, how many people can say they're doing their dream job? And how many of them can say they achieved it in their 20s?

I'll wait.

But with those positive feelings, come the negative ones. And like a friend said, 'shouldn't they be low ones?'

Fair question. But here's the thing. The way I feel my emotions, even my negative feelings can be described as 'high'. Just because I'm feeling sad or angry, doesn't mean my feelings aren't running over 100%. Honestly, I want to say that I feel my negative emotions more than my positive ones.

Or in other words, I take the good moments for granted.

So, those moments when things click is actually when I remember the good. I take a moment to remember the good in my life. And it's not easy. Lord have mercy, it is not easy.

I've been in Iowa for 3 months and for 3 months I've been teetering on the edge of my emotional fence.

Last week was when I found stability.

The question now remains, how?

How did I find even-footing in the emotional turmoil that my life had become?

The easy answer, "fuck, if I know".

The not-so easy answer, "where do I begin?"

You know that saying, 'you should do what makes you happy?' Well, that's not easy when you're in quarantine or lockdown or whatever you want to call this time we're in. Coronavirus or COVID-19 put a full stop on happiness.

Okay fine, you get to stay home and enjoy not working (or you get to telework), but you're also isolated. Especially if you live alone. And yes, we have online options to keep in touch with people miles away that can help alleviate the loneliness. But it's not the same. It's a temporary fix of a take for granted fact of life. It's rough for those who have the love language of physical touch. Like me...

I could really go for a nice warm hug right about now.

Our current pandemic is scary, terrifying, lonely...I don't know...I can't really put a word to it, but whatever it is, it's negative. At least for me.

Honestly, I thought, 'hey! I have more time for myself and getting things done. I can take all this time and focus on my goals!'

I come to find out, 'what goals do I have?' I couldn't focus on anything, because I couldn't remember what my goals were for. I reached my dream job, but now what? I wanted to study Korean, but why? I wanted to reach my goal weight, but how? I wanted to save money, but to what end?

And this is where my click comes into place.

I finally found the answers to these questions. Which seems pretty standard, but if I didn't believe in those answers, then I wasn't really any closer. When I believe in my answers, I believe in myself.

And that is what was missing.

I forgot how to believe in me.

Somewhere between Korea and Iowa, USA, I lost my sense of purpose. Which is a lot easier than what one thinks.

It's been 4 days since my click and here's what I have to show for it:
1) I know where I want to go on my career journey.
2) I'm studying Korean for myself and for my future.
3) A consistent sleep schedule and healthy eating are my current methods until I can add exercise on a more consistent basis.
4) My money is for family events and future travel plans.

These answers may seem easy or 'duh!' to you, but they weren't for me. They're a lot, plain and simple. I'm building new habits and practicing better self-control. Each day is not easy, but each day I feel a little more secure and a little more ready for the next day.

#SaveOurToya