Its kind of odd, but I thought I felt at home in sunny Cali since I lived there from 2 years old. I didn’t realize that I didn’t really know what being home felt like, until I went to bootcamp for the Marines at age 20. I remember our first PFT, straggling in slow where the senior DI called a few of us out saying we weren’t going to make it. For the first time, I felt really at home and good because we were all the same in every way. It was strangely comforting. The senior DI kept asking for me every week to see if I was there. I made it, dropped 58–60 lbs, 300 PFT, and was yoked out. Senior DI Chavez gave me the firmest handshake at graduation and wished me well.
Fast forward to the age of 44. I lived a great life and experienced cool things all over as an American. I felt an ever bigger feeling of being “home,” once I visited S Korea for a short vacation. I rushed home, sold all, quit all, and severed most ties. I moved as quickly as I could and I’m 48 (Korean age) today! Bootcamp was the first, but this move was the most powerful. Everything and every part of me wanted to move back. It’s been fulfilling, amazing in timing, and I’m a new person. I consider this move to be the first, since it was so moving and meaningful for me. The Corps still has a part of my heart and loyalty, but the rest is with and in S Korea. I even enjoy hospital visits now.