Another Korea update, and I have to admit… week 5 was our hardest week here yet.
So let me introduce you to the Cummings family motto:
It could always be worse.
We may not always believe it in the moment, but eventually someone usually says it, and we keep moving.
Sunday started with Lucy, our rescue dachshund and, if we’re being honest, my favorite child, getting sick. She was vomiting every few hours, and by Monday morning, we knew she needed to see a vet.
Lee found a 24-hour vet and took her at 5 a.m. Because apparently we have now reached the stage of living in another country where we’re navigating emergency veterinary care before sunrise.
We think something got lost in translation because when Lee first arrived, it appeared that only the cleaning staff was there. So, naturally, we brought her back a few hours later and tried again.
This time, they took Lucy back for X-rays, blood work, and other tests.
One thing I keep noticing over and over since moving here is just how kind Korean people have been to us.
Most of the veterinary staff didn’t speak English, but the veterinarian spoke some and was also able to use his computer to translate everything for us. And honestly, he was incredibly patient with us.
He didn’t need Google Translate to understand my tears, though.
Those were pretty universal.
I’m pretty sure at some point he was thinking, How did I get stuck with this crazy American lady and her dog who keeps giving me side eye?
Lucy is my soul dog, so this was hard.
One of the unexpected realities of taking a leave of absence from work is that I am suddenly alone for a lot of the day without the routine I’ve had for years. Lee goes to the shipyard every morning. The boys go to school. And I’m home with Lucy and Beaux.
So when my little sidekick was suddenly at the vet, the house felt very, very quiet.
Lucy ended up staying at the vet because she needed an IV and antibiotics. They were concerned because she was lethargic and seemed really out of it compared to the other dogs.
But here’s the thing…
They don’t know our old girl.
Lucy is 14 (we think at least. She’s a rescue so we don’t know for sure). She has always enjoyed a good nap, a little lounging, and giving everyone a healthy dose of side eye.
That’s not necessarily “lethargic.”
That’s just Lucy.
Unfortunately, Lucy is still sick and is still at the vet. She’s not home yet, and we’re still trying to figure out exactly what is going on and what she needs.
And that has been the hardest part of this whole week.
Just waiting.
Waiting for updates. Waiting for test results. Waiting to see if the treatment is working. Waiting for the phone to ring and hoping the next update is a good one.
Just when Lucy was getting a little too much attention, Lee apparently decided to join the sick club and came down with the flu.
Because why have one sick family member when you can have two?
At least he was home with me, which was actually a good thing. He got to walk me back from the ledge during the many moments I was spiraling about Lucy.
And then, because apparently the universe wasn’t quite finished with us yet, we added one more thing to the week’s crap sandwich.
We live right on the edge of a forest, and while I was walking the boys to the bus stop, my AirPod case — which was attached to my wrist — somehow flew open.
My right AirPod disappeared.
Into the forest.
Somewhere.
I searched. I retraced my steps. I tried unsuccessfully to ping it.
Nothing.
At some point I decided that the spiders, bugs, snakes, and whatever other creatures live in that forest could have it.
It was their AirPod now.
New country. Same chaos.
And honestly, that pretty much sums up week 5.
It wasn’t our best week.
But it wasn’t all bad either.
Beckett and Sam started football (soccer) training at their school, which they’re both loving.
I went to my first PTA meeting at their new school and, much to my delight, discovered they have a Halloween Night.
If you know me, you know I live for this.
Apparently, I moved halfway around the world and still somehow found my way into the PTA.
The Dickinson moms trained me well.
And then there’s the bigger lesson I’m trying to remind myself of through all of this.
In my last post, I talked about trying to adopt a little of the Ted Lasso mentality as we navigate this whole adventure.
One of my favorite Ted Lasso lessons is the idea of being a goldfish.
In the show, Ted tells the team that a goldfish has a ten-second memory and says:
“Be a goldfish.”
The point isn’t literally to forget everything. It’s to not let a mistake, disappointment, bad moment, or rough day consume you. Acknowledge it, learn from it, and then let it go.
So that’s what I’m trying to do.
Lucy got sick.
Lee got sick.
I lost an AirPod to the Korean wilderness.
It was a crappy week.
But the boys are happy.
Lee is recovering.
We’re still exploring.
We’re still learning.
And we’re still here.
And Lucy is still fighting.
So I’m choosing to be a goldfish.
And when that doesn’t work, I’ll fall back on the Cummings family motto:
It could always be worse.
Because sometimes moving your family halfway around the world isn’t beautiful beaches and Korean BBQ.
Sometimes it’s emergency vets, Google Translate, flu, tears, lost AirPods, and wondering what exactly is living in the forest behind your house.
Sometimes it’s sitting in your new home, 6,000 miles from everything familiar, waiting for a phone call about the dog you’ve had for 14 years.
And that’s hard.
Really hard.
But we’re figuring it out as we go.
We’re taking it one day at a time.
One update at a time.
And right now, we’re just praying that the next update about Lucy is a good one.
One chaotic week at a time.
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