This Global Pandemic with Kara in South Korea | Ep. 36
The final stop in our series, “This Global Pandemic,” is in South Korea to visit Oklahoma native, Kara. She, her husband, and their four kids experienced the world of coronavirus, quarantines, and face masks before many of us in other parts of the world knew what was coming. In this episode, she shares the benefits of living in a very communal culture during a pandemic and how she and her husband made the decision to stay put for 2020, even though they had long-awaited travel plans to go to the States. Kara shares about some of the humorous moments of 2020, as well as how she finally gave herself permission to grieve the things that are hard about expat life.
Connect with our guest, Kara: her personal Instagram | her poetry account
Connect with the podcast team:
Alicia
Denise
Melissa
Questions discussed during this episode:
How and when did you first come to learn of the coronavirus and what did the response look like in South Korea?
What was the moment you realized this was serious?
How has South Korea responded to this pandemic?
How are you feeling about the coronavirus now and how are you and your family adjusting to it?
How are your children adapting to this “new normal” and what are their thoughts about the coronavirus?
What are some positive things you’ve seen happen?
Have there been times when you broke down (maybe with tears, maybe in frustration)? What caused that to happen? How did you move forward?
What’s made you laugh?
Tell us a little bit about your personality (feel free to reference enneagram number and/or Mysers-Briggs type) and tell us how this what you’ve noticed about yourself during these times.
What are some of the things that became scarce in your country (if anything)?
What are some plans/trips/celebrations you had that have changed or been cancelled? How have you worked through that loss?
How is the government and leaders in your host country handling this situation? What are your thoughts/feelings about it?
What are you reading? Listening to? Repeating to yourself over and over?
Noteworthy Quotes:
"The reason that we can be bold and confident and not afraid is because we're standing with God and we know that Jesus is going to be with us."
"Seeing people continue to love each other in the face of a pandemic has been a really powerful picture of how we just press on!"
"Seeing people mourn losses gave me permission to mourn my own."
"I have to remind myself that circumstances, global situations, governments — they're all so volatile, and they're unpredictable...but the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases."
"God doesn't need me to keep the world moving. His role in that is complete."
Mentioned in this episode:
Taking Route on Instagram.
Join our private group on Facebook. (Be sure to answer the questions so we can let you in!)
Related episodes and articles:
Episode 35: This Global Pandemic with Melissa in Brazil | show notes
Episode 33: This Global Pandemic with Rachel in India | show notes
Episode 32: This Global Pandemic with Kim in Ukraine | show notes
Episode 31: Leaving Your Host Country During the Pandemic with Alicia Boyce | show notes
ITTS #9: All About Staying During a Pandemic | show notes
Show credits:
Hosted by Denise James, Alicia Boyce, and Melissa Faraday // produced and edited by Melissa Faraday // music by Melissa Faraday // content managed by Kim Johnson.
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