Tag Page ExpatReality

Texas to Seoul: Snow Changed Everything

Twenty-eight years in Texas. Not once did I think I needed snow. Then Seoul happened. The visa stress, the language barrier, the way grocery shopping felt like solving puzzles. I was drowning in bureaucracy and homesickness when winter hit. Gyeongbokgung Palace under fresh snow stopped me mid-step. The red pillars against white silence. Tourists taking selfies while I just stood there, finally breathing. It wasn't the snow itself. It was realizing I'd spent decades thinking Texas was enough—that I was enough—without ever testing either theory. Sometimes the thing you never knew you needed finds you 8,000 miles from everything familiar. Sometimes it's just snow falling on a 600-year-old palace, teaching a stubborn Texan what beauty looks like when you're brave enough to be lost. #ExpatReality #Seoul #LifeTransition #Travel