Elizabeth Wright looked out of her plane window into the serene blue sky. She yawned slightly and smiled at how beautiful the clouds were, being highlighted by the sunrise. It was going to take a couple of days to adjust to the time zone change. Being in the United States Air Force had given her ample opportunities to travel the world. Elizabeth made sure to cherish every base she was assigned to, because things could change in the blink of an eye. She would be stationed at Osan Air Force Base for the next two years. Her mind danced with thoughts of what her experience would be like. She had a good feeling about this assignment, but didn’t know why. The flight attendant stopped by her aisle providing refreshments. It wouldn’t be long before she would arrive at the airport. As she sipped on her soda, she pulled up an app on her iPhone that taught the Korean language. With her headphones in her ears, she played the sound to each phrase and quietly repeated the words, so as not to disturb those around her. She hoped she would be able to speak Korean well with her time stationed there.

                Two hours later her plane touched down and she was scanning the crowd for her name card from her sponsor. Once she saw her name, she walked over with her luggage.

                “SSgt (Staff Sergeant) Wright? Pleasure to meet you. I’m TSgt (Tech Sergeant) Patricia Jones. Feel free to call me Trish, though. Welcome to Korea.” They shook hands and Elizabeth followed Trish to her car. “So, I assume this is your first assignment to Korea?” Trish asked as they pulled out of the parking lot and started heading towards Osan Air Force Base.

                “Yes. It is. How long have you been stationed here? Do you like it here in Korea?” Elizabeth asked as she started taking in the scenery looking out her passenger-side window.

                “A year and a half. I love it here. If you want, I can show you around town later. I’m sure you’re jet-lagged. Stick with me, and you’ll be having the time of your life. Unless you’re the type who just stays to herself…” Trish said as she quickly glanced at Elizabeth, searching for her answer.

                “Of course I’d love to hang out with you. I want to know every nook of this place with my eyes wide shut by the time I leave here. I don’t want to pass out on amazing opportunities…this is a once-in-your-lifetime experience. Not many people get the chance that we have to travel the world. A little rest and relaxation won’t hurt, but I’m up for whatever you have planned later.” Elizabeth smiled. She liked Trish. Trish was bubbly and energetic; something that Elizabeth could relate to. Something was telling her in the back of her mind that they’d end up being really close friends.

                “That’s what I like to hear. So, tell me a bit about yourself and I can figure out stuff we can do for fun.” Trish said as they were driving on the highway.

                “Well,…I love to sing. Love to travel of course. Um,…tell me what they have around town close to base and on post and I’ll let you know if I like it or not.” Elizabeth said.

                “If you love singing so much, you might like visiting some norabangs. It’s a club that has separate karaoke rooms where you can sing out to your heart’s content. But don’t worry, though…they have songs in English as well as Korean to sing along to. Hhhhmmmm…we can always stop by the USO (United Services Organizations – a nonprofit organization that provides entertainment for the US troops) on base to see what trips they have available. Did you bring a lot of clothes with you? I know that your furniture and other personal belongings may take one to three months before it gets here. If you want, I can take you shopping in the local market for some clothes. They’ve got some really nice threads here.” Trish said excitedly.

                “I think I have a decent amount of clothes, but I would love to go out into town and see what they have. Do you speak Korean well since you’ve been here over a year?” Elizabeth asked.

                “Not fluently, but enough to get by. Korean isn’t too hard to learn if you’re willing to speak it. Have you been trying to learn it before coming here, or do you not plan on speaking it at all?” Trish asked as they pulled up to the gate of the Air Force base. Both females got out their military IDs to show to the security forces male to get on post. Upon checking the photo of their IDs and seeing a match, the male handed back their IDs and Trish moved the car forward, gaining access to the base.

                “Oh no, I definitely want to learn. I was just mainly trying to familiarize myself with key phrases that people use for conversation. You mind helping me learn the language?” Elizabeth asked as they pulled up to the dorm where she would be staying. Both women got out and started unloading Elizabeth’s luggage from the trunk of the car and made their way inside to the third floor. Trish opened the door to Elizabeth’s room. Due to Elizabeth’s rank, her room was much nicer than the lower enlisted dorm rooms. Space was still limited because of living in Korea, but Elizabeth’s room had a bed, desk, private bathroom, small living room area and tiny kitchen. This room was all to herself and would not be shared with anyone else.

                “Of course I’ll help you learn the language. Never know…you might meet some hot guy in town and may need to know how to converse with him.” Trish giggled as Elizabeth looked around her room.

                “True. Very true! You bring up a good point.” Elizabeth said smiling.

                “Well, how about you go ahead and rest for a little bit and I’ll come by later to get you situated with everything. I’ll show you where everything is on base and maybe after that I can take you out on the town and we can grab some dinner there?” Trish asked as Elizabeth nodded. “By the way, I figured you would need to rest from your long flight, so I already went and set up your bed. I hope you don’t mind.” Trish said as she pointed towards the sheets, comforter, and pillow on the bed.

                “You are a life saver! Thank you so much, Trish. I like you already. It seems like you’re going to be my best friend. You are so awesome!” Elizabeth gave Trish a quick hug and lay down on her bed.

                “No problem at all. You seem like an amazing woman yourself. Well, take a quick nap and I’ll be by in about two to three hours.” Trish said as she waved goodbye to Elizabeth and let herself out the door.

                Elizabeth sighed and grinned to herself. Her day was going so well and she couldn’t wait to see what was in store for her with her assignment to Korea.