Photo By Cpl. Jaewoo Oh | Pfc. Ariel A. De la Cruz, a platoon driver assigned to Company A, 6th Battalion, 37th...... read more read more
CAMP CASEY, South Korea - Being deployed overseas and away from family, Korea may seem an unfamiliar place for young U.S. Soldiers who are not yet aware of the value in a Korean tour of duty.
Despite her initial apprehension, Pfc. Ariel A. De la Cruz, a platoon driver assigned to Company A, 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 210th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S Combined Division, pushed through her fears and found the beauty of South Korea by immersing herself in the culture and scenery.
“To be honest, when I first got here, I was scared of Korea,” said De la Cruz, a Sierra Vista, Arizona native. “Everything was so new and different from the place I came from. However, I have come to love this place as I explored more and more about Korea.”
Some of her first impressions about the country involved the climate. Like most of her fellow troops at Camp Casey, she was astonished by the extreme weather changes of Korea.
“It was winter when I first landed here, so the breeze was much too cold for an Arizona native like me,” said De la Cruz. “It was my first time to see actual snow falling from the sky.”
“I was amazed how the weather changed with a blink of an eye from the freezing cold winter to the humid summer,” she continued. “Making snowmen with my buddies in winter and the seeing cherry blossoms for the first time are my favorite memories.”
In addition to the weather, De la Cruz found Korean foods irresistible. Having never tasted Korean food prior to her arrival, she instantly fell in love with the dishes after sampling many of the traditional and popular cuisines.
“I love Bulgogi, so naturally I went to many Korean barbeque restaurants with my Korean friends,” said De la Cruz. “They recommended excellent restaurants and taught me how to properly cook my meals at self-cooking barbeque restaurants.”
For De la Cruz, Korea has not only delivered on her expectations, it also provided her with more than she hoped for. She contributes that outcome to being open minded and willing to take that first step.
If they decide to stay inside the barracks all the time, they will miss their opportunity to experience the real South Korea, said De la Cruz. According to her, the choice to venture out and explore a world beyond post is one individual Soldiers must make.
As some say, memories are all that is left when time passes by. By collecting memories, one can reminisce and share the true value of travelling the world.
“I still believe there are some things that I have yet to have seen and explored in Korea. I hope I can come back here to find more memories I can treasure,” said De la Cruz.
| Date Taken: | 09.14.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2015 03:07 |
| Story ID: | 177171 |
| Location: | CAMP CASEY, KR |
| Hometown: | SIERRA VISTA, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, My Korea, My Life, by CPL Jaewoo Oh, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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