The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: 이번엔 제대로|Second Tour, Second Chance: Kaitlin Barclay's Korea | Episode 8 (2026)
Up next on my love-letter-to-Korea series...Kaitlin Barclay is a military veteran and a military spouse of almost fifteen years, now living in South Korea for the second time. The first time, she was in her twenties and mostly there for the nightlife. This time, she came back to do it right, and it changed her.
Kaitlin has lived both sides of military life, first as a service member and now as a spouse. She tells me about six isolating months in a suburban house with a yard, and the huge apartment complex that changed everything. We get into beauty standards, being stared at for her fair skin, the whiplash of going home, and why "you're not allowed to age" here, though that's slowly shifting. We talk about the gyopo gray area, where foreigners get a grace that Korean-Americans often don't, and about being visibly tattooed across three continents, including in a country that only recently legalized tattooing. She shares the story of a subway stranger who tapped her shoulder, not to scold her, but to help.
We also talk about what it costs a military spouse to keep a career alive while someone else's orders move her life every few years. Kaitlin holds three medical certifications, two bachelor's degrees, and a master's, and has still ended up working at Dunkin' Donuts and a pet store. She explains how volunteering became her bridge to paid work, the A3 visa rules nobody warns you about, and her non-negotiables for anyone hoping to thrive in Korea, not just survive it.
It's honest, funny in places, and it doesn't flinch from the parts of expat life nobody puts on Instagram.
“You truly need to experience everything, everywhere, as much as possible. And you need to be able to just take it in for what it is. But at the exact same time, prepare for some of the things to change you, in some of the best and worst ways possible.” Go listen to the full conversation. This one's for every military family, expat, sojourner, and anyone who's ever had to rebuild a life somewhere without instructions.
