Q: What is the Great American Smokeout? A: The Great American Smokeout is an annual event sponsored by the American Cancer Society held every third Thursday of November. The goal is to encourage smokers to make a plan to quit or use the day as their quit date. Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US affecting nearly one in five American adults.

Q: How is smoking culture in South Korea different from the US? A: Dramatically different — smoking restrictions in Korea are significantly more relaxed than in the US. Ashtrays sit on virtually every restaurant table and people smoke freely in most public spaces. As non smokers living there the constant exposure to second hand smoke was one of our most consistent frustrations — the idea that someone else’s habit becomes your health problem whether you choose it or not feels fundamentally unfair regardless of where in the world you are.

Q: What bad habits are hardest to break as an adult? A: The ones that are tied to emotional states rather than just physical cravings. Being too hard on yourself — Adam’s nomination for my worst habit — is one of the most insidious because it masquerades as self awareness or high standards. Staying connected with friends through transitions and life changes is another that sneaks up on you when you are busy adjusting to a new chapter of life.

Q: How does moving abroad affect your personal habits and routines? A: Profoundly and in both directions. Some habits dissolve naturally when you are removed from the environment that sustained them. Others get worse under the stress and disorientation of adjustment. Living in Korea made us dramatically more active and adventurous — it also made maintaining friendships back home feel genuinely difficult in ways we did not fully anticipate.

Q: How do you rebuild social connections after living abroad? A: Slowly and with patience for yourself in the process. Coming home after an extended time abroad is its own kind of culture shock and the disconnection from friends and community is real and valid. The key is recognizing that the distance is temporary and that the friendships worth keeping will survive the gap — which ours consistently have.