The Beginning of Goodbyes

Tonight we said goodbye to our very best Korean friends, the Lees. They live below us on the 9th floor in our apartment building and from the moment we moved in, showed us the utmost gracious hospitality. Both Hwa Jung and Mr. Lee are teachers and because they were able to spend a few years in America, learned English very well. They have 2 daughters. Their youngest went to school with Sadie.

We joined them in their apartment tonight for farewell wishes and yummy Korean treats. Hwa Jung knows I LOVE those Korean rice cakes called dak and she had all of our favorite fruits like those yummy Korean yellow melons.

We hope we get to see them again in the States. They have future plans to travel to the U.S. possibly next summer.

Kindergarten Graduation

A very special moment for all of us. Benjamin's Kindergarten
Promotion Ceremony from Daegu American School in South Korea.

Proud mama

Mr. Casciani's Kindergarten Class 2008-2009

Mr. Casciani's favorite student!

Benjamin's Birthday Blowout Bash

3 Parties in the U.S., 1 School Party, 1 celebration at home in Korea, and a blowout Bash = 6 Birthday Parties for our very special boy. Benjamin certainly deserved this belated birthday/farewell party for him and his friends in Korea.

It was a royal gala indeed. All of the children entered the royal kingdom and decorated crowns and then were entertained by a magician/balloon magician. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to Benjamin's friends.

27 Days and Counting

Picture note: A common sight to see friends holding hands or in this situation mostly likely mother and daughter.

We are in the home stretch, although still pending some important paperwork, our estimated departure date is June 27th. Our flights home will hopefully include a three-day layover in Hawaii.

We will have lived in Korea just a little over one year. And as fate would have it, of course, during these last few months we have discovered many things that would have been quite helpful twelve months ago. Like, I just discovered the pediatrician in our home town who speaks English and is very friendly. We’ve been schlepping 40 minutes to Daegu city every time the kids came down with something. These wonderful children’s academies that line the streets with art, music and taekwondo lessons are fairly easy to enroll in, are very cheap and provide great after school extra curricular activities for Benjamin. I even have myself taking piano lessons four days a week for the last month that we will be here so I am prepared to greet my piano back home.

It’s really amazing just how much time it takes just to get situated in a foreign place and get a bearing of your surroundings if you are not living in an area populated by many expats, and – especially when young children are involved.

One thing Steve and I have had several conversations about is the way we will act toward foreigners or immigrants in the U.S. in the future. Not to feel indifferent. We will always try to lend a helping hand when we can or provide assistance. We have come to know first hand the struggles of living in a strange land where you can’t speak the language and aren’t familiar with the customs. We have been extremely fortunate to have English speaking Korean neighbors who have made many situations easier for us, communicating with Sadie’s school or providing directions when we were lost.

I think our family should make it a mitzvah project and practice gemilut hasadim (in Hebrew “an act of loving-kindness”) to help out local immigrants in some way when we return so we can give back the same kindness we received so often., make a better effort to befriend the parents of our kids’ classmates who are from different countries and are too shy to introduce themselves. I want to spare someone the tears of frustration that I encountered on occasions, the feeling of being lost, and an outsider. It may be as simple as saying, “hey, I can tell you where you can get a great discount on shoes, or we know a really nice park you can take your kids to.” The list is endless.

So it may have taken just as long as our stay to figure some things out, but we gained some additional skills in being resourceful and creative along the way that we can apply in other areas of our lives. We may have never completely gotten ourselves into a groove, but powerful lessons were learned and some big accomplishments were made.

The Ajuma Dance

I'm not really sure what it's all about. Maybe it's just plain fun, but it seems that whatever park we're at there are a bunch of seniors dancing to music. Kudos to them for being so active, but it's a little funny to watch, hence the video.

Bugok Hawaii

We went on a new adventure today to Bugok Hawaii spa and amusement park. First, let me tell you that the Korean version of a spa is not the American version of a spa. It typically means they have saunas or hot springs. But in this case the park also had an indoor and outdoor water park. Only the indoor water park is open right now.

They also had a botanical gardens walk and of course amusement park rides, because EVERY park in Korea is equipped with amusement park rides. It's a little abnoxious after a while. Oh- and I forgot the taxidermy museum. The kids thought the stuffed animals were pretty cool.

Anyhow, the kids had a really fun time swimming, going down slides and floating around the lazy river. They even had a pretty decent acrobatics show. All in all in was a pretty decent day and a successful adventure out. We're all pooped out!

We Made the Journey

We’ve just heard from HR the news of our release date from Korea – June 21st. After this date we’ll be making our plans to return to Richmond and our one-year tour of Korea will be completed. I’ve been wanting to sum up my array of feelings that I’ve had from our experiences, but today instead I’m just going to share a moment that I think will give you some insight about my thoughts.

Yesterday Sadie had the day off from school so we drove to Daegu, met up with a friend and her children and headed to the Arboretum for some fun in the sun. Since I was in Daegu already I planned to surprise Benjamin at school and pick him up to spare him from the long bus ride home. So there we were, Sadie and I at Benjamin’s school staring at his big beaming smile; so happy to see us.

We hopped in the minivan and started cruising home along the highway, the windows cracked on this bright sunny day, radio on, kids playing with their stuffed animals in the back seat and the rice fields and mountains trailing us along the road.

A thought popped into my head. I knew Steve was working in Busan this day and was also making his return road trip home. Wouldn’t it be fun if we saw Steve driving on the highway along side of us? But this was not possible. I was sure that from the time he had left Busan he still would be trailing us for quite a way and we would be near our exit soon.

I had to take care of some business and make a phone call to the school’s bus coordinator and ask if he could please rearrange the bus seating so Benjamin could have a buddy to sit next to. His last seat partner just moved back to the States and I didn’t want Benjamin to be lonely on his long bus rides to and from school. Mr. Bus Coordinator told me he would see what he could do and I thanked him and clicked my phone closed.

As I was shifting my attention back to the drive and the happy thoughts from the day I heard someone honking next to me. “It’s Daddy,” I yelled. “Look at Daddy, he’s in the car next to us!” Benjamin and Sadie turned to the window and saw Steve with a big smile waving back at us. There we were, in the middle of the highway, both with our mutual smiles. My smile was saying, “there’s my husband, the father of my children, so proud of him, look he’s driving home from Busan, he’s made this journey, look, we’re together.”

And his smile saying, “look, there’s my wife and kids, my wife is driving my kids home from Daegu, she’s learned her way around this city, she’s on her way home, I’m so proud of her, she’s made this journey.”

And so there we were, side by side. We made the journey. We made the journey. We followed each other through the exit, paid our tolls, rode down the street. Steve turned into the army base to return to work. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw him giving us a big wave. I remained straight down the road, the kids were in the back seat, playing and laughing until we arrived back at our apartment. “We’re home kids," I said. "We made it.”

Happy Children's Day

About a week ago Sadie's school teacher informed me that the school would be closed on May 5th for Children's Day. My initial response was - oh great, another day for the school to close. This can't be such a big deal - it sounds like any other American greeting holiday like Valentine's Day to me.

But today is May 4th and when Sadie and I walked into her school this morning we were greeted by bouquets of balloons. How cute I thought that they are making such a big deal about Children's Day. When I went to pick Sadie up from school, her favorite teacher Mrs. Choi handed her two wrapped presents and a lollipop with a laminated card that Mrs. Choi typed up.

It said: "To Sadie, I love you, I like you. Have a nice day. Today is Children's Day, May 5, 2009. From, teacher Mrs. Choi.

It was such a sweet gesture. So I looked up Children's Day on the internet and found out that it's about as big of a deal as Christmas is for American children. Children are indulged with food and presents and taken to amusements parks. It is meant to highlight the need to care and love and respect young children and for parents to spend time with their kids.

So although Benjamin still has school tomorrow, I'm going to make an effort to have a special "Sadie" day. Maybe we'll do some girly things together like play dollies or have a tea party.

Here is a little more information about Children's Day http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=408337

Traditional Tea Garden Ceremony

The International Women’s group was putting on an event that I was really looking forward to attending – a traditional garden tea ceremony followed by a luncheon in a traditional Korean house setting. The location was at Keimyung University in Daegu.

When the time came, Sadie came down with a fever, but Steve, being the wonderful husband that he is, volunteered to stay home that day with her so I could still attend the event.

It was just such a lovely event. I mingled between the Korean nationals and other women as we witnessed the methodical and beautiful demonstration. This is not to say I learned very much, being that it was specifically a demonstration, however it was pleasing to watch, the scenery was gorgeous and the whole timing with the arrival of spring and assimilating into nature was very relaxing. There was a whole health/zen connection going on.

After the demonstration we were treated to a fabulous lunch tray with an assortment of mostly Korean and Japanese cuisine. I sat with my friends who are Korean American and Japanese American and two other women who happened to be from Korea and Japan. We had interesting discussions about the government and North Korea and food and of course – tea.

We then proceeded into little traditional style Korean buildings for samplings of tea and treats. It turned out to be a perfect day, except for poor Steve tending to sick little Sadie. I think she was happier in the end to have her daddy playing with her and putting her little bear and dollies to sleep under blankets. Daddy always turns out to be the better playmate and waaaay more fun.

Next month will be the last International Women's event of the year. It has been fun to have been involved and gain new experiences through the association. I feel really lucky and privileged to have been a part and included with such a nice group of women from around the world.

Creative Outlets

We're back! That is Benjamin, Sadie and I from our month long tour around the US. And quite a tour it was from Chicago to Maryland to Virginia. I will post more about that later, but quite frankly I'm still recovering from such a trip and it will exhaust me even to write about it.

So instead I'm going to share about my delightful day attending a Japanese floral arrangement class. It was the perfect escape from the hectic (yet mostly fun) past thirty days that I endured. This is something I can definitely see keeping up once back in the States. It has a very calming and peaceful affect working between the branches, flowers and water. The arrangements are so elegant and fragile. This will definitely go down as another top highlight of this tour. I can't wait to attend the class again next month.

My floral arrangement. Although I can't take complete credit for this on my own since Miss Ha had to guide me through the proper method and placement.

The array of flowers and branches we had to choose from filled the room with a beautiful aroma.

Our instructor Miss Ha is very skilled in this art and studied for many years.

The room once everyone got started on their arrangements.

Fun with Communication

We always get a good chuckle out of the English t-shirts Koreans wear, names of restaurants and knock-off everything - like the convenient store called CNN with the television's official-like CNN logo.

I appreciate soooo much that Sadie's teachers try to communicate with me the best they can. They just started a daily journal for her and send notes home every day. I'm sure it would sound just as funny if we tried to find Korean translations for English words. Steve and I like trying to make sense of them - it's kind of like our daily word puzzle.

Here's today's journal entry:

March 5

"Her diaper is necessary" (I'm guessing she needs more diapers).

"Her milk needs" (They obviously need more milk).

"Today the feces" (She had a poopy diaper).

"There was a fun today and it lived" (She must have had a fun day, not sure about it lived part).

"She calls a lullaby with Korean" (She enjoys a particular Korean lullaby).

"She is cute" (She is cute!!)

My Little Korean Baby

Sadie singing her Korean prayer before meals. All of the kids at school sing this prayer together before they eat. This time I made her do it twice so I could capture it on video so she was a little anxious to eat her rice, but it was still cute.

The Gift of Experiences

Never mind everyone telling me how brave Steve and I were for moving our family across the world to Korea. The real troopers here are my kids. I couldn't be more proud of Benjamin especially. Those who know him well know he is an old soul with a very special spirit. From our camping trips walking along the Appalachian Trail to meditating in the mountains with monks, he always has a positive attitude and appreciates the small delights.

This move hasn’t been the easiest adjustment on him. To begin with he has a new pesky little sister to deal with and had to say good-bye to his favorite dog. His school bus comes at seven in the morning when it’s still dark outside and he rides the bus about forty-five minutes to school and back every day. We live far from the youth activities that the American base offers. Still, Benjamin has handled all of the obstacles amazingly well for a five year old. He loves to eat with his chopsticks and ride the subway and the bullet train, and eat bulgolgi at the Korean restaurants.

Recently I enrolled him in a Korean art school. He has been going after school twice a week. The teachers do not speak English and he is the only American child in his class. A little bus drops him off at our apartment after class. I am so proud of him. He never once put up a fight or resisted because he would be the only American kid in class. He is so brave and everyday I admire his kind-hearted soul.

Sadie is my real Korean baby. She’s been attending a Korean nursery school for six months – again the only American child in the school. She literally understands and speaks more Korean than the rest of us in the family. It’s so cute to see her little Korean mannerisms – the way she squats and bows. Her favorite food is rice. She could eat rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m told she likes her seaweed and anchovy soups at school and she would rather eat a cucumber for dinner than a piece of pizza or mac n cheese any night. The teachers and students adore her at school. The teachers are very skilled in many areas including art and music. The other day I dropped her off a little late and the children were all sitting around singing songs while one teacher played piano. No cd player, not sitting in a circle singing “the wheels on the bus,” but instead the children get to enjoy this gift every day.

This is a gift and experience I hope that one day both Sadie and Benjamin will look back at and appreciate. I hope that they will always look upon new experiences and opportunities with an open mind and with optimism. When they meet new people, travel to different lands, or just think of the past, they will always be able to say, “When I was in Korea . . .”

Happy New Year Trees

It's Tu B'Shevat - the Jewish New Year for the Trees.

This is the time the new fruit-bearing cycle begins in Israel. It's customary to plant new trees in Israel and eat special fruits.

We celebrated appropriately by visiting the Daegu Arboretum. A one time sanitary landfill turned ecological park. It was really beautiful even without much blooming this time of year and comforting to be with nature, listening to birds and strolling along the nicely landscaped walking paths. A true treat since we so dearly miss our yearly membership to the Richmond Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. We really can't wait to return in the spring to see the foliage and blossoms.

Thailand

Sawatdee Kah (Hello in Thai)

Less than one year into this adventure and I can tell you so far it was all worth it just for this trip to Thailand. I already knew I loved the food, but Phuket was the most beautiful place we've ever seen - yet. It was so lush and serene. Benjamin and Sadie had an amazing adventure riding an elephant named Tan, and then feeding him bananas. We also had some wonderful culinary experiences thanks to Grandpa Ron's and Sandy's adventuresome spirits. We got off the resort property and went to some local seafood restaurants where we picked our own fresh fish from the tanks that they prepared for us with the most delicious sauces and blend of fresh vegetables and seasonings. The beaches were so tranquil. We met people from all over the world staying at our resort. For Steve's birthday we went on an amazing sea canoe trip exploring sea caves and lagoons in the Indian Ocean - seeing mud skippers for the first time, watching the bioluminescence of the plankton at night and taking in the breathtaking scenery of several islands at sea. The weather was perfect, and to top it off we were with family, the first time since we left the States in June. We're already trying to plan our next vacation in the Far East during Benjamin's spring break in April (Far East sounds so exotic). I am so glad we are really taking advantage of every aspect of our tour in Korea from national to international travel, taking in the rich cultures and having new experiences. It was our intention from the beginning and I'm so happy to see it become a reality.

Dance Party

Sadie's Korean preschool put on an end of the semester dance performance. There are less than 30 students in the school, but that did not stop them from putting on the works, including costume rentals, a man who emceed the entire show, a dj, a great stage set-up and props, and a professional videographer. It was the cutest darn thing (right up there with Benjamin's preschool graduation in caps and gowns).

Sadie really enjoys her school. She loves to get ready in the morning and walk over there. She understands a lot of Korean and also speaks some Korean when she is there. It's really amazing what she has learned in only a few months of being there. She even bows to the teachers when she sees them in the morning and when she leaves in the afternoon. When I pick her up she says "Anyang" (good-bye) to all of her friends.

Winter Rut

I'm afraid to say that I do not get the "Winter Season" Mom award, if there was such one. I don't know how I lived in Chicago for 24 years. It's not even that frigid here but I just feel like hibernating until the first signs of spring appear. It's been difficult finding activities for the kids, and especially with Steve travelling so much recently, since he's the one more apt to layer up and climb a mountain or take the kids to a park when it's cold outside.

So we resort to taking the kids to the indoor play areas that seem to be in abundance in Korea. Of course, they also come with an abundance of germs. A sure-fire way to build up a child's immunity.

Needless to say I can't report any exciting adventures lately except for doctor visits after our playland excursions. A couple of times we've headed to the gym on-post and created our own fun with balls and hula-hoops, games of tag and running around.

However, on Saturday the 31st, we fly down to Phuket, Thailand for 6 nights to relax on the sunny beach at the Marriott Resort and Spa. It will also be the first time to see family because Steve's Dad, Ron, and his wife, Sandy are flying all the way from MD to see us. It will be the perfect way to spend Steve's birthday which is February 5th. And then spring will be right around the corner (March 20th to be exact). Stay tuned to hear about our next Asian adventure when we return.

Farmers Market

This market is in downtown Waegwan just a few blocks from our apartment where you can buy fresh and organic fruits and vegetables, fish, and other household items all year long. I just wish I had someone who could teach me about all of the different variety of produce and especially about the large selection of grains.