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.
Saturday, 28 February 2009
Thursday, 26 February 2009
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 . . .”
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 . . .”
Sunday, 8 February 2009
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.
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