The Family and the holidays have come and gone, now its back to teaching...

It's already been a week since my family left Korea to go back to CA, which means its already been two weeks since they arrived for their visit! And since they left I've celebrated New Years and started teaching an English Immersion Winter Camp!

The visit by Mom, Dad and Scott was much anticipated, needed and enjoyed. I miss everyone already, mostly because it was so much fun to have everyone here! It was great to be able to show visitors Korea, eat at our favorite restaurants, take in the culture and to explore more of Seoul together. And of course it was amazingly wonderful to have everyone together for Christmas. It hadn't felt much like Christmas before they got here, even though Jason and I decorated and had been listening to Christmas music, which we were kind of sad about, but once the three of them arrived, decorations and presents in hand, it felt a little more right. Jason and I were also very glad to have a weeks break from teaching and/or "desk warming" (we hadn't really taught in over a month, really we had just been sitting at our desks because we were required to be at school while students took tests, went on field trips and basically partied for the last few weeks of school. Why there are two weeks of school left after final exams beats me.) I do feel somewhat more renewed now. It was so nice to have familiar faces around, to be able to talk and relax. I just wish I had even more time with them! There is still so much to see of Korea and there is still so much to catch up on!

To tell a little of what happened over the course of the week, here are the highlights.

The Wednesday they arrived I went to Incheon Airport from Wonju to meet them. It was a three hour bus ride. They were supposed to arrive around 7:30pm and the last bus to Wonju for the night was at 9:10pm. Close but enough time. Except, when I woke up on Wednesday I saw that Mom had texted me right before they had boarded the plane at LAX to say there were already delayed by two hours! Thus their plane didn't arrive and unload until about 8:45pm. I was watching the flight time travel updates all day in hopes this would miraculously change but alas it did not! So as I stood at the gate anxiously awaiting their arrival I also watched the clock tick past 9:10. Finally they emerged and to my surprise I wasn't upset at all about having missed the bus, I was just so happy to see them! I wish I could watch them emerge from the terminal at Incheon every month! I just love the excitement and anticipation and eventual rush of happiness! The three were a little tired but in good spirits. I told them we'd have to find somewhere to stay for the night. Mom went over and talked to the Korean Air people because that's who they'd flown through and told them what happened. Good idea she did because they gave us a free stay in the airport Hyatt! We got a room with four beds in a beautiful hotel that operated a private airport shuttle! It worked out nicely because everyone got to sleep comfortably and shower. I was a little worried because it meant I'd have to miss work on Thursday morning, which meant I had to call my coteacher and explain to him what happened, but he was understanding and I wasn't disappointed at all that I got to hang out with my family instead of desk warm!

We chatted and looked out the window during our bus ride to Wonju the next day. I threw Mom and Scott in a taxi and told the driver to take them to my school "Sangji yogo," which luckily he did and luckily it was the right place, while Dad and I took a different taxi. There was too much luggage for one. We got to my apartment and then immediatly left for my school. I was expected and I told my coteacher I would bring my family over to see everything and meet him. From noon until four pm we were on a whirlwind tour of Sangji, its students and its teachers! I first took them to the English Zone where they met one of my favorite students (who made me cookies for Christmas!!) and were mobbed by a random group of first graders. They were so curious, they asked a lot of questions, tried to touch Scott's hair, and were just crazy! I tried to warm my family they were energetic! Then we met my coteacher Mr. Byeon who gave us some snacks and then told us we would go meet the Principal. I made sure my family knew to accept everything given to them. We had a really long tea time with the Principal, Mr. Byeon translated and we expressed our thanks, he talked about wanting a sister school in the US, etc. The meeting ended with the Principal asking where they would stay in Wonju. I said with me. He then insisted on giving us a free nights stay at a "four star" hotel in Wonju. I tried to say no. Mr. Byeon got quiet and looked at me, then looked at the Principal. "It would be a good experience..." he went on. I got the hint. I had to accept. It was true Korean style, subtly pressuring me into saying yes. So I agreed, he called the hotel, told them to expect us and gave me the vouchers. My parents felt like celebrities! Then it was time to meet all the teachers in the school, at the teachers after school meeting! Gulp! My parents had to stand up in front of all the teachers and say something. Then Mr. Byeon took us on a tremendous tour of the school. We visited classroom after classroom, office after office, he dragged us over to the high school where we met the nurse, the office manager, the tech guy, the VP. Mind you I've never had a tour of the high school, I've never met these people, I was shown things at Sangji I didn't even know existed! Where was my tour and introduction when I first got here? Apparently forgotten. At the end of it all Jason finally met up with us, he'd been at English camp all day. We were exhausted. It was true Mr. Byeon, true Korean style! Frustrating and amusing all at once. That night we were basically forced to stay at the hotel, which was definintely not a "four star" hotel because they made my coteacher drive us there, so we couldn't escape. It was a little sad because everyone wanted to stay at my place because we'd finally arrived and it was cute and snug for Christmas. We did have an excellent tofu dinner at my favorite place and from then on moved to my apartment.

Tofu dinner on the way. Did I mention we always sit on the floor in Wonju?

Friday I had to "work" during the morning so Mom, Dad and Scott explored a little on their own. Dad really enjoyed seeing the numerous driving ranges around town so he checked one out, and they had fun walking the streets around my apartment. Its nice I have a key code to get in because they could come and go as they pleased. In the afternoon I took them to the Wonju Central Market to see the shopping mixed in with traditional food vendors. It was super cold so not as many little old ladies selling veggies on the street were out as usual, but it was still fun to see. That night was Christmas Eve so Jason and I wanted to take them to a really nice dinner. We invited our friend Scott and the six of us went to a nice duck restaurant. There you grill the duck yourself on a burner, both smoked and normal, and you make a wrap with lettuce, onion, veggies and bean paste. The food was fabulous! Mom wanted to try soju so she, Jason and I shared a bottle. She thought it was really good! (BTW, she LOVED the instant coffee!! Maybe she's Korean?) After dinner we went for gelato in Scott's area of town. I was hoping to karaoke or go to the sauna, but everyone was so tired after days of travel and socializing we decided to go home.

Central Market

Duck dinner here I come! Merry Christmas Eve! Scott and Dad

So yummy. Grilling our dinner. 

Saturday brought Christmas morning! Mom was so great she brought us all stockings to hang and even put our names on them! She filled them with candy and toys and we got to open them at morning! Mmmm American chocolate! She also brought presents for us, some from other family members too, and we had a lot of fun sitting in the living room opening them together. (I got all great things!) (I also now refuse to take down the Christmas decorations because they make me happy.) Jason made pumpkin pancakes (courtesy of his grandma's care package). The rest of the day we just took some small walks around Wonju, saw Jason's apartment, had some coffee on the side of Chiaksan mountain (it wasn't pretty like we remembered because everything was dead and cold, haha) and had shabu shabu for dinner. Jason went crazy and ordered a huge meal, which he and Scott devoured. We settled in to watch Toy Story 3 together but didn't make it very far before everyone fell asleep! It was a nice, slow Christmas day.

Dad, Me, Mom and Scott in Wonju

Shabu shabu dinner. Mom and I

Sunday was a long day and perhaps we traveled too far but... we made it to the Eastern Sea to see Naksam Temple. It is a beautiful place right on the edge of the water. We also saw a bit of Sokcho by bus, it looks like a cute place. We had a simple lunch with some great fish as the centerpeice. No one was brave and got any crazy seafood dishes though, even though we were surrounded be fish and sea life of all kinds! Mom wanted to try more soju that night but for some reason it didn't taste nearly as good. Jason cooked a simple dinner and we watched Indiana Jones, well half of it, before falling asleep. 

Cute Yang-Yang mascot. Cute Korea! 

Drinking the sacred water at the buddhist temple. 

Eastern Sea

Lunch. Yummy fish!

Naksan Temple Gate

 Monday it was time to change location and head to Seoul. Dad and Jason checked out the sauna right next to our place (aka they got naked together and bathed!) Otherwise we started the day slowly, Dad and Mom took a last walk around the neighborhood and by the time we go the bus it was after 12. On our way to Seoul it started snowing! This caused some traffic but it was beautiful to see the snowflakes falling outside. Almost a white Christmas! From the bus station in Seoul we took the subway to our Lotte City Hotel. The subway stops right underneath it so it was super convenient to travel anywhere in the city. Jason bought us all reloadable "T-Money Cards" so we could just swipe them every time we road the subway instead of having to pay each time. Its only 900 won a ride that way. Our hotel was pretty cool. It was nice and clean, but only had one bed per room, so three of us had to share. The cool thing was that the hotel was only the first 10 stories, after that the other 30 or more were apartments! True Korea once again, high rise apartments everywhere. This also meant that the bottom two floors of the hotel/apartments were full of stores; a supermarket, restaurants, nail salon, coffee shop, etc. It was easy to get dinner that night and breakfast in the morning. Plus the supermarket had all the snacks and drinks you could need. Earlier Dad had picked up a brochure about a skating ring in the downtown area of Seoul. We decided to go check it out. We emerged from the subway in one of the nicest and most hip areas of Seoul, near City Hall and its most famous temples and shopping areas. There were thousands of Christmas lights in the trees and on the buildings lining the streets. It was beautiful and definitely reminded us that it was Christmas time! Everything was gorgeous. We easily found the skating ring and bought tickets for the next round. It was an amazing deal, only 1000 won (less than $1) to skate for 1 1/2 hours, including skate rentals! And the ring was nice and clean, with a warm locker room and a giant Christmas tree. We were a little apprehensive at first but Dad edged us on. Once we got on the ring Mom and Jason took off! Scott soon gained his ground and followed. Dad was doing well too but took a tumble at one point, hurting his wrist. I was a scardy cat at first and clung to Jason or the side wall whimpering but even I got over it! We skated the entire time and had to drag Scott off at the end. Before calling it quits we walked down some more beautifully lit streets and found the newly renovated stream that runs through central Seoul. It was a great night.

Skating with the Seoul mascot

Scott's on the move!

Watch out for this stud!

Who do you think is faster? Or enjoying this more? LOL. 

Holiday Lights! So great!

Tuesday morning brought clouds and the chance of snow. (It had snowed through the night!) In the morning we headed to Gyeonbok Palace. It was closed so we walked through the cute area of town known as Samcheondong to a different, more famous palace that was open. We also passed through the Hanok Village area of town which contains some of the renovated and thus now chic vintage Korean homes. When we entered the palace it started to snow!! It was beautiful and we had a great time prancing through it! It was a real solid snowfall and just kept coming down. It made everything hushed and clean looking. I was glad my family got to experience such a nice snow. But by the time we were done at the palace it had stopped and was clearing up! We walked on to Insadong, finally grabbed lunch, and sloshed through the now slushy streets. After a break at the hotel for some much needed R&R we headed to Myeongdong to take in the night life! Myeongdong was busy and bustling as ever, filled with high end shopping, vendors, food and neon. We had a delicious ramen dinner (Scott ate everything, he loves ramen!) we quickly stopped in a photobooth before finding a karaoke room. I luckily read a sign (in Korean!) for the "norebang" and we went in. After a five minute wait we were ushered into our private room for an hour of singing! Everyone, even Dad, had a great time singing! The room is fun because its loud, you can choose from hundreds of songs, you get two microphones, a disco ball and a tambourine! You can't help but have a good time! We left the room super pumped and happy, not even realizing it was almost 11pm!

Trying to catch snowflakes on our tongues

Snow!

Oh Jason and his face mask. (He put the flap up so we could see his smile.) Nice picture everyone else. 

Myeongdong

Karaoke!

Tired on the subway

Wednesday was our last full day together. The day started with a trip to the huge Seoul fish market, for Dad, it was gigantic and filled with raw fish, dead fish, live fish, people were trying to sell us sashimi right and left. "Second floor restaurant! Sashimi!" they would say. Scott received many compliments on his hair. Dad took many pictures and almost got sold a huge tuna (probably hundreds of dollars!) Then we visited the Korean War Memorial and the War Museum of Korea. We saw lots of huge statues, tanks, guns and planes, covered in snow. The war museum was interesting and as Mom and Dad pointed out, is the only museum they've been to dedicated to displaying the history of solely a war. The Korean War is very present in the minds of Koreans, even today, so the museum is very important to them. From there we walked to Itaewon and got burgers before heading back to Myeondong to find the entrance to the cable car ride up to North Seoul Tower. N Seoul Tower is on top of a large hill in the middle of Seoul, giving it a great height advantage and making it the best place in Seoul to see the view (also they dubbed themselves the "most romantic view in Seoul" for all those couples out there.) Rather than walk or take a bus we took a fun suspended cable car ride up the mountain. Then it was an elevator the viewing platform of the tower. The whole experience was really great and fun! The viewing platform offered a 360 view of Seoul. It was beautiful! We enjoyed picking out the landmarks we knew, our hotel, the train station, the skating ring (that's right, we really could see it!) the Olympic Stadium, the many bridges over the river. We stayed up there during dusk until the lights turned on in town. Then you could see all the cars, buildings, Christmas decorations, it was breathtaking! We stopped for dumplings in Myeongdong before checking out the expensive merchandise in the huge Lotte Department store. We road the escalator up all 12 stories! I was glad Mom was able to see some of the Korean shopping we'd been talking about! With no breaks all day the night came to an end. We lounged in the hotel and went through the pictures we'd taken all week.

Seoul Fish Market

War Memorial. I'm not PC at all and am shooting a gun! 

N Seoul Tower

Far from home. Indiana Jones style. 

Seoul

Thursday was time to say goodbye. Jason and I stood on the street as Mom, Dad and Scott pulled away in a bus headed to the airport. There were tears on both sides. We waved through the tinted windows. After that Jason and I were down in the dumps as we caught the subway, then the bus back to Wonju. We are okay now but when we first got home the apartment seemed too empty all of a sudden. It was a great trip with lots of fun times and memories! Like I said, I wish I had more time just to sit and talk, go shopping with Mom, joke around with Dad, catch up with Scott. I hope they enjoyed it all too. I know we didn't get to see everything on the list but we made one heck of a dent!

My Favorite

Miss you and love you but am doing well, back in the swing of teaching and (shockingly) enjoying it! (Just a little.)