In Transition

We moved! Horray! I think the walmart style lighting and plastic couch were slowly killing my spirit at the hotel. So moving was a really great thing. Mark somehow organized this taxi van to pick us up and we made it. Our new home is in Hannam-dong, which I realize taxi drivers have no idea where you are talking about if you say hannam-dong, you have to say hanNAM-dong. We live by this hospital so I just say the hospital name now which gets us home pretty fast because they think we’re sick. Our place is wonderful, lots of light, all of our stuff arrived and we have our own dryer….heaven!(must resist doing 6 loads of laundry a day in amazement of modern delights) Amelia is no longer a resident of the kitchen (for those of you not buddies from Boston, she slept in the kitchen of our 1 bedroom apt there for about 6 months) and has her own space with a crib we realized is missing a screw and had to be tied together with ribbon from a cookie box. In all the change she has become attached to a Nepali men’s formal-wear hat Mark bought in Nepal. She loves this hat, I think it might be a similar attachment item to her blanket which she interchangeably calls “blanken” or “bacon”. Mark started work and will be on a project, which has some travel in the US. The girls and I will stay here but I am stocking up my amazon cart and making lists of things that are hard to buy here like: pyrex, vanilla extract, “just add water” baking boxes (I miss you chocolate chip cookies that deceptively look homemade!) and A&D ointment (this stuff is like gold among mom’s groups, could be an official mom’s group currency). Mark being gone at work all day is strange but also really exciting to learn all about the work culture and funny nuiances which are deserving of PhD quality research. We are traveling to the warm Phillipines for lunar new year next week so more to come then.

Helping clean the windows. Window crayon is harder to get off than I thought..whoops.

Nepali hat!

"Sink baths"-for the infant on the go.

Striking need for a bouncer seat...sorry Syd.

Serious sleeper.

Caught with Nepali hat again.

Does this hat match my shirt?

Trying on a new hat style.

Nope. Nepali formal wear forever!

Going outside to face the brutal cold.

4 month celebration with new friend.

Desperate for cake.

Couldn't resist posting this one..

Around Town

Hello friends! Mark is in Japan for 2 days getting his work visa so I wanted to post some pics of what we have been doing the past week. We've been getting out despite the freezing temps and trying to see more of the beast of a city. For New years eve we went over to another samsung guy's house who also had kids, Amelia made it until 11 and we got a cab back to our hotel just in time to see the anti-climatic ringing of the seoul bell on tv. Holding out for lunar new year! We also found a play center where you can rent toys!(I nearly passed out when they explained the system of a toy library, ingenious!). We went back the next day to watch a small production called "The Turnip" where I think a farmer planted a seed, grew a turnip then solicited his wife and farm animals to pull it out. Amelia got scared then was consoled by the abundance of lollipops available after the show. We also happened upon a semi-creepy doll show that was worth noting. We're still in the hotel but I think we'll be able to move into our apartment on the 17th which I'm interested in seeing if our stuff from boston actually made it since we chose the cheapest option called "best ever shipping"...unlikely. Also, some funny pics around town!

Play center I love you!

Farmer and poor friends who had to help him pick a non-delicious turnip

Lollipops save the day!

Post-Lolipop subway meltdown

I must go here to learn more

Not great, not good, just ok

Officially assimilating to Asian Culture

Where's mark? right there

mmmm. refreshing

Nightly dinners. I miss you highchair!

Doll show patrons.

Paparazzi.

Bearded Barbie. decided to leave after this one.

Kim Chi Syd!

Christmas in Korea!

Our first Christmas in Korea began with a stop at Seoul tower, we didn't really realize we were going here when we showed the taxi driver Korean writing for our destination. Mark was presenting at a conference last week and this was the welcome dinner. We ended up at a rotating restaurant, at the top of a tower, on a mountain, with 2 kids....yikes! Another sign that we must learn Korean quickly. With the help of a few prayers, Amelia was actually very calm and played with my wallet under the table, luckily she is entranced by the venerable man on the money here.

We went to Christmas eve service at this new church we've been going to called Jubilee (mom's plexiglass room ! animal crackers! yes!). We decided to take the subway there which required 3 changes, little did we know that Christmas here is "for lovers" (quote from hotel guy) so there were people everywhere. Where were all these people going?? No idea. hot dates? The subway was a sea of people, shuffling along to get to the well organized lines people automatically form outside the subway door openings. With the stroller we have to go through the handicap pay area, which inevitably rejects our card then someone comes out and lets us in (perhaps I will try this to see if we can get in for free...note to self), we then clamour with the elderly women to find an elevator and usually give up which requires carrying the stroller down many steps. Once on the subway it is pretty wonderful to watch what happens. The Korean community mentality takes over and the same elderly women we rubbed elbows with to get on the elevator, come to dote over Amelia and Syd. Giving us advice in Korean, covering them up with their blankets, touching their cheeks and holding hands. Teenagers take some pictures, which I'm learning to embrace, but overall it is fun/endearing to see how personal space and parenting have no real boundaries (this may become frustrating later, I'll keep you updated).

Christmas eve service was beautiful with candles, singing and a wonderful message about how Jesus decided to come into our nitty gritty lives and not only dwell with us but love us and die for us. I was in the kids' area, sweating a little because from the subway to the church is about a 10 minute walk. It was freezing, like beyond boston cold, and we decided to run. I haven't ran in over a year (using pregnancy as my excuse) and the air was so cold on the lungs. At some point I started drooling. We got to the elevator and were meeting people and at some point Mark pulled me aside and told me I had a string of frozen drool connecting my coat to my chin....not a good way to make friends. After we got back and kids to bed, Mark and I enjoyed some quiet time with hot choc and Korean version of oreos.

Christmas day was a full on pajama day, Amelia loved opening the box that Dad and Di sent and mostly loved the box. I made her a book of some of her adventures this year (see pics below) and got it laminated at one of the paper shops here by explaining I wanted lamination with some impressive hand gestures. We relaxed, ate unidentified meat we bought, played Christmas music, skyped family and just really enjoyed the down time in a huge flurry of transition. Hope you enjoy the pics, Merry Christmas!

Electric light bell

Embarrassed santa pig

Dinner at the tower....when in doubt, ice cream does the trick

View of Seoul

Our Christmas tree

Our manger scene

Getting ready for Christmas eve service-9 degrees F

Opening presents from Kerry

Amelia's favorite presents-bubble wrap and cardboard box

Merry Christmas! I look cute!

Younger gals

I look cute too!

Merry Christmas Daddy!

Book I made for Amelia-laminated!

Excerpt-to read the whole book you need to pay $14.99 + shipping

Sydney Laughing

Seoul Babies!

After a long wait and preparation time, we made it to Seoul! 13 hour plane ride, Amelia deciding not to sleep and two carts full of bags later we are checking out our new home. So far everyone has been super nice, the love of babies abounds as women and men from near and far come to see Amelia and randomly give her candies. Two very nice things happened today:
1. a waitress from another table paid for my coffee-she told me it was a present, so they are either really generous or I looked like I really needed one.
2. An old man in a FUBU hat (who knew FUBU was so big here?) gave up his seat for me on the train since I was carrying Sydney.
2a. Amelia collected about 6 pieces of candy from strangers at the mall.

It was snowing when we arrived but the weather isn't so bad...yet. Right now we are staying in a hotel that has a kitchen and are looking for a new apartment. We'll prob be here for the next month since clean towels come daily. I am amazed by how many details they think of here, such as: a huge area for moms at the mall with cribs, pumps and breastfeeding areas...at the mall! electric toilets, washer and dryer in one!, sliding doors on the metro so you don't fall on the tracks(listen up America), buzzers at dunkin donuts (apparently a high class cafe here, who knew donuts could be so trendy). Mark was able to meet with some of his coworkers at a james bond themed (??) holiday party last night but won't officially start work until Jan 15th. In the meantime, we'll be taking in the sights, learning Korean fueled by complete inability to communicate with anyone (no english here!) and watching the only English tv channel-animal planet. Below are a few photos with glimpses of our life so far.

cute pic of Sydney

Amelia found a duck on wheels, look out Korean mall!

Amelia loves Korean advertisements! Who can blame her?

Syd meets Seoul

Strange Squid with telescope eye for dinner.

Death stairs discovered while looking for apartments.

Advent calendar proudly displayed! Thanks Boston buddies!

Why is it wet!????!!

First sign in the airport that we need to learn Korean quick - looks like....5............5........ to us???

Youngers in Guatemala!

Finally, Amelia is experiencing another love of our life..Guatemala! It's so wonderful being back, and Amelia is loving the new culture. She goes right up to the people and says her first words "uh oh" and "hi" with a queen-like hand wave. First we stopped in Antigua and then Lago Atitlan, next stop: Cotzal, in the highlands where we lived our first year of marriage! Who knew we'd be back with a baby in tow and another on the way.