seoul, suwon and beyond

I'm not sure where to begin. The last few days have been full and wonderful on so many levels. I will do my best to communicate what these last few days have been like.

Saturday afternoon we took the subway from Migum Station to Gangnam. There we met Hoon and Leigh. Hoon studied in the US at North West Missouri State. Just when you think the world is so big, you find out, maybe it's not as big as you thought. We have friends in Columbia and Kansas City who know Hoon. They introduced us through Facebook--yep, it's true. Hoon lives in Korea and was kind enough to spend the day with us in Seoul. It felt like we had known him for a long time. All of us enjoyed the day with them.

Back tracking a bit. While we were waiting for the subway at Migum, a very kind elderly man began talking to us in English. A lady also walked up and began talking to us in Korean. The kind gentlemen translated. They were very sweet to the kids and kept smiling at them and making gestures of just pure delight in just seeing them. It was so sweet. They were very concerned that we were going the right way and wanted to help us in any way they could. When the subway arrived we all got on. There was little space so we had to stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone around us. The elderly woman stood with us. The entire time, smiling and patting the kids. Zach didn't mind but Lia, well, let's just say she was not at all happy about the kindness of the woman. Just as we were approaching the stop to meet Todd, she got into her purse and gave Zach 10,000 won--which is almost $10. I was stunned and tried to say, "please, no, you keep." she insisted. I was about to cry. Why? Why would she do that? We thanked her in Korean and stood there stunned by her warmth and generosity. I'm still overwhelmed.

Back to our day in Seoul with Hoon and Leigh.

We have not done any site seeing since we arrived in Korea. Today was going to be our first big adventure into Seoul. Hoon thought it would be great to visit one of the ancient palaces and we agreed.

Chang Gyeong Gung Palace was built in 1484. During the Japanese invasion of 1592 the palace was burned down and rebuilt in 1616. The architecture and landscape are beautiful. It was wonderful to walk the grounds of the palace and imagine what it must have been like when the King lived there.

From the palace we went to an area called Insadong. It's a popular tourist spot. There was a festival on Saturday and the kids had a lot of fun playing traditional Korean games and painting face mask.

We then headed back to Gangnam to enjoy a yummy Vietnamese meal with Hoon and Leigh. The food was so good. Zach even tried friend rice with crab.

It was a full day but we had a lot of fun.

Sunday was also a really great day. After church we watched some friends play soccer and then headed to lunch with Scott and Dionne Husted. Scott and Dionne have been here for 5 years teaching at Big Heart Christian School. They are a wonderful couple and quickly becoming dear friends here in Korea.

We have wanted to enjoy some Bulgogi--korean bbq so we traveled to old town Suwon. The city is surrounded by a wall--not the great wall but a pretty massive wall. It's beautiful. Suwon was a fortified city. Whenever Seoul was under attack the King would be transported and kept in Suwon. We were hoping to take a walk around the city wall but the rain kept us away this time. I think we are going to try and return when the leaves start changing colors in October.

A little side note that I think is funny. The tag line or motto for Suwon is, "happy suwon!" It's on a lot of buildings and just made me laugh every time I saw it.

Lunch was not a disappointment. Delicious.

One thing that I enjoy about meals in Korea is that they are very community oriented. Everyone shares. It's great. We ordered our bulgogi, cooked it on our small grill at the table and feasted. Most meals are served with many side dishes--we had a table full of side dishes. rice, two types of Kimchi, cabbage salad, macaroni salad, soup and bean sprouts. the meat and various sides are then wrapped in a lettuce leaf and enjoyed. All healthy and very tasty!

Today is Monday. It has again been another lovely day but I will save that post for another time.

My heart is full today. I'm grateful for God's provision for our family and that He hears us when we call to Him. He is good and kindest person I know!