Everland Amusement Park

Austin, Lauren and Brooke spent the day at Everland Amusement Park. We wanted to have some fun before school started. It was an easy 45 min. drive north to Suwon. Everland is the biggest amusement park in Korea. It was great to go during the week because it wasn't too crowded. We really enjoyed the alpine slide; in the winter they coat it with ice and it becomes a bobsled track. The amusement park also has great sledding hills open in the winter.

Shopping at E-Mart

We decided to venture out and check out E Mart. It's kind of like WalMart. There is a WalMart and a Costco on the way to Seoul, but we haven't checked those out yet. Most of the stores are many stories high with either underground or rooftop parking. We are still doing a lot of shopping online, but we then have to wait weeks to get the things we've ordered.

Zoto the Wonder Kitty!

A few weeks ago the last member of the family arrived at the Incheon Airport. Zoto was not a happy cat when we finally sprung her free after hours of running from the cargo building to the customs office and back again only to wait hours for the correct customs officer to come in and stamp her paperwork. The drive back to Osan with a stinky, screaming cat is one that I won't soon forget. Now that she feels at home, Zoto likes to hangout on the balcony and act as Barbie transportation in her spare time.

Austin and Lauren Woods!

Austin and Lauren enjoyed golf lessons and learned a lot about ... frustration! They played in the tournament at the end of the lessons and had a great time.

Lauren in the Missoula Children's Theater Production of Hansel and Gretel

Lauren had a great time as one of the Nasties in Hansel and Gretel. The kids tried out on Tuesday, practiced on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and performed the play twice on Saturday. They did a great job!

Getting around Seoul

Driving is so easy here...especially when the signs tell you everything you need to know.

Moving In

Here are some pictures of our palacial estate (all 800 sq ft). The day we moved in it was pouring rain. They waited about an hour and a half for it to stop, but it didn't so they had to move the furniture in the rain. Usually they pull a truck up as close to the building as they can and then use a conveyor system to get the furniture through the window.

Celadon Pottery Festival

Here are some pictures from Brooke, Austin and Lauren's trip to Gangjin for the Celadon Pottery Festival. They had a great time. It was a 6 hour bus ride to the Southern tip of the peninsula. The Korean government invited American families to the festival and paid for food and lodging. They provided a nice, authentic Korean dinner. The kids also got a chance to make some pottery with the help of pottery apprentices at the festival. This festival occurs every year in order to bring attention to the 12th century method of producing this beautiful pottery. The process takes months and only 10% of the pottery made is good enough to sell. Ninety percent of the pottery is smashed because of imperfections. There is also a picture of the Korean hotel room.

First Month

We have been in Korea for almost 6 weeks! The time is going quickly. We are all very busy. Eric has been working 13-14 hours a day (6 days a week) - going in at 2am. Brooke just started graduate school and the kids have been taking golf lessons, soccer just started and we are only days away from school starting.
We have tried to make the most of our time before the school season is fully underway. Here are some pictures of a few of the things we've been doing:


Here we are at our first Korean restaurant, Sam Il Bulgogi House. It is a Korean steak house (they also have chicken and pork). They cook the meal right at the table. First they bring out about 8 different appetizer/side-dishes. We had kimshi, seaweed salad, pickled turnips, potato slalad, nuts in a honey sauce, fried tofu and some we couldn't identify. Luckily there was an American at the restaurant and he told us what to expect and how to order. After the appetizers, they bring a bucket of coals and place them in a hole in the center of the table. Then they place what looks like a fancy hubcap over the coals and start cooking the meat. When the meat is done they cut it into small pieces and you wrap it in lettuce leaves with rice and some black bean sauce. It is really good.

Hello from Osan

We arrived in Osan about a week ago. We're living in the temporary lodging facility. It's very small for the four of us. The TLF is a one bedroom suite with one bathroom, a kitchen and a sitting area. The couch folds out to a bed. Because Eric has been in an exercise and has had to go to work at 3am, we have been sleeping on the hide-a-bed while the kids have the bedroom. We are convinced they have you live in the TLF so when you move into your apartment it will seem huge.

Eric has had to work from the moment we arrived on base ( including the weekend). When we arrived the base was gearing up for an exercise to simulate an attack by North Korea. It's been strange to hear air raid sirens all day and at night. The kids have gotten used to seeing people walking around in gas masks. The other day we were walking home from the library when a simulated fire fight took place. We just stood and watched as the sides battled it out. We hope the good guys won.

Because the base shuts down during the exercise and Eric was working long hours, the kids and I took the bus to Seoul. We were only there for about 5 hours. We learned how to get around on the Seoul subway. It's a big city, but easy to navigate. We can't wait to return.

Now that the exercise is over we'll have time to pick up our car ( which we've been notified was damaged in transit)... we hope our house hold goods fare better. We'll let you know as we move in August 3rd.