Thursday evening we rode our bikes to the park, where Michael likes to use the exercise equipment. I kept riding, and when I got back, he had met a friend, Joe-L it sounds like. He is 11 and sister Luna is 10. The boys rode off together, and I talked to mom and dad and Luna. Luna's English is very clear and she is not too shy to speak. Michael said Joe-L's English is good. The dad was translating some things for the wife. They said they would like to be friends and invited us for dinner. I can hardly believe how friendly people have been. We are supposed to go tonight (Fri). I hope we can get the taxi driver to understand. We have their phone number, so they might have to talk to the taxi driver. The family name is Ji. (long e sound like spanish i)
Friday morning we went to the HFS (Hyundai Foreign School) new student orientation. There were 20 or so kids (with total enrollment about 135 - grade 1 to 8). The staff and teachers all seem nice. Michael will have about 8 kids in his class - a few others are new. They had a non-profit group make a presentation about Korea, which was interesting. We just found out today that the kids get out of school at noon on Wednesdays. It's new and provides teacher planning time. The other days have been extended a bit. The funny thing is that I arranged my teaching not knowing this schedule - and I teach Wed. noon to 2:00. We are not too concerned. I met a family who could probably pick up Michael; they live between the school and our apartment. They also expect to start some after school clubs in a couple of weeks. I think Michael will be comfortable with the bus on his own soon, but I would rather be home when he gets home. I might have him come all the way to campus a couple of those Weds. So he starts Monday. I will go to university Monday. I am sure there is paperwork, key to office, etc. But I really need to start preparing for class!!
Our settling in and vacation time are about over! The building is really starting to look ready for more people to move in. Everyday there is something new happening - cupboards yesterday, fridge and washing machines today. I poked around - the first floor is like dorm rooms with 2 single beds, bathroom, and a fridge (but no cooking). Second and third are one bedroom apartments. We met a guy today who teaches French, and we expect to see a lot more activity next week or so.
We are praying for the start of school and work to go smoothly and that we can be a blessing to people around us. We pray for people we know with cancer and were so pleased to hear Julia G had a good report. Please keep us in your prayers and especially the relationship between Michael and me. We have spent a lot of time together, and now we will spend a lot of time apart during the week. We are curious how our lifestyle will feel. God bless!
p.s. We just back from dinner. What a nice family. Luna made a sign for the door: Welcome to our house, Michael. The boys really seem to like each other. They played in Joe-L's room (English name from kindergarten teacher; his Korean name is Hoon) and then watched some videos/movies. Both of their kids sat down and played the piano briefly ... but not Michael! The meal was bulgogi, noodles, salad, and a few sides with large selection of fruit for dessert. I sat at the dining table after dinner with husband and wife with husband translating. Occasionally he used an IPad type device to translate a word (e.g., accounting .... it's good I know how to say it in Korean). We talked about a lot of things from family (she is one of 10) to camping (they are looking at tents) to school for kids to my job. At one point we were talking about taxes, and I said my colleagues at home would say "boring!" It's interesting seeing the kitchen that is not very big (but adequate) and the kimchi fridge taking up so much room. Also, they have a big rice cooker and large water purifier - taking up significant amount of counter space. 3 burners; no dishwasher - common set up. They picked us up by meeting at the park entrance we both could find. We hope to get the boys together Sunday afternoon - outside at the park would be good for them. XO, Kim and Michael
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