A Nice Surprise

I got a surprise in the mail today. My parents sent me a package, or a parcel as the Brits at work call it. I really wasn't expecting anything, and honestly it doesn't matter what is in it. Sometimes it's just nice to know that someone is thinking of you even though you might be half way around the world. Plus lately I keep seeing everyone else at work get things, so when I arrived and saw the big box on my desk I was excited. I did notice on the customs form they filled out that the small box was candy. That got me very excited because I know my mom would have sent me my favorite Christmas candy, the pepermint Christmas nougats. They are only available this time of year, and they are the best.

After lunch I was greeted with an even better surprise. There was a card on my desk when I returned. My first Christmas card in Korea. It was a nice card, with a very nice note from my parents in it, but the part that made my day was the picture of my new niece in it. She was born my first day of work in Korea so I have not got the chance to see her. That is one of the drawbacks of coming. At the very least I won't see her until she is 1 year old. I know that doesn't seem like a long time, but it is to me. I have some amazing nieces and nephews, and since I don't have kids it is important to me to have a good relationship with them. I see too many people overlook the importance of family like I did when I was younger. Now I seehow fortunate I am to have a very supportive and caring family. Not to mention my close friends, who I usually refer to as my Texas family.

I have come to realize over the past few years how important family and friends are. Without them, I don't know how I would have gotten through my divorce. Without all their support I wouldn't have been able to make this move work. Christmas will be the hardest time of year to be away from home. Thankfully with the advent of some great technology, namely Skype, I will be able to speak to my family on Christmas. Add to that the fact I have some other foreign teachers to keep me company, it should be a good day. It won't be the same as being with my family, but it should be good none-the-less.

So wherever you spend the holiday season this year, don't forget those who mean most to you wherever they are. But enjoy the company of those you will be with and try to remember the true spirit of the holiday. It is more than ribbons and bows.

Merry Christmas.

E

Pictures of my new niece Abigail Elizabeth.

An Uncle Again and Finally Start Work

So first of all is the big news of my niece being born on Wednesday. Abigail Elizabeth Bynum is the new addition to the family and I couldn't be more happier for my brother and his wife. I only wish I could have been there with everyone.

Well I started work this week. Wednesday was my first day and so far I am only observing and will be for another week before I start teaching. I think I am going to really enjoy working there. Everyone has been great so far, and the kids are a trip. I am still adjusting to the hours since I am still getting up way too early but hopefully that will change and I can get adjusted. It was nice to finally get to speak to some fellow English speakers after being here a week by myself. They also have introduced me to some really good food. Work usually starts off with lunch around 2:30 (I start work at 2pm) and the past 2 days they have taken me to some really good places. Thursday we went for Japanese food. I am still not sure what I was eating but it was really good. I know it had crab meat in it, along with rice and other goodies. It was good and spicey and very filling. It will definatley be a place to return to. That night after work many of us went for Korean BBQ. This was a treat. We ordered (I say we but really it was the other guys who did the ordering) some pork and beef and it was grilled on the table in front of us. Built into the table is a little grill where they bring hot coals and cook it in the middle of the table. The meat was fantastic but maybe even better was everything else that went with it. There was some red bean paste (very spicey and very good), along with some spicey kimchi, which seems to be a staple with every meal. Throw in some rice, bean sprouts, and other items that I am not sure what they were (but delicious none-the-less) and it was a huge meal. The best thing about it all is it's not that expensive. The Japanese place set me back about 5500 won which is $5 back home. There is no way you could get the quality of food back home for $5, not to mention the service.

Friday brought a new day and since it was raining most of us stayed in the building and went down stairs for some pasta. This is where I had the spiciest dish I have ever seen in my life (Al you would have loved it). It tasted great, but it was so hot I could not finish my dish. In fact, I ate very little of it. I figured if I eat the whole plate I will either pay for it later or just be sick all night long. So I opted to eat as much as I could without making myself miserable. A few of the ladies with me had a bite to try it and they could not believe how hot it was. Since I did not eat my entire meal, I was hungry later. So I decided to go with one of the girls from work on a little snack run. I had seen her eat this stuff before. It is like a little dumpling type thing. I still don't know what is in it but it was really good. I do not recall what it was called but if I remember right it was steamed and had some sort of meat (pork perhaps) in it with I believe some onion or something. It was really good and you got quite a few of them for only 2000 won which is really cheap. So in the past few days I have had some really good food, finally.

So that is really the update for the past few days. I don't really have any plans for the weekend. I want to go to a basketball game and thought they played at home tomorrow but it looks like I read the schedule wrong. So instead I might try and head downtown to see if I can catch some college football or something.

Till next time.
E