Busy Week

You know what the week before Christmas Vacation is like, right? Well it is the same here, everything gets packed into the last week, and every night is crazy busy. Last night we had our Winter Concert, with Lily and Roan singing like mad:

Roan singing We Wish You A Merry Christmas.

Lily doing Jingle Bell Rock.

Then tonight we took the dorm students and some of the teachers to the Daegu Childrens' Welfare Center.  There are 100 children from infants to teenagers living here.  Some are orphans and some are wards of the state because they have special needs, are victims of abuse, or living in poverty.  We collected supplies to donate to them, such as toothbrushes, soap, warm blankets, towels, school supplies, and snacks. 

We were not allowed to take pictures inside, but it is a very profound and moving experience to be in a place like this.  Watching our kids interact and play with the children brought tears to our eyes.

 

We are very thankful for all that we have and all that we are able to share.
Big hugs and kisses to everyone...  xoxoxo

Yes, SongWon, There is a Santa Claus!

Tonight we went to the White Winter Wonderland... 

We were the only guests, with another family and 2 students.

Let it be said that safety is not a big concern in Korea. 

We are doing Korean ice skating, where you kneel on a small wooden sled and use two sticks with nails in them to poke the ice and then pull yourself along on the sled... it's not as fun as it sounds...

Roan is making some progress :)

Lily is asking if she can just be pulled along by the rope... that was way more fun!

They built a hill up out of sand, and then hosed it down so it was nice and icy, then they push you down as fast as they can.  The safety standards are very lax.  Since we were the only guests of the night all of the staff went home except the guard at the gate.  We pretty much did whatever we wanted because even if they tried to tell us not to do something we had no idea what they were saying!

Ice skating... no zamboni...

Roan and Lily with Santa's elves...

Roan and Lily with Santa.  Roan told Santa that we would be in Beijing for Christmas. 

The kids were writing letters to Santa, as he looked on.  Lily wrote, "Hope you have a good time flying, I love the reindeer!"  Roan wrote, "Merry Christmas Santa!"  Then Roan said, "I think we were the only ones that wrote in English."

Yes, SongWon, there is a Santa Claus! He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.

Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus.
It would be as dreary as if there were no SongWons.

There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

A thousand years from now, SongWon, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now,
he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

pullo-dong tombs

This Thanksgiving weekend we hosted a teacher from our sister school in Shenzhen.  It was so much fun to have a friend visiting!  We went on a short tour of the city, and then as she went on with Gary to see more of the city, the kids and I went walking around a less populous area.  Thanks for visiting us, Cindy, we can't wait to see you again!  :)

The pullo-dong tombs are a Korean historic site made up of over 200 mound style tombs that date from the 5-6th century.  We walked around the mounds and climbed the hill that they are buried on.   



This is the view of Daegu from the top of the hill.  In the distance you can see the mountains that surround the city.

Resting at the top.

This picture gives you a good perspective on the mounds.  It is amazing to think that they have been here for 1500 years, and here we are walking around like it's nothing!

Another view.

On Sunday we decided to take a bus downtown and just get out somewhere and walk around.  We discovered that the main passtimes in Daegu are shopping, eating, and studying.  If you are not up for one of those three activities, it's best just to stay home!  xoxoxo