Domo Arigato

Konichiwa.
It's been quite some time since I've had a chance to keep you posted.
Our new little house guest (Yena) has been keeping us quite busy! It's been an exciting and very challenging 5 months. Brad has taken command of his battery, so he's hardly ever home, and I've had my hands tied with the little miss. I've definitely come a long way in the past year, and I've grown up a lot in the past few months. I hardly recognize the girl in the mirror!
In the past few months, we've decided to utilize our free time to do some exploring. Everyone told us that Jeju Island was Korea's version of Hawaii. So we took a trip out there as soon as Yena's 100th day approached. It was by far an utter disappointment. Like Hawaii pooped a little turd of an island and they called it Jeju. It was however, quite interesting to see the traditional Korean neighborhoods. I accidentally walked into a house thinking it was on display, only to find some family actually resided in it. Pretty neat, but I have no idea how any modern day person lives without up to date plumbing.
It's been about a week since we took our second family vacay to Japan. Kyoto to be exact. After returning home, a few things were fresh on my mind... Japanese people are super clean, they are extremely friendly and helpful, the fashion is so adorable, and Kyoto is absolutely breathtaking. I should have been born Japanese. *darn*
Yena is now a little over 5 months old. Although we definitely had our challenging moments traveling with an infant, she was such a trooper (just like mommy)! keke. She did however, catch her first cold while she was there!
Anyways, I'm getting ready to return to the States after almost 11 months of being away. I am definitely looking forward to my Texas size steaks, some msg infested pho, and yes, even a night out at norazo. I know on any given night, I will still find the usual crowd there~~ I know nothing has changed even though it seems like an eternity since I"ve been home. Nope, there are no surprises no matter how long I've left Dallas for!
I think Dallas will ALWAYS be the same, it's me who will become different. I'm actually wondering if I'll even find my niche in Dallas being the person I am now. I'm definitely not who I was when I left.
Anyways life as an ahjumma means you get the condensed versions of my journey out here in Korea. There's hardly ever any time to write, and speed writing means no fluff, and no fluff means boring text. I will happily report however, that this week will be my last week teaching English. And I can proudly report that one of my challenged students, after almost 9 months of lessons, still cannot distinguish between a short a and a long A vowel sound. FAIL! I am seriously growing old because of this child! Good riddance.
Anyways, it is mommy's bedtime, so I shall update you again soon!
sayonara~~

100th day

It's officially our daughter Evelyn Yena Son's 100th day. It's been quite some time since I've been able to update, but life with a little one hardly leaves any time for leisurely writing. It's been a fabulous 100 days, and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect daughter. God truly knows how to make his children happy, and has blessed us with more than I could have ever dreamed of.

I must say that being a mom has definitely been a tough job. I've had my moments where I've felt defeated, tired or overwhelmed, but for the most part it has been an unbelievable journey thus far. It feels like Yena (we tend to call her by her Korean name) is learning something new each day, and teaching us something in return... I always knew I wanted to be a mother, and a good mother at that, but that's about as much as I had anticipated. I really didn't know what to expect of myself. I tend to be lazy and God knows I was a horrible adolescent, so I didn't know if I'd be successful as a mom... I thought I'd sleep through the night (on accident) while my baby cried, but it's incredible how strong my motherly instincts are. My sense of hearing is unbelievable when it comes to my daughters cry. With this kind of hearing, I could probably sense a cricket in Timbuktoo.

I've shed my share of tears when my daughter had her first experience in the hospital when we found out she was jaundice. I have never lost my appetite over emotional distress until I saw my daughter hooked up to IV's and getting her blood drawn daily to check her biliruben levels. I will never forget hearing her cry, and the first time I knew what it really felt like to be a mom.

It has been a wonderful 3 and a half months with our daughter. I prayed to God almost every night for a happy baby, and once again he answered my prayers. I love seeing her smile and lately she has been laughing out loud. We noticed 2 days ago that her bottom front tooth was growing in, and she has been drooling as if she had 10 shots of Novocain in her mouth. She's 97% for her height and 90 percentile in her weight. She was 63 cm tall and about 14 pounds at her 2 month checkup. I think she's going to be taller than her dad at this rate.

I hear her crying in the other room. Which means its time for me to go!
I'll update again soon! <3

Evelyn Yena Son

short and sweet...
Evelyn Yena Son was born on May 10, 2010 =)
she weighed 7 lbs 5 oz & was 21 inches tall.
Unfortunately she had a bit of jaundice (which I am now finding out is fairly common amongst Asian babies), but after her photo therapy treatment and a few doctors visits, they said she was fine. Brad and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter. She is so sweet & hardly ever cries. Will post again soon!

April Showers Bring May Babies

April is already coming to an end. What is happening to all this time? It seems to be flying by, and leaving only hints and trails that it has come and gone. We do have some pretty memorable moments though, and I am definitely looking forward to these next few months.

The weather is now starting to warm up, however I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up to a blizzard tomorrow. Like every other city I know, the weather is quite unpredictable now days, and I find myself bundled up in the morning just to remove layer by layer as the day goes on. I have been following the news about the volcano eruption which is causing all sorts of delays and cancellations on flights. So fortunate to not be one of the stranded.

MAMA Son has come and gone. Her visit here was great, and our fridge is completely stocked with all sorts of traditional Korean dishes. We have like 5 different kinds of marinated anchovies, 5 different kinds of black peas (kong ja ban), and I don't even know how many different types of fermented cabbage/roots/leaves/radish. This definitely came with a price though. Since Brad's mother and father collectively have about 12 brothers in sisters, we were bombarded with visitors whom we had to host... For those of you who don't know, I have one of those obsessive anal personalities like Monica on Friends. I will literally lose sleep over what to cook for breakfast if I know we're having guests, for the simple fact that I want everything to be perfect.

Speaking of Mama Son though. I think it's absolutely adorable that she talks to Papa Son like 5 times a day, with their conversations always ending in "I love you, I miss you, I'll come home soon." It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to know that someday Brad and I will tell each other that with our graying hair & aging bodies.... =)

By the way, Brad has been out in the field for training exercises and will be for the next two weeks. The house is so quiet, and it definitely feels like the calm before the storm. It's almost erie though. No puppy, no baby and now no hubby. All I have are plants to take care of. I am keeping busy though doing all my catch up reading on all of our baby stuff. Finally getting the hospital bag together and getting prepared for our little one.

If I told you that I was anxious, it would be an understatement. It seems like all I think about is baby Evelyn's arrival & what it'll be like after she's born. Being in Korea, I am definitely worried about finding her the best pediatricians, and finding a good housekeeper/nanny for the hours that I'm working. It feels like I'm trying to figure all this out with my hands tied since I am still foreign to this country. I'm definitely doing a lot more praying since I know I can't do this on my own. I'm sure He's got my back! =)

It's so crazy to see how far I've come... and how different my life is from even a year ago, or two years ago. I feel like I've done so much growing up in the past two years that I hardly recognize myself. I'm definitely glad that I did though!! Life as I know it now is fantastic!! Of course I wouldn't have done anything differently in the past either though... those times were great too!!

Anyhow. I'm at 36 weeks now... 37-42 weeks is when I should be expecting baby Evelyn. I will come back with an update after we meet her. <3>

Enough with the cold weather already. It's already mid March, and it is still in the 20s and 30s. I'm not completely sold on the global warming theory, but something is definitely messing up our environment and screwing up the weather as a result. 3 major earthquakes this year, cyclones, hurricanes and tornados ripping people's worlds apart. I think something is definitely not right with this picture.

In other news. My teaching business has taken off, and I've now acquired a total of 7 students ranging from 4 years in age, to 32. I work about 4 hours a day, and that's all I intend to do. I can't stand how bratty some Korean children can be, and as much as I love kids I can't help but daydream about hitting them in the head or flushing their face in a toilet. Ok, I kid. But somedays I feel like I'm in over my head.

Maybe it's due to the fact that I'm now a ripe 7 months pregnant. Some days I'm fine, but others I have contemplated locking myself in the bedroom and not coming out for a whole 24 hours. I am so tired, and the little one is poking and prodding in all directions. It's the most fun when she's pushing against my back & or having a boxing match with my rib cage. Squirt 7, ribcage 0. I don't know how my body is going to hold up for another 2 months. None of my clothes fit anymore, and now that we have our curtains and blinds up in our house, Brad allows me to walk around without restrictions. You don't know how liberating it is to not have a waistband digging into your gut. Excuse me for having no shame in talking about this.

Now that I'm in my last trimester, my dreams have become extremely vivid and bizarre. It starts out like a normal dream, and then out of nowhere I'm seeing whales & things that are flying that shouldn't be. Brad has been reading a book called "What to Expect When your Wife is Expanding" and someone (I'm wondering if it's Brad) wrote to the editor "Lately my wife's dreams have become especially vivid. But when she tells them to me, I am still incredibly bored. Is there something wrong with me?"

The response: "Not at all! Natural anxieties, hormonal changes and sleep deprivation account for this, but there is nothing more tedious than hearing about a dream... 'Say that reminds me of a story that has no particular beginning or end, and doesn't make any sense. Care to hear about it?' 'Oh sure honey, just let me know when a character is no longer who they started out as, or when you completely change where you are okay?'"

Needless to say, I try to keep my dreams to myself so that I can appear somewhat sane to my husband who already thinks I'm half crazy, but between me and you, I think that's why he loves me. haha

Since we got here, Brad and I have been contemplating extending our contract for 3 or maybe even 4 years. Korea has exceeded my expectations, and I think it would be nice if our little one(s) picked up a little Korean before heading home. But once again, being in the military, nothing is ever certain, and we actually don't know where we'll be even this time next year. Rumor has it, Brad's unit will be moving to El Paso, TX. Hopefully we'll be able to stay put. Oh the joys have having a governmental leash around our neck! I guess we should be thankful for job security, but gosh what a price we're paying.

A few things I miss back in the states, apart from friends and family, is a nice big bowl of Pho Tai, some good ol' TX bbq, cajun crawfish with extra potatoes and corn, in and out, and five guys. And Central Market! Gosh I miss the grocery stores. It's kind of hard trying to cook when you're limited to 4 aisle at the commissary, with no organic anything, and frozen meats that have been there for God knows how long. I miss having rows and rows of herbs and peppers to choose from with a nice big selection of seafood, steaks, and fresh produce. And I miss my Eggo Waffles! The Korea grocery stores are great, don't get me wrong-- but I miss the bargain prices at Costco, and the herbs here are all different from the ones I'm used to seeing.

Next week, my mother in law will be arriving in Korea. It'll be nice having another familiar face around. The house has been rather quiet since we sold our puppy. Yes, we finally had to get rid of her, after months of battling it out with her. Overall it was just too much to handle with Brad and I working, with a baby on the way & a house to clean. I was pretty sad though! I had such a love/ hate relationship with Lexi, but it feels like something's really missing now that she's gone. I don't however, miss the stench from her potty room. Bleh!

Well the next couple weeks should be rather busy with my mother-in-law in town, and then Brad will be out in the field for training for a couple weeks, and by the time he's done with that it should almost be time for me to pop out the baby. Hopefully I'll find some time to keep you updated =) In the meantime, take care and be safe! Don't forget to thank God for all the things he's blessed you with!

안녕!!

Feb 28th 2010, we celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. Since the 28th happened to land on a Sunday, we figured we'd begin our festivities on Saturday evening. Unfortunately, nothing went according to plan, and what started out a very frustrating journey, became rather comical.

Initially we had planned to watch a show called Nanta which has been a huge success in Korea. The best way to describe it would be to say that it's a Blue Man Group meets Stomp kind of show. Unfortunately, it took us 3 hours to get to Seoul (once again) and we were well over an hour late. Cutting our losses, we decided to have an early dinner @ the Hilton's Season's French Cuisine. Dinner was nothing short of amazing, and I'd have to say their service was spectacular. After dinner, we decided to check out the casino, and find out how much a night at the Hilton would cost us. Keep in mind, that any sort of romance goes out the window when you're into your 3rd trimester--so our room would only serve the purpose of sleeping. So when they told us the room would cost well over 300 dollars, we decided to head to our usual hotel. On our way to the Dragon Hill Hotel we decide to take a detour and check out the Seoul Tower. We input it in our navigation & arrive at the supposed destination. Unfortunately, from where we were it would have been quite a hike, which was no bueno in heels. So we turn around and once again head for our hotel. By this time, we had been driving for quite a while, making detours left and right. When we finally arrive at our hotel, it's about 10:30. The usual front desk manager greets us, and asks for our reservation number. The one time we do not make reservations, the hotel happens to be completely sold out. The last room had gone to the person right before us. HAHA!

We looked at a list of nearby hotels, which were all priced around 2-300 dollars. So we decided to go back to the Hilton, and check out the Seven Luck casino and crash in one of their rooms. Upon our arrival at the Hilton, we complete our check in procedure and head to the room. I change out of the heels and dress I wore to dinner, into something a bit more comfortable, then head to the casino. We get stopped at the door, and they ask us for our passports. Who carries around their passports anyways? We try to see if they'll let us in with drivers licenses or military IDs... nothing works. So, out of options, we head back to our highly overpriced room, and doze off while watching TV.

It was pretty funny towards the end of the night. February 28th seems to dislike Brad and me. Our wedding day was also quite disastrous. haha! I guess next year, we'll just go with the flow.

By the way. Driving in Korea has been a bit easier than I thought it would be. However, the night we were driving around, we decided to stop by the Nanta theater in Myong Dong so we would know exactly where it was on Sunday. We were following some cars, which disappeared into a crowd of people. What we didn't know is that most of the cars going in the direction we were headed had veered off and taken another road. Before we knew it, we were smack dab in the middle of the busiest street in Myong Dong. It's hard to walk through this street without getting pushed and shoved, but we ended up having no choice but to drive through it. We had to maneuver so that we wouldn't hit the carts of street food, and people were bumping into our car left and right. I almost peed my pants knowing that if there was a dead end, we would have to park our car here until the end of the night (which would probably have been around 5 am). People were staring at us, and giving us the dirtiest looks. If I was the one driving, I probably would have sat in my car and cried. Luckily, about 15-20 minutes later, Brad got us out of there. I think I may have nightmares about the mobs of people surrounding our car as we tried to drive through myong dong.

So to change topics. I began tutoring about a week ago. My first two students' names are Sunny and Danny. I'm not sure how they come up with these names, but all the parents introduce me to their kids by their English names. The classes are going well, however, the mother's are complete hagglers, and I totally got hustled by them! My asking price was 30,000 won per hour (thinking the children would come about 2 times a week). However, these moms talked me into doing 8 hours a week and only charging 10,000 won per kid. I am such a sucker. And on top of that, I am having to pick up one of the boys from school!!! I can't help that I am such a pushover, but I am! Well, since the children started, I've had other mom's approach me asking me to give lessons at the price I gave Danny and Sunny. I swear, they came over every day for a week, sometimes for 2 hours at a time, and they kept trying to drag down my prices. I reasoned with them, and told them I'd do it for 15,000 / hour / kid but not even that seemed to satisfy them. Finally my bitchy pregnant side came out and told them all I don't want their business. I thought it was taken care of, but today, I ended up teaching lessons to 3 children, the third mom paying the same price as the other two moms, when I thought I had clearly stated I would not lower the price. *blink blink* I have no idea what happened, but I think I just got gypt again!

I wonder how I'll be when I move back to the states. I think for sure I'll become a professional haggler out here, and I also think that I will be running a lot of red lights (since no one here has any regard for traffic lights or signs). haha

Anyways, if you're reading this... I need to take a poll on whether to name our daughter Addison or Evelyn Son. I'm having 2nd thoughts about Addison Son, after 3 pottery barn reps laughed at the name. I can only imagine how much she'll be teased in elementary school.

Toodles for now! =) hope everyone is doing well.

Snow Globe

Imagine a perfect little snow globe, with a lit up town and a couple kissing under the lamp post. There are snow flurries falling all around, and everything is covered in white. Well, life in Korea has been somewhat of a fairy tale or a picture perfect snow globe. This journey has really brought Brad and I closer together than ever before, and it has been full of love and excitement. As I sit here and write, I can look out the window of our high rise apartment, and watch the snow fall quietly and cover everything in white. I love sipping on my hot chocolate with extra marshmallows while covering up with my soft green fleece blanket listening to some soothing music by artists such as Keren Ann.

Although I've always wished we could live in the mix of all the hustle and bustle in Seoul, I think its kind of nice being able to slow things down and settle in as a family on the outskirts. Speaking of family, our little Addison is growing very healthy. My belly is officially 36 inches round! We have a 4d sonogram scheduled for next Thursday, and we'll finally be able to see our little angel's face! It's such an exciting time for us! She has been kicking and squirming like a little Mexican jumping bean. It's kind of fun to sit on the couch and watch my belly just moving in wave like motions, with an occasional thud! We finally decided on a hospital in Seoul (Kang Nam area), and the doctors there are great. The only downside to seeing a Korean doctor is the language barrier, but I think everything will be just fine.

About a week ago, I was sitting at home watching a CNN special with Anderson Cooper interviewing Joel Osteen (a preacher from Houston). The preacher was speaking about current events like the economic crisis and the tragedy in Haiti, and he was saying that God has a plan for everyone. Things may not be done the way that we want, but he was reiterating that everything will be done according to His plan. Although I've always known this, these words really pierced me. It suddenly felt as though a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders, and I decided at that moment that I would leave everything up to Him! I realized that some things are out of my control, and worrying about it or trying to perfect everything according to my plan just wasn't going to work. I've let go now, and I'm ready to see what He has in store for me. All I've gotta do is trust that everything will be okay! =)

Our car arrived in Korea earlier this week! In order to receive our car, we had to take a driving test in one of the portables inside Camp Casey. As soon as we stepped foot in the office, we were handed our tests, without any review or information. On the front portion, we were allowed to miss a total of 4 questions, but it baffled me that they anticipated a decent score on a test that we had never even studied for! Low and behold, the questions were Greek to me, and both Brad and I failed miserably. As I stood up to ask about a re-test, the man grabbed our tests, and began scoring. He then handed us our license and more or less just told us to be careful!

Now that we have our car, it's been a little easier getting around, and nice to not have to always pay cab drivers to take us a mile. I've gotta hand it to Brad for driving rather well on the hectic streets! Hopefully he won't form any bad habits and take them back to the states. Driving around our town is rather simple, but it really takes some adjusting in Seoul. Getting to the southern part of Seoul typically takes anywhere from an hour and half to almost 3 hours. I'm hoping to discover some back roads ASAP.

It feels nice that we've finally settled in. February will be a very special month for us with Valentines day coming up, the Chinese new year, our 4d sonogram, the winter battalion ball and our 1 year anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's already been a year since we got married! It's been a wonderful year, and I'm so lucky to be married to such a great guy! We've been trying to set some dates to plan a trip to Hong Kong before the baby is born, but ticket prices have been through the roof, so we may have to reschedule. Will definitely keep you posted =)

Hope you're all doing well state side! Be sure to come and visit! Miss you all, wherever you may be!

Hello again, my comrades in my native country... Texas. I am sad to report that I am not really missing the states one bit. I have finally found a decent burger joint (on post) and they have all the taco bell the little alien in my belly desires. I do wish however, that I had a some sort of futuristic contraption where I could shrink all of you and put you in my pocket to experience this with me. Until I figure out a way to invent that, I'll just have to be as descriptive as possible when explaining my escapades on my blog.

We have finally moved into our mansion in the middle of nowhere, South Korea. They should actually call it central Korea since it's so close to the border. From what I hear, the South and North Korean guards have face-offs all day and just stare at each other from across the fence. I would love to see them in action while I'm out here. I wonder if they have fancy hats like the British. Stay tuned and I shall report back.

Our apartment is located in a town called "Ji-Hang" which they also called the "New City". It's a million times better than I imagined it, but my imagination often runs pretty wild and I didn't give this place much credit prior to my arrival. Although it's not as big as the towns in Seoul, we have several blocks worth of high rise buildings with good food and shopping. I've got pretty cheap Korean taste buds, so the street food and delivery jja jang myun will keep me satisfied most of the time. The ladies of the night have not been very visible contrary to what I was told probably because they have learned to disguise themselves with straighter hair and less red lipstick. Instead they have taken on the form of imported Filipino women (and there are a lot of them here), who try to seduce the "joes" around base. Fortunately the town we live is just far enough away to not be in the mix of all that.

Living in this new apartment makes me feel so ignorant. I have been so oblivious to all the cool technology America has been hiding from us. For instance, we have heated toilet seats and a ventilation system throughout the whole house for when we cook. A video camera to monitor the front door, comes standard, but with the "home network" system we can control everything from outside our house. You can say goodbye to all those times you walked out of the house and you wondered "did I forget to...." cause now you can turn off your lights, your gas, or just shut down the electricity from your phone!! I have a TV in the kitchen that shows you how to make different Korean foods, with a ton of different recipes, and the verandas have little hoses to wash off the soot (which is perfect to use for Lexi's bathroom).

We have 4 rooms. Once our furniture gets here, we'll start arranging the master bedroom, the baby room, our computer room and our closet room. Yes, we have a whole room with nothing but closets, on top of all the other closets in the other room. I'll never have to complain about storage again. The only downside to our apartment is that is gets so dusty here in Korea, so I might contemplate getting a maid... YES, I said it!! Call me high maintenance but there's nothing wrong with getting hired help to scrub the floors. I'm creating jobs to stimulate the economy! haha

I have began the hunt to find a good Korean hospital. Even the doctors here at camp Casey recommended that I try to deliver off post. Our baby Addison will luckily be an American citizen no matter where we deliver, and thanks to the army--Tricare (our health insurance) will cover 100% of the cost. I am however, a bit worried about the language barrier, and wonder if I am screaming at the nurses to get me an epidural whether they will understand me. I am not trying to undermine Koreans, but even when I speak English with a Korean accent, they seem to have no idea what I'm talking about.

The other day I was at dunkin donuts trying to order a de-caf tea. When I asked the lady if it had "Ka-Pae-Een" she told me the tea comes in a bag. Whatever that means!! For some reason, as stupid as this may be, I feel as though repeating myself will help them understand me. So yesterday I told the taxi driver 4 times that I wanted to go to E-Mart, and every time has asked me a question, I would just reply "E-Mart". I thought my Korean would get me by, but there's so much I am just not comprehending. I am hoping to pick up on a lot of the language before I leave here.

Anyways, it's 1 PM and my husband is getting back from work already. He hasn't officially started, but he does like to show his face around the office. I have done absolutely nothing but Skyped with friends since I woke up, which means that I will have to tidy up the house in the next 15 minutes in order to make it seem as though I haven't been a complete waste of space all day. I don't know if other housewives can relate, but I can be extremely lazy when I don't have anything to do all day. Which reminds me, I am going to start tutoring from home... hopefully there are enough children in the area that need help with English, and maybe I could learn some Korean in the process.

Hope everyone is doing well and warming up!! Miss you all, so please come visit~~~ ahn young!

Ready, Set, Musical Chairs

Its the beginning of a new week, a manic Monday, and a race to get all of our paperwork completed and get in-processed. Lucky for me, my husband is very diligent and an over-achiever, so I get to sit back and relax while he takes care of business. Sadly, this is a contributing factor to my growing rear, which is far from being ass-tastic.

It's been a very hectic few days here, traveling to and from Seoul. I've noticed that my legs have swollen up and taken the shape of cankles. I always knew pregnancy would lead to swelling, but I had no idea it would hit me so soon. Hopefully it's nothing more than my body trying to acclimate to this weather and I won't look like the fat kid who ate the entire cake until later on in my 3rd trimester.

Speaking of cake, everywhere you turn there's a bakery or sweet shop with the most delicious and exquisitely decorated cakes. I have died and gone to bakers heaven. Not only are the cakes to die for here, but the fruits are so ripe and sweet. Some dish we tried the other day called ha-chae had diced fruits inside a sweet milk which was nothing short of an orgasm in the mouth.

I have heard that there are designated seats on the subway for pregnant women... Unfortunately it's right next to the smelly old people (and trust me, some of them are really stinky) so I choose to fend for my life like every other subway passenger. As soon as the doors open to board the train, it's like the music has been cut off on an intense game of musical chairs, and the last one standing is out!

The natives here have gotten really good at this "game" and some of them are so good, they don't even have to stand at the front of the battle ground to win it. People of all shapes and sizes will jump out of nowhere and push you out of the way just to grab the last seat. One man was in a squat position ready to sit down, and some grandma came out of thin air and slid home. He nearly sat on her, and all I could think was "WOW, now that requires skill!"

By subway, it takes approximately an hour and half to get from Ji-Hang (camp casey) to Seoul (yong san). It's a straight shot on line 1 pretty much the whole way there, but on the way back home we kept having to exit the train and wait for another one to pick us up. I'm not sure why we had to de-board if they were all going in the same direction, but there's a lot of things that I haven't quite figured out yet. On one stop, Brad and I sat in the train for about 30 minutes expecting the doors to shut and begin heading towards home. Unfortunately when the train did begin moving it went in the opposite direction, and to make a long story short, it took us 2 and half hours to get back home.

To keep you updated, we found an apartment in a town just south of Dong-du-cheon called Ji-Hang. It's a brand new complex, that has all new appliances (dishwasher, w/d, ac units, refrigerator), 4 bedrooms, and enough closet space to make even Carrie from SATC jealous. The train station is a 5 minute walk from our place, and the restaurants and shops are located there as well. We tried an all you can eat meat buffet, and for the two of us, it cost about 17 dollars. I am so thankful that this place exceeds my expectations by a million.

I am still unsure of the situation with the hospital and seeing the ob-gyn, but I was told the military base has helicopters available to transport us to Seoul if I were to go in labor. The little alien in my tummy has been kicking and punching almost every couple hours, and Brad has finally been able to feel the movements. Every time he detects anything, he gives me this wide eyed "AHA" look with a big gasp which makes me love him so much more. My belly button has almost popped inside out, and my maternity pants are getting more snug.

There is still so much to see and do, and I cannot wait to get settled. I'll be posting pictures of our place and the town in upcoming posts... Please stay tuned! Really miss all my friends and family, and I am looking forward to seeing a bunch of you here in Korea! Till next time... keep warm!

Foreigners only

Hello, from the future. Today is January 8th 2010, and it is approximately 9:30 am. I woke up to the Korean national anthem once again, which is apparently broadcasted around the military base here in Yong San. I couldn't refrain myself from singing along in my head, although I could only remember every other word.

It is day 2 and we just received word that we will be picked up by our sponsor around noon, and escorted to Camp Casey. From there we will begin looking for housing with a realtor assigned to us by the Army. Hopefully our saving grace will be that we are both fluent in Korean, and we will come out with the better end of the stick; cause God knows neither one of us have very effective bargaining skills.

Preparing for the day is a very grueling process. The amount of layers I have to wear requires assistance to even be able to put it on. When I am finally ready to walk out of the room I feel as though I have been bound by a straight jacket from the limited amount of mobility. The cold weather here leaves no room to make any sort of fashion statement... I have come to terms with looking like the puffy white marshmallow on ghost busters, and rudolph with my bright red nose.

We were finally able to get out of the hotel yesterday to meet for dinner with friends. If our jet lagged appearance and Americanized clothes didn't scream foreigner, the taxi we rode in definitely got the job done. In order to get back on post there are only certain taxis we can ride in that have "foreigners only" stamped in bright orange along the side of the car. To get 5 miles from our hotel, it took close to an hour by taxi. The traffic here is needless to say, ridiculous. It will be a completely new experience having to drive in it.

The BCS championship is being televised as I sit here and finish this post. The score is 14 to 6, with Colt McCoy out for the game and the backup quarterback shaken up as well. I can't help but utter under my breath that it's just not fair.

It's almost noon. We are so used to living out of a suitcase by now that packing up our stuff is a five minute process. As soon as the phone rings, we will lug our 7 bags and Lexi, our Lhasa Apso, downstairs to begin the 2 hour relocation to Camp Casey. Upon arrival we will begin getting settled and familiarize ourselves with the town. The experience should be interesting.

Will keep you posted. Until next time... ahn young =)

The year of the White Tiger....2010

If I haven't already had the chance to personally tell you, I wish each and every one of you a happy new year, full of wealth, health & happiness... or as the saying goes "good luck, good f*ck, and good money" right?

The start of my new year was celebrated in a church service, where to be quite honest I was a little weirded out by the number of people who were praying out loud in what sounded like tongues. Never the less, one of my new years resolution for 2010 is to somehow restore my belief in God, and to renew my faith. I don't know how I'm going to make this drastic transition in my life if I don't. So I'll probably update you from time to time about my religious excursion.

So if you don't know already, I'm 21 weeks pregnant... That's right, there's a little alien growing inside my belly, and every now and then I can feel it kicking and punching. It forces me to eat sweets against my will, and stuff my face with the most delectable cakes ever known to woman. Brad insists that it's a boy, despite what the sonogram technician told us, and as well endowed Asian men often are, there's always the possibility that the tiny little wee-wee didn't show up. There's not a doubt in my mind, however, that we're having a little girl.

"They," the superstitious Koreans, say that 2010 is the year of the White Tiger, and unfortunately that will mean that my little Addison will be extremely assertive and domineering. I might have the next Hilary Clinton on my hands. "They" also believe that May is the month in which genius' are born. So I guess this means I'm going to have one heck of a kid!

As I sit here and type, I can faintly hear the Korean anthem being played over an intercom of some sort. Everything here is covered in white. I can see my breath even after I enter the buildings, and I can barely maneuver in my puffy blue ski jacket I bought to battle the cold. They say it's the worst winter here in 103 years, but I can't remember ever spending a winter here to be able to compare.

After our 14 hour flight from DFW to Incheon Airport we waited around for another 2 hours for the military buses to come pick us up and drive us into Yong San which is right north of the Han-Kang river, smack dab in the middle of Seoul. It took us about an hour to get to the military post, and about another hour and half for the sergeants to brief us on the policies and to tell us that they weren't quite sure what will be in store for the next couple days. Now, if you are anything like me, and you don't really know a single thing about the military, just know that the one thing you can count on is that nothing is ever certain, and everything is subject to change.

Walking out of the military brief, and to our hotel through the snow with our enormous bags reminded me somehow of the Trail of Tears. Everyone was so tired from their long journey, and yet we still had to lug our shit around from one place to another. Haven't they ever heard of a bell man?? A single bell man could have made a fortune on tips, but I guess the economy hasn't quite hit an all time low yet.

As of right now, I'm sitting in a hotel room at the Dragon Hill Lodge, waiting on any word from my husband that we are to grab our stuff and be sent to Camp Casey. Camp Casey is more than likely where we will be staying for the next 2 years. It's about 30 minutes away from the DMZ, and I'll be neighbors with North Koreans. Camp Casey is known for their readily available abundance of prostitutes with big hair and bright red lipstick. They say a lot has changed, but it'll be a big change from what I'm used to. Never the less, I am ready for the challenge, and can't wait to get settled in.

There are a few downsides to living in Camp Casey as opposed to Yong San. There are obvious reasons like the fact that Seoul is just a larger city & everything is more accessible, and the big one is that I'll have to drive 2 hours at least to come to Yong San and see an OB GYN because Camp Casey doesn't have one. That will be an adventure in itself, and I'll definitely keep you posted on how ideal that is being pregnant.

I am ecstatic about all the food I'll be able to eat here. I can't wait to stroll down the street and try all the different cart foods like dduk bokki, o deng, roasted corn.... yum! The list goes on and on. I will definitely keep you posted on all the new foods and restaurants we try, and if I come across any good recipes, I'll be sure to post those too! I can't wait to cook with real Korean ingredients!

The sun is slowly rising, and the town is waking up. I don't know what the day will have in store for us, but it will be the beginning of a new adventure. The year of the White Tiger will be eventful for us to say the least. Brad and I will finally get to settle down as a married couple, welcome Addison into our lives, and learn all about our heritage. We anticipate traveling around Asia while we're here which I am very much looking forward to sharing with you guys.

In the meantime, to all of our friends~~ please be safe, make the most of the new year, and live life to the fullest!!! Until next time... ahn young~!!!