Summer Break Part One- Korea!

Hi all,

The summer has flown by and school will begin again this week.  Shannon had six weeks off from teaching for the summer and it was full of all kinds of blessings.  We spent the first week of summer break moving and settling into our new place, which we'll write about in another post.  Then we spent two weeks in Seoul, South Korea with my brother, his wife, and their two kids who flew all the way from Chicago to meet us there.  I took far more pictures than I should have and tried to scale it down to share with you what these weeks meant to us.  Here's a rambling recap of what we did during our time there. 


We explored Seoul neighborhoods and had fun at popular sights and attractions.    

Water fun at Grand Children's Park

Camel rides, courtesy of Aunt Katherine, in the zoo at Grand Children's Park

Namsan Park, an enormous public park full of greenery

In front of Seoul Animation Center and Cartoon Museum

Took a cable car to Namsan Tower, known for the "locks of love" that people leave here 

Early birthday fun at Lotte World, thanks to Uncle Charles and Aunt Sunny

At Oido Beach, where there were lots of tents but very few people wearing swimsuits

A walk along Han River in the evening

We enjoyed the history and culture of Seoul.  

The War Memorial of Korea, informative for adults and fun for kids

On Gyeongbokgyeong Palace grounds where we also found grass!

Peering out of an old traditional home, Gyeongbokgyeong Palace grounds

Learning how they transported things in the olden days at a folk museum

Playing dress up in traditional clothing, National Children's Museum

Pottery at the National Museum of Korea

Loved these truck sellers that would set up shop on the sidewalk and sell anything from fruit to jewelry

In the Insadon neighborhood, which had traditional souvenirs, antiques, calligraphy shops, and other folk art 

We savored the food.  Shannon wasn't so keen on eating at low tables where you have to sit on the floor and the sheer amount of red (which equals spicy) food he couldn't eat on the table.  But to me, the food was delicious and our family and friends generously treated us to yummy meals.  We also got to indulge in American food that we hadn't eaten in awhile because Seoul had a number of American restaurants that we don't have in Hong Kong.  

Koreans love their garlic, especially for kimchi! Taken at an outdoor market

This was the biggest basin of seafood and noodles I've ever seen.  We ate it at a restaurant by the beach and clearly ordered too much.

The low tables that gave Shannon so much trouble :P

Here's my favorite Korean sweet treat, called pat bing soo.  It consists of shaved ice, sweetened beans, and toppings such as ice cream and fruit.  So, so good on a hot, summer day

We got to catch up with old friends!

B

Out out of all these wonderful things we got to do, the best part of this trip was that we got to see these people and do all these fun things with them.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Charles, Sunny, Colette, and Remy.  The time you get to spend with family is pretty precious when you haven't seen them in a year.  The kids especially loved spending time with each other and picked up right where they left off with their silly games and laughter.

The most meaningful part of our trip was getting to see my grandmother, uncle, cousin, and other family members that I haven't seen in over ten years and that Shannon and the kids met for the first time.  My grandmother got emotional each time we saw her because she was so glad we came and valued this special time together.  I loved that I got to learn more about my grandmother, her childhood, and past.  My uncle enjoyed giving the kids rides on his shoulders and spoiled them with treats.  We made fun memories with my cousin and his family as the twelve of us packed together in a minivan for a day trip to the beach.  We got to know our family better and see how much we've changed and grown.  

Ava and Josiah meeting my grandmother and uncle for the first time

Dinner with some extended relatives on my mother's side

Get together with my mother's cousin and his family

Cousins, including Sunny's brother's daughter, piling up on Uncle Charles

Family picture with my cousin and brother's family

We are so thankful that we got to go to Seoul this summer.  I thank God for bringing us to Hong Kong all the more because we gained better opportunities to reconnect with old family and friends that are now much closer than they were.  The sights and attractions were a blast, but the memories made together with those we love were the most unforgettable parts of the trip.      

Part Two of our summer and some awesome stuff God has been doing will be coming soon!  Thanks for reading and for your prayers!