THANKSGIVING

November 23, 2015

THANKSGIVING

After being in Korea for one month, we find that we really love and appreciate:

KOREAN CHILDREN

They are so adorable! When I see them I just want to play with them.

PEOPLE

In the pictures below we introduce the Jo family. The father is the Stake President. They have ten children, which would be an anomaly in the United States. It is beyond unusual in Korea, where most couples have one or two children and live in small apartments.  The children are obedient, well behaved, and very polite. We were invited to their home for Family Home Evening.  On the left hand side sit Brother and Sister Bowcutt, who trained us for our jobs and went home last week.

Each of the ten plays the piano; the 17 year old girl is the organist for the ward, and the others  play  beautifully.

They had about ten hymn books, and ten primary books. The singing was impeccable.

MISSIONARIES

We love them all

I have moved from Stage 1: looking at missionaries as potential boyfriends when they get off their mission, to Stage 2: looking at missionaries as one of my children, a friend of one of my children, or a boyfriend for one of my daughters, to Stage 3: looking at them and thinking that my grandchildren will be there in only eight years!

OUR WARD

These families are so strong, so faithful, and work so hard to do what is right. They are wonderful.

I AM THANKFUL FOR WATER

We really are lucky! Even though we can't use the tap water for drinking, cooking, or washing dishes (we have to add bleach to the rinse water), we do have water - it comes out of the shower every day (so far) and gets hot. We don't have to go to the river to fill jugs and carry them on our heads as we walk several miles home.

I AM THANKFUL FOR FUN OUTINGS!

A couple of weeks ago, we went to a movie. There are American movies with Korean subtitles. This room, "Blockbus" was next door to the theatres. You might be able to see the stacks of Legos on the shelves, the kids playing with blocks, and the train table in front. This is a babysitting service for people who want to go to a movie. Great idea?

HIKE - GRATITUDE FOR NATURE

Saturday we walked about a mile from our home, to Geumjeong Park, where we got a cable car/sky ride to the top of the mountain. We took several pictures of Busan as we ascended the 3,500 feet to the top.  There are three different views from the mountain.

VIEW #1

VIEW #2

VIEW #3

In just a few minutes, we are out of the city, and enjoying the fall leaves, mostly on the ground, and the pre-winter landscape. 



We had planned to hike down the mountain, but when we got to the top, there was so much to discover that we didn't make it down. First of all, we ran into an ancient wall which surrounded a fortress. 

Your weapon of choice fits nicely through the perfectly spaced square niches in the wall.

Soldiers were stationed at these watchtowers to look out for invaders.

It looked like no mortar was used.

We came upon a Buddhist temple. All around it, hiding in the crevasses of the boulders, were carved Buddhas of all shapes and sizes.

Brenda at the watchtower

Brenda at the Turtle Tomb

On our way back, we got lost! Luckily, we ran into this Dad and son who first told us the right way to go, then gave up and said, "We'll take you to the right way to go." They became our new best friends, and saved us from the impending doom of losing our way on a mountain without a map, a cell phone, or knowing how to communicate, especially as it began to get ominously darker and colder... 

 Who saved the day? - of course the 10 year old boy who spoke enough English to do the job!

 They completely changed their plans and went a different way just to help us out. We are thankful for wonderful people.

Last but not least, we are thankful for a little humor...

The food at restaurants is made extra appealing by advertising pictures or drawings of the real animal. Here are two examples of some lovely pork restaurants:

Next to these doors, there were pictures of several of the favorite pork delicacies! Yum!