This is my first post since getting back and I really have put it off. Because comprehensive details on my trip in Korea and flight back to Seattle would take quite some time and energy to write I think I shall summarize it instead. I arrived in Korea at approximately oh five hundred hours with little more than an hour of sleep under my eyelids over the previous 24 hour period. I hit the ground running and didn't get any more sleep until the evening of the same day that I arrived. After dropping all our stuff off at the Oetman's and then left to meet up with our tour guides for the day Matthew and Sang Won. It was Sang Won's birthday that day so we went to an amusement part called Lotte World. It's was funky, freaky, and really fun. I went on a couple rides and some roller coasters multiple times. We waited in line for one ride that they said Kevin couldn't go on because he was too tall. I ate octopus or squid, I'm not sure which. And it was an hour long train ride to and from the park. The craziest part about that was that we didn't even leave Seoul after riding the train for miles and miles and minutes and minutes. On Saturday we went out to lunch with a group of Koreans from the church. >We had plans to do things but the inclement weather changed them for us. On >Sunday we had a great time at Brother Oetman's church and the message that he preached was really great about patience from James chapter 5. >After church we had a big lunch together with the whole church, according to Korean custom. I gobbled down the seaweed, broth, rice, beef, and shrimp with their shells and legs still on like it was my favorite food. >All the Koreans around were impressed. I even liked the kim chi. One girl went to the corner store nearby and got Kevin some chips and Pepsi. On >Sunday afternoon we played basketball with a young Korean guy named Joshua. I accidentally elbowed him in the face, broke his glasses, and scratched his cheek. He insisted he was okay. Then we thought we'd ask the people playing soccer if we could join them, but when we saw that it looked like and organized game we resigned ourselves to just watching. On Monday I went to >Starbucks for the first time in ten months. After I got my drink I bought some souvenir cups and they gave me free drinks with each cup. I got a second drink for myself and a second for Kevin, my first refunded, and two free drink coupons that had to be used in Korea. With the coupons we went again later after shopping. Besides >Starbucks we did a lot of shopping with Matthew and went to the Namsan Tower which overlooks Seoul from a hilltop. It was an amazing view and we didn't even have to climb the bagillion stairs to get there. After agonizing over what to get for each of my family members I was done and very tired. On >Tuesday we left for >Seattle. Customs and baggage claim, blah blah blah, customs again in >Seattle, blah blah blah.
Boy did it feel good to be back in the >States. >We flew from Incheon at 6:30 Tuesday afternoon and arrived in >Seattle 12:30 Tuesday midday. I travelled back in time! Since I only slept a few hours on the flight, and very poorly I might add, it's almost needless that I say I was really tired when I got back to America. But did we go home? No, of course not, we went to Pike's Place >Starbucks and a restaurant. Then we walked through the market and bought Mom flowers. All in all getting back home was a great experience I won't soon forget.
Since I've been home things have been a little slower, although I'm not just sitting around on my duff. I spent the first couple of days getting everything put away, which wasn't easy since all my storage space had been commandeered. After that I fixed my bike, which had gone into disrepair, and I worked on my car, which had gone into disrepair. >Since then I've tried a couple things that I'd hoped would get it going but nothing has worked. Just this evening I had it towed to someone who should be able to help me fix it. Then, last weekend, we went camping for three days. >Everyone was just so busy with things that I ended up with all the hard work right before we left. Camping was awesome. I was able to chill and relax almost whenever I wanted. I also found that I can still play Ultimate Frisbee. We played only once which was kind of a bummer, but it was hot and our field was only so-so. >We had a super great game and everyone was included; this was no elitist frisbee game. I also played disc golf and found that I still stunk at that just as bad or worse than when I left. >We drove in for church on >Sunday and Adam and I sung a special music and James played his viola for and offeratory. >They liked our song so much they asked us to sing it again for the evening service. We drove back for evening church and I also gave a testimony of my time in Mongolia. Monday we came home, then I started work on our house. It needs to be painted and re-roofed, but before that can happen the places of peeling paint need to be scraped. It need it most on the south side where it gets direct sun exposure all the time. The only problem with that is that while I work on it I'm getting a lot of direct sun exposure too. I was using sunscreen but I forgot to put it on my legs so now my calves are burned really badly. Ouch. Next week I'm going to paint trim with Mr. Martin then I think we're going to start primering our house towards the end of the week.
John
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