Since September, I have settled in both at work and in my "new" apartment. I've spent a lot of time with friends, and not a lot of time doing anything "interesting", but here's a run-down anyway. Last I posted, it was just before Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), which I spend in Daejeon with my roommate Sharon's parents. We made (and happily consumed) a lot of yummy Korean foods, most of which I have forgotten the names for, but included Korean pancakes, a cucumber dish where they were cooked and sliced and filled with egg, carrot, or meat (like little cucumber sandwiches), and of course songpyeon, a Korean rice cake cooked among pine needles, made especially for Chuseok. I also made the famous Kitto family Dusky Dream cake because it was Sharon's mother's birthday. We went to a park that night and rented tandem bikes and mini motorbikes for an hour. Not a typical Chuseok activity that I know of, but there were a lot of families out enjoying the park. Their hospitality was wonderful, and I enjoyed my short stay in Daejeon.
During the fall we had a lot of visitors to our apartment, and thus broke in our kitchen very well. I enjoyed the Borscht, made by former roommate Kat (from Uzbekistan), and Sharon's "Puchu Japchae" among others. Honestly, I don't contribute much except for baked goods, which is more of my forte. In fact, for Christmas I had a Christmas cookie baking party, in which I managed to cram nearly 20 people into my little apartment to bake dozens and dozens of holiday favorites. Some of my guests got creative making shapes out of the Russian teacakes, which you can see below. All around, it was a great time, but next time I might opt to have smaller gatherings!
I also got to be a part of my church's annual Christmas gala, which was a musical this year, called "The Prodigal" based on the prodigal son parable (Luke 15:11-32). I was in the choir/chorus, and was blessed to be a part of it and get to meet some new people. Sharon was the director, so I barely saw her at home that month! Then, as most of you will know, I headed home for Christmas around the 20th. I had a WONDERFUL time at home, though I spent the first week adjusting my sleep patterns. Not only did I get to see my parents and my adorable and genius nephew Asher - and his parents :) - but also many friends who were home for the holidays, my family in Fuquay, and my grandparents who I hadn't seen since going to Korea! After missing 3 Christmases at home, it was such a treat and well worth the 24 hours of travel it took to get there!
The way back was a bit more difficult, as I was stuck in China overnight due to a snowstorm. It was very chaotic and I spent all night in lines, but met some nice folks ad ran into people I already knew actually! I had good fortune and got on the first plane out in the next afternoon by being persistent and flying standby. I arrived in Seoul to 10 inches of snow...and like NC, they don't know how to handle it too well! It took a week to recover from the stress of the total 50 hours of travel time, but I bounced back!
Since then, I have mostly been trying to avoid being out in the elements...the temperatures have hovered at or below freezing for quite awhile. But, I am still enjoying meeting with friends as much as possible, and reading lots of books on my new Kindle :) One highlight last month was a "snow walk" I took with my friend Vanessa when we visited a palace called Gyeongbokgung in Seoul and it started snowing. You can see some pictures below. Also, check out the rest of my photos at my Picasa site.
Hope you've all been healthy and well, and having many adventures of your own! Check back for updates, hopefully at least monthly this year. (Mom - try to pester me more frequently, OK?)
Love from Seoul,
Alison
