A typical day...

Usually we wake up around 7am (Jeff already looong gone) and the kids have hot milk and watch a show while I make school lunch for Sash and make sure the right homework stuff gets put in the right backpack for the day. Each day one of them has library or PE or show and tell or HW due or SOMETHING so there's always something to remember. Then we eat b-fast together. Here's Sasha in the am, already has her hat on, PJ's, crocks on the wrong feet, mouth full, I tell ya, she's the whole package:
After B-fast we try to knock something out, either HW or fiddling or else we end up with too much to do at the end of the day. We leave about 8:45 and walk down the hill to the school. Usually Teddy and I stay with Sasha until the bell rings since she is still settling in. Here is the stage one class lining up:
Then Teddy and I walk about 10 minutes to get to the Early Years Centre where the Kindy class is held. One of the funniest things about the Kindy location is that it's right next to the Hyundai Guard Dog shack so all these tiny children have to march past the dogs each day:


Being a huge fan of the "Far Side" I always remember that series of strips the guy did called "Trouble Brewing" where 2 very incompatible businesses were next to each other like Stan's Skydiving School next to Edna's Gator Land. There was one with Sue's daycare next to Bob's Dingo Farm and in the picture all the Dingos are up on the fence drooling at the playing babies in the next yard. Hysterical. And here we are living the reality:
I am always ready to tackle some kid to prevent them from running up to the dogs and gettin' mauled. My crazy ninja skills always at the ready....

Teddy goes to school from 9-12 each day and comes home for lunch. He really likes school!
"C'mon Mom, stop taking pictures, we gotta get to school!"
Putting his things in his tray:
Usually after dropping Teddy off I run screaming down the hill "FREEDOM!" and then decide what to do for 2.5 blissful hours. We have a walking group that hikes in the mountains M, W and F and there is a Pilates Class Tues and Thursday, and also lots of other activities like Korean Tea ceremonies or Bingo or whatever. It's like living on a cruise ship. Here's my pals Kari and Zoe at a tea ceremony:
They served rice "cakes" - little gelatinous balls made with rice powder and filled with cinnamon and sugar. They were actually pretty good!
My turn to drink some tea. The lady that showed us the ceremony was a Korean tea ceremony expert and even her outfit has meaning, for example there are colors on her Hanbok (traditional clothes) that tell if her parents, husband, and children are living or deceased.
I pick up Teddy at noon and sometimes we ride the bike or walk, but we can also take a bus which is Teddy's favorite:
We go home for lunch and a nap or lunch and a playdate and then we walk back down the hill to pick up Sasha at 3. Here's Sasha and Ingrid walking home:We have met tons of awesome people so often times we have a playdate or something in the afternoon, but we have to keep it short because we have homework every day trying to keep up! Here's Ted and Øyvind playin' Dinosaur adventurer!

In the evening I make whatever I can out of the mystery items I have bought at the grocery store. I even made Bulgogi one night. That's Korean BBQ that you wrap in lettuce with whatever you want. Rock-Star!
The cats in the meantime have had a terrible day trying to adjust to their new surroundings. It's just trying AND stressful to have so many sunny places to get to in a single afternoon:
We finally get to eat dinner when Jeff comes home around 6:45. He has been bombarded with platters of gelatinous things lately. He brought this one home to show us. Apparently his co-workers think they are giving him a luscious platter of yummy treats. YAY! Thankfully, Jeff is the master of false enthusiasm:


Go in for a closer look, breathe deeply. PS: I'm sending all of you a plate just like this one for Christmas next year. Get Psyched!

On the weekends we hike or try to explore new places and Sasha has been invited to 3 B-day parties already! Here is the stage one gang celebrating Soobin's 6th B-day. You can really see what a diverse community we are living in!So on the whole, at the one month mark (today!) I have to say we have settled in nicely and I feel very fortunate to live in the foreign community where everyone speaks English. Many of my friends from Norway, Japan, Croatia, ect. came here and had to learn to adapt to Korea AND life in the Foreigners Compound in English so for them it was like adapting to 2 strange cultures and languages at the same time. THAT would be tough...