Winter - A New Concept

After two days of snowfall, we had plenty of snow here for all the kids to spend their afternoons sledding. As soon as they finished school, they grabbed their coats and set off for a paved but abandoned hill we found near a construction zone. Because it is paved, the snow is even and there are no rocks. When you have wipe-outs, hidden boulders are not fun! The only problem with this hill is there is no "gliding" space at the bottom; just a large, 12" curb to slam into. If you're really good, you can veer your sled around a sharp turn and continue down the hill into someone's house. We try to avoid that as much as possible.
As the snow begins to melt but then freezes into ice at night, it turns into "snice" which leads to some interesting sledding. High speeds, little control, no padding, and a wall at the bottom = thrills + pain! Actually, we've done pretty well; I'm not sure how long the sleds will hold up, but our bodies are doing ok. :)
Our sledding hill

Preparing for take-off

Julianna likes to sled, but reports, "Then, you have to walk ALL the way back up the hill!"


Double riders = faster speed and less ability to stop = great combination
Caroline trying to keep control - notice the concrete wall to her right (there's one on the left, too).

Oil Clean-up

Yesterday morning, Dad and Gabe left the house at 6:30 a.m. to go help with the clean-up work on an oil spill near Mokpo.They went along with several bus loads of volunteers from Global Mission Church. On December 4th (a stormy day), a Korean barge broke loose from its tugboat and slammed into the side of a Hong Kong supertanker that was carrying 260,000 tons of crude oil. Tens of thousands of Koreans have volunteered to help with the clean-up effort, but it is estimated to take 3-5 years until complete recovery.

Dad and Gabe (along with a father and son from our co-op) spent the day scrubbing the rocks by hand. Before setting out, they all donned white jump suits, several pairs of gloves, and rubber boots. Gabe said it was freezing cold, and the work was tedious as each individual rock had to be scrubbed and wiped.

Here are some of the pictures Gabe took.

Hundreds of volunteers prepare to head for the beaches.


The oil has covered the rocks here; other places it washed into the sand.
Equipment for clean-up

Dad and Mr. Cho hand-scrub the rocks

Korean National Homeschool Conference

This weekend, Dad was asked to be the main speaker for the Korean National Homeschool Conference. He spent many hours preparing for his two 2 hour lectures. We hope that God is able to work through all the families represented at the conference who are seeking to honor God by discipling their families in a way completely unheard of in Korea.

We stopped to have a supper of duck with Brad and Joo-Young (the heads of Family Mission International) before the conference began. I'd never had duck before; it was fun to get to roast it right at your table.
When we drove up to this country restaurant, we could hear hundreds of ducks squawking in the barnyard. Gabe commented, "I bet those ducks sure hate hearing the sounds of tires on the driveway!"


Looking at the books that have been translated into Korean for homeschooling

Which way?

Evangeline and Julianna love playing in the snow - Evangeline especially enjoys getting to throw as many snowballs as possible at Gabriel!



These girls have an uncomfortable knack for getting their snowballs down the very small gap between your hood, jacket, and sweater - freezing!

Gabe checks out the facilities...let's just say the privacy is a little, umm, lacking?

Good Byes (I hate them!)

We will really miss having Darrell, Christa, Judah, and Jared here. Darrell and Christa left on Friday; Judah and Jared left today and are currently crossing the Pacific Ocean. It is hard to have your family divided up on opposite sides of the ocean.
Love you, sister!


Saying good bye at the airport


Trying to get a picture while the boys rush out the door - not easy!



One quick announcement: Dad and Mom have decided to remain in Korea for one more semester so, officially, I will be returning to the States in May, and the rest of the family will return sometime near the end of July/beginning of August. I miss you all!

Busan and Oeado Island (Day III)

The view we woke up to


Nothing like a good book...but he doesn't seem too enthralled

Waiting for our ferry to Oeado Island

Delicious

I woke up with the flu that morning which might explain some things.

Palm trees!!! I miss Florida.

I was very disappointed I was too sick to eat pizza...it's the first time I've eaten there with my family because it is a bit pricy.

Busan and Oeado Island (Day II)

We had two rooms with one bed in each room. Since everyone claimed a bed, we ended up sharing a lot - 4 people to a bed ;)

Stopping for a much needed car wash...Korea has so many employees at each business - traffic directors in the garages, greeters around every corner, gas pumpers, car washers, just to name few. I'm not sure how employers still manage to make a profit.
Stopping for a much needed bathroom break...imagine our delight when we found out the only bathrooms around were squatty potties - and the ladies' bathroom had turtles in it. Yes, live turtles!
Jared with his hamburger, and me with my Korean food (Soup, rice, kimchi, and aloe salad...I didn't eat the aloe - maybe they thought I was sunburned.)

Must have been an interesting ceiling..

Relaxing
Enjoying one of Gabe's Christmas presents

The fishing dock below our room

Darrell has a knack for photography...