CHRISTMAS IN JAPAN
This is along the coast.
Here are some of the wild horses.
Elizabeth went into "grandma mode" right away.
Abby was AJ's favorite aunt for the week.
AJ is ready to blast off to church.
We spent the past week in Misawa, Japan, with Jerred, Joanna, and AJ. We had a relaxing and enjoyable visit. The weather was uncharacteristically mild for this time of year(highs in the 40's). We did a little sightseeing, a little shopping, some eating and sleeping, and, of course, of lot of "AJ-ing." Most evenings we played various table games and enjoyed good converstaion and laughs.
One day, we drove to the north end of the island to see the wild horses. Unfortunately, we couldn't drive into the park since the gate was closed for the winter. However, we did see the horses from another road. The ride itself was quite enjoyable as we drove through little fishing villages along the Pacific coast.
We are now back in Seoul taking a few more days of vacation before returning to school Jan. 3.
CHRISTMAS CLUB BAKES COOKIES
Alison and Gloria are "getting into" the cookie making process.
Monica kept rolling and cutting even after everyone else had quit.
Sharon, Alison, and Abby are making puppy chow.
The finished product was well worth the effort.
SINGING FOR THE U.S. AMBASSADOR
Elizabeth and I joined Seoul Singers, an international choir group. We've enjoyed getting to meet people from Austria, Brazil, and Trinidad as well as Korea and the US. Last night we gave our first concert at the U.S. Ambassador's residence.
After our arrival, we waited in the guest house. The guest house was built in the late 1800's as the Russian Legation House. Because the building was just totally renovated, we had to leave our shoes outside the door.
The Ambassador's residence is also built in the traditional Korean style. The inside has been decorated by the ambassador's wife who is quite artistic. Much of the artwork on display was done by her. She likes textiles and jewelry and tends toward 20th century things. I loved the vaulted ceilings. If you can picture a ski lodge and make it Korean, you would have this house.
The living room was set up with rows of chairs. Our audience was very appreciative. We had lots of Koreans and Americans. For many of the Americans, this was their only taste of American Christmas. One man, who had not been home in four years, was in tears as we sang many familiar Christmas carols and even had a sing-a-long for part of it. Unless you have spent Christmas away from the States in a place where the holiday is not truly celebrated, you have no idea how much you miss it.
After the singing, the risers came down and tables were set up for eating. We were invited to join the 60-70 guests for a buffet. Such lovely food we had! In addition to numerous Korean dishes, some of the other food we enjoyed included crispy curried fish, New Orleans shrimp, smoked salmon, salami pinwheels, mini quiches, and even US beef. (US beef is SOOOOOO wonderful.) Korea has had a ban on it for about three years, so we can't buy it in the stores here. Dessert included chocolate chip brownies and gingerbread cake.
We did get our picture taken with Ambassador Vershbow and his wife, who are both very friendly and very gracious.
This is along the coast.
Here are some of the wild horses.
Elizabeth went into "grandma mode" right away.
Abby was AJ's favorite aunt for the week.
AJ is ready to blast off to church.
