The Roberts in Korea

Tuesday at Disneyland

Tuesday at Disneyland was a good time.  We started off the morning with a trip to “Goofy’s Kitchen.”  We had a delicious breakfast with Goofy and the gang at Disneyland.  We saw lots of characters at the breakfast like Pluto, Goofy, Chip (of Chip and Dale) and Baloo (from Jungle Book).

We stood in line for nearly an hour and a half to ride Splash Mountain, but it was worth the wait.  Tuesday was a very crowded day at Disneyland.  There were lots of teen age students there and after some inquiry we found out that it was the second to the last day of school in California and many of the surrounding schools were having an end of the year celebration at Disneyland.  Because of the crowds we ended up returning to our hotel room and spending the afternoon swimming.  It was great.

Mom and Dad Roberts rolled into sunny California late in the afternoon on Tuesday.  We spent the evening together eating dinner at “Bubba Gump’s” and then we rode a few rides at Disneyland and California Adventure.

A California Adventureland Day

    On Monday we spent the day at California Adventureland.  The weather here is hot and sunny.  There isn't much to say except that we had a great day riding rides and being together.  Here are some pics.

Arrival at Disneyland

We boarded a plane in Incheon, South Korea and twenty-four hours later we were in our hotel room in Anaheim, California.  We are staying at the Tropicana and it is right across the street from Disneyland!

We spent Sunday afternoon and evening at Disneyland.  It is so great to see Mickey and the gang.  We are a little groggy from our travels but no too groggy to take in Star Tours, The Pirates of the Caribbean ride and Space Mountain.

It is Monday morning and we are wrestling with a bit of jet lag but are up and on our way to spend the day at California Adventure.  Let the summer break begin!

Summer Break!!

In twelve hours we are scheduled to board a bus and head for the Incheon Airport.  We are headed back across the Pacific Ocean to spend a few weeks in the USA with lots of special people.  Before we make it back to Boise we are going to stop in and say hello to Mickey Mouse and Friends.

When possible, we will blog about our summer activities.  Thanks to all of you that read regularly.  We hope to see some of you while we are in the States.

New House

We are moving!  This past week we have been busy packing boxes and moving our stuff out of our ninth floor apartment and into a house in Daejeon.  We have loved our little apartment, but are looking forward to having the extra space that the house affords.  The house is a three bedroom dwelling (the same as our apartment) but it is much bigger and roomier.  We are looking forward to spreading out a bit and using the space to entertain guests at our home.

We still have lots of stuff in boxes and will not be able to get it all unpacked before we leave for our summer time break in the USA.  When we return to Daejeon at the end of July it will be to a new house and to the big job of “setting up and moving in” to our new home.  We look forward to getting to know our neighbors, entertaining TCIS staff and students and hosting visiting friends and family from the United State and the world.  Come visit us!

A New Chapter

Friday was my last day as a high school assistant principal (for now).  As I took the pictures and diplomas off the walls, boxed up my files and backed up my hard drive I found myself reflecting upon the goodness of God in my life.  I have now served as a school administrator in grades and schools ranging from Kindergarten to 12th grade.  The past two years at the high school of Taejon Christian International School have been a significant challenge and a great blessing in my life.  It is my prayer that any experiences and/or insights that I have gleaned from my administrative and school leadership experiences will be used by God for good in the days ahead.

Looking to the future, I am excited about my new role as the Director of Spiritual Formation Programs at both Taejon Christian International School and Gyeonggi Suwon International School.  When I think about the 1000+ students, 300+ staff (and families), and the diversity of the two different schools (in South Korea), I find myself feeling a bit anxious and inadequate for the job.  This new job is both a new role for me and a newly created administrative position at each of the schools.

As I embark on this new chapter and experience in my life, I find myself to be in a place of immense dependence upon and trust in God.  This is where I want to be.  I pray that in the days ahead I might be a part of lifting up the blessed name of Jesus Christ in the world and assisting others on their journey into a deeper relationship with Him.

End of the School Year

Another school year came to an end at TCIS.  It is amazing how something that is looked forward to with so much enthusiasm can suddenly come—and go—so quickly.  In reflection upon a great school year, that seemed to pass much too rapidly, it is easy to understand why Moses, in Psalm 90, encourages us to “number” our days—savor them for the gift that they are.

The year ended with a flurry of awards assemblies, graduation, talent shows, end-of-the-year parties, yearbook signings, hugs, laughter, tears and good-byes.  Both Becca and Sarah finished the school year in a strong fashion with the receiving of "end of the year" awards, good grades and enriched relationships.  Dina wrapped up a year of investing in the lives of ten cute little Kindergarteners and Ryan said goodbye to 85 graduating seniors and closed out another year at the high school.

The 2007-2008 school year has been a good one for all of us.  We are thankful.

Everland Fun

On Wednesday the TCIS Middle School took an end of the year trip to an amusement park up near Seoul called, "Everland."  Becca, Sarah, Ryan and the rest of the Middle School staff and students boarded buses and headed off to a day of fun at Everland.

Everland is a great amusement park.  It is very beautiful and has a very interesting layout and the rides are excellent.  Sarah, Ryan and friends went on an outstanding wooden roller coaster together that featured an initial vertical drop of 70 degrees...yipes.  It was scary and fun.

Sarah and Becca had a great day cruising around the park with their friends, and Ryan had a great time hanging out with Dan, Virginia and Mike.  We all enjoyed some junk food, joining in with a polka band at the park and taking pictures of some goofy Korean signs.

Enjoy the pics, it was a great day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grad Week Activities

This past week was graduation week at TCIS.  Thursday and Friday were filled with awards ceremonies and baccalaureate and graduation practices and finally the graduation ceremony happened at 5 PM  on Friday afternoon.  Eighty-five students graduated from TCIS this year.  They are all headed off to universities in the USA, Canada and Australia.  The ceremony was a nice one, but we were initially a little nervous because the event was held outside and the skies were threatening rain.  It rained a bit at the very beginning of the ceremony  but then it cleared up and all was well.  At the ceremony was a very famous Korean movie star named, Sung-kee Ahn.  All the Korea people raved about him--he is very famous.  Some say he is like the US equivalent of Harrison Ford.  Ryan met Mr. Ahn and had a picture taken with him.  Click here to read more about Sung-kee Ahn.

On Saturday night Dina and Ryan attended the staff farewell dinner and ceremony held in the TCIS gymnasium.  There are around fifteen staff members that will be "moving on" at the end of this year.  It was a fun evening of celebrating memories and doing a little roasting of our friends.  International Schools are a unique setting when it comes to making friends and saying goodbyes.  Both happen quickly and sometimes saying goodbye is difficult.  We will miss the staff members that are leaving our TCIS community.

Here is a picture of Ryan, George and Jamie, out for an early morning Saturday coffee at Dunkin Donuts.  We had a great time reflecting on the past year and talking about our summer plans.

On Saturday night, outside our apartment building, I grabbed a quick picture of the lights.  In this photo I find an interesting contrast between the red crosses that dot the peaks of the nearby churches and the trio of lights that emanate from the "wild" part of town.