The Roberts in Korea

Number 42

It happened again.  Ryan had a birthday.  Every birthday is a blessing and this one was a good one.  Dina, Becca, Sarah, the Millers and the Zickefooses all took Ryan out for a special birthday dinner at TGI Fridays Restaurant.  It was a blast.  The employees in the restaurant sang a wonderful birthday song and the food was great.

After dinner we all (and the Moimois) went to the Roberts' house for banana splits and...gifts!  Ryan got a tennis raquet (two in fact) and some tennis balls for his birthday.  It was a fun night.  By the way, with the Moimoi family in the mix we had 21 people at our house.  Hey, that is half of 42!

Idahoans Invade Azuma Kimbap Restaurant

The Idahoans, consisting of the Loebers, the Millers, the Zickefooses and the Roberts converged on JaeYoung's restaurant for dinner one evening this past week.  There was a total of seventeen of us and we filled up the entire Azuma Kimbap restaurant.  We ate all kinds of delicious Korean food like:  Ramien Noodles, Shrimp Fried Rice, Beef Fried Rice, Boiled Beef and Rice, Spicy Pork and Rice, Boiled Mandu Dumplings, Fried Mandu Dumplings, and of course we had Kimbap (rice and other things rolled in seaweed).

We had a great time enjoying Jaeyoung's food, restaurant and service.  He was thrilled to have us there.  Everyone loved the food and the fact that Jaeyoung can speak English.  We will all be visiting Jaeyoung's wonderful restaurant again.  (By the way, all seventeen of us ate dinner for 60,000 Won--which is equivalent to $60)

New Start

Well, school has started and so have the Olympics.  Here is a picture of Becca and Sarah on the first day of school.  They look a little sleepy but they were ready to kick off a new school year.  Becca started her first day of high school as a ninth grader and Sarah began her second year of middle school as a seventh grader.

On another note...it is interesting to experience the Olympics here in South Korea.  The streets are a little quieter in the evenings as many are huddled around their television sets at night cheering for the Korean Olympic team. 

Tonight the Millers, Zickefooses and the Roberts had dinner together at the Zickefoose's house and at one point in the evening Heidi commented how funny and unique it was for a group of American people from Idaho to be sitting around eating Chinese food in an apartment in South Korea cheering for the South Korean Archery Team to win the gold medal.

The adventure continues...

Friends and Fun

The other night a bunch of Idahoans hit the town in South Korea.  Actually, the Zickefooses, the Millers and the Roberts went to a movie in Daejeon.  It was fun to get out and about in the midst of a non-stop two weeks of work.  And, it was fun to take David and Laurie Miller on and eye opening adventure in the city life of South Korea.

Becca has been involved in a volleyball camp these last three days.  She is hot, sore, tired and...she loves it.  She is doing well in volleyball.  She is hoping to be able to play on the junior varsity or varsity team this year.

Turn Up the Temperature

Things are really heating up here in South Korea in more ways than one.  School starts on Monday and the past few days have been busy--full of set up and preparation for the many new and returning students that will soon be arriving on campus and for the beginning of a new school year. 

Dina has been feverishly setting up her Kindergarten classroom and she has been helping her friend Laurie set up her First Grade classroom.  Sarah has been spending her days working in "Kid's Club"--a child care program on campus for the staff kids that are hanging out while their parents are busy preparing for the start of a new school year.  Becca has been helping out with student registration (she is on the student council and that is one of their duties) and Ryan has been spending a lot of time on the Korean Expressway, driving back and forth setting up his "two" offices at TCIS and GSIS and assisting the new TCIS high school office administrators in their transition into their new roles.

The weather has been HOT.  We are so thankful and so fortunate to have air conditioning in our house.  Not only has the weather been hot but so has the delicious and spicy Korean food.  It is great to get back to the wonderful and unique food in this country.  These hot days that we are moving through are critical to the taste of Korean food.  Right now the days are perfect for the drying of the red peppers that are a primary element to most Korean foods.  Bring on the heat!

Friends in South Korea!!

The new school year is upon us and we are very excited because some of the new employees at TCIS are from Idaho.  In fact, they are our friends from Idaho! They were all greeted at the airport in Incheon by Dr. Penland (the school headmaster) and the crew and it was fun to see their faces as they stepped into this new chapter of their lives here in South Korea.

Our friend Landon arrived (without Brenna, she will be here soon) and our friends David and Laurie arrived along with their five wonderful children and their dog (Muffie) on Thursday afternoon.  Landon will be teaching fifth graders at TCIS, David will be teaching music in the middle school and Laurie will be teaching first graders in the elementary school.

Thus far, the South Korean-TCIS experience has offered them many challenges and adventures--the first being the very hot and humid weather.  There just doesn't seem to be a fan that is big enough.

Ethan found a fan!

Group Pictures

This past summer was a good one.  We enjoyed many rich times of visiting with friends and family.  In a glance back at our pictures for the summer we found quite a few "group shots."  Below are some of those shots.  They don't include everyone from our summer, but they do represent some treasured memories.