The Roberts in Korea

Snow!...finally

Up until Christmas Eve day it had been a cold and dry winter here in Daejeon, South Korea, but finally, it snowed.  Here are a couple of early morning shots from the front window and the back window of our 16th floor apartment.

Christmas Eve at Jaeyoung's

On Christmas Eve a large "Idaho" contingent gathered at Jaeyoung's restaurant for a time of great food, spirited singing and warm friendship.  The Zickefoose family, the Miller family, the Hill family (and Jennifer's parents--the Coles) and the Roberts family all spent Christmas Eve with Jaeyoung and his family at a little restaurant in the center of South Korea.  It was a time to treasure.  We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

Almost Eggnog

This will be our sixth Christmas without eggnog.  Sad isn't it?  South Korea has lots of cool things to eat, but we can't find eggnog.  You probably think from the looks of these smiling faces and glasses filled with festive drink that we found eggnog.  Nope.  This is banana milk with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top.  It almost tastes like eggnog...with a little imagination.  Merry Christmas.

Two Thanksgivings

We had a great time during our Thanksgiving Break this year.  We ended up hosting, preparing, cooking and eating two Thanksgiving feasts.  On Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) we had Laurie Miller and her children over for Thanksgiving dinner.  David and Levi were in a hospital in Seoul as Levi was in recovery from a knee surgery the day before.  The Miller kids and the Roberts kids cooked up quite a meal (and Dina and Laurie too) and then after dinner we kicked off the Christmas season with a viewing of the movie, "Elf."

On Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend we had a house full for yet another Thanksgiving feast.  This time, David Miller and his kids came over as Laurie spent the day in Seoul with Levi.  We also had three TCIS  high school dorm students join us for dinner and we were thrilled to have our friends, Jaeyoung, his wife and youngest son join us for dinner too.

We had a great time preparing the food and eating it and after the meal the evening ended with a rousing game of Uno.  What a blessed Thanksgiving it was.

Cheeja Dakgalbi

One of my (Ryan's) favorite foods here in Korea is a fried concoction of chicken, spicy sauce, cabbage, chunks of pressed rice and mozzarella cheese.  To order this delicacy I say, "cheeja dak galbi" and the culinary masterpiece begins to take shape before my very eyes.

First, an enormous pile of raw chicken, spicy sauce, raw cabbage and chunks of pressed rice are dumped onto a hot skillet in the center of the table and the cooking process begins (and my mouth begins to water).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The server stirs, mixes and prepares the food as our stomachs growl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the cooking nears completion the server adds the mozzarella cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A heavy metal lid is placed over the hot plate to melt the cheese (yum).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And seconds later, "voila," the eating begins.

Last Day of Lounging

School started at TCIS on Monday, August 8th.  On the Sunday before, we went out to lunch with the Miller family and after lunch the kids ended up on the seventh floor of the Timeworld Galleria Department store lounging in the $10,000 massage chairs.

Green Teamwork

In our apartment complex there is a large patch of grass located in the center of a ring of apartment buildings.  One day as we were walking through this area we were surpised to see a small army of "ajoshhis" (ajoshhi is a Korean term used for refering to a middle-aged man) going to work on the section of grass. The group was composed of the security guards/caretakers in our apartment complex and they were lined up and moving together through the yard weeding the grass.  They were working diligently, talking together and seemingly having a good time.  Teamwork and community--what a great alternative to the chemicals found in a bag of Weed and Feed.

Kittens in Korea

Much to our surprise the other day, we came across a group of kittens that were meowing loudly and playing together in the parking lot near our apartment.  We don't see many cats here in Korea, let alone kittens.  Most of the cats that we see are wild, roaming the streets, eating from trash bags on street corners and can be heard fighting or caterwauling in the middle of the night.

These kittens were very cute.  We gave them some scraps of bread that we happened to have with us and we enjoyed watching them eat and chase each other's tails.  Of course, Sarah and Becca wanted to keep one for a pet, but their mean old dad said "no."

The Eagles!

Last Tuesday, George and I went to the Eagles concert in Seoul.  We met our friends, Jaeyoung and his wife, at the concert.  It was a wonderful time.  We left school just before the end of the school day, boarded a bus and took a two-hour trip to the southern edge of Seoul.  From there we jumped in a taxi and thirty minutes later we found ourselves at the Olympic Stadium.  We were two hours early to the venue, so we had some snacks with Jaeyoung and his wife at a nearly convenience store and then we entered the stadium an hour early and watched the place slowly fill up with 13,000 people.

 

The music was amazing.  The Eagles opened the concert with Seven Bridges Road and it only got better from there. They had a thirteen-piece band complete with saxophones, trumpets and a violin.  Over three hours later they closed the concert with Eldorado and it sounded like everyone in the building was singing along.  After the concert we jumped in a taxi and headed for the bus station.  We boarded the last bus out of Seoul (12:10 a.m.) and I was in bed by 2:00 a.m.  That morning I had a 6:30 a.m. meeting so it was a short night, but it was worth it.  The concert was a great time with friends and a treasured memory.

 

 

 

Basketball Season is Over

A couple of weeks ago the girls' basketball season ended with the KAIAC leage tournament at Seoul American High School (SAHS).  SAHS is located on the U.S. Military Base.  We all had a fun time on the base and at the tournament.  Sarah got the opportunity to join the varsity team for the KAIAC tournament so it was especially fun for Sarah's and Becca's parents to see them both playing on the same team.

We stayed in the Dragon Hill Hotel on the base.  It is a very nice hotel that has four different Western restaurants in it along with a very nice donut shop/coffee shop.  It was almost like being back in America.

The tournament was a tough one for the Lady Dragons of TCIS.  They lost their first game of the tournament by one basket to a team that they beat both times they played them in the regular season.  The TCIS girls weathered the loss and disappointment and came back to win their next game and take fifth place in the tournament.  It was a great season and we are so proud of Becca and Sarah.