Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

메리 크리스마스 and 새해 복 많이!!!

Being that I'm excellent on keeping you all up to date on my life, I decided my 'card' this year will be short and sweet.

I had one helluva year - if you don't remember, refer to the previous blog posts!

I am so thankful and grateful for everyone in my life. You have made a significant impact on my being and I don't know what I'd do without you.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and were able to spend it with the ones you love. I'm looking forward to hearing all of your New Year's resolutions, and I'm especially looking forward to watching you forget then by March! :)

Some quotes I stumbled upon:

May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions. ~Joey Adams

I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's. ~Henry Moore

New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions. ~Mark Twain

This weekend I will spend the New Year with my family in Gyeongju. Koreans are nuts about watching the first sunrise of the year - so I'm counting on being up early.

Be safe and thankful!

Love you!

PS Santa said I was pretty freaking cool this year!

Birth Family Meeting ^^

Hey everyone!

Well, the BIG weekend has come and gone. Over the last few days I've obtained extra family members. The number - unknown. I can't even break all the information down that I received so we'll just start with the basics.

I met my father's side of the family this last weekend. I did meet my mother's mom also, just for a few hours. Each of my parents have 4 siblings, so I have a little bit of an uncommon situation. I think back in the day it was expensive to have a lot of kids, that's why you typically see 2 kid families in Korea - then AND even NOW.

My father has an older brother, two twin sisters, and a younger sister. He is the 2nd oldest. I met everyone including my grandmother, his older brother's wife, a sisters' husband, and one cousin. I'm sure I'll get to meet EVERYONE soon enough.

I fit in like a glove with my father's family. From what I can see (literally) I've taken on those genes. They are loud, hilarious, and love to drink....ring any bells? They actually did mention that my personality fit in well with theirs. They are extremely close and love to give gifts...ringing any more bells? Also, some of the first questions they asked me were about special skills or talents I

had. I told them I was handy with my hands and that I loved making things (ie furniture, cards...etc.). Apparently my grandfather and possibly his father were carpenters so it's definitely a family skill. Guess what else I found out...? I was also informed that my sister was a make-up artist and one of my twin aunts is an Esthetician (well, in Korean standards...probably no waxing involved, but she's into skin care). All in all it's a match. So, we'll just have to see what kind of traits I notice from my mother's side.

What went down:

I arrived at the adoption agency with my friend Dru and it was all locked up. They aren't open on Sundays. I got a call and the social worker told me that my family was there waiting for me. She said that my mother, father, brother, sister, aunts, and some cousins were all waiting for me.

When we walked into the office we were instructed to go downstairs and they would be waiting there. I walked down and was bombarded with hugs and tears. Strangely enough, I didn't cry - a little shaky though. My sister was a sobbing mess. We sat down on some couches and then awkwardly stared at each other. They social worker had some letters that my birth mother had written to me and my mom, and she translated them for me. Dru was a little shaky and couldn't seem to get the words out. The letters were great. Sweet and to the point, explaining a bit about the situation they were in when I was born - they also seemed extremely thankful to my parents and that was expressed in the letter to mom.

After some photo exchanges and a brief question and answer session, we headed out to Gwangju to have lunch. We had lunch right as we approached Gwangju at a little beef restaurant. Gwangju is east of Seoul and extremely cold - I believe there was snow and ice the ground still. We had a great lunch and was able to get more questioned answered.

Lunch came and went and we headed to see my parents and brother's house. Gwangju is not a big city so they live in a small apartment complex. There Dru and I sat down for a photo album session. They showed us pictures of their wedding, friends and co-workers, different places in Busan, and pics of the family. They even had some pictures of my mom when she was pregnant wit me.

Another ride in the car to Daegu, reunited me with my suitcase, and then in the car again to our final destination. We stayed the night in Gyeongju where my sister and Aunt (plus, uncle?, and cousin). We ate food, drank lots and go to know each other more. One thing I found out was quite interesting.... when I was born I was very sick - I believe pneumonia, and was incubated as soon as I was born. Right then and there my birth parents had to make a decision on whether or not they could keep me. With the medical bills so high, they were forced to either pay up front for my medical treatment or give me up for adoption so the state could pay. They had no way of getting the money and were forced to give me up for adoption. Quite interesting and changes my story a whole lot. I believe my father still feels saddened by this.

The weekend ended with a little bit of site seeing in the ancient city of Gyeongju and then a sleepy ride home to Busan. In Busan, they really got to know me....MESSY apartment and all. No surprise there. We had some dinner and then they were off! I definitely had a few more drinks when they left. :)

Overall, the experience was epic. Definitely something I will never forget. I plan on continuing staying in contact with them - although communication is rough, if there's a will there's a way. I think they are a little saddened that they didn't have much time to get to know me, but we can just blame the agency for that. Through this whole experience I've realized that I wouldn't change my life for ANYTHING. This does not change who I am. I will not let this affect me in a way that makes me give any second thoughts to who I am, where I come from, and makes me appreciate even MORE the life I've lived. I've experienced so much and owe more than words can express to my family back at home (yes, the Thompson's) for giving me the best life. I've been so fortunate and loved.

Thanks friends and family for creating this crazy Jin. Genes may have blessed me with larger than life boobs and a thirst for alcoholic beverages, but my environment gave me memories, appreciation, love, and MY LIFE!

Love you guys more than you know!

See you all in March - Less than 3 months away!

With Korea Comes Life Changing Happenings!

Well, if you haven't heard yet, you're out of the loop.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the social worker at my adoption agency here in Korea. I've been writing back and forth to a few ladies that are helping me find my birth parents. According to her e-mail, she had found a physical address for my birth mother in Gwangju, just east of Seoul. The next plan of action was for her (the social worker) to contact the birth mother (as we'll call her) through mail, and see if she'd be willing to speak with her.

A few weeks later, she contacted me via e-mailing letting me know that my birth parents were excited and nervous to hear about me. They wanted detailed information about me and when a good time to meet was. I also found out that my adoption paperwork wasn't necessarily correct. According to my paperwork, my birth father might have never known about me, but according to the social worker, my birth parents are MARRIED and I have a full brother and sister. Crazy huh??

I'm heading up this weekend to meet them with my friend Dru - he's been in the same situation so he's a perfect companion on this crazy experience that's about to happen!

I don't have too many details, but I'll be sure to write back when I've come back!

Love you and all thanks for helping make me who I am today!

Movember!

Movember - the charitable rave going on in Busan, Korea. Why have I never heard about this before? Maybe it wasn't as catchy in Seattle as it is in Canada? Who knows? Anyway, can't walk around this city without seeing a foreigner sportin a mustache. In support of men's health issues, such as Prostate Cancer and Depression, guys were growing out as much facial hair as possible to help raise money. Last weekend was the official party for finishing out the month of mustaches. They had an auction, donations, t-shirts, etc. in order to get the last of the charitable contributions.

November was a pretty busy month. Three of my friends had babies, Chelsey and Kyle found out they are having a girl (lil Claire), I had a few business trips for school, an ice skating field trip, birthdays, open classes, and Thanksgiving of course.

Ice skating was soo fun. I got a kick out of watching my silly students falling everywhere. Seems as if it's a little bit of KARMA going back to the students that have never been good...I say this with an evil grin on my face. It was a great day and full of laughs. I'll be sure to post pics soon.

Thanksgiving. Well, I managed to stress myself out again - always nice. I had approximately 15 people over at my house. This year I moved furniture to create more space, and added some extra tables and chairs. It turned out great! I was a bit rushed feeling by the time everyone got there, but the food was hot, and DELICIOUS! This year we managed to get a turkey - for 120,000 won. EXPENSIVE..that's about 100 USD. But, so worth it. Anyway, we managed to have a great Thanksgiving and I am thankful for so much this year. I'm also thankful I won't ever have to have Thanksgiving in a studio apartment again.

Hope the start of the holidays was great for you all, and hope that no one was trampled on Black Friday.

Fall

안녕하새요! Hi!

Well, here is my every few month update. Sorry - yet again for the late arrival.

Here's what's new...

If you haven't noticed or are too busy to check your e-mail....over the last month or so I've been trying to upload as many pics as possible starting from February to the present. It's been quite a task, but is hopefully allowing you all to visualize what my current year has been like for me. I'm currently (as in, this exact moment) uploading pics from summer. You probably won't get many more because I haven't been doing much of anything these days.

For summer vacation, David and I headed to the small infamous island of Jeju. It is located on the southern tip of Korea. They call it the Hawaii of Korea - it's where are the honeymooners go. No pun intended. We had a fabulous time. It was incredibly hot, but we managed to see and do just about everything we planned. The beaches were amazing there and the life there made it seem as if we weren't in Korea at all. The people there definitely had this island life vibe around them. It was so nice to get away and relax. The pictures will explain the trip.

Well, summer is out and fall is in. Just about a month after coming home from summer vacation, we were in for another week off. Chuseok - Korea's Thanksgiving was the last week in September. Last year mom and dad were here around the same time. This Chuseok I planned a trip with 9 other friends of mine. We went to Beijing, China! We had such a great time and it was a packed filled vacation. Those pics will come soon. We were on a tour so everything was very well organized and timely. I really enjoyed China and would love to go and see it again. We were able to see all the famous spots in Beijing as well as eat some of their local cuisine. I'm so glad I was able to see a part of that country while being out here. There is a lot of history in China - the US doesn't compare in age and it's amazing to see palaces and cities that Emperors once ruled.

Up next in September was another 10K. Unfortunately I over-trained right before China and hurt my heel. So I ran a 5K instead. It was short and sweet. I'm taking it easy but I'm signed up for another 10k in November.

One thing I have been looking to do in Korea for the past year and 9 months is visit an orphanage. Finally I made it out a few weeks ago. The kids were so cute and they seemed to connect easily with a bunch of foreigners. It felt good going and I hope to go again soon.

For those of you that are unaware - there is a MAJOR crisis going on in Korea right now. The crop of Korean cabbage did not do so well lasty year, so there is a HUGE shortage of kimchi. With the crazy weather that we had last winter, the crops didn't produce nearly as much cabbage as previous and Korea is now importing cabbage from China. Pretty sure its putting a big damper on the Korean pride. Anyway, so if you are a regular kimchi eater in the states - I'm sure the price has gone up 10 times. Just a little food for thought.

Alright, for those of you who see/talk to my parents on a regular basis you might have heard of my plans for the next year or so - for those of you who don't, let me fill you in. According to my last blog update, I stated that I was thinking about staying in Korea another year to fulfill some financial needs. Well...money isn't everything. My plans have changed and I have mapped out the next year of my life. I will be coming home March 26th, 2011. Get excited. I plan on coming home and starting Esthetician School at Clover Park Technical College. The program starts March 30th....I was sure to give myself plenty of time to get ready..haha. The Esthetic Program lasts two quarters, Spring and Summer. I will be taking 7 courses and going full-time from about 730am to 2pm Monday thru Friday with the weekends off. If anyone is in need of a facial, waxing, or body wraps I'm sure I'll be working on the floor within a month of school - probably for fairly cheap. When I come home I'm going to be looking for a cheap car, and a cheap/free place to crash.... :) Remember, you all miss me and really want me to come home - even if that means bumming off of your couch from a few months. My plan after school is to either get a job or move back here to Korea. The program will end August 30th. It's not a great time to get back to Korea - September is in the middle of the term, but there's usually something you can find at any time. Also, I am thinking that hitting the Esthetics market here is a great idea. There aren't a whole lot of places that are clean/trustworthy, or that even do waxing. I wanna monopolize the market here and especially with the foreign community. Anyway, these are just ideas right now. I might come home and love it and never want to leave again. I do have many babies waiting to meet their Auntie Jin (at the least 4) and a wedding to be in. So, these are my plans as of now and I'm so excited to see everyone. You need to put in some last minute requests for Koreanish things while I'm here so I can ship it home while I can.

Now for some bigger news. Although I may be coming back to Asia, there is no guarantee - soooo....what better way to leave than by going on VACATION! Oh yeah - I'll be traveling from February 27th until March 23rd. Guess where I'll be going - such a great question to answer. My itinerary: Busan, SK to Boracay, Philippines - Boracay to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - KL to New Delhi, India - ND to Bangkok, Thailand - Bangkok to Vietnam - and then home. Now, you think that is amazing..well, the price was even more amazing and going to all those countries costs about 300 dollars LESS than going from Vietnam to Seattle. Soooo...who could say no to that...??
This does put a huge damper on all of your Christmas presents...sorry. Soju presents, ok?? It's killing me, but Christmas will be pretty uneventful from me. I'll be sure to send a card!

When you see me again I will be brown and skinny. :)

On that note, I'm off to teach! Have a great Fall in WAshington! And see you all next SPRING!!

Love, Jin

Summer in the ROK!

Hey everyone!

Sorry - I'm in trouble. I know....not keeping up. Sorry guys!

I'm hoping most of you have received my February through May pics that I sent out a few days ago. It was from my return back to Korea and the beginning of Spring. There are a few more from May to the present, but I must say - not a lot of interesting things have been going on.

I'm still anticipating my vacation. I've still got 1 more week of English camp and 1 more week of sitting at school - doing NOTHING. I guess I really don't have any excuses for not updating the blog...oops.

Camp has been going well. I believe that the little 3rd and 4th graders are sent to English Camp in replacement for babysitters. It was a little stressful. 5th graders were angels and next week I've got my favs - 6th graders.

Some really good friends have left Korea, so it's been a great opportunity to make new ones. It's amazing the connections you can find with the people you meet. I met a couple a few weeks ago that lived in Seattle for about 3 years. They were both working for the Make a Wish foundation and from their stories, it sounds like an amazing organization to join as a volunteer. I'm looking forward to the next bunch that come in.

Taking a vacation here in a few weeks with David (I'm sure you all know who that is by now). We're going to Jeju. I'm in need of a vacation more than ever. Things around school are mundane and so familiar, it will be nice to mix things up a bit.

I am considering another year in Korea. I know - don't be mad. I am currently not saving and funds and the idea of coming back empty handed, is not really a choice. I am going to be home near the end of February AND for the end of summer. So - that will be two trips back to back, cutting out of my worldly travels, just to visit you people. I hope that makes you happy. Who knows, I might be bringing guests with me as well.

I'm making my Korean TV debut tonight. Airiang news is filming one of my really good friends and she has invited me to the interview. I actually had another interview earlier this week for a girl making a documentary on Korea. I've become quite a star - what can i say....newspaper, tv..such is the life.

Anyway, I must get going. I miss and love you all. Hope everyone is in good health and is enjoying a sunny Washington summer.

XOXO

Marchee and Aprir

Hello - Sorry for the 2 month hiatus. Things get busy and I forget about my little blog!

Marchee - what a pathetic, colorless, WET month! The whole month I felt like I was living in Washington. Depressing as ever, no pun intended...I still love Washington. I believe it rained almost 20 days in March. Not exactly the Spring I was hoping for.

March 2nd was our first day back at school. So far the year has been treating me well. I've got a new, interesting schedule, with new faces - both teachers and students. I'm no longer teaching the little Kinders, but they have added a second, 1st Grade class to the school. They are pretty cute, and seem to uphold the rumors that the younger students seem to speak better English than the older students. I've been teaching a lot more hours to the younger kids - some like it, others don't. My co-teacher has changed this year. She is actually a friend that I had last year (she was the 5-2 teacher), and was asked by the Principal to teach English this year. She is great. We teach together Monday through Wednesday, and I think that her teaching style is improving the way our students study and learn. We also have a new Principal. After a month of school, our Principal was promoted and we got a new, first year Principal. He is really nice and has traveled around the states a bit, so he attempts to speak to me in English...and that is always nice. The month of March was really slow, and not a lot went on.

Aprir - still depressing as far as weather goes...but a little more fun filled. I started the month off by taking a road trip with my friends Jana, Nikki, and Mack to Seoul. It was a great trip! We rode in my friend Jana's Nugget (her copper van that reminds me of a little chicken nugget) - slept in the van Friday night, and then continued into the city by subway. We had a friend with a birthday so we spent some time with him, and then did a little site seeing and shopping. My friends ended up getting tatoos. Don't worry - I'm inkless. :) It was a long weekend - mostly exhausting from the lack of sleep, but it was great to get out of Busan for a few days.

As most of you have probably already heard, an aircraft carrier was sunk off the west coast of S. Korea. A lot of scurry and hub bub has been going on about that - canceled events and such. The second weekend in April, the girls and I decided we were going to go to the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival to check out the famous blossoms. Apparently, since the Naval base is quite close to that city, the attendance was supposed to be a lot lower...so we figured, it'd probably be a good time to go. Well, we got lost. Ya - not fun. But, eventually we found a part of the festival and we were able to take some cute pictures, and then leave. Haha. We are glad we were able to say we went, although it was short lived and not as exciting as we thought it might be. I think if we had hit the major festival AREA, we would have been able to see a lot more...but we were satisfied all the same.

On the 18th, I ran another 10K race. This one was the Pink Marathon - for breast cancer. It was a great run - right along the beach and then, as I was rounding the corned, the great run turned into a mountain right in the middle of the race. Nice. Anyway, I ended up with around the same time as I had last November. But...I found out later that the course was longer than an actual 10K and that we had a slow start time, so all in all - I ran a bit faster. It was a great day to donate and support a cause, run with friends, and get some exercise. My friends Nikki, Chris, and Charlie ran with me and we ended up seeing a bunch of other friends, so it was a great event. We've got another one coming up in May in Dadaepo (where I ran my race last Nov.), so we are all really excited about that one.

The other weekends this past month I've been busy spending time with my friend Nikki. She will be leaving Korea here in just a little over a month. I'm really going to miss her. We've become great friends, but I'm sure we'll stay in touch.

Last weekend we spent the days shopping, eating, and going to the beach. We got 2 nice days and my face is actually, a little pink.

Later this week, I'm going on a trip to Seoul with my students. We are going to Everland (which is as close to Disneyland that Korea has) and some museums. I'll have to fill you in on what we actually do, later.

I'm really looking forward to May - and hopefully a sunny end of Spring. May has many exciting things!! Jana's birthday is the first weekend and we're going to celebrate Sunday, doing as many Korean things as possible (norebang, silly photo booth pics...etc.). I'm paragliding on the 5th! I have the day off from school, due to Children's Day (yes, this is a holiday). We've got a great party planned for May 8th - a delayed Cinco de Mayo party! I've got my 10k on the 16th, and then a 4 day weekend May 21st, which hopefully means a mini trip will be planned!!

Hope all is well at home. Miss you all! Stay safe!

Pictures will come soon...look for a Shutterfly link in your inbox!

PS The miss spellings of March and April are interpretations of how Koreans pronounce them... ;)

1 year down

Wow - I can officially say that I've been in Korea over a year now. Just a few Fridays ago was my 1 year anniversary of being in Korea. It's so crazy to think that a year has already flown by, but then when I think of my first day in Korea - it seems as if it was soooooo long ago.

Being that the year mark has hit, I'm losing many friends that I've gained over the last 12 months. It's a bitter bitter. There is no sweet in that equation. They will be missed and are irreplaceable. Meeting the new Epik group is not high on my priority list, but spending time with the friends I've already acquired has become a lot more important.

I can recall a warmer March last year. Today/last night it snowed and for the first time in....whoever knows how long, Busan saw a good amount of white stuff. A quote from a friend's facebook status "Snow removal tools I saw today: brooms, hammer, wrench, desk, plastic storage container, umbrella, wait for it ... the lid from a sandwich tuperware container!!" -Kylene
Haha! I'm anticipating a warm Spring...one like last year - beach volleyball in May, but now that snow has hit Busan, I'm not quite sure what Spring will look like.

I've already had many new experiences since I've been back in Korea. Hard to believe I know, but as most of you know - every day is a new DYNAMIC experience for me. Not only have I had some new exciting things happen, so have my friends.

My friend Jana purchased a van - hilarious, small, and fits her to a T. A few of my friends have changed their apartments so they can be closer to the beach - and FAR away from their schools. That can either be a blessing or a pain in the neck. On one hand you are never going to run into your students at the store (as I do) and you have easy access to the beach during the summer, AND on the other hand, most of them have an hour commute to school now. I've decided to stay in the same place and PAY, ya my free apartment is now costing me, 50,000 won a month. Prices went up and the budget didn't go up with it.

I had my first experience at a Korean dentist. He graduated from UCLA dentist school and speaks very good English - but just because of all that, doesn't necessarily mean his ways are completely Westernized. For example, I went in for my teeth to be cleaned and because I had a sensitive spot where a cavity was. You can't just go into the dentist in Korea, unless something is wrong. If I would have gone in there just for a teeth cleaning....they might have laughed at me. I did indeed get my teeth cleaned, after he inspected my cavity, but its not common for just a cleaning appointment. When I got there I was sent to a room decorated with UCLA paraphernalia and pictures of this dentist all over on different vacations. He sits down and puts on gloves and takes this thing that looked like an over size pen, with a light on the end, and stuck it in my mouth. In front of me was a computer monitor, and after is inspected my mouth with this pen, the images of my teeth were plastered on the monitor. It was a little camera - phhhew, no x-rays - the kind that used to make me gag as a child. Yes, cavity and yes, I needed some cleaning....it's been a few years. He also said that my tooth needed to be ground down because my bite was off...which might have been causing me pain. He assured me that I'd need to come back in for a filling and then said that his assistant would clean my teeth. Oh great. So she sits down (uncloved) and gets to work with her cleaning instrument. Not flavored. Just a pointy thing with some ridges on it...like a small sander. She was basically sanding the grime right off. Not completely pleasant, but it actually wasn't too bad - until she hit the gums.

A few days later, I went in for my filling. I was NERVOUS. I had the dentist, as most of you know - it's a quite dramatic affair for me. They sit me down and he sits down and he says - let's speak Korean, ok? And I say - uhhh I don't know Korean, and he says - I'm going to teach you. Hahaha like I'm really going to learn anything while I'm focusing on nothing but what your hands are doing, and what my mouth feels like. So he says in Korean, now we're going to drill. Wait a second....did we miss a part. Like......NOVOCAINE? Ya, another example of Korean style. I had heard in the past that they don't numb you for these - but..thinking to myself that that wouldn't be the case with this American taught dentist....I was corrected. Oh ya, he hit a few nerves. Didn't seem to bother him that I was no longer laying flat on my back, but moving my hips like I was about to make a run for it. After the drilling agony, he filled it, rinsed me, and then I was free to go. Wow - I will be flossing 6 times a day now and never eating sugar again.

All in all, my experience did not damage me as did my childhood memories of the dentist. I must be getting older. Out a $150 bucks but realizing it would have cost me WAY more in the states. And saving money makes me happy!

Well - gotta get some work done here at school!

Love you and miss you!

Happy 설날! (Lunar New Year)

Hey guys!

It's been months! Yes, I realize this. Soooorrryyy!

Well, the holidays came and went, and let me tell you....nothing like being at home.

I believe I wrote to you all about Thanksgiving...which ended up being a great time with friends, but Christmas (I will admit) was a bit depressing. The hype of the holidays in Korea are no where NEAR what it is like being in the states. At home, we're constantly reminded by the media, the decorations at stores, and our own home decorations....but in Korea - meh, nothing to get excited about. In Korea, Christmas is a lover's holiday - not much for family time. I ended up watching Avatar in the theater Christmas Eve night, spend the rest of the evening til the morning out and about, and sleeping in til 4pm on Christmas Day. Nothing to brag about. It definitely felt like any other day. I didn't do absolutely nothing....I went out to dinner with some other foreigners and had dinner at a foreign bar. It was good - but nothing like a home cooked Christmas meal.

I did receive some very nice cards, pictures, and some gifts!! Too bad I couldn't wait til Christmas - opened everything before or after, so that really didn't add to the spirit.

January - as most of you know by now, was an exciting month for me! My visit home!! It was incredible. I was able to catch up with my family, great friends, and some an enormous amount of money on American goods and services. It was all worth it!

I was able to spend about 3.5 weeks eating and talking. And that's about all I did, well add a little shopping in as well. It was perfect. I had the chance to go to Seattle and have a big girls' dinner, see the grandparents, go skiing with mom and dad, and took a trip to Victoria BC...to mention just a few things that I fit in.

It was a great vacation - filled with relaxation as well, but I will say, a big part of me is glad to be back in Korea. I'm a little anxious and excited what this next year has in store for me. I'm looking forward to making more money and traveling.

Miss you all and stay in touch! I love hearing how you are all doing and what's new in your worlds!

Updates and pics more often...promise!

Jin