Christmas is just around the corner...

Today is Soltice which marks the first official day of winter!! Christmas is now only 4 days away however, the day I am most excited about is the 27th...when Becca arrives. While Christmas is celebrated here and decorations remind me of its coming- it simply does not feel like the holiday season. We are so far from all of our family, friends, and familiar surroundings that even though I know it is Christmas time it still simply does not feel like it. So, I am focusing on Becca's arrival!:):):) It will be so wonderful to have her here and to share our experience of living abroad. We will take her to all of our favorite restaruants, to visit our school, to meet our co-workers, and to all the beautiful outdoor places that Korea has to offer (well- as many as we can make it to while she is here). She will be visiting from Dec. 27 until Jan. 9. After she leaves my dad will arrive 4 days later to celebrate my 26th birthday (January 15). I am also very excited about his visit!

Life here is still good and Keith is finally well. This coming weekend we are going to go to Seoul to meet up with Jenny and Nicole for a Christmas party. I am anxious to meet new people and to celebrate Christmas with good friends. Our trip to the DMZ was canceled this past weekend due to cold weather. The temperature was around 15 F with 24mph winds! While I love cold weather and all of the outdoor adventures one can do in the winter...I am looking forward to exploring Korea in warm weather:)

School is the same- disorganization, crazy schedules and the lack of time to do lesson planning have become "normal". In addition to disconnecting, I have begun to think and focus on all the fun adventures that will be possible as a result our jobs. This is making the stress at work "okay" b/c I feel that it is worth it. The experience of living in Korea and experiencing a new culture itself is worth it but I really do wish that things at work operated more smoothly.

Next month we will begin working overtime each day and our hours will change from 2-10pm to 9am-6pm. (I am excited about the extra money and since it's only one extra hour a day it shouldn't be too bad). Kids will be on break from public school and apparently this will be one of our busiest times since parents will want their kids to go to language and specialty schools during their "vacation". It's really amazing how many hours a day, a week children here are in school, studying, and doing homework.