Children's Day

Monday, May 5, 2008 was Children’s Day which is a holiday here in Korea. Our friends Jong Gun and Moonja and their two children Cindy Jo and Johnny invited us to the Children’s Day celebration in the city they live in called Pyeongtaek. The Koreans do not get much time off. They work six days a week, only get a few holidays and do not get vacation like we do in the States. So, this was a great honor to be invited to spend the day with our friends since they get so little time together as a family. On that note it was a day we will never forget! Cindy Jo and Andrew had a fantastic day together going to the different booths and doing the activities together. They both said their favorite activity was making their bowls on the potter’s wheel. I enjoyed watching the kids play the Traditional Korean Drums and the games we all participated in. Cindy Jo used her own money to take Andrew on a ride and give Mark a gift. She is such a kind and thoughtful person with a delightful personality. She and Andrew had a famous time together playing. Also, at Children’s Day was a stage set up that children would perform on throughout the day doing various things like dancing, Tae Kwon Do, singing and playing instruments. Joseph, Jong Gun and Mark spent most of the day in the shade near the stage enjoying each other’s company. We had Korean pizza for lunch which is hard to describe and not like pizza we are use to. It was tasty though. During lunch all the activities stopped as everyone ate and a large water fountain was turned on for a display and for the kids to all play in. After the official festivities were over our friends took us to participate in a favorite Korean past time – Karaoke. It was entertaining. Jong Gun and Moonja both have incredible voices. I hope I did not hurt their ears too much! Afterwards, we drove to a small country town near Pyeongtaek called Wongok to go out to dinner. We drove around the small lake there. On the drive around we saw little fishing stations with what looked like lazy boy recliners and big umbrellas. It was a Kodak moment but our friends were driving and I didn’t want them to think I had lost my mind when I asked to stop to take pictures of the recliners! So, now we have to go back so I can take a picture for you all. I’m sure Joseph is very excited about this. I’m so privileged to have such an incredible husband who understands me and my oddities. After our short drive our friends took us out to dinner to a magnificent place called Bauhaus Restaurant. No-nap Mark, better known as Moomasaurus Rex, was done by then but between Dad, Mom and Moonja it was a splendid dining experience with terrific food. We are feeling so blessed towards our friends Moonja, Jong Gun Jo and their two wonderful kids. Jong Gun Jo is the Executive Director for the Seoul-Washington Foundation and full time student working on his doctorate at a Bible University in Seoul. He has another job but I’m not sure what it is yet. He is from Pyeongtaek. Moonja’s degree is in Pharmaceuticals and she used to have her own store. She now stays home with the kids to homeschool and also teaches or tutors many children in her area starting in the morning and going until 10p. There is a lot of pressure on families to make sure their children get into the right school starting in Kindergarten and to do well on exams. She is from a small village near the DMZ. She said she could hear sounds from North Korea at night as a child growing up.