This was the morning of our Thanksgiving dinner with our friends here. I was so impressed with the spread... there are some excellent cooks among us [um, I'm not one of them... yet]. And..... we set up our 3' tall Christmas tree :)

new bikes!

We have a projection screen in our living room... so Matt found a kid selling a projector at a good price and went to pick it up. An hour later, I get a phone call and Matt can hardly hold down his excitement. The kid was moving a week later, so he was eager to get rid of some of his stuff. The kid asked Matt to look around his room, "Anything else here that you want?" We ended up with a really nice Boese stereo system, and the kid's Motorcyle to name a few...

We also bought me a scooter and a SWEET helmet. When we were at the scooter shop last week, the mechanic laughed at me in his condescending Korean style, and told me it was an "old man scooter." Whatever, it's black and says Super Cab Racing on the side. I like it.

Autumn in Seoul

Beijing....

We spent the weekend in Beijing... fascinating. The oppression is so evident. The poverty of a people that want to be free lurks on every street corner. They are trapped in their current state with little opportunity to pursue their dreams. It was heartbreaking to see. We had several opportunities to spend time with people who spoke English, which allowed us a little glimpse into their culture. It is one in which often they live in fear... if one doesn't comply, they just might 'disappear'... and nobody seems to know what exactly that means.

The sights... the history... unbelievable. The architectural scale rivals that of Rome. The grandeur and gold-plated richness that oozes from the Forbidden City, the Ming Tombs, Tien'anmen Square, the Temple of Heaven... while the common people were starving. It's a stark contrast, even today, to see the wealth and power that an elect few posses while the vast majority are barely scraping by. For example, today a surgeon will be living in the dingy, bug-infested basement bunk room of the hospital... and on average everyone makes about $400 each month. We visited four factories (ones that the governemtn wanted us to see) and the working conditions were awful. We can only imagine what the factories are like that they DON'T show you.

The city is scrambling to get ready for this event where the entire world's eyes will be on Beijing. The Olympic Village is incredible. They are planting trees and flowers, erecting thousands of buildings, and have impressive architecture for the Olympic events. Within the last year, they have worked really hard to beautify their city and make it more friendly to visitors.

The Great Wall is 62,ooo miles long... now, for reference, driving from Denver to Phoenix is a mere 1,ooo miles..............

At the Silk Market, the girls you bargain with are hillarious. When you offer them a price for something, you hear "You're joking! You trying to cheat me?!! You have a kicking body! What's your 'a little more' finished price?"... they're fun.

Amazing trip. The history is fascinating, the people are friendly and a lot of fun to interact with.It makes you take a step back and realize again and again how blessed we are to live in a country in which freedom and opportunity reign.

Beijing Photos

The mod urban flat.........

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 

the W seoul... i'm moving in.

The summer is coming to a close and it has been a whirlwind looking back and seeing everything we have done! We're getting settled in, have met some great friends, and are enjoying our lives here... Here are some pics!

a sunset our our 28th story window...














there are people everywhere... even at the top of a mountain, there's a line.

my colleagues sleep at work.... not my style.... just one of the many cultural differences in the professional world here.






















newlyweds.


















happy newlyweds. we found a really great italian restaurant.