Sunday, October 18, 2009

We made it to Korea!

It's 7:30 p.m. Korea time, and we just got in from eating dinner. We are ready to crash. Mr. Chae, our guide, picked us up at the airport and already gave us a lot of great detail about the layout. I can't wait to hear more tidbits from him.

We ate at a little restaurant that had Chinese writing on the front door. It was packed full of Korean people, and Jim and I were definitely the only Americans there. It must've been obvious because the woman gave us a special menu with English writing. We sat on the floor at a table in a corner. There were posters all over the walls of local TV stations who had done stories on the restaurant. It was really cool.

Oh, and the government here is really taking swine flu seriously. There are quarantined areas, and as you get off the plane, you get scanned to make sure you aren't ill. I heard that officials were checking temperatures, though that didn't happen to us (to our knowledge). They did give us some literature about influenza A/H1N1, too. Oh, and a woman next to us on the plane was wearing a mask and kept coughing.

Now we're staying at Fraser Place in Central Seoul. It appears to be a financial district. We're not very far from city hall or the National Police Academy. And, there is a diverse mix of people in this part of the city.

Tomorrow, we go to Holt, my adoption agency. We can't see the babies because of the threat of swine flu. However, we'll get to see my file and learn about where I was when I was a baby going through the process. I'm excited. And we're also going to do some sightseeing... we're going to go to an old palace. Pictures to come.

I'm so glad we have our guide, Mr. Chae. I've known him since 2000 and consider him a good friend. Thank goodness for him and Beverlee Einsig. If you ever want to go to Korea you should definitely work with them. I've known Beverlee since I was four! Trust me, she's the best!

And of course, we can't wait to see our Korean family!!!! And meet Glenn!!! No words can explain... but I will try... later!

Anyway, we miss Minnie and our house... though our neighbors and friends are watching both. But we're having a blast so far! We'll be in touch! (Oh and Larry--I carried on your mics and lens... they made it here safely! Thank you!)

5 comments:

Frank and Natalie said...

Michelle.. you a TOO cute! I love the updates. Please be careful. Have a blast!

Leigh (and Beatrice) said...

BIDET!!! Have so much fun!! :)

Unknown said...

thank you ever so much for your nice blog and wish you and your husband the best of luck. I can only imagine how much fun you both are having experiencing first hand the culture and the food over there.
Best of luck at the wedding, too. Wish your sister and her (soon-to-be) husband a long and happy marriage.

Jenn said...

That was such a fun blog post to read and watch! LOL. But really... the potty gives you a massage? WOW.

Cheryl said...

Great blog. I just posted a link to your blog on the Holt BB in hopes that people could follow your adventures and that an adoptive parent might be able to see the babies at the reception center. Have a great trip!