Family

My mom will be here this weekend!!  She flies in on Saturday, and we'll have a whole week to play and explore Seoul.  I'm definitely excited to spend some time with her.  I'm really happy to be here in Korea, but being so far from family is a big downside.  Next week will be good.

Speaking of family, I got to finally meet a few members of the other side of the family last weekend.  Mike's cousin Kyoungmin arrived from the U.S. for her Army in-processing, and over the weekend she met up with her two sisters and their families who live in the Seoul area.  Mike and I had lunch with everyone Saturday, and spent the afternoon visiting.  The "Unnies" (big sisters) are awesome!  I'm really looking forward to getting to know them more.  They're all so sweet but they definitely have some grit in them.  Kyoungmin recently completed Basic Training and specialty schooling in her job, and was the honor grad, no less.  She's going to be stationed at the same post as Mike, and hopefully her husband and baby daughter can join her before too long.  It was good to see her again, and also good to meet the Seoul part of the family.  Jihyun Unnie is very artistic and makes beautiful beaded jewelry--I've been wearing a pair of earrings she made for over a year, and she gave me a bracelet this weekend--I told her I want lessons!  Maybe I can trade for a few nights of babysitting her almost-two-year-old son so she and her husband Martin can have a date-night.  Kyoung-ah Unnie lives in Suwon, south of Seoul, but drove up with her two lovely middle-school-age daughters.  (I hear they do a pretty great rendition of a popular K-pop song, but they declined to perform for us.  Maybe next time.)  Everyone was so kind and welcoming--I really did feel like family.  Not an experience familiar to many Americans here, I imagine.  What a blessing!