My Family is Here!

[성김 대사]

There is nothing like having your loved ones with you, wherever you happen to be in the world.  That is precisely why I am so delighted that my family has finally been able to join me here in Seoul.  Being a 기러기 (goose) father was much tougher than I had imagined, so I am extremely happy that experience has come to an end.

Our first few days in Seoul have been a little rough because of jet lag, but aside from that, my daughters are really looking forward to their stay in Korea.  They can’t wait to start at their new school next month.

I think our Havanese dog Tobi may have had the most difficult trip of us all.  Since he is a relatively small dog, my wife was able to bring him on the plane in one of those soft-sided dog carriers.  Tobi apparently whimpered the whole trip, and so for 14 hours the dog carrier, with Tobi in it, sat on my wife’s lap.  You will be happy to know that jet lag does not seem to have affected Tobi at all.

After spending 14 hours on the plane, Tobi looks a bit tired… but still a cute little dog!

The process of packing-out in the U.S. was particularly difficult.  After all, we had spent almost six years at our home in Virginia.  In that time, I accumulated a few things here and there, but I had no idea that three women could have so much stuff!  It was so hard deciding what to get rid of and what to pack.

After the pack-out, the house was completely empty, so we wound up staying in a hotel for a couple of days.  Of course, we still had to go back to the empty house a couple of times.  One of those times we had a gourmet meal of pizza on paper plates while sitting on the floor.  Actually, it reminded me a lot of my university years.

Since my return to Seoul, things have really been humming along.  Last Sunday was the Embassy staff’s July 4^th picnic.  Hot dogs, burgers, quesadillas, brownies and apple pie all made for a very full belly.  There was also an amazing two-meter-high blow-up waterslide and pool that all the kids loved!  My youngest daughter was able to shake off the jet lag and join me at that picnic.  She, too, had an awesome time.

That was not all for the July 4^th activities last week.  On Tuesday night, July 3^rd, I hosted the Embassy’s official Independence Day reception at the Grand Hyatt.  It was the largest reception we have ever held. The following day, I flew down to Yeosu as part of a Presidential Delegation to commemorate the 4^th of July at the Yeosu Expo USA Pavilion.  I’ll tell you more about my trip in my next blog post.

Turning back to my family, my oldest daughter has already taken up a summer internship.  She will be learning all about online publications.  Unfortunately, I don’t think she is making any money.  My youngest daughter has her heart set on learning ballet and tennis.  My wife grew up in Seoul and has strong ties here.  She is really looking forward to catching up with her parents, family and friends.   

A big hello from my family to you!

My wife studied art at Ewha Womans University.  She is very excited about leading the art installation for the “Art in Embassy” program.  The installation of new artwork at our residence should be complete in about a month.  When it is ready, I will share more about it through my blog and “Ask the Ambassador (ATA)” videos.

So July is already off to a very busy start!  The warm weather is here, and the rains have begun.  I am looking forward to a wonderful summer, and I hope that all of you feel the same.

[coolnessa]

I'm glad you finally got to be with your family! By the way, foods from July 4th picnic sounds delicious!!! I miss having American food..!!