Quarantini

I laugh at all the memes about day drinking and homeschooling. I actually have not partaken in any day drinking throughout our social distancing adventure. However, one sunny Saturday afternoon I really wanted to have a drink in the fresh air and the spring sun on the patio. Except we don't have a patio. We've got a nice little set up here, but it is missing a porch. 

I am a problem solver and found the exact place to go!  I grabbed my dogs and my phone and my bag o' stuff:

a couple Cass beers, a Sojo, an emoji cup and my face mask.

I went to the roof just in time for a beautiful sunset.

 This is the view of the bay to the south.

 Abe was busy working on his homework for his online class, or watching Netflix or something. He does not miss our porch like I do. So it was just me and the dogs, because #socialdistancing.

 Up on the 15th floor no one below can hear you singing, so I threw my own personal karaoke concert.

The sun set right in that little divot in the mountain top.

 That's it, folks. The excitement of my quarantini. I'm livin' life on the edge here.

The Streets Are Empty But So Is The Tomb

Well, most of our Easter traditions were thrown out the window this year since we are in a foreign country. Things were changed a bit more drastically when we threw Covid-19 into the mix. The country was respectfully asked to up our social distancing game for the holiday. 

We didn't want to ignore Easter altogether, so another expat organized an egg hunt for the local GIFS kids. Daisy and I helped stuff the eggs for the little kids and color some clues for the big kids. 

 Another family, referred to as "The Birthday Bandits," organized cupcakes for the quarantine birthdays, and the extra were used during the egg hunt. Daisy and Susie added some cupcakes to the cause. They wanted to do rainbow icing; I was skeptical that it would work. They turned out beautifully.

Turns out the Easter Bunny still finds your house, even if you are all the way in South Korea!

 Easter dinner was a far cry from the ham and mashed potatoes we usually get at Aunt Sharon's, but the kids got an Easter gift, so they didn't care.

On Easter Sunday Zeke, Eli and I ran around the neighborhood in search of the colored egg clues. The first clue led us to GIFS.

 As we were walking back to find the next clues, Daisy and Daddy joined us from Daisy's window.

 Look at that--a clue in The Daniels' car!

We finally found the prize, and Daisy, Daddy and the dogs were waiting for us!

Daisy may have gotten bored whilst waiting, but that's just a guess.

Church services were cancelled and the streets were empty. But that did not stop us from worshipping the death and resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ. So although I missed my family and all the fun things that usually go along with Easter weekend, we still got in some egg hunts. But more importantly, we still celebrated the empty tomb.

[April 12]

Bloom Where You Are Planted

2020 has turned into such a bizarre, surreal time. I must admit, it’s not quite as strange here as it would be if we were still in the US. First of all, none of our basic necessities have ran out, like eggs and toilet paper. Plus our ‘normal’ lives were already tossed up and randomly rearranged last summer when we moved overseas. So now it’s sort of like staying home and canceling all social activities seems strange, but we just accepted it—sort of like this is just something that happens in Korea. The kids are distance learning, but we only had 2 days where they didn't have lessons while the teachers prepped. The bigs have actual times when they video with their teachers the whole day, so they are busy in their rooms. Eli does not have times to check in, but he has a work load that takes the entire day. He is working hard, but he needs my guidance to keep him focused and on track. That being said, although we're 'homeschooling' I do not have to be creative and come up with the lessons.

It’s a bummer we happen to be stuck at home during my favorite season. I love how the world comes alive and the grass turns green, flowers bloom, trees blossom, and everything seems bright and fresh and alive. 

We’re on our 10th week of staying home. My friend recently asked how our family dynamics have changed. You know, it hasn’t changed a whole lot. Since our move we have spent a lot more time together. We have played board games and watched family movies and been on hikes and taken vacations and stumbled upon adventures. Moving to Korea has sort of been an exercise in social distancing in itself.   Over the past 8 months we have nurtured new friendships and joined new activities, but life moves at a much slower pace here. Of course since the Rona we have cut off all of our social activities and the kids have been distance learning from home and we stay inside, so we have definitely felt a change, don’t get me wrong. But I read about corona life in the slums of New Delhi. They have to break quarantine go get water to carry back to their shack because they don’t have running water and they have to ignore social distancing when they use the shared toilet with 30 other people. That really put my whining about missing spring into perspective. 

So I have been taking pictures of the beautiful flowers when Frito, Chuey and I go on our walks. Without further ado, here are (way to many) spring flower pictures that make my heart smile.

Magnolias. Reminds me of Vivia's front porch.

This was arranged at the park next door. It stayed there for more than a week without anyone messing it up.

 These cherry blossom trees are at the public elementary right beside our school on the way to the park. When we used to have school the dogs and I would walk by here every day. We get a mixed reaction from the kids--some scared, some interested to look and some wanting to pet them. We met a boy about Daisy's age at our apartment playground the week before school started. He doesn't speak any English but we know he likes the dogs. The first day of school I was passing a group of Korean kids and a squeal of delight yelled, "CHUEYYYY!!" We have since seen him several times around school and the park and he always calls, "Chuey!" and pets the dogs.

 This little guy was just sitting there drinking nectar.

 The first budding azaleas.

Rose bushes on 'Cardiac Hill.'

I like when I find familiar things like dandelions. It makes me feel like even though I'm a long way from home, it's still a small world.

However, I have found two kinds of dandelions here. These are white and yellow like a daisy.

 There are a couple small wheat fields mixed in among the rice fields.

 I have no idea what these strange fellas are.

 The last bits of the cherry blossoms.

 As soon as the cherry blossoms are scattered all over the ground, the azaleas make their presence known. They are everywhere and such vibrant colors!

The white ones were a little slower to bloom than the red, pink and purple ones.

In general, the architecture in Korea leaves a lot to be desired. Abe's counterparts at work told him it's because the country was destroyed so many different times from war that they quit putting a lot of money and effort into rebuilding. However, the landscaping more than makes up for it! Not only is there natural beauty all around, but they put a lot of effort into the flora all around town in the parks and along the streets. Flowering pots line the streets and these tulips are planted in the median by my favorite grocery store.

New pinecones.

 No flowers, but this is the lotus pond in the park. It will be full of lotus blooms and lily pads later this summer.

 This is the super moon taken from the park.

I have read that we are all in the same storm during this corona craziness, but we're not all in the same boat. I am very thankful that my boat has been a pretty good one filled with lots of blooming flowers.