Wednesday p.m. & Thursday flights

Hello all. We’re writing from a severely jetlagged state of mind, so I’ll go easy on the exclamation points this time ;) Maya was pretty darn suspicious of us in the hotel, and not too happy…but she did have her moments of calm (pic). She did a superb job of sleeping on Wednesday night in the hotel. This of course is from my vantage point of the parent who did not take her on a midnight stroll through Seoul after she woke up from a deep 4 hour “nap.” Jason and she saw some of the Seoul nightlife together as I was passed out in the hotel room.

Thursday morning brought us a slightly bewildered, but nonetheless (fairly) content, happy baby who accompanied us on a quest for caffeine. Once she realized we weren’t such bad people after all, she was willing to let us haul her around the world with few complaints! Earlier in the week we had resigned ourselves to the idea of a horrendous 12 hour return plane trip, with a screaming baby and angry co-passengers. We got none of that! She was so amazingly content, even though the three of us were squished in 2 economy class seats (with a Tibetan woman next to us whose legs kept falling asleep, so she would stomp them on the floor as hard as she could…). Maya charmed many people, and even sat with a friendly woman in front of us so we could eat our dinners. We walked around a lot and visited with the MANY other babies and children as their parents did laps with them around the plane as well! (All that walking left both of us with some serious vertigo once we were back on terra firma. Holy moly…what a trip!) We even befriended a Vietnamese woman with a serious Wisconsin accent (think Fargo, WI- style) who had been adopted after the war and had visited Asia for the first time since she was 3.

We landed at O’Hare, got through security, customs, & IMMIGRATION(!) successfully and without hassle (pic). The last leg of our trip to Lansing was fairly uneventful, and we were all welcomed back home by Ollie, Dad (pic), Jackie, Landon, Larissa, & Lane! Thanks guys!

Oliver joined us for the car ride home. This ride was another anticipated hardship since Maya had never been strapped into a carseat before. But man, is this kid cool. She was totally chilled out the whole ride home! She loved watching Ollie do pretty much anything (breathe, eat, speak…) and he loved entertaining her and holding her (pics; and remember the gumby reference for pic 2). We’re trying to get back into Michigan time (refer to the luggage under my eyes in pic). Yet again, coffee is our friend!

Maya seems to be doing GREAT in our home already! We can get her to laugh like her housemother could (an uninhibited joyful and hearty baby laugh!). Maya and Oliver enjoyed their first bath together (pic). She’s eating well, and we all took her on many walks today. We’re enjoying this exciting time in our lives!

Later!

Pam (& Jason & Oliver)

Today is what adoptive parents call GOTCHA Day! We finally got to bring Maya back to the hotel with us this afternoon after what can only be described as a whirlwind trip through the orphanage. The workers and volunteers threw her (and other children) their first birthday party with the traditional “Hanbok” clothing; we arrived just as photos had finished, and they were removing her Hanbok. We held her for some photos (pic), said good-bye to everyone, and headed over to get the final OK from the doctor before taking a taxi back to the hotel. Mind you that car seats are not mandatory and thus not really used here, that the seat belts in the back of the taxi were dysfunctional, that riding in a taxi in Seoul is a bit like riding a roller coaster, and that Maya had probably never been in a taxi let alone with these strangers…well, the ride was interesting, but she did pretty well most of the way sitting on my (Jason’s) lap and being distracted by all the sites and movement.

In the hotel room, she intermittently cried, drank some “milk,” and switched b/w Pam (pic) and me before passing out at 5:52pm on the bed. She is still sleeping. Pam’s getting ready for bed in preparation for the inevitable 2am festivities!

Before arriving at the orphanage (3pm), we took our time getting down to Itaewon via the subway. Have I mentioned the very fast, cheap, and clean subways here in Seoul? They’re great! Anyway, we were in search of a particular artist who paints scrolls while-u-wait; we were going to get one for Maya. Even though his card says that he opens at 9am, he never opened by the time we left the area at around 2pm! The weather was brisk and damp, and his shop is a booth along the street, so perhaps today did not seem like a good painting day… Nevertheless, we found (and negotiated well for) a nice little herb chest (reproduction, not real antique) and had another great traditional meal for lunch….followed by a couple of lattes at a local beanery!

Tomorrow morning….taxi to the airport and a noon flight home! We’re looking forward to seeing folks as we recover from the jet lag and allow Maya time to adjust to her new surroundings! We’ll continue to update this blog with Maya pics for some time since we may not see all of you right away. Thanks for all of your support in preparation for and during our travels to Korea, and special thanks to Nonno and Zia Kim for staying with Oliver!

Howdy, it’s another morning in Seoul, and it looks like rain and fog outside today. Yesterday was another exhausting day. We started out walking around one of the underground shopping districts near our hotel until a little café opened at 8 a.m.; since most business operations don’t open until 9 to 10 a.m., the only stores or restaurants open before 8 a.m. are 7-11’s! We had a warm, hearty traditional Korean breakfast of pumpkin soup and chicken-ginseng soup with coffee and green tea (pic with Larissa's Flat Stanley). We exchanged some more money, drank more coffee, did some shopping, and hit the subway to go see Maya at 11 a.m. We met the director, who had just returned from the US the night before, and then watched a doctor do a quick preflight medical check-up. Maya did NOT like that experience! Accompanied by her nurse, I (Jason) carried Maya back to the orphanage for a short visit before Maya fell asleep on a caretaker’s shoulder. Maya was not very receptive to us yet….

We returned to the hotel for a short rest before walking to the north end of Insa-dong to meet Pam’s friend, Erin, who accompanied (and helped!) us through Insa-dong in the search for goodies. We ate dinner at our “mom+pop” restaurant from Sunday morning, but Erin laughed because this restaurant is part of a chain in the Seoul area! The meals were nevertheless good and inexpensive. Pam had bibimbop, I had kimchi chigae (stew), and we shared some kimchi bop (nori roll with rice). Through the drizzle, we found a very traditional (a.k.a. rustic) tea house upstairs in a side alley. Zebra finches, canaries, and some other birds were flitting about us as we drank our ginseng and “double harmony” teas. These were some STRONG teas, yet I passed out as soon as my fully clothed body hit the bed!

Today (Wednesday), we’re off to Itaewon (shopping district) and then to the orphanage in the afternoon for Maya’s early-birthday and departure party. And then Maya comes back to the hotel with us to prepare for our flight tomorrow (Thursday)!!!

Larissa: Here’s your Flat Stanley on top of Seoul Tower on Mt. Namsan!

Today was the big day! We got to meet Maya for the first time. After meeting my friend Erin who teaches English in Seoul (pic), we got ready for the big date! A short subway ride took us to the district where Maya’s orphanage is located. A maze of small alleyways with small shops, apartments, small kitchens, and cars and mopeds that you need to watch out for! After some initial confusion about which of the buildings we were supposed to go to, we found the right place and anxiously waited in a small room crowded with furniture and a few toys. A young volunteer brought Maya in and they quickly explained that she is a very shy baby…She held tight to her “Umma” (Momma), Mrs. Kim. She is the nurse who Maya has formed a special bond with. Eventually we moved to the nursery where Maya stays with many little friends. We met some of the volunteers who take care of the babies and the House Mother (pic) who can make Maya laugh so easily!

We got on the floor and played with Maya and her roommates (all much younger than she). Maya took to Daddy (Appa) pretty quickly (yay!). She liked his watch and didn’t want to give it back to him! They toured the room together, ate some fried potato sticks, and played. I got to help dress Maya after her bath, and feed her. I think I’ll call her gumby. She is the most flexible baby I’ve ever seen! Maybe yoga instructor is in her future… :^) When we left she waved goodbye to us, and we were invited to come back on Tuesday for another visit!

After meeting Maya, we headed out for some dinner and sprinted through one of the market districts before it closed. We got back to the hotel room and Jason literally fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed. Coffee is definitely our friend on this trip!

Hopefully we’ll post more tomorrow!

Annyong haseyo! Goodbye!

Other Korean words we’ve learned:

Brother (Oliver!)- Oppa (Oh-pah)

Mom- Umma

Dad- Appa

Thank you- kamsa hamnida

Yes- ne (neh)

No- anio (ah-nee-oh)

Water- mul (mool)

Cheese– cheese!

Sunday was a day full of great sights, food, and friends. Max (Yoon-Soo) and Anes took us to Deoksugung Palace (pic), an amazing palace (mid-1400s) and forested grounds in the middle of downtown Seoul. The Koreans are known for the “harmony of the old and new,” and we witnessed this phenomenon many times in Seoul. We then took the subway (very clean, fast, and cheap) south to Chongmuro area for a traditional Korean lunch (pic). We ate a stew of boiled mackarel and another specialty dish consisted of long-dried and salted mackarel that was then fried. The side dishes, especially kim-chi and a “healthy” broth with algae, were wonderful. We ate so much that we rested at the restaurant some time before walking through Korea House, a place that many tour groups visit and where some traditional weddings are held; the photo shows a group of women preparing for a ceremony, which we did not witness.

Afterwards, we took a cab to Namdeamun Market where Anes and Max purchased a traditional Korean dress for Maya’s first birthday. This market is famous for just about every kind of ware and negotiating that occurs there. We took another cab to the base of Namsan Mountain, which was packed with mostly Koreans out for exercise. Since the cable car line was ~1-1/2 hour long, we walked up the road (pic) and various stone stairs to the top of the mountain where the N Seoul Tower rises 360 m above the region. We could see most of Seoul from the tower’s observation deck.

We took the bus down the mountain into Seoul and walked north to a traditional Korean restaurant. Max ordered Pam curdled bean (tofu) soup with bibimbab and me bulgogi. It was another wonderful meal with our friends. Oh, we also had soju, a traditional Korean liquor made from potatoes, with dinner; the drink was light, strong, and “refreshing,” but I’m not sure that Pam would agree about the refreshing part!

Overall, we had a great day with friends who have become Maya’s surrogate grandparents in Korea, and we didn’t take long to fall asleep last night! Our sleeping schedule is getting better; we got up at ~5:30 today… in anticipation of meeting Maya today!!!!!!

Howdy, we’re just back to the hotel after a 2-hr walk around downtown Seoul this morning. Not much other than street cleaning is happening at 6:30 in the morning! We did get to see some of the surrounding mountains, the entrance to Gyeongbok-Gung Palace, the highly guarded US Embassy, and Insa-Dong (small market). We finally found an open shop, a little Korean mom+pop restaurant with no English signs anywhere, for breakfast: kim-chi in sushi-like rolls, miso, and radish….all for ~$4! We then searched for a coffee shop for Pam and learned that all shops on whatever street we are currently walking open at least 30 mins past the current time! Near the hotel, we found a “AngelsInUs” coffee shop where the vanilla latte cost ~$5. Ah the irony.

We’re meeting our friend Kim Yoon-Soo and his wife in ~1 hr and will likely spend the day with them exploring Namsan Park, Seoul Tower, and a palace. Hopefully we will wear ourselves out today and sleep well tonight….We meet Maya tomorrow!

Hello again! It’s 4 am Sunday morning (aka 3 pm Saturday Michigan time) Seoul time, and we’re ready to go! Our flight was long, but the service on Korean Air was great. We highly recommend it !

We arrived in Seoul Saturday evening, checked in, and hit the streets looking for some grub. It didn’t take long to wade through the crowds of pedestrians (about half of the population of S Korea lives in Seoul…10 million people!!!) and find a lady selling fried stuff on a stick (see pic). We had some seafood dumplings and sushi rolls, and we are honing our chopstick skills. We can’t wait to try more local food!

We came across a festival with musicians, a river with concrete banks through the middle of the city (pic), many food stalls, and sidewalks that take you precariously close to traffic rushing by in some places, and sidewalks 12 feet wide in others.

We get to see some friends today on our first full day in Seoul and will post more pics tonight. This is such an exciting trip; I’m glad there is a coffee shop every 20 feet to keep us going!

Hello to everyone, and hugs and kisses to Oliver, Dad, Kim, Jason, and Addy! We’ll be able to show you pictures of our beautiful daughter on Monday!

Pam (& Jason)

Oliver: Here's our airplane!

Welcome to our blog! This photo is from Feb. 21 before she was reported by her doctor as walking without support. Yes, by ~10-1/2 months, Maya is already walking! We will have our hands full next week!

Our airplane just pulled up outside the Gate...it's a big bird but not the double-decker that we expected. It's baby-blue colored with "Korean Air" written in dark blue on the side. [This description is for Oliver, who is hanging out with Nonno today/tomorrow!] We'll post more once we have access to internet in Korea!