Connecting with a refugee family...

On Saturday (January 31st) LeeAnne and two grade 11 students (Minji and Cha Cha) met a N. Korean family in Daejeon. The mom escaped from N. Korea to China while she was pregnant with her twin girls (and the struggles she faced during that escape and others before that one were unbelievable). About four years ago she came to South Korea and three months ago the family moved to Daejeon. Our Amnesty chapter has connected with an organization that helps North Korean refugees in the south, and our team of three will be meeting with this family on a regular basis. We'll be tutoring the girls in Korean and English and getting to know the family. Our first afternoon with the family went very well and the girls didn't want Minji and Cha Cha to leave. We're looking forward to building relationships and connecting with some of the real issues facing N. Korean refugees.

International Flair...

On January 25th and 26th things were pretty quiet in Daejeon as everyone celebrated the Lunar (Chinese) New Year. We enjoyed the opportunity to usher in the new year one more time by enjoying a few holiday days at home. At the same time, some friends of ours from Down Under informed us that January 26th was Australia Day, and they hosted a big potluck lunch (featured a barbeque in the snow) to celebrate. We ate meat pie and many barbequed animals and topped off the great meal with pavlova (a traditional dessert in Australia and New Zealand to celebrate special days). Brian even went so far as to engage in a game of cricket afterwards!

Athletic Adventures in January...

After our Christmas break, we all got back to our regular routines at TCIS. It was good to be back with our students (and, for the girls, with their friends). The big highlights of January are athletic in nature: Cora wrapped up her season with the middle school swim team at a meet in Seoul and she placed first in two heats (breast stroke and freestyle); Hannah and Rebecca are almost at the end of basketball season, with one more home game for Hannah and then the big local KAIAC tournmaent in Seoul for Rebecca, followed by an APAC tournament in Shanghai). All of the girls love their extra-curricular activities and Cora's already signed up for intramural basketball, which starts next week. Once basketball is done, Rebecca is planning to devote her extra-curricular time to her IB studies and courses, and Hannah will be back as an Amnesty member. Meanwhile, Brian's extra-curricular schedule includes the middle school newspaper, launching an amazing new non-profit organization (more to come on that later) and participating in staff volleyball. LeeAnne's focussed on the Global Issues Network group in the high school, along with Amnesty, Serving Hands (with trips to the local orphanage) and Love in Action (which is planning a big World Hunger Banquet in March). We are blessed to be able to take part in all of these great things, and here are some photos of Cora's swim meet in Seoul.

Faces from our Thailand trip...

Chillin' in Chiang Mai...

Ten days in Chiang Mai was just what the doctor ordered to help four of our family members relax this Christmas. We stayed at the Juniper Tree, a wonderful Christian retreat centre where we met people who are working all over Asia. We spent some days by the pool, soaking up sun and reading fabulous books. Most days were spent exploring the city of Chiang Mai and the surrounding lush countryside. We rode elephants and went white water rafting, drove up into hill tribe villages (including one Karin long-neck village) and explored the caves and temple at Chiang Dao, visited the two highest mountains in Bangkok, enjoyed many Thai massages (including a memorable session of pummeling at the women's prison) and spent New Year's Eve in downtown Chiang Mai (with thousands of other people lighting ethereal fabric lanterns that floated up into the night sky). It was a magical holiday.

Three Days in Bangkok...

To kick off our two-week Thailand holiday, we spent December 26 - 29 in Bangkok. Zipping around in tuk-tuks, exploring temples and the palace, hitting the markets, riding the canals in a fan-tailed boat and enjoying foot massages were some highlights.