Seoul Looks Good on Us

Week one, check.  Internet is up, cell phones are in hand, and we've established comms with the mainland.  All looped in at work, in the neighborhood, and with the English-speaking congregation we now belong to.  We have even -- to our pleasant surprise -- already had our unaccompanied air freight delivered as of yesterday, so it's feeling a little more like home.

We were worried the most about Paxton, but he's actually adjusted pretty well.  Though we suffer from the absence of family, he sees many kids about the neighborhood and got excited about nursery on Sunday even though he must have known it would be a different crowd than he's used to.  Miluska did some extensive homework on preschool options around, and we've made a decision for him to begin on Monday!!  I get to give my first going-to-school father's blessing :-)

The preschool is starting not a moment too soon, because his mother needs to be free during the days next week for her intensive language/culture course through the language training section of my work.  I get genuinely excited for her to dive in to this part of the Korean adventure.  Even being with her to catch sight of the skyscrapers, landmarks, and less glamorous parts of Seoul has been really fun for me.  The joy of sharing something you like with someone you love.  She has been a great traveling companion, pushing me to find the good Korean restaurants nearby.  And for that bit of home comfort, we've identified the closest Jamba Juice locations (yes, Korea along with Canada and the Philippines is one of the choice few foreign lands blessed with the Juice).

The frijol is of course coming quite soon.  We are making arrangements for hospital/birthing center, possible doula, and for Mamita to join us at the appropriate time.  All three of us (plus Mamita, I imagine!) are looking very forward to meeting this boy.  Miluska and I think it will be good for Paxton to be a brother, too.

Thanks go out to the Relief Society of the Seoul English branch, the wonderful support staff at the Embassy, and our gracious neighbors for welcoming us and helping us adjust.  We don't know how the next two years will shake out, but it's off to a good start and we feel blessed in countless ways.