Hanging In There

In Korea, there are outdoor "gyms" everywhere; at the playground, along hiking paths or along the rivers. Once when we were hiking in the mountain behind our home we came upon this gym. I was so impressed with the man hanging upside down (he's wearing the green coat and black pants).
I haven't tried this, yet.

Congratulations to Beth Hunt. She knew where every picture was taken in my last post, "May is Just Flying By". Way to go, Beth. You are a winner.

May is Just Flying By

May is flying by....for Jim that is. Since the first part of May, Jim has been to Beijing, New Delhi, Istanbul, Cairo and Boston. That's a lot of air time. Come home, Daddy.

Here's another chance at a prize: name the historic site in each picture to win.

And The Winner Is......

Miriam dressed up as Mrs. Frisby from the 1972 Newberry Medal Winner: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. Congrats to Robilyn Lake! You are a winner!!

Buddha's Birthday

Buddha's birthday is one of Korea's top holidays. Lanterns are strung along the streets of Seoul. Many are electric lights that are turned on at night during the celebration. I'm not sure, but I think that the papers attached to the lanterns in the photos are prayers.

Children's Day is another big Korean celebration, and closely coincides with Buddha's Birthday. Children receive gifts and spend the day as a family at fun places like the zoo or amusement parks. On Children's Day, the children and I were interviewed by a local radio station (TBS). If you are interested in hearing our interview go to http://www.webhard.net/ login: tbsefm0504@gmail.com Password: tbsguest

This will take you to a file, click on Oldroyd Family.

As I wrote this post I couldn't help but see the many similarities between the Western World's Christmas and the Eastern World's Buddha's birthday/Children's Day. A fun reminder that we are all so very much alike.

Blue

Gracie's favorite color is blue. She colored this egg for Easter. I thought it was so "Gracie"-beautiful, bright, and one of a kind.

4th Grade Reading Project

Miri is dressed up as a character in a Newberry Award Winning children's novel.

Be the first to name the character and the book and you will win a copy of the book with a surprise inside.

Daniel: Age 3 months

What's Your Name?

Margaret askes me almost daily, "What's your name?" Because she asks me so often, I've started making up names, like Snookledong or Winsnipie. Then she says, "No, be Kim".

"Who will you be?" I ask. "I'm Kim Margalette", she replies.

Delicious

Daniel and Margaret, April 2009

Mmm. Delicious.

Korea in the Spring: Scene 3

Scene 3: Hwaseong Fortress
This spring we visited the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. We walked along the 200 year old wall for about a mile enjoying the blossoms and the spring weather. We need to go back because there was so much to do and see and we just didn't have time.

Korea in the Spring: Scene 2

Scene 2: Our Mountain
We live on a mountain here in Seoul. It is about a mile hike from our front door to the top of the mountain. Hiking to the top is one of our family’s favorite past times. In the spring the petals from the tree branches fall like snow as we hike under their fragrant canopies.