The fall colors are in glorious bloom as Korea starts to brace itself for the coming winter. Everywhere you see bursts of bright yellow, orange and red on campus. Even the grass had a surprise in store. Unlike Southern California, the grass grows long in Korea. Pale green when we arrived in summer, it recently turned yellow with the colder air. Now it is turning a shade of orange, painting a lovely foreground for the trees and bushes as they prepare to shed their leaves to the advancing cold. This morning the hills were shrouded with fog and a slight mist was falling from the gray skies. It all has a very magical look and feel.
Our apartment has south facing balcony like area that is completely enclosed with screens and glass. Susan's sister Mary planted seeds in small tubs during her visit in September and October. The seedlings have now grown into thriving tomato and pepper plants along with a crop of cilantro. Susan has been busy transplanting her garden into larger pots and containers with the hope they will survive the winter in this greenhouse like area. Look for future crop reports as the winter sets in.
Heating our apartment during the winter can be quite expensive with the cost of electricity in Korea. The house is heated by electrical pipes under the floor that emanate heat up into the room through the floorboards. To keep costs down, residents often further insulate the windows with heavy plastic sheeting and even blankets. We have turned off the heat to portions of the apartment and will wear warmer clothes. In a happy break for Ken and the kids, Susan has decided to take up baking with our gas stove in order to provide both fresh bread and heat for the apartment. After some initial disappointing results, she has now acquired a knack for baking. I have high hopes of encouraging this talent with the goal of producing a talented pastry chef. It is a delight to come home to the smell of fresh bread, cinnamon rolls and perhaps (someday) even a home made pie in time for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Despite the increased cold outside, the warmth from the south facing windows and oven has keep us comfortable without the need to use the electrical heating so far.
We are continuing to love our simple life in Korea. The kids are busy with their new friends building forts, working on crafts and exploring the woods. The kids often bring me a home cooked freshly grilled sandwich for lunch at my office, just minutes away from our home. Evenings are whiled away reading books (each of the children has read over 30 since our arrival), movies, special performances and lectures on campus, a board game, or reruns of Leave It To Beaver on the DVD. Amazingly, although we have a t.v., it is rarely used. The channel offerings are mostly Korean language with CNN and BBC newscasts as English alternatives. The t.v. was almost always on at home, but it has faded away with nary a complaint. Speaking of complaints, I've yet to hear the words "I'm bored" from the kids or any inkling of homesickness for Southern California. As I'm writing these words, Susan is off on a visit to town via the shuttle to meet a new friend from South Africa for coffee and the kids are busy playing with their friends around the complex. Dad is enjoying this quiet time to pen a few thoughts on the family blog. Life is really good and we are very thankful.
Ken Chinn
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