A Visit to California and Korean Banking.

This Thursday we return to California for a short visit to put things in order before returning to Korea for a much longer commitment.  We hope to visit as many friends as possible, visit our home church, attend to the 2012 taxes, pack for the longer stay in Korea and fit in a bit of a vacation up at the Mammoth Lakes condo we share with a group of partners.  I'll return to Korea in 3 weeks for the fall school term and Susan and the kids will return in mid September when airfares are cheaper.  It will seem odd visiting the only home our kids have known until our adventure in Korea.  We don't have any present thought of selling the home in the near future.  Too many sentimental memories.  The kids are looking forward to California and the opportunity to see their friends at home.  They are also especially looking forward to meeting the new resident puppy at home named Lucy.  They have seen lots of pictures of the young lady who is the offspring of our golden lab Koda.

We are happy to escape Korea for the summer.  The days are getting hot and the humidity is rising.  Still, it cools off somewhat in the evening.  It is nothing like the heatwave we experienced when we arrived in Korea last August.  We have since installed an air conditioner and have several fans.  

I've not mentioned much about the banking system in Korea.  In someways it is wonderfully convenient, and in other ways needlessly complicated.  Susan is a bit of an anomaly over here in that she doesn't have a job.  Because of her Korean birth, she gets a more versatile visa than the rest of us.  Still, she cannot get a credit card or account in her name.  The same is true for obtaining a cell phone.  We have also found that some bills need to be paid through a particular bank.  Other banks are better for other purposes.  I suspect most Koreans have at least 3 bank accounts.  On the plus side, there are no such things as checks in Korea.  Everything is done online or through an ATM.  It is common to send money directly to a bank account to pay a bill or loan money to a friend.  In that regard, it is wonderfully convenient.  It is also nice to know that Susan needs me to open the accounts.  Once the accounts are opened she gets an additional card and takes care of all the banking.  Pretty neat system overall.