Pictures of Korea, Part 1

There is so much that I want to write about, and so very little time in which to write after Brendan and I clean the dishes, do the laundry, feed the kids (plural!!!!), bath them and get them to bed.  And he is still on vacation...just wait until he goes back to work and I lose all sense of order!  What I really want to do is watch TV, to lose myself in the drivel the major networks cough up each season.  Instead I force myself to write tonight, so that I can tell you about our trip before the details have escaped my memory. 

On the airplane I broke the cardinal rule of avoiding jet lag...I drank a caffeine beverage.  I loved the shape of this coke can, and because I am a dork I took a picture of it.

Bibimbap for lunch.

Our flight path.

I think this is Siberia...we were at 38,800 feet.

The street scene when you take a right out the front door of ESWS.

The driveway to the Eastern parking lot.  When we first arrived the agency driver whipped the large van around in a u-turn and then careened up this very narrow drive.  He had obviously done it a thousand times and handled it with ease, but my heart was in my throat and I thought we would surely crash into those lovely trees.

We took a walk by a university one afternoon, and on the way there we saw this hill with what looked like very old houses on it. 

The sidewalk on our way past the university.  Most of the sidewalks are composed of pavers, and many have the yellow line down the center.  I did not ask about this, but I assume the yellow line is to separate traffic by direction?  Also of note is the railing and fence...I was impressed by how many of the fences and railings were made in an interesting design.  Some had floral shapes, leaves, even soccer balls near the World Cup Stadium.  It seemed to me that presentation, of anything and everything, is of the utmost importance in Korea. 

A cherry (?) tree in full bloom...what a site for my winter-sore eyes!  This was part of the university.

We saw these evergreen trees all over the city.  I don't know what type they are, but I enjoyed their shape.  The yellow and purple flowers are pansies, which were planted in abundance in every square inch of soil the city had to offer. 

I'm actually not sure what I was taking a picture of here.

Many of the above pictures were taken on Monday after all of our meetings.  You'll notice I did not post any pictures of our meetings with the foster moms, and that was on purpose.  It is important to me to respect the privacy of both women, especially by not posting pictures from such an emotional day.