Larsons ARRIVE!

We are here!

WE can't get a phone until we get our immigration card, which should be today sometime. Mom email will have to do for a while longer till we get the card, find a cell phone, and get it all set up.

Everything is amazing here. We have just been exploring the area for a while. Right now I am sitting in a Computer "bar", just a small room with lots of computers--very comfortable chairs--for $1.-- I get 1 hour. (Plus there is a tank with live eels outside the door!)

Our flight to San Fran was fine, the landing was a little scary for me--we teetored side to side and bounced a few times, but the air crew seemed fine with it. While in San Fran we met up with Jon (my brother) and Jane and baby Em!! She is the cutest little thing--such chubby cheeks and she smiled at Lucas so cute!! We were all a little sick (colds, sinus problems, and such) so we didn't get to hold her :( Jon and Jane are such cute parents and it was SO fun to sit with them and visit. They stayed till around midnight (THANK YOU!) and then took off. We wondered a little, but decided to just find a place and sleep. NOTE TO AIRPORT SLEEPERS: do not choose by the front door (unknown to us). People coming and going, it was cold, and it got really noisy around 5:30 am. The girls sleep on a couple chairs, I put a bag infront of me and slept hunched forward, and Lucas and Wheeler found a nice soft (cement/marble) spot on the floor behind our bench and we slept for a few hours.

Got up--checked luggage -- found our gate and went to wait. 5 Egg McMuffins, and 3 drinks later (plus almost $30 lighter) we figured out they had switched our gate--so we had an hour before departure and we got to the right gate and waited. and waited---finally we loaded---and then waited and waited again.

The elevator that brings the food up ot the airplane wasn't working so we sat from about 11:00-1:30 while they fixed that---Wheeler and I got up and ran the hallway they use to load the plane (we were allowed to leave the airplane)--so that really wore him out!

The flight wasn't much fun, but the kids were AMAZING! Wheeler slept for 75% of it and the girls were perfect. The flight was FULL--everyseat taken! The girls and Lucas sat in one row and I was across from them--we switched around a few times, but it was fine. They played movie after movie, but only one or two were interesting for the girls. The flight was smooth, but everytime they served food it got bumpy--go figure!

We got off the plane, got our luggage, exchanged some money and bought bus tickets---so we jumped on the bus about 20 minutes later and after a VERY FAST and crazy bus ride we arrived in Suncheon an hour before our schedule---plus the driver decided he didn't want to stop at the normal stop so we had to get off at the bus station. My boss, and Her Boss (my big boss), picked us and all our luggage up and about 15 minutes we are in our apartment. My boss, Ann, is very nice and sweet. She is a little ditsy --but Lucas says in Korea she isn't ditsy, just when she speaks English.

I didn't feel well most of the flight --I guess just airsick, and I still get a little dizy when I turn my head to fast, lots of traveling in the last few days!

We arrived in our apartment to find they had "redone" our apartment--everything has new flooring (linolium) and wallpaper--a pretty blue color. They also took the bathtub out! :( Oh well. The biggest problem was we didn't have hot water and the light in the girls room didn't work, but the maintance crew is very quick with any problem we have, and everything is up and going this morning.

We feel asleep right way only to wake up around 4:30 (well Wheeler and I). I honestly am not sure how many days we have been here or how day it is!? We have spent our first couple day walking around our town, finding some food, grocery store, and just "exploring". It is a very nice area and we like it alot.

People stare at us and the woman love Wheeler. He is getting a lot of attention here.

Prices are pretty much the same as in America, but more expensive then we were expecting. Apples are $8 a bag, Watermelon is $16, and so on. Fruit and meat will be eatten sparingly. Seriously our house payment in american will be our food budget in Korea--it is expensive!! BUT the grocery store has free samples everywhere and people on the end of each lane trying to get you to buy what they are selling---some have microphones, others yell, most just bow at you while you walk past. Electronics aren't cheaper either :( a Lap Top will have to wait till at least next paycheck if not later.

We are stared at alot and an older woman already came over and felt Sedona's hair, then spanked her bottom (lightly) a few times and was on her way. Sedona had the funnest look on her face.

There are walking paths everywhere here and it is a very easy to navagate area. The drivers are crazy and hopefully I can upload some video or pictures sometime soon...I forgot the camera charger at my moms house :( The drivers honk at each other and drive super close to each other.

Ann took me to get my health checked and she told me that she thinks she is the best driver--Honestly if I was in a high speed chase I would want a Korean driving--they can get in and out of the tightest spots! Plus their cars "ding ding" if they are getting to close to something/someone.

Anyway--my time is going fast-- I told Lucas if I wasn't back in an hour to come and find me---ha ha ha---really I am ok!

I feel totally safe here and people are very "helpful" even if they don't know what you need---The only think not safe are the crazy drivers!

MOM: Can you please mail us that charger & battery (just normal mail, don't worry about sending it faster).

Really this is great and I really like it here!

Love to you all--

Amy

PS: to save time I am just going to post this on the Blog word for word.