Pumpkin pie in Korea? God bless America!

    The answer to your question is a resounding "yes!" The food was authentic. The word on the street was that the church got the food from a nearby US army base. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie. Above you see Marian, one of our pals from southern Seoul. We get to hang out with her every Sunday at church and have recently started exploring various lunch spots around Seoul. Last week we went to a really cool place called "Little India" (See below: The decor was so great. Colorful fabric everywhere, lanterns, a mural of a palace, and a sitar hanging on the wall. There was even a spiral staircase with tiny elephants hanging from the rail leading to "the zen room") in our favorite area of Seoul called Insa-dong. This area has the most locally-made/hand-made goods. The main street has a great atmosphere and the side streets are full to the brim of exotic antiques and asian calligraphy shops.  On the right of Marian you see Dave, our chum who lives just northwest of us. He comes over almost weekly and we cook dinner together and play Dominion or Carcasonne. In true Thanksgiving fashion- we're thankful for his friendship. We always have a good time with Dave. 

     In the Thanksgiving picture, we are in the basement of the church directly beneath the sanctuary. Finding this church has made all the difference. I'm certain that my adjustment has gone so smoothly because of it. The congregation is quite wonderful. Both Jordan and I really feel like we're part of a church family even though we've only been attending a little over a month. We go to the 10:00 service and the group is small enough (maybe 150 people?) that we've been able to make friends fairly easily- although I confess it's still really very difficult to remember the names of our Korean acquaintances.

     Upcoming events: Jordan and I are going to see Handel's Messiah in Seoul on Monday! Supposedly, it's a big annual event. It sounds very impressive. Here's the interesting bit: it will be sung in Korean. I have a feeling this will be one of our most memorable experiences. Then on the 10th, I'm going to go into Seoul for an afternoon of Christmas cookie baking and decorating with some ladies from church.

     Much love to everyone back in the US. We're doing really well, but we sure do miss home. It will be sad to be away over the holiday season (with that said, we sure love emails and updates from your side of the  world!) Oh but fear not---we may be far far away but we most definitely have a Christmas tree (approximately 4 feet tall). We put it up just the other night, and our new "Baroque Christmas" cd has been serenading us in the most pleasing and festive way.

cheers,

Kelsey