Back in Texas!!!  Thanks for all of your love and support! This concludes my blog.  I cannot wait to meet with everyone and share pictures and stories.  I had a wonderful trip and it feels great to be back at home with my hubby!  LOVE!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

USA or bust!

We are about to get on the plane! I'm ready for Texas and looking forward to seeing everyone. I had a great experience and am so thankful for it. Love you guys!

-Audra : )

USA

from tower

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North Korea

Looking out at North korea but not very visible day.  This shows the distance to this city in North Korea from the tower.

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Mushrooms

Mushrooms that look scary but taste good.

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Coffee drinks

Sweet potato lattes ??

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This korean play showed in NY!

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Korean play

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From the Seoul Tower :)

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Tammy and KJ

Tammy and KJ :)

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Eating bean sprouts :)

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Eating bean sprouts :)

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View of the beach

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Chopsticks littered on the beach!  Nit something you see on an american beach :)

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We stayed in the mountains for one day then drove to the beach.  It may be hard to read but this says kyle with a heart on the side :)  the beach was beautiful but soooo funny to see no swim suits and people hiding under umbrellas..they don't want the sun!!  Lol so different than american beaches.   Water felt god but was cold ..but that didn't stop some people from swimming.

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Fruit coffee and cake

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Sleeping mat beds set up  

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Bedroom...or sleeping room rather :)

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Beautiful mountain view from room

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Religious chanting

The first day I was in Korea, I heard this strange religious sounding chanting in a low voices. I had no idea what to make of that so I went to ask KJs husband, but it had already stopped so he wasn't sure what I was talking about.

Later when I went to China, Tammy's husband Tom stayed over here for one day. He heard the "chanting" and asked if that noisy was religious monks chanting. They laughed very hard saying that was the man here ready to collect the laundry!

KJ told me this story laughing...then I had to admit that I too had thought this which caused more laughing!!! Sooo funny!

-Audra : )

Typos

Sorry about typos! Sometimes I see my typos and want to go back to fix them but all of the menus around the blog etc are in Korean characters...so I have no idea where to even begin!

-Audra : )

Split bottom pants

Many of you already have heard but I thought I would take a second to write about the split bottom pants I saw on some small kids in china. The three kids I saw seemed to all be 3 years old or under..... But they wear pants with the back end cut out.
I had been told about this a while back, but had forgotten....so the first kid I saw walking down the street...I was very confused! He had on navy blue pants, but right down the back of the pants was a very light color. I thought that was a strange design or a big bleach stain......when I got closer I saw that it was not a stain but the little boy's bottom and the back of his legs!!! I told my Chinese friend, "he sure has a big hole in his pants" she laughed and explained to me that the pants had been cut out. The child is trained to squat and go to the bathroom through the open pants!! I wish I had gotten a picture, but I wasn't brave enough to snap a picture of a little kid's rear....but it sure was cute and quite comical!
-Audra : )

Lunch

Lunch!  Rice with a fried egg on top..then add veggies and hot paste.  It was good :)  KJ also served kimchi...kimchi is with most korean meals and eaten often.   Table is set for three because Tammy is finally here!!!!  Yayy!!!  So glad about that!!

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Closet

Here is my 'closet'.  I works out quite nicely :)  KJs good idea :)

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New room

I switched rooms to let Tammy stay in the other one.  Here is my new room. :)

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Korean Sign Language

I had so much fun when this lady and her husband came over to teach me some Korean Sign Language!!  It was so fun to be able to compare the two sign languages and learn a couple of praise and worship songs in Korean sign.  This couple is soooo nice and I just had the best time.  :)  

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Subway

The subway was very crowded when we rode it yesterday.  When we rode it was the time people were getting off work and out of school.....so even standing room was limited.

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Spicy noodle

Spicy noodles served in gigantic bowls with extremely large portions.  I liked my spicy noodles but came no where close to finishing.  KJ was very worried about me and kept trying to find other things for me to eat because I had eaten so 'little'.  I am learning that small little Asians sure can eat!  Even out eat a tall American girl!!!

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Kimchi

A closer look at kimchi.  It is cabbage or radish that is pickled or fermented and covered with a very spicy sauce or paste.  KJ cannot believe I can eat it...but I like it!....but just maybe not my favorite for breakfast....but lunch and dinner Yes!

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Pumpkin porage with kimchi.  Kimchi is very spicy and pickled...i think Kyle would hate it!! 

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Desserts

On the right..shaved ice with red beans, pumpkin, a chewy fruit, cashew nut
On the left..various rice cakes.  The last one that is brown was Very Very sticky...i tried to put it in my mouth but it got stuck on my top and bottom lips and it took a good deal of pulling to get it off!!!

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Cake

Green tea cake

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Dinner

Noodles in bean milk

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Got to talk to Bailey and Shannon on skype just now!!!!   I was especially happy to hear Bailey tell me her funny missing tooth story.:) :):)   I think it will be a good day because of the great surprise start I got!

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Breakfast buffet part 3

Watermelon....apples....bread...and then what I thougt were donut holes.  I told my friend..i found donut holes on the buffet..she said..uh audra I strongly doubt those are donut holes.  I tore one open and it was bright purple on the inside!  It was some sort of bean paste.......  I was a little mad at the impostor donut hole and wasn't a very big fan of purple bean paste. :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Breakfast buffet part 2

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Breakfast buffet part 1

This was at the hotel in china that I stayed at one night.  The green little tied up 'packages'  are sticky rice wrapped in bamboo.  It is served at this time of year because of the dragon boat festival.  I am not a very big fan of the strange flavor and even texture of the very sticky rice that seems to grow and be never ending when you're given it as a special treat and eating it trying to be nice.  I was happy this was on a buffet and went right on by :)...but then I got to the end of the buffet and realized I hadn't picked anything!!  It was not your typical american breakfast.  My friend thougt I was funny for being so shocked at all of the noodles and vegetables...and all of the wait staff was watching me and smiling.  I finally found some watermelon...donut holes (which I thought were donut holes and very much wer Not), bread and then I got some rice porage that I put sugar in (the sugar was not for the rice porage but was put out for the tea).  My friend said that everyone was probably watching what I picked thinking 'what a strange combination and strange choices!'  haha :)   there were not many people in the room but it sounded like there were with all of the slurping and eating noises that are not considered rude in China.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Back in Korea

Hey guys! I am back in Korea. I am happy to be back with KJ and it was fun being back around her..... But I must say that I miss my husband very very much and when I was at the airport I was really sad that I was not flying to America to go home.

One thing that I am super excited about is being back in the world of stable internet connection!!!

China is very neat...but very hot! I felt like Bailey.....I judged what I wanted to wear based on which was the most cool and not hot. With trying to make sure I was modest, most of my clothes were too hot!! If I am able to go back to China in the summer, it will be shorts and tank tops!!!!!

I will not miss the crazy traffic in China, that is for sure!! My friend explained to me that the people in China do not like to be embarrassed, even more so than how we feel about being embarrassed in America. She said that when two people get in a wreck, they normally both get out of the car screaming and yelling at each other pounding their fists in the air so that they can immediately blame the other person.....even though this greatly holds up traffic.....until they come to a deal that they handle right there on the spot. Although we nearly got in what seemed like 200 accidents a day and witnessed nearly 2000 near collisions, I had not seen an actual car accident until yesterday. It was minor...but sure enough..the man and women were yelling at each other pounding their fists! About a minute up the road there was another minor accident and I saw it again!!!! I wasn't happy that the people got in a wreck, but I was actually happy that I saw what she was talking about!!!!!

More later!

-Audra : )

Got to video chat with Kyle and Shelly!   I was super excited about that.:)  I have been trying to load some pictures to the blog but have been having trouble.   Very late and very tired!   Love you guys!!!!!

Hello!

Thanks for all of the messages guys!   I had trouble finding ways to get connected through the internet when we were traveling, but now I am back where I can use the internet and it feels good! :)    I had a wonderful day yesterday and today!!!  I tried to write a lot in my journal so I could remember everything.  One neat kid asked me, "What floor is America on...the 3rd or the 15th?"  Everything is apartments here!!!  So the question makes a lot of sense!!!  haha  :D  How cute and sweet! 

Another big hit has been my iPad.   It is amazing how quick the little kids pick up on it!!  

I feel like I am in Lisa's shoes being a "Muzoongoo" or whatever the people of Uganda called her.  We get a lot of curious looks when we walk down the street.  Lots do sideways glances trying to pretend that they are not looking, some try to talk to us, some don't care, others stop and look, and then others stop and look and completely turn around to continue watching us for as long as they can see...or even take a few steps to watch a little longer.  One group of young kids started pointing and laughing and laughing and jumping up and down.  I asked my friends if they were laughing because we were white and they said, "Yup!  Pretty much."    

Today when we were at a red light, a man pulled up beside us on a motorcycle with a young child on the motorcycle.  I saw him see us and then wondered if he was going to try to tell the kid to look at us.   Sure Enough!   He leaned forward and tried not to make it obvious, but it completely was.  I saw him whisper something and then the child immediately looked up to look in our window of our car to see the white people!   We waved, rolled down our window and said "Ni hao!"   The kid got a big kick out of it and the father smiled and laughed while we drove off when the light changed looking happy and satisfied.

The traffic here is very crazy!   People drive this way and that way...into oncoming traffic, diagonal, on sidewalks....while the people walking and riding bikes also feel that it is fine to go into oncoming traffic, cross diagnoal...weave in and out of traffic...etc.  It's wild.   I don't know how anyones brakes still work anymore after constantly having to be used to not hit somebody or another car!!!  My friend explained to me that it is kind of like skiing....the unspoken rule seems to be that it is kind of like skiing, you are responsible not to hit anyone in front of you.  My former student warned me about the traffic and told me to not get hit by a car when crossing the street or walking down the street.  I totally didn't take it seriously....I get it now!!!   I Totally get it!  

I got lots of many great pictures to share with you later. 

Much love,
Audra

1st day

This was a surprisingly fun day!   I like China.  Also, I actually enjoyed the food and like where I am staying.  Woo hoo!   Looking forward to tomorrow!  Good night :) 

Her and everything is good and nice:)

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Dinner!  It was very good.  Roll vegetables, beef, fried egg in rice paper.  Also with bread and fried tofu.

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Bedroom

Here is my bedroom.  It is comfortable.  

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Here!

Enjoying the apartment and got to take shower. Feel much better after the long trip. KJ is cooking up a late dinner and it smells very good. Lots of love!

Sent from my iPad

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Fun extras on seat...blanket and slippers and toothbrush

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Lots of leg room!  Gap between seat and window :)

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My great bag I am enjoying from Shelly.  (picture attached..we will see if this works)

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Hi!

Hey guys! We are waiting at our gate and will probably board in about an hour or a little over that. I am so enjoying being able to travel with Tammy! It makes the time go by so much faster. Also, I am happy that we were able to get our seats switched so that we can sit by each other on this next long portion of our trip. I am a little excited about flying on Korean Air because I have heard that they do a really good job of taking care of you.:). I am also happy that when I get off this flight I will see KJ!!!! Poor Tammy will not be finished with her flying and will have 5 1/2 more hours to go to Tailand! She is not too excited about all of that flying!! We are both doing well though and in good spirits and having fun. The iPad has also helped keep us entertained.
:). It has been so fun and easy to update this blog that Kyle set up for me... All I have to do is send an email to the blog and it updates automatically. I never knew you could even do that! My smart husband:D
I normally hate public restrooms...but I have been doing my best to appreciate our American public restrooms. Lol. I know soon that will be a luxury of the past...at least for China anyway...not sure about Korea...but soon to find out!
I love you guys! :)
Sent from my iPad

Airport

I am at the airport with Tammy!! Everything is great and we are just waiting for the airplane. One of my bags was 52 lbs but they let me go through without rearranging things...whew :). The hotel we stayed at last night was soo convenient (good idea Shelly!!!). We actually even got some rest.:). I think we will board soon. Take care!
Sent from my iPad

Ready Or Not, Here I Go!! :)

Hey Guys,

I hope to be able to keep you updated on some of the happenings on my trip through this blog.  Right now, I am still doing last minute, never-ending packing. (ahhhh..will be happy when I am finally done!)   It is supposed to be rainy, especially in China....so trying to prepare for that rain is making it a little more difficult to pack.  I am very excited!  I feel that I will have a very safe trip because of the people that will be taking care of me and how well everything is planned. Also, this trip has been prayed over and will continue to be prayed over.

Tonight, Kyle will drive me to Houston and we will go out to dinner together, then I will stay in a hotel in Houston with Tammy.  Tomorrow, Tammy and I will catch the hotel shuttle and fly out to SF and then to Seoul, South Korea!   

Take care!  I will update more soon!

Much Love,

Audra