Happy Chuseok!

I have a 4-day weekend thanks to Chuseok, the Korean harvest family slightly similar to American Thanksgiving. I've been looking forward to this vacation for a long time, since I have such long work hours. I went hiking with Kaia and Michaela yesterday, and today hung out with friends from church before and after the service. Tomorrow I'll go to my Korean friend's house, and Tuesday I'm meeting a friend from church. I'm very grateful that my voice has pretty much recovered. It took a long time for it to get completely better because I didn't have a lot of time to rest it, but I'm just so glad it eventually healed. I'm also getting more and more into the hang of things at work, though it still seems like there's a lot I have to focus on. I think my biggest challenge is knowing what I can expect out of 4 and 5 year olds, in keeping them entertained, stimulating their learning, and keeping them under control with as little yelling as possible. I am grateful that everything is sorted out with my visa and I now have my ID card. I'm getting more comfortable in my neighborhood as well. Last week I tried a "Cross Fit" class at a gym near my apartment, but it was a little too intense for me. I'm going to try to find Pilates classes, or "Taebo," a taekwondo-boxing combo class. I really need to exercise for my physical and mental health. I continue spending lots of time with friends and being active at church. I'm hoping to make more friends in the neighborhood. My sister Marie will be visiting for Christmas. She will arrive December 24 and stay until January 5. What a joy to look forward to! My address in Korea: Anna Engle #404 Haengun Officetel Kyomun-dong 207-2 Guri-shi Gyeonggi-do 471-801 SOUTH KOREA