Enjoy your trip Jae. I hope it's also a chance to improve your  knowledge/comfort with the Korean language. Maybe you won't need an English congregation!

I'm curious-what is your younger step son doing? Is he also travelling with you.

and I assume it will be a chance for your wife to visit her oldest son.

Enjoy the visit, watch out for culture shock as many things will be done a different way.

Peace in travelling with an open mind.

Enjoy your trip MC! I see that you are planning on looking for a job and a church - how long will you be there for?

Thanks for the clarification Jae/mc

Too bad all three of you aren't able to go but finshing high school is important. Trust you have arranged adult support for him if he needs it while you are away-a friend to call, someone to check in and yes I do know he is a young adult.

Despite the joking about chopsticks it's the little things that suprise me when I travel to other countries.

Like who exits a door first, or different personal space boundaries or needing to show ticket stub when you exit subway as well as enter.

Bring back some stories for us.

PS Tell us about your avatar. What exactly are the 2 birds doing?

Hey MC,

I clicked on your updated profile. I was going to write on your wall, but I might as well write here since it's the Land of Morning Calm thread (hardly anyone uses the wall feature...you might miss it). Anyway...you're not an INFP anymore, but now an ENTP?  (I don't know many other INFP's, not sure if any actually, it's a lonely world for INFP's, being only about 1- 2% of the population I think) I guess people's types can change as their interests and lives change. I have taken Myers Briggs test a few times--I was ENFP, during a time in my life when I had to meet with public/ do presentations  more often for my job and generally had to be more outgoing in public--but it's not something that comes naturally. I think INFP is my default setting .

Looking forward to you sending us updates/ photos from Korea!

Have a wonderful trip.  I side with your wife in not seeing her ex husband.

Concentrate on getting to know the people who mean something to her, not the ones who are not in her life

the idea of ex and current hubby meeting for a beer is creepy.  Could easily degenerate into a bad scene

Yay!

Depending on context, I don't even find a picture of two humans mating offensive, but I do kind of see where Tabitha's coming from. Some families might find having to explain what the falcons are up to ... difficult. Wouldn't even occur to me as being a problem, though.

Mendalla

that's the problem with posts-the teasing tone is lost

It's a bit on the edge MC/Jae to post mating birds-but it does reflect what you are thinking of these days.

It's not offesnsive-I did not flag it as such.

Timmies or Starbucks?

* Runs for cover *

Mendalla

There's this thing they used to use back in the olden days - what was it called again? - ah yes... paper! Apparently they used to print books, magazines and newspapers on it. Perhaps you could find a museum of ancient history to purchase some of these to take with you on your flight. Perhaps they could be entertaining, in a quaint sort of way of course!

As to what to bring your inlaws, how about some First Nations artwork?

We've done everything from small First Nations art works to simple things like t-shirts and pens (which are appreciated, at least in China). There's a book called Best of Canada by Jeff Hutcheson of CTV and the Travel channel that we bought several copies of for giving away both to Chinese folks and to some of Mrs. M.'s foreign research collaborators. It's a great photo tour of Canada. Maple syrup is a traditional Canadian gift, but I'm not we've ever done it for the Chinese crowd. May be too sweet depending on what the Korean diet is normally like (I'm only familiar with what we get over here).

Canadian ginseng goes over well in China. Medicinally speaking, it has different properties from the Asian variety. Not sure if ginseng is as big in Korea as in China. If this interests you, we order from Rainey Ginseng - http://www.raineyginseng.com. There is online ordering from their site (they used to have a store and tours, but now only do mail orders).

Mendalla

Liquids can be carried in checked bags. It's carry-on where they can only be in limited quantities (and it has been relaxed a bit in the last year or so).

Mendalla

Wow! Cool. That sounds like quite an experience. Have fun!

My friend and I went out for Korean spicy chicken wings tonight, at a Korean fried chicken restaurant. They're done in a special way...so good, hot--but not like buffalo wings--a different flavour, a little bit like kimchi...they're garlicky, crispy, and the hotness catches up a few seconds later---so yummy and addictive!  We had to limit ourselves. Do they have restaurants that specialize in fried chicken there? Is that authentic or a North Americanized dish? At any rate, it sure was delicious!

Having been the honoured foreign relative the first time I went to China, I know the feeling. If Korean culture is anything like Chinese, expect lots of food and family get together (though I don't know if your wife's family is as big as Mrs. M's. Lot's of aunts, uncles and cousins on her side).

And cold kimchi soup sounds yummy. Sigh. Hope I can go to Seoul with Mrs. M. in the fall but we haven't worked that one out yet.

Mendalla