We met Max!

We arrived in Seoul Monday night at 9:30pm. On our flight, we met another couple (Wade and Andrea) and their brother-in-law (Roger) from Afton who are here to bring home their second child, a girl. They also have a 2 1/2 year old son at home. We made instant friends. We knew there was another couple from CHS on our flight but didn't know who. They were easy to pick out as they were the only other American couple on our flight.

Tuesday morning we all went to Richemont Bakery, quite possibly the best pastry I've had.

That morning we met with Mrs. Park, who gave us Max's passport and visa. Then we met with both the elder Dr Kim (founder of Easter Social Welfare Society) and his son, President/CEO of Eastern, also Dr. Kim.

At 11:00 am we were led into a meeting room, but on the way our social worker caught my attention and pointed down the hall. It was Mrs. Oh, Max's foster mother, and Max. We had a brief exchange in the hall and then we led to a meeting room where we could sit on the floor and play with him.

He's amazing! He's beautiful and happy and perfect. Words just don't describe our first meeting. We spent about an hour with Max, Mrs. Oh and our social worker that morning. Our social worker was able to translate for us as Mrs. Oh doesn't speak English. She told us that Max is almost sleeping through the night and takes 2 naps a day. He likes to be carried on Mrs. Oh's back, and LOVES to be pushed in a stroller. AND, though they don't have pets, he loves dogs.

Great news, Mrs. Oh is bringing him back to the agency on Friday so we can spend some more time with him, and then he's ours Saturday morning!

After our meetings, we went to Itaewon with Wade, Andrea and Roger. Itaewon is an area in Seoul near the US Military base where Americans flock for bargains. You can find anything from folk art to knock off Gucci. Shopping is quite fun as you can haggle and find amazing deals. And Wade travels to Seoul quite often so he knew all the back alleys and underground stores. We bought some great souveniers for Max when he gets older.

Wednesday we headed to Namdaemun, a huge outdoor market. Reminded me of a the MN State meets flea market. We found the huge building crammed full of children's clothing. We bought some really cute duds for Max when he's a bit older. We also visited the Hyundai department store, imagine Dayton's downtown Minneapolis with a Byerly's in the basement. We bought the makings for stirfry and Korean pancakes and made dinner back at the guesthouse with our new friends. Chris and I still aren't keen on Korean cuisine. For lunch we tried McDonald's which is very much like home, but the beef had lots of black pepper - very good.

Thursday we started our day at Richemont Bakery (YUMM), then said goodbye to Wade, Andrea, Rodger and Sidda who left for MN that morning.

After, we headed to Insadong to meet our neighbor and friend, Daniel. He's studying in Seoul this year at Yongsei University. We had a mandu dish, which is dumplings in a broth with noodles, vegetables, beef and a number of mushrooms cooked at our table. It was VERY good.

We did some shopping in Insadong, a street of boutiques and one-of-a-kind shopes, a great place to find artwork, stationary and tea. On our way home we visited a palace and watched the changing of the guard ceremony. That evening we went back to Insadong for more shopping and sight seeing.

Friday morning we finished up some last shopping in Itaewon, then met Max at 3pm. Our social worker and foster mother strapped him on my back Korean style and let Chris and I take him for a walk. People were coming out of their homes to see him with big smiles asking, "your Korean baby?"

Friday night we met up with our new friends from the Twin Cities for traditional Korean BBQ, which we loved, and some sight seeing.

Saturday morning we woke up early to attend our prayer ceremony with Dr. Kim. He prays for the babies, that they will always remember their birthland and that Korea will some day adopt from other countries rather than send their children away. After the prayer, it was time for our foster mother to say goodbye and the we were whisked off to the airport. What a bittersweet moment - so sad for our foster mom, yet such a joyful time for our new family.