We pushed through today, adjusting to local time. While we had ambitions to power nap, it never materialized. Maybe it was Julie's double espresso shots or all of the back and forth from our conveniently located hotel (not). We are planning to change hotels tomorrow to a more central location...one that might also enable us to watch Korea v. Argentina in the City Center tomorrow night and take some walking trips with Grace this weekend.
I'm starting a list of things that Seoul needs. My first few observations include:
1) More garbage cans...seriously. I can't believe that in a city of 10 million plus we can only come up with 8 public trash receptacles. We can do better...
2) Wider streets...or fewer cars...though I don't see the latter as possible at this point. Who knew Frogger was more fun to play in real life that on Atari?...if there are doubts give it a try. At one point this afternoon I looked up the street and saw a car, van, delivery truck, moped, and horse trying to share the road and this was during the same hour school recessed for the day (many kids school year round).
3) A new complement to a cup of raspberries. Street vendors are pushing roasted silkworms as an option right now...and boy do they smell awful. Julie almost ate one but couldn't get past the texture...I understand.
My favorite good idea that we need to take from Seoul was:
1) A robotic construction flagman. Why waste a real person's time just standing in the road waving an orange flag waist high from right to left?...let a robot do it...and they do.
Two universal truths:
1) Road rage is alive and well in any country.
2) Most taxi drivers are certifiably insane and show complete disregard towards traffic laws...both from the backseat as a passenger and as a pedestrian trying to cross.
There were two providential encounters today. This first with an adoptee, John, probably my age (maybe Julie's) who was born in Korea but adopted by a Swedish family and raised in Sweden. He runs an organization that tries to help adopted kids reconnect with their natural families. He lives in Seoul (though he doesn't speak a lick of Korean). We struck up a conversation with him on the subway...which we maneuvered with great skill...except that after we got off the subway we walked for a mile in the wrong direction (sorry Julie).
The second encounter was with a dear couple, Jim & Miriam, who just adopted their little girl on Monday. They are from California and have 2 boys waiting for their return back home. We had dinner with them and asked them lots of questions. They were very kind and patient to share this time with us right now and were very helpful. You can pray that their little girl would continue bonding well with them.
Well, it's off to bed now. The local time is 950pm and I last slept on Monday night for a few hours enroute...or was it Tuesday? Thank you all for your notes of encouragement. We do feel your support. I was listening to a U2 song today and forgot about this line that now struck me in a unique way. Maybe Grace will be a Bono fan.
"Grace...it's the name of a girl.
It's also a thought that...
changed the world".
-U2
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