Changing Seasons

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/i'm-the-christmas-unicorn. Everyone needs a muse, and my son is basically mine for music. As a young teenager he accused me of warping him socially, because I raised him on classical music and he wasn't up on all the trendy music of his peers. So, I empathized, told him that some day he'd thank me, and there after we spent the bulk of our time listening to HIS selections of music while in the car (which was often, since I free-lance painted everywhere). As a mom, I got a glimpse into what was filling his head. As an individual, my musical palet expanded. Now he Does thank me for his classical roots, but, to my unexpected delight, he also keeps my soul filled with musical selections I'd never have considered without him. I'm a big fan of Sufjan now--even if I keep forgetting how to pronounce his name. As it turns out, this first song I found and copy/pasted, isn't the one my son posted, but since I love it too, I'll leave it. And here is the correct link (I hope--it's what I'm listening to now). The song is a hodge-podge of what Christmas "means." It's both cynical and hopeful, reflecting the collective souls residing on this planet, which is why the silly boy genius artist is so universally loved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=5WECpuUM8bA Thank heavens for technology, because it allows us to share. In saying farewell to Thanksgiving, and welcoming the Christmas season, I'd like to say "thank you" to Korea for many things, but here are just a couple:

Asian dragons. They are way cooler than ours--more serpentine and colorful. I wish I could've gotten a closer picture of these at the Jinju lantern festival. They're positively breathtaking. Click on it to get a closer view or google them.

Also, with cold weather settling in, I've discovered a brand of hot cocoa that I really love and mandu, which is far, far yummier than the European style dumpling. I also love that on every food item I purchase, the calorie content for the entire package is listed right on the front, thereby enabling my understanding of exactly how much damage I've done after compulsively consuming the whole package. However, there's less sugar in everything, so add that to the list of cool things about Korea! Oh, and for those of us old enough to remember when opening something wrapped in plastic was a simple process, it still IS here! Food is covered and sufficiently insulated, but you don't need a knife or pair of scissors to get at it. Crazy American packaging--

My students continually make me laugh, like when we played "stick the nose on the Ghost" (variation on the old "pin the tail on the donkey")! And I want to especially say "THANK YOU" to one of our young missionaries who's leaving for a new area this week.

See the tallest guy in the line up? That's Elder Mortensen. He's from Utah, and has been here for months. He serves as translator and helps keep our tiny branch together. I unexpectedly cried like a baby today. It's his last Sunday in Sacheon, and he's become something like a son to me. Since I don't generally get very attached to missionaries--they don't stay in one place long enough--this tells you what a great guy Elder Mortensen is. He shared his Nyquil when I was sick and tries to be all things for everyone. Luckily, Elder Campbell, the other tall American, is pretty darn great too. But Elder Mortensen will be sorely missed.