Married & traveling

Well, the wedding was absolutely beautiful and we celebrated the day with so many friends and a few family members. We keep looking back on that day, counting the many blessings that God sent our way, including the perfect weather, the incredibly talented photographers, all the details for the decorations and such, a very fun reception, and the chance to greet each and every guest! Wow, it was such a HAPPY day!! We keep going through the pictures and reliving each moment. We know that God has brought our paths together and we praise Him for that!

We had the most fantastic honeymoon in luxury in a resort in Mexico, then came home for a day or so, then flew off to Korea where we are now. We're visiting Steve's family and retracing his steps from when he was a little boy. It has been 7 years since he's been back, but he hasn't been to some of these places since he left for Canada about 16 years ago! It has been wonderful to see him reminice about his childhood, and relive the good moments and the bad, but coming through it all with a sense of praise and gratitude toward the Creator.

Being in Korea has been somewhat challenging for me as I attempt to adjust to the culture and even to impress family members. I've also not felt completely myself, as tiredness, a cold, and some stomach problems have kept my mind and body distracted. It is also very difficult for me to sit through a long conversation, especially when not much of it is translated. I try to recognize words and phrases as well as trying to get the gist of what's going on by watching gestures, but it is very taxing. Especially when there are unsaid expectations of how one should sit and look etc. Sometimes I wish that I was at my own grandmother's house where I could lean back on the couch and put my feet up. I would still be able to show respect to my grandma, and she wouldn't think ill of me for doing so. But, I shouldn't complain. Steve's family has been extremely kind and generous to us, both in their hospitality and love as well as in their monetary gifts. It has been such a shock to me to see how elaborate their gifts are, and how they show their love through them! I feel pretty bad about it, but this is just their culture, and they want to give and give and give.

Today was especially rough, as we went to Mass, my first Mass ever, not to mention in a different culture and language. I don't know much about the Catholic church, and therefore have some reservations about it. Steve was wonderful in explaining things to me and translating as much as he could. At some point, the feelings welled up so much that they overtook me. I started bawling and Steve escorted me out. I was trying to get past the solemnness and the statues and the liturgy and the headcoverings and the bowing and the crossing, then I was literally pushed up to the front to have the priest lay his hands on me. It was simply too much. As I think about it now, I wonder if there was something within my spirit that was uncomfortable, or if it was only my mind. I seem to react quite strongly to spiritual things, so I'm wondering if there was something wrong in the spiritual relm or if it was just my searching for something familiar and finding nothing. I'll be praying on this one for a while.

But after Mass, we went back to grandma's house and had a very yummy lunch consisting of a spicy tofu and vegetable stew, kimchi, fried tofu, fried eggs, and rice. Part of the hospitality here is to feed, feed, feed! I have been offered sooooo much food!! The way Korean food is served is that each person has their own bowl of rice and maybe a bowl of soup, then there are a bunch of plates of different kinds of food in the middle of the table which people pick from to add to their own rice. I need to make sure I finish my own rice and soup (which seems like a lot to me already), then satisfy the host by eating enough of each type of food in the center. It's tricky sometimes, but I've enjoyed all the food so far. My favorite was a really spicy rice cake stew that we ate on the side of the road yesterday! Wow, so good! I'm learning to just eat the spice and, in the words of Steve, "don't panic!" haha

We will be here at grandma's house for a few more days, then leave for Seoul on Thursday. We will be there until we leave on Monday the 31st. After being away from home for 3 1/2 weeks, I will be very glad to go home with my husband to start "real" life together in our new home.