COEX Aquarium

Day 1 of Quiring-family visit

On Thursday, June 28 we all enjoyed a little bit of a sleep-in. My parents and brother were tired from their journey (and their random awakenings at very early hours) and Jonathan and I were happy to have a day to sleep in a bit longer than we could while we were working. So we had a lazy morning and a yummy brunch at home before heading out into Seoul. We got my parents and Tyler T-money cards so they could ride the subway and then found the right subway to get to the COEX Mall. After a bit of a walk underground, we finally came up in the mall courtyard, surrounded by tall buildings. After a saunter through the COEX mall, we found the aquarium. My mum and I had a great time watching all the little preschool- or kindergarten-aged groups of kids that were there on a field trip. We had a lovely several hours looking through the very unique aquarium before we exited and found a yummy Italian restaurant just down the mall hallway. After our supper, we had some delicious frozen yogurt for dessert before heading back to our apartment for another good sleep. All in all, a great way to start our vacation time!

We had some fun with the trick mirrors :)

Fish in a fish-shaped sink

At this aquarium anything could become a fish tank. Even a toilet!

Kimchi-fridge tank

Fish tank headboard

This picture might look like Ali's scared, but really she just loves sharks

Ali-angel!

Tyler relaxing while waiting for his frozen yogurt

Pops, the frozen yogurt deliveryman

Yum!

Ty's cool old-school film camera

Lights

Office goodbye party & last choir performance

Wednesday, June 27, was my final day at work in the textbook office and Jonathan's last day of teaching. In the early afternoon a couple of my coworkers walked into the office with a Paris Baguette (a pastry/bakery chain store) cake box and suddenly all the rest of my coworkers got up and congregated at the small table in the corner of the room. "Ali, come on, we're going to have a party for you," Robin told me as she rose from her chair. I was surprised, since my office had gone out for a goodbye dinner the week before, but I quickly finished what I was doing and joined the rest of my office at the table. They made me sit in the seat of honor while everyone else stood, and presented me with a blueberry cake and two presents. "You have to open the presents first," they commanded and I'm sure I turned red with all the attention as they watched me open the card first and read all the sweet thoughts and good wishes they had written. Then I carefully unwrapped the first present and found a white modern-looking, but older-style alarm clock. In Sun explained, "When someone is leaving, it's a custom to give them a clock, so that when they look at it later, they will remember all the time they spent with us." I was so touched and I know I will always remember the amazing people in the textbook office whenever I see my new alarm clock! They were all quite pleased that I liked the gift. Then I opened the second gift and found a small handmade wooden fan. It was from a lady named Kyeong. She told me, "I am so thankful for all the work you did to help me with the project I was working on. The fan is a thank-you for your help and the good work you did on that project. Also, it's because we were in the church choir together." I was so surprised she had given me something special since helping her with the project was just another part of my job and I hadn't even spent extra hours on it. What a sweet gesture! Then everyone wanted me to cut the cake so we could eat it. Someone suggested that Robin come and cut the cake with me (haha, like at a wedding) and then they told me that she called me her baby and called herself my Korean mama. I had had no idea! They told me all kinds of other stories, too, and it was such a nice time of sharing and reminiscing over the past six months of me working in the textbook office. We chatted and ate cake with chopsticks (the only utensil stocked in the office) until someone, probably our director, Dr. Yoon, said we should probably get back to work.

My goodbye blueberry cake

My Korean mama, Robin, and I cutting the cake, wedding style

Robin, Ann, Jewel, and Coco eating the cake Korean style

It was hard to go back to work and try to finish up the last project I would be working on in Korea, but it was even harder to go through the office and say goodbye to everyone when 6 p.m. rolled around. We promised to keep in contact, to write or send pictures, but of course that's never the same as actually being together, working in the same office, sharing our lives with each other. I had wanted to back-up all my work files onto my thumb drive, but hadn't been able to fit them all on, so I promised everyone, "I'll be back tomorrow to get the rest of my files. I'll say my real goodbyes then." So I gathered up all my personal items - my thumb drive, a chap stick, a small bottle of lotion, the "well-being" metal mug that June had given me back in our old office in January - and headed out the door accompanied by goodbye calls and waves.

The next morning I was back at the office, bringing my mum, who had arrived the night before, along with me. I wanted her to take some pictures of me together with some of my favourite people in Korea. After I saved all of my files onto my external hard drive, she did quite a photo shoot of me in my office with my coworkers. I will cherish these pictures of my special Korean people forever! (To see many more pictures, look at my mum's blog post.)

The steps leading up to my office feature many of the fruits of the spirit
~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

In my office ~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

Textbooks I helped create for my first project at the office ~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

With three of my coworkers: Coco, Chili, and Kyeong ~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

More of my coworkers in a meeting downstairs: Hee Young, me, Dr. Yoon, Jewel, Robin & In Sun ~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

Jewel, Robin, In Sun, Ann, Michelle & Jin waving goodbye to me ~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

Then there was another goodbye at church on Sabbath. It was mine and Jonathan's last time to sing with the church choir. We had told everyone the week before that the next week would be our last week at church, but they were still surprised when we told them again that morning that it would be our last time singing with them. It was special to sing that last choir song in Korean with my parents and brother sitting in the congregation. And after the service was finished, my family came up front and I introduced them to the choir and we had a flurry of photos taken with the whole group and with certain special individuals. It was a bittersweet time. I was happy to have my family there, excited about the traveling we would be doing soon, and looking forward to being home again, but sad to be leaving this country, and more importantly, these people who had become special to me.

Going over the Korean lyrics during our practice before church
~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

Special music by the choir and orchestra
~ Photo by Glenda Quiring

After-church pictures with the choir and my family
~ Photo by Glenda Quiring's camera

I guess that's why life on this earth is disappointing and heartbreaking. We make friends, but sometimes we have to leave them, sometimes we have to say goodbye. I can't wait for the great reunion in heaven where we will never have to say goodbye to those we love and cherish ever again!