the moment...

"Better than a deed, better than a memory, the moment... of anticipation" -- according to Jacques, the bowler who nearly seduces Marge Simpson after Homer buys her a bowling ball for her birthday--a bowling ball engraved with the word "Homer"... Well, the moment of anticipation has certainly been long and generally quite sweet, but must come to an end as we actually set off. We've wrapped up our month of training, learned quite a bit, and met some great people (stay tuned for some photos from Houston...). In particular, we met the amzaing crew of people who have put together BIPAI (Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative), and finally met Megan, who I'll be working with in China for the next year. Megan is great--very easy going, loved by Ella, and she puts up with me, so I think this will work out well. At any rate, having tied things up in Houston, and gotten our visas to China, it was now time to be on our way. We flew from George Bush... Intercontinental airport, having arrived 3 hours early for the heightened security. Things moved very fast, however, so we had plenty of time to move about the concourse. Speaking of security, Hyunjoo and I both were subject to random searches of our carry-ons. They found no liquids. Interestingly enough, after they had searched, we found a bottle of Purell in Ella's diaper bag, and a bottle of lens-cleaner in the camera bag. Not exactly confidence-inspiring... anyway, they didn't explode. We flew to Dallas on AA, then we had a 3 hour layover before our next leg on Korean Air. The flight was delayed about an hour--first for "heightened security checks", then for "delayed connections". It gave us some time to explore the international terminal. I was a little hesitant to use the restrooms... At least I found out it wasn't just a male phenomenon... And, Ella made good use of the extra time running off her energy before the flight, and making Texan friends. We finally settled in for our 14 hour jaunt across the Pacific to Seoul. Ella's favorite thing about the plane was the in-flight entertainment. She also managed to sleep a little bit. I think I got about 4 hours sleep, and Hyunjoo even less. We'd been up late the night before packing, as well, with only about 2 hours sleep, so it was a very tiring flight. After landing in Korea, we went to my neice's first birthday party. By the time we got there, it was essentially over, but we did get to indulge on the food that was left. It was quite the party... in a hotel, with hundreds of fancy balloons, an ice sculpture, catered, professional photographer... impressive. I regret that I was too tired to remember to get the camera out... Anyway, I slept through the entire cab ride (much more comfortable than coach seats), back to my in-laws place and crashed after a cool shower. the next morning it was time to go out. Ella accessorized with a purse and hat as she walked along with Halmoni (grandma), Halaboji (grandpa), and mom. We got to the bank, where Ella was jealous of those at the counter. Idon't think this lady was too bothered when Ella tried to help her with her loan application. Then, we went to see the new condo building where my in-laws will soon be living. It's being built on the site of their old apartment, so they got to buy a unit at a big discount. The safety rules are fairly lax in most parts of the world. Grandma's and babies are allowed in construction sites without hardhats. Grandpas, too. and Megans (did I mention that Ella adores "auntie Megan"). We also got to visit Hyunjoo's brothers and sisters-in-law. Yes, Ji-Young is glowing... she's 38 weeks pregnant. I think Jong-hyun might be glowing a bit too. At the airport, we got to see our neice Yuna again (the one-year-old birthday girl). She and Ella enjoyed posing. Yuna with her mother Eun-Jin. And Ella with Uncle Jong-Jin. After the usual goodbyes, we passed through security and on to our waiting flight, ready for my first foray into business-class... the anticipation...