Summer Camps

The girls had a great summer with camps!  Counselors came in from the States to lead the week-long sessions bringing with them lots of energy and ideas to keep the kids entertained.  It's a great college program that accepts students in their final years studying child education.  The kids loved their counselors and it made for a fun summer.

The camp had swim twice a week, bowling, and movies and a field trip once a week to Fukuoka.  The girls got to go to very exciting places - a cooking place where they made ramen and gyoza, a plastic food cooking place where they got to make plastic sundaes and cookies (plastic food in Japan is at all restaurants making it much easier to order!), a marine aquarium, and space world amusement park. 

In addition to the 'traditional' camps, the girls also went on a week-long Japanese overnight camp which they loved.  Camp started on what looked like to be a huge typhoon.  As the Americans were all huddling and shutting down, the Japanese kids and parents were heading up the mountain to camp.  It turned out to be a non-event but knowing that some of us would be worried, the camp made special arrangements for everyone to spend the night.  The storm averted us, and Jeff and I didn't get to go to camp - but the girls had a blast.  The schedule was pretty packed with 06:30 wake, exercises, breakfast, language classes for the Japanese kids attending to help them speak English, and lots of activities including cleaning your own bathrooms!  Before bed it was onsen time. 

Another fun week for the girls was participating in the Missoula Children's theater.  This year they did a version of Rapunzel, very different from the movie, that was cute.  Both kids were dancing mushrooms and each had a line.  It was very cute!

Morgan's new hair cut!  She loves it!!!

Summer vacation - Korea

Last minute decision to spend more time with the kiddos before school starts and fly to Busan.  Airline tickets and significantly lower cost on hotels, food and transportation made it a much more economical vacation than one in Japan.  We had a great time! 

Flew in and took a train, bus, and then walked to Haeinsa a UNESCO site, built in 802 an did one of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea.  The temple is on a mountain adjacent to a national park.  It's a beautiful area.  We did a 2 day, one night temple stay and then spent 4 nights in Busan. 

The girls had a great time, and we got a lot of quality family time hanging out.  Highlights were the temple stay, Haenadae beach, Citizen's Park, and shopping at the Lotte Department stores and underground malls.

Jeff loved the temple food stay, the rest of didn't.  Everywhere we went monks and old ladies slipped the girls food (packaged candies and muffins!)

Jeff listening to the evening drum and bell ceremony

Morgan really got into the meditation, especially the chanting and full body prostrations

Common space in our guest house - we never overlapped with any other guests

Hotel provided eggs, bread and coffee for us to prepare when and how we wanted - awesome! 

Cute Korean girls that kept toppling over in their inner tubes. The girls loved pushing them into the waves and then getting out of their way before the full flip.  Legs in the air!  Funny how everyone hung out in the impact zone toppling out of their tubes!

Citizen Park - walking distance from the hotel, and had a tree house, bouncing house, and other free entertainment for the kids