Apsan in the Spring

I hate to say it, but we're getting worn out with living in Korea.  I love adventure and I have loved the opportunities to travel all over Asia.  However, living overseas for almost two years without returning to one's homeland and family of origin is exhausting.  We are ready for a break.  We are going home to the States for a brief vacation in June and I think that will make a huge difference in our ability to make it one and a half more years here in Korea.  The other things we do to make it more tolerable is to stay busy, get out of Daegu and hike in the mountains as much as possible.   The mountain closest to our home is called Apsan.  It is surrounded by high rise apartments and busy thoroughfares, but when you are up in the trees it feels worlds away from the craziness of the city. 

We have a family here that is like our family away from family.  We spend at least one day each week with them.  They are lots of fun and our kids are getting to be like siblings. 

All over Korea, on the river walks, in the mountains, on the sides of the city streets, there are these funny workout stations with all kinds of interesting exercise equiptment.  The kids love to play on these like jungle gyms.  At one of the locations on the side of the mountain there was a little stage.  Diamond, Florence and Austin decided a performance for all the Koreans in the area was appropriate.

Winters are harsh here in Daegu, but when spring comes, everything looks a little less monotonous and sterile.  Hiking makes the stress of living in a crazy busy city a little more tolerable.  I think we'll be doing this a lot more often!