They Weren't Joking When They Said Windy

it was another gloomy day on geoje island which means rainy season is right around the corner. we decided to take a little drive to the south side of the island to a tourist attraction called windy hill. while getting dressed that morning, i made a horrible mistake. i thought to myself, what would be comfortable for a few hour road trip in the car? a flowy skirt of course. it seemed like a great idea up until the moment the wind hit me. The agima's (technically translated as married woman but known to people as the "old korean ladies") and their husbands almost got a view they didn't expect. lookout at windy hill. which is pretty much just a hill, a windmill, and a whole lot of wind. 

Children's Day

on may 5th korea nationally recognizes and celebrates children's day. school is let out, work is canceled, and parents agree to do whatever the kids want to do that day. on that day, our friends mike and alissa invited us to go hang out with the kids at the orphanage. we couldn't resist. 

this is the place where over 50 kids from ages of 1 year to 20 years call home. most of the kids here are either handicapped, or given up because of death or financial circumstances. for reasons unknown, people are not allowed to adopt the kids. 

the kids all prayed together before each meal.

this little guy's dad actually stopped by during the celebrations to spend time with him. we were told that he comes by every few weeks to take him for the weekend then drops him back off again. the only reason we could think of as to why he was in the orphanage in the first place is because the mom is no longer present. traditionally, mothers in korea quit work and stay home when the children are born. and men working 10-12 hour days is not uncommon. with the mother out of the picture and most companies not understanding that the father may need to leave work early to take care of the child, this little guy's father may have been forced to give him up.it was great to see how much the older kids looked out for the little ones. whether it was toting them around or helping them get dressed and eat.

all the kids were extremely affectionate and were excited to have someone new to play with for the day

they took us to a school gym where they had games, prizes and food for the kids all day.

the boys weren't quite as talented as the kids when it came to hula hoop games.