Last Day of the Mini-Sabbatical

On my last day in Korea, I met my dad's other sister for lunch at Garak Market. After my daily breakfast with Sang-Nim (상님) and her husband of yummy bread and cold coffee, I was off on the bus to the market. There I met my aunt, her husband, and my cousin surprised me as he was able to sneak out during his lunch break. We had a wonderful meal and coffee. Here's a photo collage:



Then I headed back on the subway with my aunt and uncle and walked home from the subway. Today was a restful day as I ended up getting organized for my return tomorrow and took a nap. My aunt then came over and asked me to put on one of her Korean dresses, so she can send pictures to someone and I was her size. Here's a selfie:



For dinner, we ordered Korean Chinese food which is comfort food for me! We ate it so fast, I was barely able to take a photo:



Before my aunt left, I taught her how to save contacts in her phone, take dictation, and some other helpful tips. We also took a few selfies, but here's our best one:



Then my sweet niece Yujin (유진) and nephew Jin-hyung (진형), came over to say goodbye. They had crashed on my sofa for weeks on end in New York and are the oldest, so I have a strong bond with them both. Jin-hyung (진형) came straight from his new patent attorney orientation where he comes home on the weekends. He had his luggage in tow and came directly to see me. I love these kids - here are some selfies!





So the last full day of my mini-sabbatical and I fly out tomorrow and hopefully land in New York despite the winter storm. I am so grateful for my family and everyone who had hosted me in different ways - treated me to meals, picked me up at the airport, worried about who was picking me up at the airport, excited to hear about my career transition, come into town from afar, or let me sleep in their homes. These trips are so special and wonderful and I’m sad to go, but excited to start my new adventures at the new job!