Dear Reader, the clock is ticking again. My family and I will be on a plane again in less than 48 hours. This may be my last blog entry until we arrive in the states. On Thursday evening we will leave for the U.S. After spending the night on Thursday at my folks’ house in Idaho, my mom, wife, son, and I will pack into a car and head to Montana for a long weekend. My grandma and some uncles and aunts live there. If you recall, earlier this year my grandma’s leg lost circulation, became infected, and was amputated. She pulled through, but the situation reminded me of her frail physical condition. She was born in 1912, the year the Titanic sunk in the North Atlantic. I could be so lucky to live so long and be as healthy as she has been her whole life. She even drove a car until about nine years ago (her skill deteriorated with age). I can’t wait to see her again for the first time since February 2004. I will savor the moment because the next one could be our last one. This will help me get through any difficulties we may have communicating–her mental faculties have faded, and she is often forgetful nowadays.
My father and sister will also meet us while we’re in Montana. Both live elsewhere and are making the trip to see us. On Saturday morning we will host an early birthday party for our son at McDonald’s, his new favorite restaurant. In the evening, my family will gather for its perenniel get together at the 3D International, a local restaurant with a really good Mongolian grill. We plan to spend Sunday with my grandma. Next Monday we will head back to my parents’ house in Idaho and will stay there for almost two weeks. I’ve volunteered to help dad with some home improvement projects, but otherwise we’re looking forward to relaxing and spending some quality time together with my folks.
We will return to Seoul on May 21st. Just before we return home, my wife will fly to Washington, D.C. for a job interview. She is pursuing a financial specialist job with the Foreign Service. We hope that she’ll do well during her interview, although a job offer will bring even more uncertainty in this sometimes tenuous lifestyle. If she is offered a job and accepts the position, she will be assigned somewhere in the world, and there’s a more-than-slim chance that her first assignment will differ from my second assignment, Paraguay. We’ve talked about the situation and decided to tackle that challenge if and when this happens. For now, we consider it a good dilemma.
