Annyong Haseyo!

We're here! I am now writing to you all from our adorable and cozy little apartment in Suwon, South Korea - Micah will post pictures soon (he's going to post a little later:) The flight here went very well - very long but as great as a flight can go when it is 14 hours long! We went through customs with no trouble at all. When we went to pick up our luggage though, we waited and waited but it never showed. Finally, a man walked up and asked us if we'd found our luggage and then directed us to go to the lost and found, so we did. It was just sitting there waiting for us too:) Other than that, we didn't have any trouble at all.
The people from the school that we have met so far have been very kind and welcoming. It was such a joy after we got through customs and out the final set of doors - where the general public is waiting to pick up friends and loved ones - to see a man standing there holding a sign with our names on it; we both just grinned ear to ear and nearly ran to him! His name is David Lin. He helped us tote all of our luggage to a bus (a really nice bus!) and brought us here to Suwon - it was about 1 1/2 hours from the Incheon airport. When we arrived in Suwon, two other men from the school joined us and took us to a really nice steak restaurant called VIPS. Micah and I felt really bad that they took us to such a nice restaurant when we mostly just wanted to go to our new home and sleep; we even tried to just share a plate, but they insisted that we get our own, so we did. It was some of the best steak I've ever had, and we'll probably go there periodically if we ever get a hankerin' for some good ol' steak:)
I can't wait for everyone to see pictures of the school facility! Everything is awesome! There are two main buildings - an old one and a new one - both are much bigger than they appeared on the website. I will get to teach in the new one (built last year). I'll be in a first grade classroom and co-teaching with one of the men that took us to dinner - his name is Joshua Hong; he is married and has 2 (or 3) children, whom I can't wait to meet:) Micah will be teaching 5th and 6th grade in the old building (built in 1994). We didn't get to meet his co-teacher yet. So far, we've both felt an instant connection to everyone that we've met.
This morning we met 2 of the pastors and Jerry Kim - Jerry Kim is one of the men that we ate with last night and is also the one whom we communicated with through email while in the States; I can't remember his exact title but it is something like Director of School Advancement. They took us to brunch at an American restaurant that is in this awesome, better than Walmart shopping complex - they compared it to a Walmart, but it reminded us of IKEA. It is within walking distance of our apartment and has everything we could ever want or need in it. Speaking of our apartment, it is the perfect size for us. There is a small complex of apartments set back behind the old building. There is a living room/kitchen area, a bedroom (with a huge closet I might add:), a bathroom (Western style), a front porch/balcony, as well as a glassed-in backporch area off of the bedroom - this has the possibility of becoming one of my favorite areas. The glass windows slide to the side so it is screened in, but it could easily become a little breakfast nook/reading area - as could the front balcony actually. The apartment complex has a shared laundry room area (washer and dryer), as well as a place for trash, which must be well-sorted into plastics, glass, paper, general trash, and food scraps. We'll probably buy some kind of special trash can so we can pre-sort everything and not have to dig through our trash every time we want to take it out:) Oh, and can I just say, the heated floors are wonderful! The whole house just has a cozy, warm (but not too warm:) feel to it. Oh, and while we were gone to brunch this morning, the school sent someone by our house to replace the television from an old clunker to a flat-screen plasma that is mounted on our wall! We couldn't believe it when they told us! It is nice! And we'll be able to connect our laptop to it so when we do webcam stuff, we'll be able to see everyone really well! We also have wireless internet that we can use for free from our apartment, which is why I can sit here from my cozy chair and write to you all so soon!
One last thing before we have to leave for dinner - as we were walking up to our apartment after brunch, I heard someone shout my name. When I turned and looked it was Kate! We ran to each other and hugged and cried and laughed hysterically! She was able to stay with us most of the afternoon and we will be meeting with her and Kevin tomorrow morning for breakfast at the little coffee shop/restaurant that is in the new building. Can I just say that God is so good! We have already been so blessed by being here. I have to go now but will write again as soon as possible, as will Micah - and we'll post pictures asap! Love you all sooo much and miss you! Love, Sarah