Arline's 87th Birthday and a Family Reunion

Wow, what a large family I have now. There were 33 of us, all together in Inverness, Fla this last weekend to celebrate Arline's 87th Birthday. It was a terrific weekend.

I saw my brother Dick, that I hadn't seen since I was 17, and Dick was 20.

Damon was only 4, and Natalie was 5, the last time I saw Jo-Anne and her husband Jerry.

Now Natalie has 3 beautiful little boys and she and her husband live in Georgia only about an hour from us.

My nephew Jim's and his wife Sally's daughter Nikki has a baby now too, and their sons Billy and Jimmy are 13 and 15, (when the last time I saw them, they were 10 and 11).

Valerie, who is Chase's age is also expecting her first baby. So Jo-Anne will soon have 4 grandchildren.
Diane and Bill look fabulous and hosted a terrific weekend, enjoyed by one and all. It was the first time since I moved away from Florida in 1972, that I was with all of my brothers and sisters, and all of their kids, and their kids, kids. It was a very special feeling, and everyone looked wonderful and made me feel as if I'd never left.....

Arline looked absolutely amazing and is still one of the most gracious ladies I have ever known. She said she is my mother now too and really touched my heart.

Ken met everyone and loved them all and I think the feelings were mutual.

I just wish Damon and Chase could have been there too. I miss them an awful lot. I know they would have had a great time meeting all the new grandkids and seeing everyone else.

Another Shaun update, he seems very at home already.

From: Shaun Cox Sent: Monday, February 19, 2007 6:30 PM


I saw the rankings when I woke up this morning... I finally got the internet hooked up in my apt. At least the Badgers continue to play well while my Tigers slide slide slide....

This weekend I'm going to Seoul for a teaching seminar. Hopefully I'll be able to view more of the city.

You should see the development here. Daegu has about 2.5-3 million ppl, but I could easily see this city being larger than Atlanta in 10 years or less. There are 20-30 story apt/condo buildings everywhere and new high rise construction on every block.

Talk to you later.
Shaun
Daegu, Republic of Korea

An Update from Shaun in South Korea

From: Shaun Cox 2/18/2008 from Daegu, Korea
RE: Korea

My classes consist of no more than 6 students. By March I will have 7 classes per day, but for February I have 3 so far. For the most part, my students are energetic and fun to teach. The most difficult students to reach are the older kids (high school). Just like America the teenagers here are aloof, full of anger, confusion and hormones. The younger kids are more open and inundated with questions about "Shaun Teacher"... not so much the US , but about me. I'm usually told that I'm tall and hansome and look like a famous actor. The usual questions are about my likes and dislikes, whether I'm married, have a girlfriend, how old I am and where I live in Daegu. The streets in Korea , and maybe most of Asia , are not named. My address reflects what city, greater district, smaller district and apt I live in. It's really hard to establish where I am and need to go. Maps have been for the most part useless thus far. I have yet to see any foreigners, other than Chinese, which is surprising to me, but also perfectly fine. I like being away from the States in a completely alien environment forced to learn and adapt. As Uncle Bob said, "It's what life is about!" The first day I was here I ate dinner with the other teachers. Within 15 minutes I learned who was married and who was not. The girls are very forward. One girl was talking about her husband and another one sitting across from me made it a point to tell me that she wasn't... and, yes, she's very attractive. For the New Year I traveled to TaeJeonGyo where Jamie lives and ate dinner with her and her co-worker Alice (Eun-Sook) and Alice 's family. Eun's Mom and Grandmother cooked a massive traditional feast. There were about 7 of us. Once again they were amazed with my chopstick skills. Interestingly, her father is a preacher. The food here is spicy and delicious. I think I can eat and eat and will still lose weight. Jamie said she's already losing weight from walking so much. Well, I need to eat some lunch, but I'll try to get some pictures up soon.

Shaun Cox
Daegu, Republic of Korea

"As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man."

Shaun has arrived and gotten settled in Korea...

Shaun's first letter home...

Hi Family!
We have arrived in Korea .... what a long dang flight?!!!! So far everything and everyone have been nice. I have eaten nothing but Korean food. It amazes people here that I can use chopsticks well and can eat everything they set in front of me. Tea, Eel, squid, octopus and the 150 varieties of Gimchi (Kimchi) seem to be the daily serving. So far I've managed to stay away from the Poshint'ang (Dog Soup). My apartment consists of one room (a firm twin bed, 4x5 kitchen, 4x4 bathroom w/NO TUB, tv, small table, bookcases and a standing closet). In order to shower one must clean themselves next to the toilet. There is a drain in the middle of the tiny bathroom for all the soapy water to go. I gotta run but will be back with my address in a little while.
Shaun Cox
Daegu, Republic of Korea

"As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man."

Damon and his Girlfriend Vicki

Damon sent me some new pictures of he and his lovely girlfriend, Vicki. He sounds so happy lately, I know she must be a very special woman. The smile on his face tells it all.

Feb. 1st 2007 My first snow in SC

It is a winter wonderland Southern style!!! For this much snow the schools are closed! And there is a run on buying sleds at the Hardware store!