I spent my Christmas traversing around Korea, so I’m sorry I can’t tell you what happened on Christmas Day. Perhaps I’ll have some things to report after my next visit. Today I want to share about something I got from them just before my vacation. On Friday that kicked off the winter holiday, my friend Josh and I had a little Christmas party with the elementary boys. We went to Costco, bought some snacks, and rented Harry Potter.

That evening, after dinner, I couldn’t find any of the official orphanage staff. The kids were a little rowdy, and they don’t really listen to us well, so I was looking for a Korean adult. One of the boys told me that 오마 was out “buying clothes.” Seems like a strange errand for 7PM on a Friday, doesn’t it? Anyway, the 6th graders were in charge. That happens a lot actually, and seems to work most of the time, but that is a different topic. Anyway, I soon found out that she had gone to buy sweatshirts for me and Josh! A cool gift. But the really neat part is that each of the boys had written a little card to go with it. Almost each card is identical, they say things like:

안녕하세요? 같이 놀아주었던 것 감사합나다….감기 조심하세요…옷 따듯하게 입으세요

Thanks for playing with me…be careful of colds…dress warmly!

Here’s a great winter phrase to use with your Korean friends. You’ll score big points with it, I promise: “감기 조심하세요” Be careful of colds!