On the morning of April 15 we loaded two "vans" at Yongsan and headed out on the 30 mile drive to Osan.  It only took an hour and a half, and it wasn't even rush hour traffic.  We made our way toward our new home, Jirisan Tower, where we met our Air Force Sponsor--John "Mad Max" Bremer.  Mad Max had everything ready for us to fall in on: Our apartment was ready to go and had loaner furniture in all the rooms, our mail box was set up and ready, our express shipment arrived for delivery about 30 minutes after we got there...

It was cool seeing all of our own stuff coming out of all the boxes--not to mention all our own sheets and bedding.  Note to self--send pillows in the express shipment next time.  We spent the afternoon unpacking and putting stuff away as best we could.  It is all very temporary, until our main shipment gets here (sometime in the next 5 weeks).  Then, we turn in all the temporary furniture (appropriately marked with crayon by the little ones) and start the job of really moving in.  This apartment is our home for the next three years (though the little ones have made the walls look like we have been here at least that long already).

The next few days were spent trying to get our bearings and fight off the remaining effects of jet-lag.  The boys could not start school until the following Monday, so instead of being stuck in a hotel with the kids, Lorri was stuck in an under-furnished apartment with them while I got to work becoming familiar with my new surroundings (read: use work as an excuse to get away from the kids).  

Being determined to NOT be the family that confines itself to the base for three years, on our first Saturday morning at Osan we woke, breakfasted, and then walked the 1/4 mile to the front gate and set out to explore the Songtan market area right outside the gate.  Leather jackets, suits and blankets are in abundance, as are Bulgogi houses.  They are everywhere.  We had plans to meet the Bremers for dinner to try the local cuisine, but we could not wait.  We picked a place close to the front gate and went for it.  

The kids liked the bulgogoi, and they LOVED watching the Korean bacon cook on the hot coals right in front of us on our table.  Kim-chi--well, I like it, but the kids and Lorri were not so keen on it.  You have to at least try it, so you can say you did.  Having tried Korean cuisine, and breaking a bottle of coke and a glass--thank you, Owen--we headed back home for a nap and to change clothes.  When Owen decided to knock a few plates of food on the floor, he also spilled a glass of coke onto my white shirt.  The kids came away from lunch fairly clean--I looked like I had been used as a bib.

That evening we tried another restaurant with the Bremers--no broken glasses.  We went American for dessert, getting ice cream at Baskin Robbins in the market, then heading back home for a well-deserved night of sleep.  

Part of our plan that day while wandering the streets was to locate Mission Baptist Church, a church we had heard about.  When we realized we did not remember the directions, we asked an American family walking by if they knew where it was.  Not only did they know where it was, but they went there also.  

So, on Sunday morning at 0830 we set off on foot again for Mission Baptist Church (http://www.missionbaptist.com/Welcome.html).  Got there around 0850 and put the kids in their classes.  Once again, the little ones went right into their class without any trouble.  Jacob and Ethan were in the same class.  Lorri and I joined with a Marriage class that was ongoing, sitting with our new friends the Donovans (who had given us directions in the market the day before).  Church was at 1030.  Something I had never seen before--the church provides coffee mugs for anyone who wants to drink coffee or tea during the service.  If you want more during the service, you get up and get more.  No worries.  

At any rate, after church we were all starving, so we went back to the same restaurant Owen had tried to destroy the day before, and had much better success (although I dropped kim-chi on my only other white shirt).