My wife and son are returning today from a long visit to Korea. Believe it or not, this annual visit was one of the things I promised when we married 14 years ago because she is very close to her parents. The trip is usually a month long but this time she was a way for half a month longer. Needless to say, I missed them both pretty badly.

I hope they arrive safely. I had a bad dream of my wife this morning, bad enough to call to delay her flight if she wasn't already airborne. Now I am so nervous that I can't focus on anything.

Update:

They arrived safely and smiling because the airline upgraded their seats to business class after she complained about something at the departing end. A bit of wisdom according to my wife:

In America, you are rewarded for being nice. In Korea, you get ignored instead. To get better service in Korea, you have to get nasty.

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p dir=”ltr”>Rather sad but my experience agrees with hers. Until things improve, don't bother waiting in line when in Korea. Just go right up to the counter, ignoring those already there, and talk to the person behind the counter in a loud clear voice, even if the person is already talking to another customer. Note that some things are common across cultures. If you yell, 'I need a box of condoms!', you'll be stared at no matter where you are.