How wonderful to hear from you.
I am pleased that you settled and excited to be back in your home country.
I'm sure it was very difficult to be away from our friends and family for so long.
I will miss you and Hyun-Jin, and your family.
I hope that you and Hyun-Jin will continue to write to me.
I promise to write back often.
I send e-mail to Andrea, too.
We will meet in January to talk and enjoy being together.

I would love to come to Korea some time.
It would be so much easier to come knowing that we would have a family there to help us.

I wish you and your family much happiness in the New Year and back home.
Please write often.
Send pictures when you can.
Thank you for your kind words about my teaching. They will brighten my days.

KMP
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I received your thoughtful gift.
Thank you -- the small trays are beautiful and I will enjoy using them in my home.
It will remind me of you and your family.

Hoping all is well with each of you.
We hear about North Korea and South Korea in the news.
We are praying for your well-being.

Fondly,
KMP

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Dear Hyun-Jin,
Thank for writing to me so quickly.
I am glad to hear that you are getting settled back in Korea.

I am going to see Andrea today!
She and I are meeting at Starbucks Coffee Shop near Glenridge School.
We're going to "catch up" with each other --find out what has been happening for each of us.
I think it's wonderful that her family is planning to come and visit you.
I hope you will take lots of pictures!

I like my new job, but I miss not seeing my friends at Glenridge.
I try to visit the school whenever I can.
Now I work with teachers.
Today I worked with principals from every building in Clayton.
We were talking about how to do a better job of making sure that every child learns as much as possible.

I talked to Mrs. Lesser just last weekend.
She is having a good time in her new job, too. She is working with Gifted Students (students who are very very smart).
She plans special projects for them.

Thank you again for the wonderful stacking trays.
They are very beautiful and I am enjoying them. Thank you, too, for the bookmark and the two small ornaments.
You have such beautiful things in your country!

Please write again soon.
I'm anxious to hear more about what you are doing, what the weather is like, how your sisters are doing, and what your school will be like.
I hope your new teachers are WONDERFUL!

KMP

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Dear Hyun-Jin,
I was so happy to see your e-mail when I turned on my computer this evening!
I'm so happy that you continue to keep in touch.
I miss seeing you and your sister at Glenridge!

I'm sure you are nervous and excited about starting your new school year.
The test sounds scary!!
I'm sure you will do very well.
Please remember that while your Korean classmates were learning some of the hard stuff on the tests that you might not know, you were learning important things here in America.
You can read and write in English, you have learned a lot about American literature for young readers, and you know a lot about how to do projects, to work in a group and to do plays! Your Korean classmates may not know all these things -- and these things will not be on your test.
Please let me know how it goes for you.

My Jennifer, age 15, has a retainer, too.
She won't have to get braces,but she was very excited to have the retainer.
She has lost or broken her retainer THREE times! That is very expensive.
I hope you will send a picture of your beautiful new smile.

How exciting that you get to move into a bigger house.
I'm sure you will work very hard to get settled before your school year begins.
We just put new cabinets and floors in our kitchen.
What a mess.
But now we have a bigger kitchen that is so beautiful.
I love being in our new kitchen and we spend a lot of time in there doing homework, cooking, eating and playing games on the table.
You must be excited to have your aunt moving in with you -- is this the same aunt that stayed with you here in the United States while your Mom was in Korea?

We have just celebrated Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday.
He was an important civil rights leader who helped many people work for change.
He worked to have equal rights for Blacks and Whites.
He preached about non-violent ways to solve problems and make changes.
He was assassinated because some people were afraid of the changes he wanted to make in our country.
Our next holiday is Valentine's Day and we'll be sending cards to friends and loved ones, and eating lots of candy!

What will you do to celebrate the Korean New Year?
Will you have special foods at your grandparents' house?
I'm sure that they are very happy to have you back home in Korea.

What is the weather in Korea now?
We are having very cold temperatures --many days below freezing.
We have not had much snow in January, but lots of cold, windy days.

Write back soon.
I enjoy hearing from you!

KMP
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I'm sure you will enjoy your new school.
What fun to learn new things in your FIRST language!
I hope you make some new friends -- and that your
teachers recognize how smart you are.
Please let me know how it goes.
I'll be anxious to hear.

The weather was unusually warm here this weekend -- high 60s!
Usually,this is winter weather time.
I enjoyed being outside.
I know more cold weather and snow will be coming, but I enjoyed these warm days while they lasted.

KMP

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닥터 피어스는 현진이의 작년 담임 선생님이다.
얼마나 현진이가 그 선생님을 존경하고 따르고 사랑하는지 모르겠다.
그 선생님이 최근에 현진이와 나에게 보낸 편지들을 찬찬히 읽어보면, 얼마나 따사로운 마음을 가진 선생님인지 이해할 것이다.
그런 선생님을 한국 학교에서 다시 만나게 되는 행운을 안았으면 좋겠다.

---계속됩니다.---