This is my first blog since leaving the hospital and I want to take a moment to thank everyone for your support.  It has meant a great deal to me, Robyn, Sejun, and Grigsby to feel the warmth and caring from the community here in Korea.  Kachi Kapshida! ‘같이 갑시다!’ 

I gave a speech at Severance Hospital as I was leaving, where I thanked the people of Korea, the government of Korea, led by President Park, and all of my friends in the United States.  As I said in my speech, Robyn and I will never, never forget that you came to support us during this time of need and that this incident has only strengthened our belief in the unbreakable bond that exists between the United States and the Republic of Korea. You can read the full speech here:  http://go.usa.gov/32WQQ   


I also gave one media interview to the Today Show concerning the events of March 5, 2015.  You can watch it here http://goo.gl/mczUrD.

Though I was at home for about a week and a half after leaving the hospital, I continued our important work strengthening the Alliance, including holding a meeting with the MOTIE Minister and a dinner in honor of visiting Acting Deputy USTR Wendy Cutler on the day of my release from Yonsei-Severance.  I also very much enjoyed attending the Key Resolve Victory Party on March 13.


I returned to work on March 19.  It was fun to walk back into work with Robyn, Sejun, and Grigsby.  Grigsby was very excited for the walk – Sejun took a nap during most of our stroll.  

It’s great to be back at work.  One of my first public events dealt with one of my favorite topics -- Korean food.  Since I love it so much, it was with enthusiasm that I attended the Korean Traditional Food Tasting Event on March 25 hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).  KTO President Byun Choo Suk was an excellent host along with Culture, Sports, and Tourism Minister Kim Jong-Deok. 


The food was made from recipes found in a cookbook written by Lady Jang.  Lady Jang was from a noble family living in Andong in the late 1600s.  This traditional cuisine was incredibly delicious, but it also had very clean, pure, and natural flavors.  As Minister Kim said, we weren’t just eating food to nourish our bodies, but we were also experiencing a rich part of Korean history and culture.

I was impressed by the story of Lady Jang who was a pioneering female author.   She wrote the book for her daughters and daughters-in-law.  It has a strong cultural and historical significance as one of the first Korean cookbooks, and it is over 340 years old.  The author told her children and grandchildren to never take the book outside of the house.  In this way, it was preserved for generations.  Her book is truly remarkable.

At the event, I sat next to Tyler Rasch, a local TV personality, and found out that he is from Vermont, like my wife, Robyn.  He also used to intern for Senator Leahy in whose office Robyn and I met.  It was great to catch up on news from Vermont.  It’s a small world!
 

This event was an excellent experience.  Hopefully my wife and I can learn how to make some of these wonderful recipes so that we can enjoy them and share them with our family when we eventually move back home to America.

Again, thanks for all the support – good to be back at work!