Going Home

Dennis wanted to get up at 4am. If he is ever late for anything,
Grampa will be very surprised. He skipped breakfast and did
not want to take the bag of food, but Grampa said if he
didn't take the bag, no packages would be sent.

We got to the school at 5:20am and just like the Disney trip, there
was no one else there.

Dennis waits while the suitcases are loaded. Mr. An
supervises; he has all the passports in that plastic bag!

Dennis is still very sleepy - he was hard to wake up this morning.

Dennis on the bus - good-bye Dennis - we'll miss you!

Last Day - Pot Luck Dinner and Good-Byes

Gianluca slept over and the boys got up around 6:30am.
Dennis had his usual breakfast of scrambled eggs and
cinnamon toast; Gianluca waited for McDonalds for his
breakfast.

Nonna wanted the boys to have ice cream because they
did a good job of cleaning up the family room which
had Legos all over.

After we gave Gianluca back to his mother, we were leaving when
Grampa spotted this very exotic car.

It is a Bugatti Veyron which costs over $1.5 million dollars.

After church we ate at Burger King (Dennis' favorite) and
then we headed for Zuma Beach in Malibu.
On the way there, we showed Dennis a place called
the Rock Store where lots of motorcycles come on the
weekends.

Here is the future President of KIA motors contemplating
the Pacific ocean.

Lots of surfers in the water.

We rolled up Dennis pants, but he decided not to take off
his shoes and get wet.

Here are the details on the conditions at the beach.

Nonna wanted one last picture of Grampa and Dennis.

Here's all the loot Dennis bought at Toys R Us.

Before the potluck dinner, Mr. An introduced Don who gave the blessing.

After eating, there was a talent show.

Here is Helen playing the drums; she is a good friend
and neighbor of Dennis at home.

The very moment we got home from the potluck, Rose's
parents called to ask if Rose could come up to say good-bye
to Dennis; she brought Daisy to say good-bye as well.

Dennis has only a "get-up."
At 4am.
We need to be at the school at 6am.
Good Luck Grampa!

Saturday - Snow Carnival

Just like at school yesterday, some big trucks came
with blocks of ice which they shaved into snow and made
the Snow Carnival. The carnival was at an elementary
school in Oak Park.

Dennis and Gianluca had to decide what to do first.

So they decided to throw snowballs at each other.

They weren't throwing them hard enough to hurt anyone.

When they ran out of snow, they had to go back to the big pile
to get more.

The big pile was actually a small hill with two runs
where kids could slide down on disks or plastic
sleds. There were people at the head of the runs to
tell you when it was your turn.

Eventually, the boys decided to make a snowman.

That purple thing is one of the plastic sleds; if you didn't
have one, you could just use somebody elses.



Here comes Dennis down the run !

Dennis was kind enough to buy a snow cone for his friend Gianluca.

In the afternoon, the boys were riding bicycles and Dennis fell and
bumped his head and got a splinter in his hand.
We put ice on the bump and it got better after a while.
Grampa used a needle to take out the splinter, but there
was a tiny, tiny piece still in there that will come out after time.

After the bicycle accident, the boys watched the video that
Aunt Tracy gave Dennis. That was a good way for Dennis to
rest up while the bump went down; the ice pack helped the
bump to get better.

After Dennis was recovered, Grampa took him to Toys R Us
in nearby Thousand Oaks. Dennis had a strict budget
of how much he could spend and he and Grampa kept
track of the total as they went thru the store.

Just to tease Dennis, Grampa kept holding up Pink, Barbie
Doll things, saying, "How bout this?"
And Dennis would snarl No NO NO !!

When we got home, it was time for dinner and since it was Dennis'
last dinner at Grampa's house we had spaghetti which is
one of Dennis' favorites. Dennis also signed the Guest Book which
has the names of people from all over the world.

In the evening, we called Aunt Yura to tell her that the
shopping trip had gone well. He also had to report to her
how much money was still left in his wallet.

The minute we hung up with Aunt Yura, Dennis Mom called.
The boys had ice cream cones to celebrate the weekend.

Tomorrow we'll take Gianluca to his mother and then go
to church. Dennis is hoping to play with Rose in the afternoon
and then we have a Potluck dinner at Grace Brethren
School with all the other Korean students. Mr. Paul An
is bringing the main course, and everyone else is bringing
a salad and desert.

Dennis has "one and a 'get-up' "

Last Day of School - Celebration

School starts at 8:30am, but if students arrive before that time, they can watch TV in the cafeteria. Today, Dennis got there early before the TV was turned on.

He didn't want Grampa to take his picture so one of the older students grabbed him for this shot.

There was a surprise for some of the students; a big truck came to make SNOW !!!

A big machine grinds up big blocks of ice and the "snow" is then blown out of a big hose - looks pretty real doesn't it?

Can you tell from the expressions on these two students that the last day of class has just ended? To celebrate the end of school, Grampa and Dennis went to McDonalds for ice cream cones. Then Dennis rode the bike until Rose called; then Dennis went to her house to play for an hour.

Yet another game of backgammon; this time Dennis won.

Tomorrow, Gianluca will come visit and he and Dennis will go to a place in Oak Park where they will have snow.

In the afternoon, Dennis will go to Toys r Us to buy some goodies to take home.

Gianluca will sleep over so the boys should have lots of time to play. Dennis LOVES to play.

Thursday - Ready to Go Home!

Even though it is only Thursday, Dennis is packing his suitcase to go home. Grampa wanted to wash his used clothing, but Dennis said Mr. Paul An said not to do this.

A friend at school gave Dennis some presents.

We will have to write a Thank You note to Vincent.

Dennis wrote a Thank You note to Aunt Tracy for her gifts.



After school we went to the dry cleaners to pick up Grampa's pants. Grampa wanted Dennis to go inside by himself, but Dennis wanted Grampa to go with him. The owners of the store are Korean and they immediately recognized Dennis was from Korea. They chatted for a bit and Dennis said he did not like America. But I'm sure that was only because he is homesick; he told them he was homesick. Mr. and Mrs. Choi were happy to see Dennis.






After school, Dennis was hoping Rose would come over, but she was busy, so Dennis rode the bike.

Dennis played with John while Grampa went to get Nonna from work.

Dennis has been hoping we would have pasta for dinner. He eats pasta like a true Italian, rolling it up on his fork with a spoon.

After dinner, Nonna and Dennis played Backgammon and Nonna won for the first time in quite a while.

Dennis talked with Yura and his mom before bed. At bedtime, Grampa reads to Dennis from a book that his grandmother wrote; these tales from the "storybook" help Dennis fall asleep.

Tomorrow is the last day of school.


This is a map of Dennis' neighborhood. It shows where his new friends live: John, Rose, Sophie, Lucas and Alex. Click the map for a better view.

Wednesday - Good Weather

This is the entrance to the community where Dennis lives in America. It is 16 miles to his school in Simi Valley; it takes 35 minutes to get to the school. Each day, we can see the snow on the mountains, and today was especially clear.

Don't forget to click on the pictures to get a larger image.





This sign tells about events in Oak Park. This Saturday, there will be lots of real snow to play in.

After that, there will be a special Field Trip to Toys R Us in nearby Thousand Oaks.









After school Dennis rode both bicycles and decided he liked the smaller one better, even though it is "pink!"

When Sophie came over, they watched the DVD that Aunt Tracy gave Dennis yesterday.








Dennis has accumulated a lot of "loot" from his day trips, and Aunt Tracy, and there will be more after Saturday. So Grampa will box it up and send it to Dennis' home in South Korea, because Dennis doesn't have enough room in his suitcase.

Dennis wanted to make a phone call tonight and it seemed like President Obama's talk would last forever. I don't think he heard Barack say "South Korea."