Domestic Bliss in South Korea

training sticks

2010-06-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

When Rowan was born, our friend Kelsey got this set, including cool trainer chopsticks and a spoon in a nifty zipper case for Liam, as a big brother gift. At two, he wasn't quite coordinated enough to use them, but we recently found them and he's quite thrilled...especially since they have Thomas on them.

Last night, Matthew brought home Chinese food, so Liam had a blast eating with his special chopsticks. They're great for kids or dexterity-impaired adults. I think we sent a few less fancy sets home for my sister and brother-in-law (at their request).

Note: Because I'm that anal-retentive, it's been bothering me for 8 months now that I have 98 entries on this blog. So close to an even 100, and yet, I don't want to write random entries. I'm planning one more, probably a collection of recipes that Matthew got from his cooking class and from friends.

moving and moving on

2009-10-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

Since I'm no longer living in South Korea, it's difficult to be domestically blissful (or blissfully domestic) there. Matthew is also an authorized poster for this blog, but I don't know if he'll post here, since he already has another blog of his own: That's Good Engrish!

I'll be blogging about motherhood and other things at A Not-so-quiet Life. If you're interested in the minutiae of raising Monkey Boy and Super Chunk, feel free to follow me there.

Thanks for reading my blog!

homeward bound

2009-10-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

Our trip home by the clock:
8:30 a.m.: Left Sokcho on a bus to Gangneung
10:00: Left Gangneung on a bus to Incheon Airport (Seoul)
2:00ish: Arrived at Incheon Airport
3:30ish: Said goodbye to Matthew & went through security
6:20 p.m.: Flight from Seoul to Vancouver, B.C.
noonish (PST); about 10 hours later: arrived in Vancouver, B.C.
7:00 p.m.: Flight from Vancouver to Portland, OR
8:00ish: Arrived in Portland

Highlights of the trip:

*After staying up until 1 a.m. getting my three large bags to weigh in at EXACTLY 23 kg, with a fourth lighter bag full to the point of exploding with toys, books, and goodies to share...Matthew checked the Korean Air website again just before we left. The baggage limit was 20 kg per bag for Liam and I, with Rowan allowed one 10 kg bag. We brought another smaller empty bag and did some rearranging at the airport. We just scraped by with no exorbitant extra baggage fees.

*Rowan fell asleep before the plane too off. Perfect. We were seated behind the bulkhead with a bassinet so I didn't have to hold him all night. Great. We hit turbulence right before dinner time, so I had to pick Rowan up, which woke him up, and he thought he'd had a great nap. He wanted to play during dinner time. Lame.

*Despite taking a Benadryl before boarding, Liam stayed awake through "Finding Nemo" and half of "Ice Age 3," then woke up about two hours before our 10-hour flight landed. Rowan went back to sleep after dinner and woke up just before...breakifast! I'm not complaining too much though. Both of them did well, with very little crying...unlike the 8-month-old baby beside us...

*Wandering around the Vancouver airport trying to find an elevator that would take me (wearing Rowan in the Ergo), Liam and the stroller loaded with carry-ons down to Canadian customs, but only finding ones that took me to dead-end boarding gates. Finally giving up and taking the escalator down.

*Standing in line for at least 30 minutes with a tired antsy toddler (and a fortunately sleeping baby), then getting snippy with the young female customs officer when she wanted to know
(a) was I traveling alone with my children today
(b) did I have sole custody of them
(c) if not, did I have a note from their father giving his permission for me to fly with the boys today
(d) if not, why? (Um...because I didn't even think about that.)
The snippiness came in when I wanted her to just tell me if she was going to keep the boys and I in custody somewhere until Matthew could be reached. She was not. She just had to question me about it. I realize it's just her job, but I was not in the mood for beating around the bush, especially since said tired antsy toddler was running around in circles by this point.

*Having to pay a porter $20 CAD because there was no way I could haul all five bags from the International Terminal to the U.S. Terminal by myself, let alone with all the above-mentioned gear/kid. He was a really nice guy, though, and I was able to just follow him in a daze rather than having to navigate through more confusion.

*Switching to a single flight from Vancouver to Portland (instead of two separate flights going through Seattle) which was supposed to get me into Portland five minutes earlier. This worked well for the most part, as it's easier to stay in one place with two little boys, instead of boarding and deboarding an extra time. However, when I went to board the plane, it was delayed 30 minutes.

*Having to call my mom collect...internationally (even though it's only like a 5 hour drive)...because the pay phone wouldn't accept either my credit or debit cards, and I only had $2 coins which the phone didn't accept and the coffee shop wouldn't ("there aren't any $1 coins in the till") exchange for me.

*Feeling grateful to the nice ticket agent who had earlier played Thomas trains with Liam (while I switched flights), then carried sleeping Liam and his Thomas backpack onto the airplane for me, since I was wearing a sleeping (again) Rowan and carrying two diaper bags and Liam's stuffed dog. Both boys slept through the entire flight, even though we were right next to the propeller. I enjoyed a complimentary NW microbrew from Octoberfest and dozed during the flight, then managed to wake Liam up enough for him to walk off the plane to the (still collapsed, thanks Horizon) stroller.

I think it would be difficult to have an uneventful flight when traveling alone with two small children. Overall, everything went quite well. The staff was friendly and helpful. Even that darn customs' agent was well-meaning.

Tips:
*when traveling on Korean Air (or any other non-western airline), order the Korean (or other local) dinner option. The bibimbap was pretty good for instant airline food. The western-style beef dish did not look appetizing.
*you cannot overplan. I had a schedule planned out in my head before leaving, including when they were going to eat dinner, get into their pajamas, etc., etc. Mock me for my anal-retentiveness if you want, but I think everything went smoother because of that.
*make sure you have smaller bills in all types of currency. I had to visit the currency exchange counter with the porter because he didn't have any change available and I only had a $50.
*bring plenty of new exciting toys for kiddos. Liam got three new Thomas trains and a carrying case of small dinosaurs, which helped immensely. He also had new crayons and stickers from his friend Alex (Thanks, Brian!).

That's all (HA!) that I can think of at the moment. We've been back almost three days and, after several really busy days, the jetlag is catching up with me again. I feel like I'm on cold medication, even though I'm not. Hopefully, I can get a good night's sleep tonight and get back into the swing of things.

freaky footed fish

2009-09-29T04:26:00.000-07:00

Since Liam loves looking at the fish for sale here (as in to be cut up and eaten fresh, fresh, fresh), we've seen pretty much every species of fish eaten in Korea. We've seen these ugly guys (not the ugliest, however, that title belongs to the Pacific Lumpsucker) around before, but just realized recently that they have FEET. What kind of crazy, mutant fish has FEET? No, that's a real question. When I google "Korea fish feet," the results I get are all for "doctor fish," the fish I wrote about yesterday which nibble the dead skin off your feet. Does anyone know what these fish are called?

(I apologize for the poor quality of the photo. The fish were in a weird-shaped tank.)

waterpia!

2009-09-28T04:11:00.001-07:00

How did we live in Sokcho for almost 27 months (combined total) without going to Waterpia? Yes, it's a bit expensive (at W33,000 full adult price, with price drops later in the day) and can be quite crowded at times; however, our family had a blast! If we were staying longer, we would definitely go again.

When my friend invited us to join her family, I was a bit apprehensive. I don't have a swimsuit here and didn't really want to buy one just for a few hours at a water park. My friend reassured me that she just wears a t-shirt and shorts, so I could do the same. In retrospect, it would have been worth it to buy a swimsuit. Suits are also available for rent, but this strikes me as a little strange.

As soon as you go through the front entrance, you remove your shoes and take them to the locker with the number corresponding to a number on your receipt. You then take the key from that locker to use for the same number locker in the changing room. The key is on one of those spiral cord keychains that you can put on your arm or ankle while you're in the pool. It's all very well organized, which is typically Korean.

Matthew decided to wear his shirt, since my friend's husband was wearing his. As you can see, not everyone did this. The dads & toddlers spent most of their time in the shallow end of the wave pool, which was only on about 20 minutes out of every hour. (Matthew did get to go down the huge slide -- no toddlers allowed -- while the rest of us were having a snack. He went about eight times in a row, until his legs could no longer carry him up the stairs.)

That's my friend's nephew (her husband's second brother's son) catching a ride by hanging onto Matthew's shirt.

Rowan also enjoyed the wave pool during the brief time he was wearing his swim trunks. We ended up changing the babies back into normal clothes after a bit so they would be more comfortable in their carriers and not soak us. Also, I kept thinking Rowan was going to take his long-overdue nap. He finally did...after several hours.

I tried the "doctor fish" pool, which I'd added to my "Korean Coop List" after Mama Seoul suggested it and Kwangdong Brian confirmed that Waterpia had such a pool. It was a blast! My feet are EXTREMELY TICKLISH. INSANELY TICKLISH. At first, the sensation of dozens of little fish nibbling the dead skin off my feet and ankles (as far as they could reach) was almost unbearable.

By the time my friend took this picture, I had adjusted slightly, but still couldn't stop laughing and grinning like an idiot:

After a few more minutes, I became even more accustomed to the feeling and could hold steady enough to shoot this video:

MinJeong had tried the doctor fish briefly before, but had thought it felt too weird. When the attendant offered to let her stick her feet in for free (I paid W6000 like every other adult -- W4000 for children), she decided to give it another try. Her reaction:

Back in the wave pool, Liam rocked the pink flotation device that MinJeong borrowed from another friend:

Liam conferring with JunMin and his cousin JunHo (the H is pretty much silent):

Liam wound down a little in the kiddy pool while Matthew changed back into street clothes:

You could easily spend an entire day in the waterpark. There is so much to do (see the website for proof) and various eateries in the food court and scattered around the park, including a "well-being" Lotteria (which means it has a limited menu and doesn't serve french fries...boo!), a "Sand & Food" sandwich shop, and -- curiously -- at least two hot dog places, as well as more traditional Korean food.

We were there for about four hours, including snack time, but excluding changing time. Had we gone earlier in the day, Liam & his friend probably would have lasted longer. As it was, JunMin fell asleep on the car ride home and Liam went to bed quite soon after arriving home. (This was awesome because MinJeong and her husband came over to our place for fresh salmon and gourmet macaroni & cheese. We had a peaceful dinner with adult conversation as the babies quietly played together.)

Changdeokgung (palace)

2009-09-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

The top thing on my "coop list" was to visit a Korean palace during our final trip to Seoul. Based on a number of recommendations, I chose Changdeokgung, which was just a short walk from Insadong, where we were staying.

You can read all about Changdeokgung elsewhere on the web, but here are my thoughts:
*palaces in Korea are very similar to temples (as my friend J.E. pointed out) in architectural style, just a lot bigger
*an English tour might be more interesting (than the Korean one we took), but unless you're right up with the tour guide, it probably wouldn't make much difference
*the last tour of the day is pretty lame, because the staff is trying to lock up behind the tour group. It's not really a relaxing stroll.

I won't try to narrate the pictures, because I couldn't really tell you what anything is. Even if my Korean was good enough to understand the tour guide, I lagged behind most of the time after having to take Liam to the bathroom right after the tour started and staying behind at another spot to nurse Rowan.

Matthew & his mom -- in the background, you can see N'Seoul Tower on Namsan.

sokcho's downtown facelift

2009-09-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Sokcho has recently (like over the past year, with project completion projected for December) reinvented her downtown shopping area as "Rodeo Street." In Hangul, that's 로대오, like the shopping district in Beverly Hills. Yeah... At any rate, the renovations look great. If you'd like to read more, there's a Korea Post article including a picture of the mayor (who is not the man who posed with Liam at the walking festival).

the sign at the beginning of downtown:

The boys, Matthew's parents, and I walking down the street:

a new water-sewer maintenance cover featuring the Sokcho mascot:

continuing the rodeo theme, I think this is supposed to be a bull painted in the intersection:

all the bus stops have been replaced:

another wide street view:

I think this is the "lovers' plaza" mentioned in the article:

really cool sidewalk art:

close-up:

one of the water fountains in the middle of the four-lane road. (This is an accident waiting to happen, as Liam desperately wants to play in those fountains whenever he sees them. He's not the only toddler I've seen straining to escape mother's grip.)

Matthew prepares to cross a snazzy crosswalk:

the bull at "Sokcho Plaza" represents how well-endowed Sokcho is ; )

I don't think this is actually new, but I enjoy the random bull-with-Korean-flag, most likely decorating a restaurant that serves hanu beef.

And this guy, the owner of a local eye glass shop, proudly proclaims his love. Sorry, I'm too lazy to bother translating the rest of the sign:

dunkin' donuts: korean style

2009-09-19T17:14:00.001-07:00

Dunkin' Donuts is a little different here. Although some of the "normal" donuts are still available, they also have unusual options, like sweet potato muffins, glutinous rice donuts, and most recently (as part of an "international line" kimchi or "lentils curry" croquettes.

We were all a little skeptical (including Rowan), but my mother-in-law decided to buy one for everyone to try.

It was actually really good. So good that later in the week, when Matthew and I left the boys with his parents to go on a morning "date," and realized, yet again, that most coffee shops in Korea don't open until noon, and ended up at DD, I had my own curry croquette and Matthew tried the kimchi one. The kimchi was actually quite delicious as well, confirming my opinion that cooked kimchi is okay.

This is just Liam trying to be as cool as the guy on the advertisement.

huh?

2009-09-15T03:52:00.000-07:00

The doorbell rang this morning. Liam and I were eating ice cream after a trip to the playground. Matthew & Rowan were taking a nap in the bedroom, so I answered the door.

It was a strange man. The first thing he said was, "아기?" and then in English, "baby?" He was kind of looking past me at Liam, but I couldn't figure out what he wanted. The next thing he asked was, "American?" I answered, "Yes." He then switched to Korean, which I didn't understand and told him as much in Korean.

Usually, unexpected visitors either (a) have the wrong apartment, in which case they quickly apologize and leave, (b) are building maintenance workers there to check the gas line or spray, in which case they show me their clipboard and equipment, etc., or (c) want to convert me to their religion, including the teenage Mormon "elders" (one Korean, one American) who were very shocked to see a white woman answer the door. This guy didn't fit into any of those categories. I couldn't understand what he wanted at all.

"What do you want?" I asked in English. See what a witty conversationalist I am? The whole time he was just kind of smiling weirdly. "I don't know what you want, so I'm just going to shut the door," I said. He was already starting to walk away as I did so.

I realize that living here has made me paranoid, but if I had to hazard a guess, I would say he came by just to get a look at the foreign kid. I'll probably never know, though, which is one of the things about living here that is so frustrating.

the story

2009-09-14T04:35:00.000-07:00

I alluded to some of the reasons that I'm leaving Korea early (before the end of Matthew's current teaching contract) in "ten signs it's time to leave korea." What it boils down to is that we've decided it's better for Liam to be back in the United States.

From the first moment Liam stepped foot in Korea, he's been a local celebrity of sorts, since he's the only blond-haired, blue-eyed child in Sokcho (or was, before the arrival of his baby brother). Everywhere we go, people stare, want to touch him, take his picture, etc. He's become more aware and affected by this as he's gotten older. When it comes to adults, sometimes he freaks out when people even say hello to him, anticipating them trying to grab him. With kids, it's been a constant struggle to socialize him in some way resembling normalcy.

When we returned from a trip home between contract years, we enrolled him part-time in a small neighborhood daycare, which he seemed to enjoy for the most part, but he was sick way too much. After having been sick only twice in his first 12 months in Korea, he was sick four times in the six weeks he attended and shared several of those illnesses with the rest of us, including the flu and a virus that gave Rowan and I very nasty sinus/ear infections. It just wasn't worth it.

Korea is such a homogeneous culture, children here aren't used to dealing with anyone different. Other children's reactions at the playground and other public areas range from curiosity (staring, trying to take pictures) to fear (running away, even bursting into tears when he tries to play). Older kids tend to treat him like a mascot (petting his head, wanting to carry him around), but a few are actually mean to him. Constantly running interference for him, interpreting, protecting, advocating, left me exhausted and feeling like we had more bad days than good.

Finally, after hearing story after story and witnessing some of it first-hand, Matthew asked me if I wanted to move home with the boys. We discussed the pros and cons, finally deciding this would be best for Liam & I. Initially, Matthew was going to stay to finish out his contract, but seven months apart would have been too long, especially for the boys. Instead, Matthew will be coming home at the end of the year, just three months after the rest of us. Since making this decision, there's been even more craziness on the playground that confirmed my decision and led me to avoid the playgrounds after about 2 p.m. when the elementary schools let out in the afternoon.

I don't want to make it sound like Korean people are horrible in any way. The older people are overbearing and abrupt, but they generally mean well. The younger adults (those currently raising children and younger) are mostly understanding and kind. The children just don't seem to know better. What it really comes down to is that we don't belong here. This is not our home. Maybe if we'd stuck to our original plan to live closer to Seoul (and other ex-pat families), we could have made it work longer, but we liked Sokcho and the people we had worked for during our first stay. I'm not leaving with any hard feelings towards the country or the people, I just feel that it's time for us to leave. I've met a lot of amazing people here, both Koreans and ex-pats, and had many wonderful experiences.

kimchi recipe (and bonus essay)

2009-09-05T04:01:00.001-07:00

(click on picture to enlarge)

As I've said before, I don't care for kimchi. It's not that I don't like spicy food, as most Koreans seem to believe is the only reason foreigners could possibly not like "the most delicious and healthy food in Korea." (See essay at the end of this entry.) I love spicy Mexican and Thai food, just to name my two favorite cuisines. Kimchi is slimy and sour, in addition to being spicy. I've been told that if I keep eating it, I'll eventually grow to like it and even become addicted. To which I reply, why would I want to force myself to become addicted to something?

Many people (including Matthew) do like kimchi, however, and might be interested in making the stinky (seriously, when Matthew opens a jar at home, I start inspecting the boys' diapers to see who made Mommy a present), slimy stuff. A new Korean teacher at Matthew's school wrote out the recipe for him. This is a bit amazing, since most Koreans I've asked don't know how to make kimchi themselves. Their mothers or mothers-in-law do all the kimchi-making. I wonder if it's becoming a lost art among the younger generation of Koreans.

I will do my best to type it below, in case you have difficulties reading the photograph above. Some parts do not entirely make sense to me. Some quantities/amounts she added in to the original directions. I don't really think 2 c of red pepper powder means 2 cups, maybe 2 ccs. Also, she doesn't say anything about letting it ferment. Maybe you can figure it out. Think of it as a culinary adventure.

Kimchi Recipe (by Jane)

1. Cut the cabbage into quarters.

2. Spread salt on the cabbage. And let it be 4-5 hours. (The salt should be bigger one like this [sample salt is taped to page] One handful of salt per 3 quarters of cabbage)

And Now Let's make Sauce
([for] 3 cabbage) Get ready --> Red pepper powder (2 c), well minced garlic (7-8), well minced green onion (3), salted fish juice (2 table spoon per one quarter of cabbage), sugar (2 tablespoon), salted shrimp (2T), 1 fresh oyster, 1 onion, 1 pear or apple.

3. Put onion and pear in the blender.

4. Put everything in a bowl and mix well.

5. Pour half cup of water in a pan, and put 2 tablespoon of wheat flour. Boil it with low temperature. Keep stir it. When it looks like glue. Then stay it to get cold. And then mix with the sauce.

Sauce Ready!

6. Wash off the cabbage and let it water drip.

[illustration of cabbage on a wicker tray]
(It'll take 3 hours to dry.)

7. Finally spread the sauce on the cabbage. Yummy~

[And then an illustration at the bottom. It's apparently Matthew as Dr. House from "House MD," yielding a scalpel and proclaiming, "I'm a surgern." Hmmm...maybe an allusion to his ambition to become an MD? Or maybe she thinks his personality is like House?]

Finally, as promised, a middle school student's essay that I corrected this week. The prompt was, "Does Kimchi have medicinal properties beyond fresh fruits and vegetables at increasing the body's resistance to swine flu, the HIV virus, and other diseases?" I'm typing out the student's original response, without corrections. (Although there are some errors and the student doesn't actually answer the question, you have to admit this student's mastery of a foreign language is pretty darn good for middle school, an age when many American students haven't even begun learning a second language.)

Kimchi has been the most delicious and healthy food in Korea. Many Americans hate to eat it because it's too spicy. However, they will start to it at once if they know how good Kimchi is.

First of all, Kimchi is a anti-cancer food. Many healthy ingredients are included in Kimchi such as cabbage which prevents intenstine cancer and garlic which prevents stomach cancer. those who don't want to get cancer really should eat Kimchi.

In addition to that, Kimchi is a vitamin-containing food. Besides, when Kimchi is passing through the fermenting stage, containment of vitamin increases up to over two times than initial containment of vitamin.

What is more, Kimchi is a low calory food. It contains a lot of eatable fiber. Thus, it prevents and treat all kind of adult diseases like diabetes, heart diseases and fat, etc.

Now you see how healthy you would be to eat Kimchi. I'm proud of my ancestor who invented a laudable food -- Kimchi. I highly recommend people to eat Kimchi, and hope they like it.

my korean coop list

2009-09-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

Since I'm planning to "fly the coop" in just under five weeks , I've begun composing a "coop list" (my version of a "bucket list") of things I want to do or try before then. (I may write a post later about why I'm leaving prematurely. Matthew is staying until the end of the year and may keep up this blog.)

So far the two I've accomplished have been food related. Both items are uniquely Korean, or at least uniquely Asian, food combinations you just won't find in the U.S., or at least I've never seen them there.

The first is 피자 돈까스 (pizza donkkaseu) a variation on tonkatsu (Japanese breaded, fried pork cutlet). Regular donkkaseu has been a comfort food favorite for most of my time in Korea. I wasn't so sure about the addition of pizza cheese (mozzarella) and (in one of the versions I tried) corn would make it better. It actually does. I had to order it a third time, just so I could take a picture. The first time, we ordered in and I was so hungry by the time the food came that I couldn't wait long enough to take a picture. The second time, I ended up with take-out (that's what happens when two moms with two toddlers and two babies try to dine out), so it was already cut into bite-size pieces. (Most Koreans apparently do not own knives and forks, so take-out is made to be eaten with the chopsticks and spoons that everyone is sure to have.) I think I'm done now, though. Consuming that much fat in one meal does not sit very well with my stomach.

Pizza donkkaseu (served with rice, room temperature corn, cherry tomatoes, and shredded cabbage with pink sauce (AKA ghetto 1000 Island; ketchup & mayonnaise):

A close up of the cheesy goodness inside. Another version is called 치즈 돈까스 (cheese donkkaseu) which has a slice of processed cheese (i.e. "American" cheese) either on top or inside. No thanks.

My second "I really have to try that before I leave Korea" food was a corn dog and fries...together...like one solid piece. I don't actually know what it's called. I always see them being served up at carts near the beach or stands at Mt. Seorak. At first, I thought it just looked weird. Another variation on the corn dog here includes dipping the finished product in chocolate and sprinkles. Seriously. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Why bother having two separate items when you could just have a complete meal on a stick? Y'know...minus any actual vegetables -- do fried potatoes really count? -- or fruit or...well, you get the idea. Health food this is not. (Note the concerned look on Rowan's face. Liam doesn't really want anything to do with it.)

The vendors prepare them ahead of time, then fry it again to freshen it up a bit, before drizzling ketchup over the concoction and serving. Liam almost...but not quite...took a bite. Again, it was actually pretty good, but I don't plan to eat it again because it's not exactly (how you say?) "good for me."

As for the rest of my list, the parts I haven't done yet...there's only one thing:
see a palace or something similarly historic and royal and stuff
I've wanted to do this for a long time. On our one-week, whirlwind tour of the peninsula (or at least the coastline) in July 2006, we went to 경복궁(Gyeongbokgung), but were foiled by torrential rain. 창덕궁 (Changdeokgung) is actually supposed to be more impressive, but can only be seen on a guided tour (3 per day according to Lonely Planet). We'll be in Seoul two weekends from now with my in-laws, so I'm hoping to tour one of those (or another, if anyone has a recommendation) then.

I've been told repeatedly that I should visit a 찜질방 (Jjimjilbang -- public bath house), but I'm just not interested. To say that I'm not into public nudity is an understatement. I waived my P.E. requirements in high school, not because of religious reasons as the waiver request said, but because I HATED showering in front of my classmates. I know that I should be over that now that I'm over thirty and have gone through pregnancy and birth twice, but the idea of old Korean ladies staring at me, and possibly poking and prodding my wobbly bits (a friend has a hilarious, but horrifying story of her jjimjilbang experience) does not excite me.

If anyone has suggestions of other things I should do/see while I'm here, I'd love to hear them. (Just as long as they don't involve public nudity.)

and more bugs!

2009-09-01T05:26:00.000-07:00

While walking along the coast this weekend, Matthew spotted a preying mantis. They're amazingly calm and curious creatures.

This one climbed across Matthew's back, but totally escaped the notice of Rowan, who was riding in the Ergo. Oh, well...probably best for the mantis to escape notice.

The mantis is on Matthew's finger:

And, some less fortunate bugs, as seen today at Mt. Seorak:

Yes, it probably is what you think it is...fried grasshoppers. (Click on the picture for a closer view.) Several Koreans who walked by while Matthew was taking pictures expressed some disgust, so it's not like ALL Koreans like them...unlike 번데기 (beondegi).

Disclaimer: That last bit was a joke, about all Koreans liking beondegi. But I've been told that schoolchildren love them, and besides being sold fresh in hiking areas and near schools throughout the country, one can buy them canned at the grocery store. So, obviously SOMEONE in Korea likes to eat silkworm pupae.

drugs!

2009-08-29T04:07:00.001-07:00

The way medication is prescribed and packaged here is fascinating to me.

First of all, most doctors only prescribe 2 or 3 days worth of medicine at a time. Supposedly this is because doctors want to check the patient's progress and adjust the dosage accordingly. This makes sense, but there's not likely to be much progress made at such short intervals. Especially after the first round or two of medication (for myself and the boys), I've always been told things are "slightly improved," and been given the same prescription. It takes several visits before the symptoms are "much improved" or any changes are made to the prescription. My cynical side hypothesizes that the doctors like to bill back as many office visits as possible to the national health care system. These frequent visits don't affect me (much) financially as the fees (I think co-pay would be a correct label) are very low (as are the medicine costs). However, as a mother of very young children, I find these frequent visits incredibly inconvenient. We've found that if you (read: Matthew) put a little pressure on the doctors, they'll prescribe medication for longer periods.

The medication below was prescribed by the ear, nose and throat specialist who treated Rowan and I for sinus and ear infections in July.

For adults, instead of being given various bottles of pills with instructions on each bottle, the medication is packaged together. You take the contents of one little packet all at once.

Here's my medication for two days. I was supposed to take the contents of one packet three times per day. [I didn't take the entire contents, though, because I am a horrible patient. My beloved pharmacist explained what each one was. I chose not to take some of them because either (a) I felt they were unnecessary or (b) they were not breastfeeding compatible.]

For children, the medication is a little more complicated. I had to mix four different ingredients (three liquids and a powdered antibiotic) together into a not-very-tasty cocktail, which was not fun to administer. The pharmacist labeled each bottle with the amount per dose (2 or 3 ccs three times per day). The pink liquid (an antipyretic) is labeled "fever" and the white is labeled "cool," as it needed to be kept in the refrigerator.

bugs!

2009-08-23T04:51:00.000-07:00

Maybe we're weird, but one of our favorite things about summer in Korea is the appearance of cicadas...except when they land on our balcony screens early in the morning. We don't have cicadas in our part of the U.S. and the most dominant species in the U.S. have very long life cycles, so they only appear every seven years or more. The Korean cicadas apparently employ a method of survival called "predator satiation," meaning that there are so damn many of them, some are bound to survive. And there are so damn many of them. And they're loud...at least the males are. They're the ones who make the crazy "whaa-whaa-whaaahaaahaaahaaahaaa...." noise. (Explanation of cicada song and sample sound recordings here.)

The Korean name for cicadas is 매미 (may-me), and the kids around our apartment complex hunt them with butterfly nets. Matthew picks them up with his bare hands to show them to Liam, which I think horrifies some of the kids. Seriously, Koreans of all ages are pretty skittish around bugs. (To the point of silliness. I had to "save" a college-age girl from a fuzzy caterpillar last summer, which her boyfriend was trying to beat off of her pant leg. Pregnant foreigner saves caterpillar. Classic.)

cicada blending in with tree:

and his not-so-bright cousin standing out on a rock at Mt. Seorak

the cicada I startled off a tree, which decided Matthew looked like a good spot to hang out...for several blocks:

me holding that same cicada after we got it off Matthew's shirt:

Dragonflies (draggy-plies in Liam-speak) are also abundant here in the summer. They're friendly little guys, very curious about human beings. Our friend J.E. tells a great rendition of her battle through a swarm of dragonflies at Mt. Seorak. It involves her covering her face to keep them out of her orifices.

Here's one lone dragonfly hanging out on a bridge at Mt. Seorak:

random weird bug on a tree near our apartment:

the white things are caterpillars:

There are a ton of different caterpillars here, ranging from flashy to brilliantly camouflaged. Matthew took his hands-on "after class" class on a "nature walk" (quotations used because it was down the sidewalk) one day to see a variety of insects (cicadas, caterpillars, etc.) that blend into their environs. He had randomly discovered at least three varieties of caterpillars skillfully blending into the sparse landscaping in front of a bedding shop.

The exception to the general queasiness about bugs here are boys and their beetles. Japanese rhinoceros beetles (AKA "fighting beetles") are sold in the pet department at E-Mart (and I'm sure other places, too). While we were out taking pictures of the cicadas one morning, we came across a boy and his pet beetle at the playground. He even posed his beetle so that I could take a better picture of it:

...but this picture gives a better perspective of the actual size of the beetle (it's perched on the boy's thumb) as it "meets" a cicada held by Matthew:

baekdamsa: third time's a charm

2009-08-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

Our first attempt to visit Baekdamsa, a temple on the other side of Mt. Seorak National Park, was last year during our summer vacation. We would have had to wait hours for a bus that really wouldn't have taken us very near the site at all, so we caught a bus to Gangneung instead.

We tried again last fall. We rented a car and stayed at "Happy Road" with J.E., but it was while the autumn leaves were changing colors and half of Korea seemed to have the same idea. Saturday, we couldn't even get near the shuttle bus parking lot. Sunday, the traffic was backed up onto the highway.

Since this week was our summer break, we avoided both of our prior mistakes by going on a weekday and renting a car, and actually made it to our destination.

After parking, we stopped to pick up some snacks and let Liam explore the river. Matthew ended up buying a bottle of beer (Hite, which tastes like shite, rather that Cass, which tastes like ass...), which we drank at one of the tables over looking the river,

while Liam played,

then Matthew joined him for old fashioned rock throwing.

Cars are not allowed on the road leading to the temple, and for good reason. Most of it is narrow and winding. I have never heard people applaud a bus driver's skills before, but then again, I haven't spent any time on Korean tour buses. We did pass a few people who had chosen to walk up or back, but most pay the W2,000 per adult (W1,000 per child) EACH WAY to take the bus. (So we paid roughly $10 for Matthew, Liam & I. Highway robbery.)

Liam and I (with Rowan sleeping in the Ergo) at the entrance.

Liam inspects the wishing candles. We had to convince him that he was not supposed to blow them out like birthday candles.

These are the tiles which people pay to write a message on: a prayer, a blessing, "KimTaeHoon wuz here," etc.

Liam's first attempt at flashing ubiquitous peace signs, or as J.E. calls them, "kimchi fingers." Isn't five better than two?

Liam getting water from the temple spring.

A peak inside the temple, while my child glows in an unearthly manner.

I love the roof details on Korean Buddhist buildings.

The unusually cool, wet summer has been good for the flora.

Overall, the temple was a disappointment, after all the hype. The most remarkable feature was the mostly-dry river bed. Koreans have this obsession with stacking rocks and this locale provides them with ample opportunity to do so. From our understanding, it's a Buddhist practice to illustrate the idea that everything is temporary; anything humans build will eventually fall down. Liam tries to help them learn that lesson, but we usually interfere.

Liam explores, while a family in the background builds together.

Liam puts into perspective the height of some of the stacks.

Finally, he finds something a little more his speed: throwing rocks into the river with "hyung" (older brother).

Rowan wakes up from his nap.

Matthew poses with an unwilling Liam.

A rock carved with hangul on the way back to the shuttle bus.

Since we were already running late to meet J.E. at Happy Road, we didn't even attempt the hike beyond the temple. Apparently, this is quite impressive, and might have made the trip more worthwhile. Instead we waited in line for too long, with a smug old man who seemed to be talking schmack about us, before riding the bus back to our car.

My advice: If you want to visit Baekdamsa, allow the better part of the day, bring decent beer, and do the hike up past the temple.

ten signs it's time to leave korea

2009-08-03T04:20:00.000-07:00

10. every time you hear the phrase, "Waegookin imnida!" (It's a foreigner!), your middle finger starts itching.

9. you're tempted to tell people who want to take pictures of you or your children, "Poto, manwon" (photo, 10 bucks!) and those wanting to practice their English with you, while you're trying to watch your child, "Yeonga-lur, sahm-ship-boon, ee-man-o-cheon-won" (English, 30 minutes, 25 bucks.)

8. you hold your breath every time your toddler runs up to a group of "kids! kids!," waiting to see how they'll respond to the blond-haired, blue-eyed foreign "baby."

7. you teach your toddler the phrase "babo (foolish/stupid) kids," as a response to kids who run away or otherwise don't want to play with him.

6. you start to take offense at stupid things, like "egg-ee" (which applies to any child up to the age of 3, whereas "agg-ee" is more specifically an infant) being translated as "baby," or kids always saying, "c'mon, baby," which is a phrase from a popular k-pop song.

5. you're exhausted from running interference for your child every time you're in public.

4. you've begun to openly mock kimchi, which Koreans view as a wondrous cure-all.

3. you actually consider saying, "an-chua shiball imnida" (it's not f***ing cold) to women who insist your baby is under-dressed for a breezy day in the 70s.

2. you interpret the ear-nose-throat specialist's attempts at "enlarging your nasal passage" as blatant xenophobia.

1. some days you think if you hear one more child whine like a police siren, you're going to lose it.

notebooks and a t-shirt

2009-07-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Every week I correct diary entries for one of the Korean teachers at Matthew's school. (Her English is nearly flawless, but I do have that lovely English Education degree, so I might as well use it for something.) Some of the notebooks that the students use are hilarious. I took pictures of some of my favorites.

Korean kids really love candy...

But when it comes to people, they are realistic...

In the end, after double redemption, you can only rely on yourself...
(Love that ENGLISH, of all words, is misspelled.)

This is actually my notebook, which the package misled me to believe was rosemary-scented. It is not. Luckily, it's not bulgogi- or kimchi-scented, either.

And, finally, a t-shirt we spotted in the traditional market area. Such sweet sentiments...

the haps

2009-07-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

Interesting (to me, anyway) and random events from the past few weeks:

Crazy Weather
We had a solar eclipse (about 70% here in Korea) yesterday, but it was so overcast that you could barely even tell. I really hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying this, but we've had unseasonably cool (read: livable) weather so far this month. Last year, July 5th was the beginning of almost two solid months of "air conditioning weather": hot, sticky, yuck.

Couch Surfing 101
After Matthew invited home a random Dutch backpacker he met at the bus stop several weeks ago, we decided that hosting couch-surfers actually works okay for our family. Since changing our status to allow guests, we've had a Swiss tourist and two expat English teachers from Seoul stay with us. Since Matthew's profile clearly states that we have two young children, we've had guests who like kids. We have another American coming this weekend, and could easily end up hosting all summer unless we decline.

When Halmonis (grandmothers) attack:
One Saturday afternoon, we got on a bus going downtown. Since Matthew was carrying the stroller, I was carrying Rowan and holding Liam's hand. There were no open seats and no one moved to give theirs up, so I instructed Liam to hold on to the handle corner of one seat, while I held one of the handle ring hanging from the ceiling. I heard the voice of an older woman, and caught a few familiar words including "baby" before one of the middle school boys right by us got up. I helped Liam sit down. The voice became a little more persistent and another boy surrendered his seat. I sat down and turned to the woman who had been speaking. I thanked her, which let her know that I understood at least some of what she was saying. That was all the encouragement she needed. She became louder, haranguing the boys for all to hear. The gist of her lecture was, "When a woman with children gets on the bus, you give up your seat now, now, NOW!" They didn't look at her, but kept their eyes downcast, which is the proper way to respond to a scolding. When she got off the bus, I gave her a little nod (head bow) and smiled. Sometimes halmonis totally rock.

And I learned...
...Fenugreek (a "galactagogue," which sounds like something off of Star Trek) is apparently illegal in South Korea. (That doesn't mean that foreigners don't bring it in, or that they aren't willing to share extra.)
...how to say "It's not f***ing cold" really, really politely. Will I ever actually say that to an overly-pushy halmoni who insists my child is improperly dressed? Probably not, but knowledge is power, right?
...it feels really good to squirt kids with a super-soaker when they call me waegook (foreigner). (It was a one-time thing. Liam was using some girl's super soaker and I had just finished helping him with something on it. These kids have seen me many times before, so it was just ridiculous. Maybe I should start carrying a squirt gun with me for that purpose.)
...gim is really good wrapped around rice and tuna salad (tuna + mayonnaise). It's my minimalist/ghetto version of chamchi (tuna) gimbap.

hurt: a flashback, a language lesson, a doctor visit and a video

2009-07-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

March 2006: Shortly before we found out I was pregnant with Liam, Matthew and I took a weekend trip to Seoul with some friends. Oh, how easy it was to just throw a few things in a bag and hop on a bus in those days. My friend Sara wanted to get her eyebrow pierced while we were in Itaewon and I decided to get mine done as well.

Sara and I, modeling our newly pierced eyebrows:

When we returned to Sokcho, all the Koreans we knew seemed very concerned about how much it must hurt. I tried to explain that it didn't hurt any more than getting one's ears pierced, but I don't think they were convinced. One student told me it looked, "very very very very very very sick." I was a bit offended at first, until I found out that in Korean, the word 아파 (a'pa) means both hurt and sick. She just chose the wrong translation...I think.

Which brings us to yesterday when I told various medical professionals 귀 아파요 (kwi a'payo, "[My] ear hurts"). The family practitioner I initially visited took a look at my ear and referred me to an E.N.T. (ear, nose, and throat specialist). Yes, my ear hurt, but that was just the beginning of the pain. My rather nasty middle ear infection is caused by my equally nasty sinus infection. The E.N.T., a Dr. Song, told me that ramming several long cotton swabs up each nostril is the most effective treatment. Apparently, it opens the clogged nasal passages and allows them to drain more freely. It also felt as if red-hot pokers had been rammed up my nostrils. My eyes watered. I couldn't see. I gasped. I whimpered. He left them in there and then wanted me to look at the x-ray type picture he'd taken of my face. Even though the pain faded to a dull ache, I couldn't see anything without my glasses, which I'd removed. After the little torture session was finished, his assistant helped me with a nasal rinse (cross between a neti pot and the rinsing spout that a dentist uses). He prescribed two days of medication and told me to come back, evidently for more of the same. It will apparently take 2-3 weeks for the infection to clear. (The good doctor's wife is a dentist, quite a sadistic pairing.)

And, finally, while I'm on the topic of "Hurt," I will leave you with this video. Although I loved the original Nine Inch Nails version as an angst-filled teenager, it never touched me quite as much as this cover by the late Johnny Cash. Now there was a man who could sing about pain.

Incidentally, the eyebrow ring only lasted three or four weeks. I liked the way it looked, but would forget about it every morning and hurt myself when I rubbed my eyes. Alas, I'm too low maintenance to be a hipster.

standard conversation; strange question

2009-07-06T04:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I try to speak Korean, I am embarrassed by my pathetic language skills. Other times, like today, I feel like I'm not too bad.

I was at the playground with the boys, actually waiting for my friend to come down with her children. A woman sat down beside me on the bench after removing the baby boy strapped to her back with a podaegi.* She also had a little girl a bit older than Liam. She looked at Rowan in the stroller beside me and pronounced the usual expressions of cuteness. She was soon joined by two men (husband and brother-in-law would be my guess) with another little girl around the same age. The two little girls ran off to play and the men began conversing with the woman. The man I assumed to be her husband asked her if Rowan was a boy. I replied that he is, at which point she decided to start a conversation with me, since I obviously understand and speak a minimal level of Korean.

The following conversation took place almost completely in Korean, except she did say "teacher" and "January" in English, although I know those words in Korean.

KW: How old is he?
Me: 6 months. Your son?
KW: 7 months, born in December. Your son was born in January?
Me: No, December. December 30. Your son?
KW: December 13. Do you live in Buyoung? (That's the name of our apartment complex.)
Me: Yes. (gesturing vaguely at my building)
KW: You speak Korean very well.
Me: No, just a little. I don't speak well yet.
KW: Are you a teacher?
Me: Me? No. My husband is a teacher.
KW: Korean? American?
Me: My husband?
KW: Yes.
Me: American. (Amazingly, I said this without laughing.)

Now, maybe she hasn't seen many babies with mixed Korean and Caucasian parentage. I have. They're almost all absolutely gorgeous, and they have very definite Asian features. She had looked closely at Rowan before this. I'm pretty sure it would be genetically impossible for a child with a Korean parent to look like Rowan.

The conversation basically petered out after that. I was, however, proud of the fact that I did not once have to say, "I don't understand" or "I don't know," phrases which I find myself uttering all too often in Korean.

I'm still scratching my head over the question of whether my boys are half-Korean, though.

*The podaegi (also spelled podegi and pronounced po DEG ee with a long "o", a hard "g" similar to the "g" in "golf" or "go" and a long "e") is a Korean carrier with a medium to large rectangle of fabric hanging from a very long strap. Traditionally the rectangle is quilted for warmth and wraps around the mother's torso, while the straps are wrapped snug under the baby's bottom and tied around to the front to support and secure the baby on the mother's back. Western interest in the podaegi style has led to new wrapping methods which do go over the shoulders, and to narrower "blankets". (Definition courtesy of Wikipedia article: Baby sling.)

red, white & blue

2009-07-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

Liam is evidently not feeling photogenic today.

Rowan, however, is loving the camera.

weekday wanderings

2009-06-28T03:52:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about our life in Korea is all the time we spend together as a family. When Matthew was working a 9-5 job in the States (salary, which means it's never just 9-5), Liam was usually still asleep when he left for work in the morning. By the time he came home, it was time for dinner, then bath, etc. in the downward spiral towards bedtime. Here, Matthew doesn't start work until after lunch, so we have the mornings (usually Liam's best time of day) together.

We try to get out most mornings, so we've built a repertoire of usual spots. On average, once each week we visit downtown (usually including the traditional market), Sokcho Beach, and Expo Park. We also squeeze in errands like haircuts, quick shopping, banking, etc.

Once or twice per month, we also visit Daepo-hong (a harbor just north of Sokcho with many fresh fish restaurants) and Mt. Seorak National Park (a 20 minute bus ride). Both are nice on weekdays because they're not so crowded. Below are a few pictures from a weekday trip to Seorak earlier this month.

Matthew & Liam waiting for the bus.

Liam & Rowan -- I love that baby bear has his jet sticking out and daddy bear is halfway covered by the carrier.

Matthew & Liam strolling through the woods. "If you go out in the woods today, you'd better be in disguise..."

Matthew & Rowan sitting down for lunch at one of the trailside eateries. Rowan looks awfully interested in the sanchae (wild mountain vegetable) bibimbap.

Besides the aforementioned wild mountain vegetables (such as mushrooms and assorted greens), bibimbap also includes rice (bap), a freshly fried egg, and gochujang (fermented red pepper paste), which is served separately here, so that the customer may add the desired amount. It's delicious! Also appearing are the requisite kimchi, doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew, with tofu and vegetables), and a (cut-up) potato pancake that she brought service-uh for Liam. He was more interested in his goldfish crackers, though. (Don't worry, I ate it!)

These cats belong to the restaurant owner. The mama's name is Nabi (Butterfly). Her kitten was a bit skitish, but she is friendly. I remember seeing her last summer when we went through. Her kitten from last year is now much larger than she is, but still very, very wary of Liam.

Monks walking down the trail ahead of us. I don't usually take pictures of monks. In fact, I think this is the first time I've ever taken pictures of them, but they were RIGHT THERE. If one has the right temperment, being a Buddhist monk in Korea seems like a pretty good gig. The temples are located in some gorgeous areas, perfect for zen hiking.

international walking festival

2009-06-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, our little family participated in the 5th Annual Seorak International Treking Festival, along with our friend Brian (his blog entry here), his son Alex, and our friend Jenny. Unlike last year, when the entire international element consisted of us, two other A.P. teachers (another American and the Chinese teacher) and two Egyptian men who teach Arabic in Seoul, there were actually more than a handful of foreign participants. The bulk of these were a class of Russian students, who also participated in a dance festival later the same day, which another friend attended. (Unless, of course, there was more than one class of Russian students, mostly girls, in Sokcho that day.)

Traditional performance -- they dance whilst playing drums and whipping their heads around which moves the streamers attached to their hats. Talk about multi-tasking!

Brian started calling this gentleman "The Mayor," because, although we don't know who he is, he seemed to be fairly important. He wanted to have his picture taken (by the roving event photographer) with Liam. Obviously, Liam wasn't really on board with this idea.

Liam managed a calm grimace while everyone quickly snapped pictures.

Liam & Alex probably ate about three choco pies each -- not only the ones they received with the registration packets, but also the ones that kindly "aunties" gave them. I'm sure they used all that sugary energy on the walk.

Jenny said she was our "nanny" for the day, which consisted of holding Rowan, taking turns pushing the stroller, and chasing Liam around a little.

The crowd gathers...

After the traditional dance performance, the opening ceremonies consisted of the national anthem, several unidentified important people speaking, and group warm-up exercises, which I caught on video. (Unfortunately, we only had our older camera which doesn't have sound, so the K-pop music which accompanied the stretching exercises is sadly missing.) The Russian kids are all on the right. It looks like some of their teachers were shooting photos or video as well.

Since our group consisted of Liam and his 4-year-old friend, we did the 5K walk, which ended just inside the entrance to Mt. Seorak National Park. The 10K continued through the waterfall hike and the 20K was a course that is apparently only open twice a year.

Alex & Liam scored these super-cool visors with slide-down sunglasses and a solar-powered fan. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough sunlight amongst the trees to power the fan, which kept falling out.

Family photo at the turn-around point. We could have picked up a copy of the official photographer's shot back at the start/finish, but it was easier just to have him take one with our camera. So true to form, Rowan is attacking my hair and Liam is pacified by an ice cream cone.

Rowan enjoys relaxing in his new stroller with his toys.

Alex and Liam take a break from walking to explore the terrain. They walked a fair amount of the time, but also took breaks via shoulder and back rides.

Liam received this lovely "diploma" for his efforts.

new expat parents forum

2009-06-10T04:19:00.000-07:00

Expat Parents in Korea Board

Sarah of Quest for Cuteness has started a forum just for expat parents here in Korea. There's already a "Matching & Hatching" forum on www.expatkorea.com, but it's not very active. About six months ago, she started an Expat Moms Club Korea in a different format, but the group has outgrown that format and there have been a number of dads interested in joining.

The new coed group is just starting, but I think it has the potential to be an excellent resource and outlet for those of us raising kids in South Korea.

everybody farts

2009-06-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

뿡뿡이 (Bboong Bboong Ee) is a popular Korean children's show, which Liam has been, um, fortunate enough to watch at his friend's house. Both boys are fascinated by the show and JunMin even does some of the little dance moves. Part of the appeal? Fart humor. Lots of it.

The general gist of the conversation in this clip is that Bboong Bboong Ee (the orange guy) ate too much ice cream. His blue friend has mosquito bites. (I can totally sympathize!) Apparently the human character is "General Fart." Actually, if anyone with better Korean language skills can explain more, I'd be delighted!

puppy goes to school

2009-06-07T06:08:00.001-07:00

(Liam's alter-ego, Puppy)

As I've mentioned before, Liam started "nursery school" (basically day care) a week after we returned to Sokcho from our trip to the states. I never thought I'd be sending my child to daycare, since staying home has always been a huge priority to me. However, I haven't been able to provide Liam with consistent social interaction with children his own age. Most often, he plays with elementary school children at the playground, who treat him like a pet or doll, and let him get away with just about anything. In deciding to stay for a second year, we concluded that Liam needed more appropriate interaction, even if we have to pay for it. (As an added benefit, he should pick up more Korean than the few words and phrases we use with him on a regular basis.)

We registered him at an 어린이 집 (eurini jip or "Children's House") just two buildings (and two parking lots) from our apartment. A friend's son attended until he reached the upper age limit of about 3 1/2. We had also seen the caregivers and children interacting at the playground and it seems like they provide quality care. The only drawback is that their structured activities all take place in the morning, which is our family time before Matthew goes to work. Instead, Liam goes after nap time (because he almost never naps anymore) and basically plays, with supervision, for about four hours.

The first week, he went three days, then came down sick with the flu. The next week, we kept him home for several days because the rest of us were still sick. He went that Thursday because he begged to go when Matthew went to work. When I tried to take him on Friday, he wanted to go anywhere but there, and ended up taking a nap as soon as we got home. When he didn't want to go the following Monday or Tuesday, we started to suspect it was because he consistently bit kids each day he went to "school" and got in trouble for it there and at home.

We had basically given up on sending him, but on Wednesday when Matthew headed out the door to return Liam's backpack (which the 어린이 집 provided), he freaked out and wanted to go. We told him that if we paid for the month of June, he has to go every day. (How much of that he understands, I don't know. He's beginning to grasp the concept of money, though, and likes to buy snacks at the local convenience stores.) He wasn't too happy when Matthew dropped him off, but was having a great time when I picked him up. And...he hadn't bitten anyone that day. As hard as we'd come down on him for biting, we put the same energy into praising him for keeping his teeth to himself. All the privileges he'd lost were returned along with extra hugs, kisses, and high fives. He didn't bite on Thursday or Friday, either, although Saturday he bit a child at a birthday party. (I hang my head in shame.)

He's now attended a total of seven days over the course of three weeks, but he seems to be enjoying "school" and settling into a routine. We plan to send him at least through the summer. I'm not excited about the prospect of being sick throughout the fall and winter because of germ-infested toddlers, though. We're looking for activity-based classes he could attend starting in fall, like a weekly tumbling or art class. By that point, Rowan will be more independent and interactive, which will be easier for all of us.

The 어린이 집 provides each child with a special back pack and a book with a page for each day. The caregivers circle appropriate information about the child's activities, meals, naps and, um, toilet behaviors for the day. If I was a working parent who sent my child there all day, I'm sure that record would be very helpful and reassuring. Since Liam's only there for a short time, most of it isn't applicable. Also, on Fridays, they send home a paper with the scheduled activities and menus for the following week. (That was a fun activity for practicing our Korean reading and comprehension skills!)

(The biting isn't part of his pretending to be a dog. It's just his inappropriate way to deal with conflicts, which seems to be improving as he develops more self-control and better verbal skills. "Puppy" likes to pick things up with his mouth and run around barking. His other alter-ego is "Pig" who runs into things, like Wilbur trying to bust down the fence in Charlotte's Web. He's quite the little "ham.")

in memoriam

2009-06-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

Cleo "Cleopatra Jones" -- September 1999 - June 2009

Cleo was the sweetest, most loving cat I've ever had the privilege to know. We brought her and her "sister" home in March 2001, just a few months after we were married. Leaving the cats behind was one of the hardest parts of coming to Korea both times. She will be missed immensely.

Cleo & Roxy:

Cleo & Liam napping:

They loved each other:

just another day in "paradise"

2009-06-03T02:28:00.000-07:00

It rained until noon -- thunder, lightning, the works -- then abruptly stopped and the sun came out.

Just when we'd decided that nursery school wasn't going to work out, because Liam didn't want to go, he pitched a fit that Matthew was going to return his backpack. So Matthew took him to school, paid for June, left him there crying, and...this was the first day he didn't bite anyone. He was in a great mood when I picked him up.

At the playground, some kids let their dog crap all over the playground. I supplied the "water tissue" (baby wipes) to clean up the dog poop. Maybe 10 minutes later, a dead mouse seemingly materialized from out of nowhere. One minute everything was fine, the next minute one of the moms was standing on a bench screaming. All the other moms kind of wandered off, leaving almost a dozen elementary school kids to poke at the poor, dead, most likely disease-infested rodent. My friend finally went to fetch a doorman to dispose of it. He apparently just threw it on top of the bagged garbage in the dumpster area.

On the way home, waiting for the elevator, a grandmother was trying to figure out Rowan's gender. Another mom told her that he's a boy. So then she asked me if both boys were, well, boys. And she actually gestured at herself, like, "Do they have penises?" I replied in English, "Yes, they have penises." (I also told her in Korean that they are both sons.)

The last thing was actually yesterday, but I got stuck in the elevator going down with nosy grandmother. She was babbling away to Rowan, then suddenly reached out and touched my breast. What? I told her (in Korean), "Don't touch me," and looked at her like she's insane, which I seriously think she may be.

Seriously weird. Is it a full moon?

bakery wars

2009-05-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

On a lighter note (than my previous entries about suicide and swine flu), two big Korean bakery chains have opened stores in our neighborhood in the past few months. We now have four bakeries within a five minute walk from our apartment. One is located inside the local grocery store and doesn't sell anything that really appeals to me, so I won't bother to mention it again.

People of Bread Village is the old neighborhood bakery. The Korean name literally translates to "Bread Village People," but the English name is also prominently displayed.

They make a decent apple tart-type pastry, although I always have to double check as to not buy the sweet potato-filled version. (Apple is square; sweet potato is rectangular.) Liam likes to stop in for their W300 (about 30 cents) cream puffs.

Paris Baguette opened a store a month or two ago. My favorite item there are the blueberry muffins, which come in a two pack. (You can see Liam's fingers sneaking in to grab the muffin on the right.)

Tous Les Jours opened right across the street this week. They have decent banana-cranberry scones. I know that sounds weird, but the banana flavor isn't very strong. They also have walnut scones (too flat and dry) and chocolate chip (not my thing).

All of the bakeries have various pastries, breads, cakes, etc. Most of it is distinctly Korean in style, which means less sweet, somewhat bland, very soft, often containing sweet potato or sweet red bean filling, etc. Blueberries and cranberries are nearly impossible to find (and very expensive) in Korea, which is another reason the muffins and scones are noteworthy.

Maybe our neighborhood CAN support four bakeries, the way people apparently increase their caffeine intake to support Starbucks on every corner in PNW cities. Only time (and expanding waistlines) will tell.

from quarantine with love

2009-05-26T02:02:00.000-07:00

Luckily, the title does not refer to our family, but to a new entry in the blogosphere: An English Teacher Under Quarantine in South Korea. I find it to be interesting reading, both for the content and the humorous perspective.

Two ex-pats with regular blogs are also in quarantine, so their current entries are (obviously) about those experiences: Ruby Ramblings and Sparkling Chaos with Brian Dear. (I assume the last title is a reference to the Korea Sparkling campaign.)

I found the first blog through another that I follow, kimchi-icecream (specifically here), who in turn credits other ex-pat bloggers in Korea for posting first. One of those, Roboseyo, links to the other two in this post. What a small world this here blogosphere is. (I've now amused myself by using the term "blogosphere" for the first time ever -- in print, I've never uttered it out loud -- not once, but thrice, if you count the self-reference.)

The flu has also struck our little family, although I'm pretty sure it's just the normal seasonal type. Luckily, we've been back in Sokcho for a good two weeks now, so there's no chance that we carried this back from the States with us. (Normal incubation is 24-48 hours, with 7 days being an extremely conservative waiting period. Trust me, I looked it up!) In fact, I'm 99% sure came from the "nursery school" that Liam started last Monday. Three days of playing with other germ-infested toddlers and he became sick. Two days later, I was feeling as if I'd been hit by a Mac truck. Not a Peterbuilt, definitely a Mac. Liam and I are both recovering, but Matthew and Rowan are currently fighting symptoms.

We're also lucky because we arrived back on the 9th. There was a flight on the 11th that now has a confirmed case of H1N1, so all those passengers are currently being tracked down. I'm not sure if that's the same connection as the group in the blog or another separate case.

We're hoping this luck will hold out and keep us out of quarantine. Matthew's boss has already fielded several calls about us regarding our flight (not the 11th!) and our fevers (taking the boys to the doctor and filling prescriptions seems to have come up on the radar somehow). Until then, we're drinking lots of fluids, taking antipyretics, and getting plenty of sleep.

RIP: Roh Moo-hyun

2009-05-23T03:25:00.000-07:00

The former South Korean president committed suicide today:

AP article: Embattled SKorean ex-president jumps to his death

Prior to the recent corruption allegations, I had only heard good things about him from Koreans. My grasp of the situation is that it's like Bill Clinton committing suicide during George W. Bush's presidency. South Korean politics have historically been rife with corruption, but Roh seemed to be above it all.

Corruption: Invisible Enemy of Korean Politics

The suicide rates here are also very high. This article claims that mental illness is a leading cause, with societal pressures only being responsible for 10%, although she does acknowledge that the reason mental illness often isn't diagnosed or treated is because of the stigma attached.

Suicide in South Korea Case of Too Little, Too Late

The Korean concept of "chae-myun" (saving face) would seem to me to be a more contributing factor in the suicide rate in South Korea. I wasn't able to find any articles that sum it up completely, but did come across these:

Interesting blog entry by a film-maker focusing on Asian-American mental illness:
The Virginia Tech Murders and Its Implications

Focusing on chae-myun from a business perspective:
The Importance of Saving Face in Korea

two thumbs up: incheon airport and air canada

2009-05-17T02:09:00.000-07:00

After we escaped from purgatory, everything went much better.

In the international terminal, we found an awesome play area with a nice little nursing nook. There's even a bathroom with everything (toilets, urinals and sinks) in miniature. The urinals have little flies painted in the middle, presumably to aid little misters in aiming correctly.

The play area kept Liam entertained until it was time to find our gate and prepare to board. Padded floor, plenty of sunlight, and a jungle-themed structure for kids to run and climb on like crazy monkeys. Perfect! (There was a larger, independent nursing area by the bag check area with two cribs, two changing tables, and two couches. I would guess there are other play/nursing areas throughout the airport.)

Our flight went remarkably well. Matthew felt that Air Canada was more kid-friendly than United, which we flew last May. I thought it was a bit of a toss up. In my limited experience, most flight attendants are genuinely nice people who like kids and it's the personnel who make (or break) the trip. Since our flight from Seoul to Vancouver wasn't full, one of the flight attendants shuffled people around so that I had an empty seat next to me. I didn't have to worry about bumping anyone while nursing or holding a sleeping baby. I was even able to spread out a bit.

The food was definitely better than United, although the Air Canada food was markedly better on the flight from Seoul to Vancouver than it was on the return trip. Weird. The free wine included in beverage service was an excellent bonus.

Warning: Even if the flight attendant gives you extra bottles of wine, you should not drink it all before the meal service. On our return flight, since I hadn't eaten much and don't drink much these days, the three mini bottles hit me pretty hard. I thought I was going to hurl while changing Rowan's diaper.

The evening (5:30 departure) flight from Seoul to Vancouver worked great for the boys. They both slept most of the 10 hour flight. (Liam had a little help from Children's Benadryl, which has in the past year added the disclaimer NOT to use it to make children sleepy. Why not? It works!) By the second day in the U.S., they were adjusted to the new time zone. Coming back on a day flight was a little rougher and the adjustment back to Seoul time took several days. Actually, a week later, their sleep patterns are still a little irregular.

purgatory

2009-05-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

I've been to purgatory, or maybe it was the first level of hell. Perhaps someone with more theological background can help me out with the distinction.

Purgatory is hot. You must surrender all liquids before entering and there are no water fountains. You're told you can't leave until you fill out paperwork in quadruplicate and pay fees. (You thought you already took care of all paperwork and fees in your hometown.) In the meantime, the baby is fussy because he's sick of being in the carrier. The toddler is tired and bored, which means he's whiny. The gatekeepers stare at you while the toddler tries to escape, refuses to sit down, and throws himself down on the ground. Richard Scarry's A Day at the Airport buys you a little time, but purgatory takes longer than that, and it just serves as a reminder that there are jets just past purgatory.

Finally, all the paperwork is filed, the money is counted, passports are stamped, and just before you leave...you realize that the your visas for the next year are single entry and you wanted to go to Thailand for Christmas break. But a multiple entry visa would require more time, more money, probably more forms and both children are completely freaking out by this point. You decide that Thailand is over rated.

100 Days...about a month later

2009-05-11T02:36:00.000-07:00

Turning 100 days old is a pretty big deal in Korea. The original reason was the high infant mortality rate; however, like most "developed" nations, infant mortality rates are now quite low. Koreans like traditions, though. It's a great reason to throw a party, serve lots of food the infant can't eat, and collect gifts of money and jewelry from the extended family.

We didn't throw a party, but since it's pretty rare for an American infant to turn 100 days in Korea, we decided to rent a hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and take Rowan in for professional portraits. Of course, we found out mid-photo session that Korean babies don't get their pictures taken in hanbok until they're one year old. Even though we did it wrong, I think Rowan looks darn cute in hanbok. The ladies at the photo studio did a fabulous job.

Here are four of my favorites:

It took me so long to post these because the studio didn't give me the digital negatives, like they normally do here. I think that's because we were too cheap to purchase a big package. We just got some individual prints for ourselves and family, plus a mini album that my friend MinJeong got them to throw in free. She totally rocks. Even though she was sick, she dragged herself and both her kids in to translate for us, because the studio staff knew we're friends (long story).

Anyway, I had to wait until I was visiting my parents to scan in the photos. Hence the weird border issues, too. I haven't bothered to clean those up yet.

so happy together

2009-04-24T05:39:00.000-07:00

Is there a more perfect combination than pizza and fried chicken? Peeja Nara (Pizza Nation) delivers this pair to our apartment more often than I'd like to admit. The pizza is acceptably good. The fried chicken is excellent. And when I say fried chicken, it's the entire darn chicken...even the neck. Condiments include parmesan, hot sauce and sweet pickles with the pizza, honey-mustard sauce, sweet-spicy sauce, a salty spice packet, pickled radish, and more sweet pickles for the chicken. The Pepsi is service-uh, but beer is equally well-suited.

When we get back from our trip home in two weeks, we'll probably be ordering this meal as soon as we drag ourselves through the door.

Since I probably won't be blogging while we're state-side, I'll leave you with the overwhelming cuteness of my sons. The huge grin on Liam's face in the second picture is because he just gave Rowan a big kiss. So happy together...

be afraid. be very afraid.

2009-04-16T16:51:00.001-07:00

This is the next generation:

Liam and some of our friends' children at our "Pagan Spring Fertility Brunch," on the day most of the western world calls "Easter."

poop, police & physical exhaustion: a night from hell

2009-04-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

Liam took a nap yesterday. This violates one of my unofficial rules, "Don't let Liam take a nap," but I was exhausted after two nights of Rowan waking up every two hours to nurse. There are two reasons for this rule: he wakes up in a horrible mood and then he stays up late. Both of those proved true...and, of course, I didn't get much sleep while he was napping. That's the back story that leads up to the night from hell.

9pm: Liam freaks out because I put on Baby Signing Time instead of more Open Season, which I take as a sign he's ready for bed. He wants to sleep in our bed, which I consent to because I just want to go to bed myself.

9:15: Matthew gets home from work. Liam is still awake, so is Rowan. We both try to get Liam to go to sleep, while I try to get Rowan to nurse to sleep. No luck.

10:30: Matthew decides to take a shower. Liam decides to "sleep" in his own bed. Rowan takes such a massive poop that it results in his first shower. I hold him while Matthew hoses off the entire bottom half of his body. Liam gets out of bed to watch this circus.

10:45: Rowan finally nurses to sleep.

11:00: Matthew, Liam & I all fall asleep in the big bed.

12:00: I wake up to the sound of Matthew yelling in English and [Korean]. Liam is sleeping with his head on my chest. After a few moments, I piece together that Matthew is yelling at some drunk who is trying to get into our apartment. "Not your house...[my home]...Go away...[Go! Go!]" (He also said our building and apartment numbers, hoping that would register with the guy that he was at the wrong place.) The guy is yelling, pounding on our door, ringing the doorbell, yanking on the door handle, and trying to use our keyless entry.

Matthew asks me what police telephone number is. I only know 119, which is apparently the fire department. He tries that, asking for someone who speaks English. He tries to communicate what is happening. Who knew that the word "drunk" would be useful to know? Finally, he gets someone to send a police officer to our place. Throughout the entire phone call and for a minute or two after, the guy is still trying to get in. Of course, by the time the police officers arrive he's gone.

Then Matthew is stuck trying to explain the situation to two officers who do not speak English. They call someone who supposedly does and give the phone to Matthew. He has to explain that no, HE is not drunk, some drunk Korean was trying to get into the apartment. No, he doesn't know who the man is, he didn't open the door, etc. The officers seem to understand. They will hang around for a few minutes in case he comes back. He doesn't. At this point, we're both wide awake, although the boys managed to sleep (although fitfully) through it.

The rest of the night was a blur of attempts at sleep, punctuated by Rowan waking up every 2-3 hours to nurse, and Liam tossing and turning, occasionally crying out for no known reason.

9am: Rowan & Liam are both up. Matthew & I drink coffee. It's going to be a very long day.

foreigner faux pas

2009-04-15T01:01:00.000-07:00

We've committed a social blunder, a fairly serious one, apparently.

When we were first here, we had a couple in our adult classes: a pediatrician and his wife. There are no longer any adult classes at AP, but we now live in the same building as this couple. They're some of the nicest people we've met here and we consider them friends. They have three boys of their own, so we always enjoy hearing their parenting stories, sharing baked goods with their family, etc. JonWook (our friend's given name) has examined Liam's various cuts & scrapes several times, and we really like his gentle, caring manner.

We've always intended to take the boys to JonWook's clinic, but up to this point, we'd taken them to the pediatrician at the hospital where I had Rowan, just out of convenience. Since Rowan needs to get caught up on his vaccinations, we finally took him to our friend.

As Americans, we don't want to take advantage of a friend, especially as foreigners. From our point of view, JonWook has a business to run. If he gives us a discount, we're taking money out of his pocket. That's not the Korean way, though. Koreans WANT to do things for their friends. It's insulting if their friends do not accept...which leads up to our blunder.

When Matthew went to pay for the vaccinations, the nurse quoted him a much lower price that what Matthew thought it should be. The prices of all the vaccines (which vary in price, as they're apparently not subsidized by the government like they are in the U.S.) are clearly posted on the counter. She was trying to charge him for only one. When Matthew questioned the price, JonWook stepped in to translate. Matthew pointed to the prices of the two vaccines Rowan had received and then the two of them went back and forth about how much we should pay, each trying to explain his own side.

In the end, Matthew insisted on paying the full amount, but neither the nurse or JonWook would look him in the eyes at that point. They were both embarrassed. JonWook proceeded to take Matthew on a tour of his clinic while I fed Rowan, then offered to call a taxi for us when we left.

That afternoon at work, Matthew recounted the story for our friend, Jenny, who explained more fully the Korean perspective on the situation. She said we'd probably really insulted him. Talking about the situation after Matthew came home from work that night, we realized that he probably conveyed to JonWook that we don't consider him as good of a friend as he considers us.

So next week when we take Rowan in for another round of vaccinations, we'll have to explain better the idea of "not taking advantage of one's friends." Luckily, we can play the "foreigner card," and hopefully gloss over our foreigner faux pas.

And now, some random cuteness: Rowan proudly wearing the stickers bestowed upon him by Liam, proclaiming him to be both "Fantastic" and "Well Done."

obligatory cherry blossom post

2009-04-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

Many foreigners in Korea have blogs and they all seem to be posting pictures of the cherry blossoms. It makes sense. After a long, cold winter, the cherry blossoms are a sign that spring is finally here. Oh, and they're gorgeous. Unfortunately, strong winds have wiped out many of the blossoms, just like they did with the changing leaves this fall. Despite this, I was able to get some decent pictures as we walked around the lake with our friend Julia and her son JeongHyun on Saturday.

Okay, this first picture has nothing to do with the blossoms. I snapped a picture using the mirror at Julia's between the wonderful lunch she prepared for us and our hike. Rowan (in the baby carrier) is just too stinkin' cute to leave this out, though.

Matthew & Liam walking in the bike path

Liam checking out a fish statue, which he proceeded to "feed" rocks.

I don't know why the Sokcho mascot looks so angry as he tells you how far it is to BeomBawi (Tiger Rock).

I tried to be subtle in snapping a picture of old people picking weeds. Wash them, toss them in some sesame oil and gochujang (red pepper paste) and you have a very inexpensive side dish.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

2009-04-12T03:26:00.000-07:00

I interrupt my regular blogging for this unscheduled post of sentimentality:

This is for "Around the World in 80 Clicks." I was tagged by Sarah of Quest for Cuteness.

Five things I love about being a mom:

1. Seeing the world from another perspective. Everything is exciting and when they're happy, they're happy all over.

2. 100% genuine smiles, both toothless and toothy, aimed just at me.

3. Questioning authority & conventional wisdom. Why can't kids splash in puddles & play in the dirt?

4. Seeing personalities develop day by day, an intriguing blend of nurture & nature.

5. Fierce, unconditional love, the likes of which I've never experienced before.

And, since the original idea was to let moms admit to those things they don't love, here are two things I miss about being childless:

1. Completing tasks from beginning to end sequentially and in a reasonable amount of time.

2. Going places alone, whether it be running errands, going out for a drink with friends, etc.

I tag Amy of She Spilled the Milk Again and Amber from Of Bees, Bums and Butterfly Milk.

first sunday of spring

2009-04-06T04:28:00.000-07:00

Spring has come to Sokcho. For the past month or so, the Korean saying, "Spring is arriving, but Winter is jealous," has held true. I hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying this, but it does look like the warm weather is finally here to stay.

Sunday, our friend "Jenny" (her English name), one of the Korean teachers at AP and one of Liam's favorite people, took us on an outing. We first met up with her after her horse riding lesson at Yeongnang Lake. She thought, correctly, that Liam would enjoy seeing the horses.

Jenny's favorite horse, who didn't bite Liam, although it looks that way. He was actually just surprised that the tiny human stuck a finger up his nose.

From there, she took us to Geomgang-sa, a temple we had not previously visited, as it's not on a bus route. The temple itself is small, but the surroundings are beautiful. Walking up from the car, we crossed a bridge over a river with a waterfall just downstream and a very old stone walking bridge just upstream.

We were able to enjoy "pumpkin fermented rice tea" at the tea shop on the grounds. Served in an oversized, handmade tea cup and meant to be consumed with a small, wooden spoon, the sweet, icy concoction isn't what I would normally consider tea. It's thinner than a Slushie, with small, but discernible pieces of rice and sweet pumpkin. Quite delicious and refreshing, the drinks were accompanied by pieces of boiled potato.

the road to the temple:

the temple itself:

the bell tower and "rice rock" where the founding monks were given sustenance from the gods

Jenny, Liam & Matthew descending the stairs up to the temple

the bridge over the ravine

Liam checking out a cool water fountain

Liam making friends with a native Korean "jindo" dog

the ancient stone foot bridge

the tea house as seen from the access road

first real haircut

2009-03-31T19:42:00.000-07:00

Liam didn't have much hair until after we came to Korea. I've been cutting his hair since then because, well, I'm cheap. Also, it's part of my child security plan. Who wants to kidnap the freaky waegook child who looks like a shaggy little orphan and throws temper tantrums in public? But finally, I had to admit that Liam's hair would be better off in the hands of a professional.

We took him to "Pama," which is just down the street from the Puma store and shares the same distinctive cat silhouette on its sign. (Have I mentioned that copyright infringement doesn't seem to be a big concern here?) The owner/stylist speaks English fairly well, does a good job (which includes actually listening to the customer), and has holsters for his scissors. Too cool! He also plays in a local heavy metal band, but is married with a daughter Liam's age and another on the way.

Liam acting shy when we first arrived, despite the fact he's been here numerous times when Matthew & I have gotten haircuts.

Getting braver, he sits in a normal chair while Matthew gets his hair cut.

Finally, it's Liam's turn and he gets to sit in a special car chair! He did fairly well, although I did have to hold his hands some of the time.

Looking wistful afterwards

And presenting a side view of his "like Dad's, but longer" haircut.

Unfortunately, he refused to pose nicely with the hair stylist.

KOREA SPARKLING!

2009-03-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Korean Tourism Organization,

I've seen your KOREA SPARKLING ad campaign and read that you hope to attract 10 million tourists to South Korea by 2010. You're quickly approaching that deadline, so I have some suggestions for making South Korea a bit more tourist-friendly.

Don't get me wrong, South Korea is a beautiful country. The geography alone is stunning. The traditional architecture and Buddhist temples are fascinating. Korea has a rich history and culture, which are well-documented at various museums and monuments throughout the country. I hear the shopping is fantastic, although that's not really "a cup of my tea." And, not to be ignored, Korea has a flair for the quirky: penis parks, museums dedicated to random collections (i.e. the Edison & Gramophone Museum in Gangnueng), odd theme restaurants and bars (like the odd metal spaceship-esque bar here in Sokcho), etc.

However, there are a few things you could do to clean up Korea a bit and make it, um, sparkle more.

1. Put in public garbage cans (AKA rubbish bins). There is a dearth of places to throw away trash in public areas. (Bus stops are the exception.) As a result, there is garbage everywhere. The other day, my family was riding the gatbae across Lake Cheungcho. An elderly woman finished her yogurt drink and tossed the plastic container into the lake. The city playground near my apartment is always covered in trash, including broken soju bottles. Conveniently placed garbage cans would alleviate this unsightly issue.

2. Replace more of the squat toilets. Squat toilets are the bane of my existence here in Korea. I'm sure many foreigners (especially of the female gender) feel the same way. Some restrooms, such as the one at our local intercity bus terminal, have a stall marked "Foreigners Only" with a Western-style toilet. However, this stall is often occupied by Koreans, so obviously the local people also prefer not having to hunker down on their haunches to relieve themselves.

3. Educate people about the proper care of pets, dogs in particular. Puppies are cute and entertaining, but they do grow up. Adult dogs need to be bathed and walked. Westerners do not like to see beautiful, but filthy, dogs tied up on 2 foot ropes. Seeing dogs ill-treated reminds us that some Koreans still eat dog, and we know that you want the world to forget that.

None of these changes detract from the Korean experience, but instead allow Korea to truly sparkle.

Kind regards,
Legal alien #******-666****
(That's really part of my ID number. I can't make this stuff up.)

comment changes

2009-03-13T02:26:00.000-07:00

I'm allowing anonymous comments now from folks who don't have a blogger or gmail address. For that reason, I'm also screening all comments. I like to hear people's thoughts, but not if they're obscene.

Obama admires Korean schools?

2009-03-11T03:08:00.000-07:00

Full article: Obama urges longer school hours, extended school year

Excerpt:

"We can no longer afford an academic calendar designed when America was a nation of farmers who needed their children at home plowing the land at the end of each day," Obama said, adding U.S. education to his already crowded list of top priorities.

"That calendar may have once made sense, but today, it puts us at a competitive disadvantage. Our children spend over a month less in school than children in South Korea. That is no way to prepare them for a 21st century economy."

He urged administrators to "rethink the school day" to add more class time.

"I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas," he said. "Not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom. If they can do that in South Korea, we can do it right here in the United States of America."

South Korean public schools are "closed" for almost two months following Christmas, although many students attend "winter camps" and other school programs. The students also have a month-long vacation in summer. My hypothesis is that the schools are closed during the most extreme weather of the year to avoid atrocious conditions or the energy bills that would come with keeping classrooms at bearable temperatures.

Students attend school five days per week, plus a half-day every other Saturday. Probably this is where they make up extra time. But unlike the U.S., where grades 1-12 must put in the same number of hours per day, South Korean students put in longer days as they get older. Although they're not in academic classes the whole time, high school students are at school into the evening for required activities and study time.

I'm not convinced all that time is well-spent. The normal teaching style here is lecture and listen. Many teachers do not even allow their students to take notes during lectures. Students are merely to absorb the knowledge, then regurgitate it via standardized tests. Middle school students spend weeks studying for their midterms and finals. In fact, coming here directly from teaching public school in the U.S., I saw the South Korean system as a ghastly example (think Dickens' ghost of Christmas future) of what may happen to the American public school system if the test-focused "No Child Left Behind" madness continues. The South Korean model lacks creativity, problem-solving, and independent thinking, important skills if we want American students to be globally competitive.

Now I realize that Obama was only referring to the scheduling side of South Korean schools, but I don't think you can extricate that part of the system. It's a whole: long hours, including weekend, standardized tests, fear of failure (rumor is, no one ever gets held back because they would lose face), school uniforms and single-sex education after grade 6, etc. If that's what we're heading for, I'll pursue other options for my sons. (I could get behind the school uniforms, though. Korean middle and high school students look very snappy, even when they wear sneakers with their uniforms.)

I still support Obama, but I hope he gathers more information before he holds up the South Korean system as any type of example.

to market, to market

2009-02-25T20:36:00.001-08:00

As we were walking through the traditional market the other day, I thought about how we no longer think twice about sights that originally seemed so strange. Okay, I will admit that some of them are still strange. I'll add that we don't do most of our shopping here. We buy produce occasionally, but mostly come down for beans (pinto, black, etc.) that we can't find elsewhere and the little foreign food shop that has good prices.

Matthew & Liam exploring

fairly normal produce

dried fish (anchovies on the bottom, with squid strips and shrimp above)

and more dried fish

fresh seaweed

and dried seaweed

many varieties of kimchi

not to be confused with..."Korean freezer food"

and more "freezer food"

salmon

the dried squid for which Sokcho is known

and, finally...outside a butcher's stall...I'll let you figure out what it is:

job security

2009-02-25T18:09:00.000-08:00

Several times each week Matthew brings home essays and diary entries to correct. Some are from his advanced classes and are well written. Most of them are assigned by his Korean co-workers and those can be the most entertaining. I often help him correct them because (a) I might as well use the degree we're still paying for and (b) they're entertaining.

It's good to know that Matthew's skills as a native English teacher will be needed as long as we choose to stay here.

Here are a few of the...um...good ones.

#1: Subject: My characterist!
Feb/21 (토요일)

My mom called me.
"[Girl's name]! 2 Socks gave down on street."
but, I gave down one box socks.
So, My mom said, "You're foolish."
"umm...maybe".
And, I come back home.
I thought for foolish.
"[Girl's name]"

#2: Untitled

Today, I went the kumdo academy. And I start kumdo. Today I had worn hogu. After about 10 minutes. Suddenly, I felt the call of nature. So I had tried to go. I nearly taken bamboo knife in bathroom of forgetand. In bathroom, someone turn off the bathroom light. But, my friend is turn on the light. After about 40 minutes, I went home. But, I nearly taken bamboo knife in home. I may be amnesia.

#3: Sunday, Feb. 22nb

Today I ate a hamburger. It is very delicious.
However...my embryo was very very sick. So I go to the bed.
I think, 'I may have a stomachache.'
But, no It was Ok.
I will not eat hamburgers...
The hamburger may have spoiled.

more babies, please!

2009-02-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

Not for me...for South Korea.

One of my "followers" (using that term makes me feel like a cult leader) commented on how strange it is that the Korean government is monetarily rewarding people for having children. That's because South Korea has one of the lowest (2nd only to Hong Kong) birth rates in the world: 1.08% in 2006. There are several factors that contributed to this decrease.

Forty years ago, the average Korean woman married young and had an average of six children. The shift to urban life, with higher education for women and less need for a "family work force" has dropped that number to 1.17 children per woman.

As each generation tries to create a better life for their children, parents are overwhelmed by the rising cost of pre-school, hagwon (private after-school programs like the one where Matthew works), and university, not to mention all the stuff that modern kids supposedly need. And, let's face it, Koreans are competitively materialistic. The game of keeping up with the Kims puts the Joneses to shame. Most people can't afford to have more than one or two children.

Oh, and then there's the former government programs. That's right, starting in the 1960s, the government discouraged citizens from having too many children. One slogan was, "Give Birth Without Thought and Keep Living Like a Beggar." Subtle, no? The government encouraged and subsidized vasectomies and tubal ligations until as late as 2005. Now they're paying to reverse those same vasectomies. Oops!

I wrote earlier about the debit card I received to defray my prenatal care. Some provinces give money directly to people who have more children, especially in smaller cities and towns where the population is rapidly aging. Our province, Gangwon-do, pays for "kindergarten" (pre-school that children can start as early as two years) for third or subsequent children.

Only time will tell if these measures help. If not, the South Korean population will decrease 13% by 2050.

Further reading:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/aug/06082802.html
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/11/117_34319.html
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/south-korea/090112/where-children-are-too-expensive
http://brothersjuddblog.com/archives/2005/08/yup_ten_million_reverse_vasect_1.html

btw

2009-02-17T01:38:00.000-08:00

We've signed on for a second year, so there will be another year of domestic bliss for you to read about.

Sokcho's (non-fatal) Fire Festival

2009-02-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

a picture is worth...?

2009-02-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

W10,000 to the first person to explain this to me.
(Location: the waiting room outside the nursery at JoongAng birthing hospital)

another one for the "what were they thinking?" file

2009-02-09T21:59:00.001-08:00

Stampede at fire festival kills 4 in South Korea

We have our own Fire Festival (AKA Fire Water Festival) going in Sokcho (right across the main road in Expo Park) this week. Luckily, Sokcho officials seem to be a bit brighter than those in Cheongnyeong. All fires here are self-contained.

One last birth post

2009-01-29T20:55:00.000-08:00

Things I didn't do (or won't be doing):

...eating seaweed soup for 30 days. I don't care how nutritional it is. It's slimy and gross. I eat occasional pieces of seaweed in other soups and dried seaweed on sushi rolls. Good enough.

...waiting several weeks after giving birth to bathe. According to one explanation from a Korean friend, after giving birth a woman's joints are disconnected and bathing could therefore be harmful. What???? Yes, her English is excellent, the communication issue is all cultural.

...waiting 21 days before anyone outside my immediate family can see the baby. My Korean mommy friend had a hard time understanding that I was inviting her over to see my 4-day-old baby. She did call to let me know she had her baby and was home from the hospital, but she didn't invite me over. (Oh, well.) She went to her parents' house in another city and won't be back until after the 21 days.

...waiting 100 days before leaving the house with baby. Seriously, I would have to be committed. Apparently, that's changed recently, but most women still don't leave the home for the first month. So I told Matthew to round up when people ask how old Rowan is. At three weeks, he was PRACTICALLY a month old.

...wearing shapeless tops that zip across the chest. That is the breast-feeding wear here. Most items also seem to be decorated with cutesy cartoon characters. Layering a tank top under my normal shirt works just fine, thanks.

Lowan, I mean Rowan

2009-01-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

Rowan with his hospital cart tag:

More recently:

Step 1: Give birth.
Step 2: Obtain hospital birth certificate.
Step 3: Return to hospital to request that father and baby's names be added to birth certificate. (First copies only identified baby as 2nd child of Catherine.)
Step 4: Have employer translate certificate.
Step 5: Ask employer to change name translation (로웬) from Lowan to Rowan.
Step 6: Take 10-day-old baby, assorted official documents, copies, pictures, and money to U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
Step 7: Wait one week.
Step 8: Receive baby's Consular report of birth and passport via courier. Pay courier W10,000.
Step 9: Take baby, passport, etc. to local immigration office. (This is the next step that we need to complete. We need to apply for a visa for Rowan before he is 30 days old.)

Magical Mystery Card

2009-01-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

My magical card, which was issued to "Cather," along with a somewhat explanatory note written by my doctor.

Sometimes, living in Korea is like a puzzle. I receive one piece after another, until I'm finally able to understand something.

At my 36 week appointment, my doctor gave me a "prescription." It was a form that he had signed, which he told me I should take to the bank. He explained that the bank would give me a card I could use to pay for prenatal appointments. The total value of the card is W200,000 and W40,000 can be used towards each appointment. He wrote down a few things in Korean and told me to ask a Korean friend about it.

I asked one of Matthew's co-workers, the same woman who graciously translated my birth plan. She hadn't heard of the program, but translated the form for me, then did an internet search and got back to me with what she'd found. Her understanding was that it was only good for prenatal care. As I'd assumed, it's another government-funded program to help raise the very low birth rate. Also, she told me that it would take a week after I turned in my form for the card to be issued.

I took the form to NongHyup bank where we have our accounts. The teller who always helps me placed a phone call, since no one there seemed to know anything about it. She told me I needed to go to Kookmin Bank (KB) downtown. The KB teller seemed familiar with the program and told me I needed to open an account there to have a card issued. After filling out multiple forms, she said my card would arrive in one week. Later that afternoon, she called to tell me that she forgot to have me sign a form and needed me to come back in. I took care of that two days later. My card arrived the very next day via courier.

In the meantime, I visited my pregnant Korean friend. She already had her card, even though her due date was two weeks after mine. This irritated me, because we have the same doctor AND he had given me the form at the same appointment when he'd run several (relatively) expensive, and in my opinion unnecessary, tests. I figured that he'd forgotten to give it to me when he was supposed to and cost me an extra W40,000. My friend did say that the card could be used for 15 days after giving birth. She planned to swipe her card each day at the hospital until it was used up.

I was able to use W20,000 for my 38 week appointment the week before Christmas, then had Matthew swipe the card the two days I was in the hospital, which took W80,000 off my bill (bringing the total bill to about $200). I also used it for my one-week postpartum appointment, but that was less than W3,000. It was at that last appointment that I noticed a poster on the wall. I recognized my lovely pink card and saw the date at the top: December 15, 2008. It's a brand new program, which explains why the doctor didn't give it to me earlier.

my new t-shirt

2008-12-07T05:08:00.001-08:00

It was a birthday present from my friend, Kelsey. For those of you who don't read Hangul (Korean), it says "Mul ba?!" As I mentioned before, that's the gangsta way of saying, "What are you looking at?"

I don't know if I'll have the nerve to wear it in public, but it totally cracks me up. (She bought it from Babo Shirts.)

Liam is 2...or 4...or maybe 3

2008-12-05T03:41:00.000-08:00

Liam celebrated his 2nd birthday on Wednesday...or did he?

This is a paraphrased version of a conversation I had with YeonSoo, the owner/director of the school where Matthew is employed. (Technically, so am I.)

YS: How old is Liam?
me: Two, U.S. age. But four Korean age, I think.
YS: Four?
me: Well, he was one when he was born...
YS: Yes.
me: And he turned two on his first lunar new year, in January or February...
YS: Yes.
me: So then, he turned three last year and four this year. Right?
YS: Well, yes, but we would call that three.
me: Okay... (but thinking, HUH?)

Liam doesn't really care how old he is. He just likes blowing out candles as you can see in the picture of him blowing out the candles on the cakes that YeonSoo bought for Liam and me, since my birthday was Thursday. I haven't been able to get him to hold up two fingers in answer to the "How old are you?" question. But then I haven't really invested much time in the matter. Most people who ask him here are expecting to see three or four fingers, anyway, not to mention they ask in Korean.

I, on the other hand, am a bit traumatized by the fact that in the past five years (with three birthday in the U.S. and two in Korea), I have celebrated my 27th, then 30th, then 29th, then 30th again, and now 33rd birthdays.

Bring on the national health care!

2008-12-01T06:20:00.000-08:00

One of the things that South Korea does well is national health care -- at least in my experience. Matthew pays 2.2% of his paycheck, his employer matches that, and all three of us have coverage.

Here is my standard OB/GYN visit:
I walk in (no appointment necessary) and hand my little pregnancy booklet to a nurse at the front counter. She gives me a little strip on which to urinate (testing for excess protein in my urine). After I get back from the restroom, I check my own blood pressure on the automatic machine, then weigh myself. The nurse records both.
I take a seat. After about 10 minutes (20 on a busy day), the ultrasound technician calls me in to her room. She checks out the baby's vitals and measurements. About half the time she prints out a picture for me.
I return to the waiting area. After another 5-10 minutes, I'm called into the doctor's office. We discuss any test results, symptoms, etc.
Finally, I return to the front counter to pay. My usual bill is W20,000, which used to be about $20 before the exchange rate went to hell. Currently, it's closer to $14. My most expensive visits, with various blood and urine tests, have been W60,000.

That's impressive, but the truly impressive part is yet to come.

Liam is sick. He has a bad cough and now a slight ear infection. There's a pediatrician's office in the same building as my OB/GYN. We've now taken him in three times, as the doctor wants to check his recovery frequently.

Here's Liam's visit:
Parent gives child's insurance booklet to counter nurse. Another nurse is simultaneously checking his temperature via an instant ear thermometer while he plays on the slide or rocking horse in the waiting area. Within 5 minutes, parent and child are ushered into the doctor's office. While Liam screams and (at least when accompanied by me) pulls parent's hair, the doctor and nurse work together to listen to his lungs and heart, check his throat and ears. The doctor then gives directions to the parent (or the other parent if both are there and Liam is still screaming in first parent's ear). The bill and prescription are all on the same paper. Today we were in and out in about 10 minutes total.

Total cost per visit: W1,800 to 2,800 per visit. Yup, that's about $2.00.

We take the prescription to the pharmacy across the street from our apartment building. (There is an on-site pharmacy, but we like our local pharmacist and prefer to give her our business.) She gives us the medicine in small bottles (just the right amount for the two or three days until the next doctor's visit) labeled with the amounts and times per day to be administered. She also throws in free vitamin C tablets.

Total cost for 2-3 days worth of medicine: about W3,000. That's the same price I paid for a little toy train at the discount shop down the street after Liam's second doctor visit.

I will point out that something like 92% of medical facilities in South Korea are privately owned. It's a very different system than many countries with universal health care. But it certainly seems to work, at least from my vantage point.

Note to self: stop falling down

2008-11-28T01:55:00.000-08:00

Some women get clutzier when they're pregnant. I guess I'm naturally clutzy enough that I can't get any worse. I never tripped or fell when I was pregnant with Liam. I blame Liam completely for the fact that I've now fallen twice, in public, in the past month.

The first time, I was walking with Liam on a rainy, dismal day. I remember that it was the day of my friend Aubrey's birthday party and we were returning from the stationary shop where I'd gotten a card and ribbon for her gift. We'd also picked up Liam's favorite little fish-shaped, custard-filled (shuga-cream in Konglish) breads. Liam was tired, which he proved after we got home by throwing a stupid fit (over the fish bread) and then falling asleep on my lap. So, on the way home, he wanted me to carry him, something I've been doing less and less lately. Because of the toddler perched on my protruding belly, I couldn't see the curb very well, came down on my ankle wrong, and fell, dropping my child and the bag with the fish bread.

Why is this worth blogging about? Because there was an older woman walking by who saw the whole thing, saw that I was obviously pregnant, saw that I dropped my child who was then crying, and did NOTHING. She was not feeble-old or helpless-old, just grandmotherly. She didn't even ask if I was okay. She just stared at me for a moment and then kept walking, before I was even collected and off the ground.

Yes, I added this to my "list of slights," an imaginary list that I invented once in conversation with my friend Jen. I'm taking back what I previously said about old people in Korea being extremely courteous. Apparently that only applies when others are around to see them being nice to the foreigners.

This past week, I was walking down the sloped sidewalk in front of my apartment with Liam. He was holding my hand and started running, then fell down. He somehow took me down with him. So there we were, sprawled on the sidewalk, checking out our scrapes, and I looked up. A girl was standing at the end of the sidewalk just staring at us. In Korean, I said to her, "What? What are you looking at? Go!" Then in English, "What are you looking at? Foreigners fall down, too." She looked surprised and walked away. (She might have been surprised because I yelled at her. She might have been surprised because I spoke Korean. Or she might have been surprised because I said, "Mul ba?" which is the way gangsters in Korean movies ask "What are you looking at?")

I know that I'm a cranky pregnant woman. I understand that's just the way Koreans are in general, and specifically around foreigners who don't really fit into the social strata. That doesn't stop me from getting very, very, very irritated. So obviously, I just need to stop falling down. That will solve the problem. (And I still say it's all Liam's fault.)

Konglish

2008-11-24T01:48:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, Konglish is the term used for words borrowed from English, but usually with their own uniquely Korean pronunciation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konglish
Ironically, Konglish can make it easier for foreigners to communicate outside the classroom, and yet frustrating to communicate within the classroom.

Case in point: my middle school listening/conversation class several years ago. The text I was using contained thematic units with completely random vocabulary. One of the listening activities is to choose from several sentences the one which best describes a tiny black-and-white photograph in the book. I think the sentence in question was, "The woman is reading the label." Students didn't recognize the word, "label." After I explained it, one girl said, "Oh, LA-BELL." Of course, la-bell.

Same class, this time the word is "matinee." I explained that it's a movie showing or theater performance in the afternoon. No recognition. I looked it up in the English-Korean dictionary. The first Korean entry was met with blank stares. The students didn't understand. I carefully sounded out the second entry: mah-tee-nay. I almost slapped myself in the forehead as I reitterated, "Come on, guys, mah-tee-nay." "OH, MAH-TEE-NAY!" my class replied.

The biggest slap-myself-in-the-forehead moment was when an elementary school student corrected MY pronunciation of Hawaii. "No, teacher, ha-wa-ee!" Now I realize that her pronunciation is probably closer to the original, but being corrected by a ten-year-old on the pronunciation of a state in MY home country is a little ridiculous. American teachers are hired to teach American English, and if we want to mangle the pronunciation of our states, then so be it.

My friend Sara tells a particularly hilarious story (as all of Sara's stories are) of explaining, drawing, even pantomiming a parachute with no recognition from her students. Finally, she looked it up in the dictionary: Pah-lah-choot. Her students swore they didn't understand any of her attempts, but she suspects they were just toying with her.

Outside the classroom, if I don't know a word in Korean, I often try to Konglishize it: z becomes j, f becomes p, compound consonant sounds are separated (i.e. bl become bul), and often extra vowels are added at the end. It's amazing how well this works.

Some Konglish words, written as they sound:
ice cream: eye-soo-cu-reem-uh
cheese: chee-juh
pizza: pee-jah
hamburger: hame-buh-guh
steak: suh-tay-ee-kuh
coffee: cah-pee (sounds like copy -- so my students were always confused when I said I was going to make a copy during class)
vitamin: bee-tah-mean
bus: bu-suh
taxi: take-shi
motorcycle: oh-toe-bah-i (supposed to sound like "autobike")
cell phone: han-duh-pone (supposed to sound like "handphone")

I killed the voices

2008-11-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

We live in probably the biggest apartment complex in Sokcho, which we sometimes refer to affectionately as "the projects." Buyoung Apt ("ah-paht" in Konglish) was built 10-20 years ago, depending on who you ask. The complex stretches about a mile, parallel to, but about one block off, the main road through Sokcho. It's divided into smaller areas by various streets which are scattered with restaurants and other businesses. Some small businesses, like daycares, are housed within apartments. The buildings are each about 15 stories high and our floor (which is about average) has 8 apartments. In some ways, it's almost like a little city within itself.

Our apartment isn't fancy, but it's comfortable and fairly spacious. All the buildings (at least in our section) were repainted inside (interior hallways) and out this summer, which makes them look much snazzier than when we moved in this spring. There are lots of playgrounds, which are gradually being updated. We have easy access to a large grocery store, a dry cleaner, a stationary/craft store, restaurants, etc. The only drawback is the voices.

On the wall in our main room (kitchen/dining/living) is a phone, which we never use. We assume it would connect us to an ajashi (doorman), who probably can't speak English anyway. Above that is a small speaker. The size is deceiving, considering the volume of the announcements that come from that speaker. There is no volume control. On average, once per day, anytime from 8am to 9pm, random announcements are made, by various people, through this speaker, always book-ended by a series of dings, somewhat similar to our doorbell.

Of course, if we understand a few words from the rapid spiel, we're doing well. Sometimes, we can deduce the content of the announcement from events that follow, such as the time our water was shut off shortly after an announcement, or another time when we lost power for a few hours. Overall, these announcements do us no good. The last three evenings, after Liam was already in bed, the same man's voice made lengthy announcements which included the word "piano." Piano is Konglish (a recent addition to the Korean language taken from English). Not being able to understand the majority of the message, I can't be sure, but I'm very suspicious that he is advertising (among other things) a piano school.

My first attempt was to muffle the voices. I used thumb tacks to affix a terry cloth dish towel over the speaker. It was completely unsuccessful, but did draw questions from several guests, both Koreans and foreigners. Last night, I finally had enough. I removed the cover and then the actual speaker unit from the wall. Matthew disconnected some wires and replaced the rest of the unit. Now we wait. Hopefully, I will never hear the voices again.

Update: IT WORKED! During Liam's nap today there was an announcement. I know that because I could hear our neighbors' speaker. That's how loud it is! It wasn't loud enough to disturb Liam, though. Hallelujah!

this place in time

2008-11-07T01:23:00.000-08:00

Just in case you were wondering:

3 years ago: when we first came to Korea (as of 7 November)
6 months ago: when we returned to Korea (6 months to go in this contract...after that???)
4 weeks from now: Liam turns 2 years old
8 weeks from tomorrow: Rowan's estimated due date

happy day

2008-11-05T02:38:00.000-08:00

This isn't usually a forum for my political thoughts, but part of living in South Korea is my identity as an American, and the United States has just experienced an historic moment, after which we will never be the same.

Reasons I am ecstatically (one might say blissfully) happy today:
We have elected a liberal president.
We have elected a black president.
We have elected a (relatively) young president.
We have elected a man who believes in change.
We have elected a man who has made me cry twice in the past week, because of the hope he represents.
We have elected a man who I consider a feminist.
There will be a strong first lady in the White House.
There will be children in the White House again...and a new puppy.
There will not be another four years of the same.

God bless America!

a weekend in the country

2008-11-04T02:08:00.001-08:00

It all started with E-Mart, as do so many things here in Sokcho. Matthew & his dad met J.E., a Korean-American from NYC who is teaching out in the boonies on the other side of Mt. Seorak. Since she comes into Sokcho most weekends, she's joined us for Sunday evening dinners and a jaunt to Daepo Hong (harbor). Her bosses also run a pension, or "back packers' hotel," and were kind enough to let us stay in one of their cabins a few weekends ago. We had planned to visit a nearby temple while there, but it was extremely crowded due to the autumn leaves. (Day 1, the line for the shuttle bus was insane. Day 2, we took one look at the back-up of highway traffic and decided to go the opposite direction.) Instead, we drove our rental car down to Gangneung (about an hour south of Sokcho) for the day. Even though things didn't go according to plan, it was a beautiful weekend and a nice change of pace to be completely mobile. (It was on the return trip from Gangneung that we stopped for the disappointing clam chowder.)

Giving credit where credit is due, I need to mention that Matthew & I were photographic slackers that weekend. All of these pictures are courtesy of J.E.

blindsided by pizza

2008-11-03T02:54:00.000-08:00

I thought pizza was fairly safe. I thought "Hawaiian pizza" was too simple to mess up. I saw the picture, which certainly looked like pineapple and ham, and thought that would be delivered. I thought wrong.

Yes, it's actually fruit cocktail: peaches, pineapple, some unidentified fruit and (YES!) maraschino cherries. No ham. But those are black olives. I couldn't bring myself to eat the maraschino cherries, but other than that, it was strangely good.

When will I ever learn?

2008-10-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

South Korea is known (with varying degrees of fondness) by many expats as "the land of not-quite-right." American culture has had a large influence on Koreans, but they tend to put their own spin on things, like food. You would think that after many disappointments, I would learn not to get my hopes up, but apparently I'm still...

gullible
[guhl-uh-buhl]
adj.
easily deceived or duped
(for example, see picture at left)

Fool me once: Baked Potato w/ "sour cream"

A new restaurant called "Joys" (part of a Korean chain) opened in Sokcho the first time we were here. They had baked potatoes on the menu with what looked like sour cream. Not so much. Try sweetened whipped cream. So I scraped that off and asked for butter. The waitress brought me honey butter, since that's what they serve with bread.

Fool me twice: Nachos

Mexican food just has not caught on here. Taco Bell is one of the only American major fast-food chains that has not set up franchises in South Korea. So I really should have known better than to order nachos and quesadillas at "Miller Time," a bar in Sokcho's restaurant district.

The quesadillas were passing good, but they contained no cheese. That's right; they were just dillas. The nachos, which were picture-perfectly arranged, were topped with cheese, honey-mustard sauce (same color as the cheese), sliced jalapenos, corn, probably some other random vegetables, and maraschino cherries. (Apparently, someone had seen a picture of nachos with diced tomatoes on top and thought they were cherries.) They were inedible.

Fool me three times, I'm just an idiot: clam chowder

Our friend Kelsey showed us a flier for a little place called "Edelweiss" down the beach a ways. According to the limited amount of English on the flier (and the pictures), they serve clam chowder (in a real bowl with three slices of crisp garlic bread on the side) and sell "real chocolate" and have some sort of "Sound of Music" theme.

Since we rented a car for the weekend and were driving back up the coast with friends, we decided to stop there for a light supper. The place is tiny, think small gift shop with one table and a mini-kitchen, but the proprietor said he had clam chowder and showed us a large take-out paper bowl when we asked what size the chowder was. We thought it was a decent deal (for Korea) at W6,000 (about $6 at normal exchange rates), so all five of us ordered bowls.

I was mostly supervising Liam so that he didn't break any of the souvenirs for sale. But our friends were able to see that he was opening cans of Campbell's clam chowder, and not even the chunky kind that we have to order from Costco in Seoul, but the original concentrated kind that we can buy for about W2,500 per can at the local grocery store. He heated it in the microwave, with less milk than normal, but didn't stir it very well. The large paper bowls he had shown us were only half-full of soup, which was served with semi-sweet crackers and a sliced dill pickle (which is hard to find in Korea). Oh, and he put on the soundtrack from "The Sound of Music" while we ate. Now, that's atmosphere.

It was edible, but definitely not worth the price. But, then, why did I expect anything else?

gettin' domestic

2008-10-24T03:23:00.000-07:00

If you know me very well, you know that I'm a very sarcastic person. The name of this blog is pretty tongue-in-cheek. Not that I'm not a happily married, happy mother, but I don't know that I live in a state of bliss (especially if ignorance must accompany it). And I'm not really all that domestic. I like to knit, cook and bake, and there ends my domestic skill. My mother and husband will both tell you that I'm horrible at cleaning. I don't "use enough elbow grease," according to them. Whatever. Martha does not scrub her own pans.

With that disclaimer, I've been wanting to add a touch of domesticity to this blog. My friends here keep asking me for recipes, since Matthew and I definitely prepare food more than the average waygook. My loyal readers outside Korea (Hi, Sumi, Sara & Sue ; ) will hopefully be entertained by the lengths to which I must go just to recreate some of my favorite foods.

This is my stove. There are three gas burners on top, and a small gas oven on the bottom.

By small, I mean that the opening measures 12x6". Due to all the weird shelves, the largest baking dish that fits measures 6x8" at the bottom. It's a Pyrex dish that's wider at the top. I can make recipes that are supposed to fit in a 8 or 9" square pan. However, if I fill the pan too full and the contents rise to the rim, some of it will inevitably stick to the top element.

These are the controls. (Oven control is on the bottom right.) No temperature, just handy little pictures (featuring fish & bread) that vaguely indicate which elements are in operation. We've gone through a lot of trial and error to figure out which settings work for different recipes. The first time I made pineapple upside-down cake, it took forever to bake because I had the oven on too low. The second time, it was Cajun-style. (Sorry, no photo documentation on that.)

I should mention that I'm "lucky" because most Koreans (and foreign teachers in Korea) do not have ovens of any kind. Some of our friends here have toaster ovens. Others of the more permanently-settled type (i.e. married to a Korean) have normal-sized ovens. Traditional Korean cooking does not include baking and most Koreans prefer to buy baked goods from the store.

Here is baking lesson #1: meatballs

I don't actually use a recipe, but here's basically what I put in the batch I made today:
3 slices of bread
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
half of a medium-sized white onion, chopped
4 or 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried basil }
2 teaspoons dried oregano } All herb amounts are guestimations;
2 teaspoons dried thyme } I just dumped them in.
salt and pepper to taste
400 grams ground beef
400 grams ground pork

Soak the bread in the milk until it's soggy, then squish all the excess milk out and crumble the bread into a mixing bowl. (This is a great alternative since I don't have a blender and haven't found prepared bread crumbs here.) Add the eggs and all the seasoning. Mix well with a fork. Dump in the meat and mix it all together with your hands. Yummy ; )

Shape the mixture into balls about 1 1/2 inches wide and place on some type of broiler or grill sheet.

Bake with the upper element partially on and the bottom element fully on. (This would be known as broiling in a normal oven.) Keep a close eye on them, because burnt meatballs suck and stink up your whole apartment. You'll need to cook them 5-10 minutes on the first side and 2-5 on the second side. Maybe. If the back of your oven is hotter, like mine is, you'll probably need to rotate the pan one during the first side's baking time.

When the meatballs are done (NOT pink in the middle), move them to a paper-towel-lined plate to cool. Once they're cool, you can store them in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to add them to spaghetti, sweet-n-sour sauce, etc. The batch I made today yielded about 5 dozen meatballs.

Follow that with cooking lesson #1: creamy carrot soup

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
4 1/2 cups sliced carrots (1/4 inch thick)
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth*
1 tsp ground ginger**
2 cups heavy cream (make sure you get the unsweetened kind!)
1 tsp crushed dried rosemary***
salt & pepper to taste

In a large pot, saute onion in butter until tender. Add carrots, potato, broth, and ginger. Cover and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until vegetable are tender. Cool for 15 minutes.
Puree in small batches in a blender or food processor (thank you, Kelsey, for letting me borrow yours) until smooth. Return to the pot, add cream, rosemary, salt & pepper. Cook over low heat until heated through.
Makes 6-8 servings.

*Broth: You can also use vegetable broth. We make our own. To make vegetable broth, chop up some vegetables (onions, carrots, leeks, zucchini, garlic, etc. -- whatever you want to use) and add some herbs (fresh or dried) and a lot of water. Bring to a boil and then leave it to simmer for several hours. Strain everything chunky out and (voila!) you have vegetable broth. Chicken broth is basically the same, but with chicken. Matthew has discovered that he can get a chicken carcass at the local grocery store for W500 (usually about 50 cents, but currently closer to 35 cents with the horrible exchange rate) if he just asks for it.
**Ginger: We brought dried ginger with us, because we packed the entire contents of our spice shelf. Fresh ginger is actually easier to find here and would probably work great. You would probably want to use more than the recipe calls for, since dried herbs are more intense. Grate it as finely as you can.
***Rosemary: I used fresh rosemary when I made this recipe here. Rosemary plants are very easy to find in Korea, although it's not commonly used for cooking. Koreans just like the aroma. I probably used between 2 tsp and 1 tbsp of fresh, chopped rosemary. (I broke off 2 or 3 sprigs, rinsed it, pulled off the leaves and chopped those up.)

a few high-lights of my in-laws' visit

2008-10-18T01:36:00.000-07:00

I have been a negligent blogger. I could blame it on my in-laws visiting, but they were only here for 10 days. I've just been lazy.

We had a great time while they were here. Not trying to see or do too much, made it a relaxing and enjoyable visit for everyone (I think).

All of us at the top of the Mt. Seorak cable car. It was a beautiful, clear day!

Liam plays peek-a-boo with Grandma on the bus ride down to Gangneung.

Matthew (w/ Liam aloft) and his mom explore Ojukheon grounds in Gangneung. Ojukheon was the home of a really famous mother & son. She was an artist whose artwork is already featured on the W5,000 bill and her portrait will be on the upcoming W20,000 or 50,000 bill. Her son was a scholar and advisor to the king.

Matthew takes a picture of the rest of us enjoying a fabulous meal of dolsot bap (hot pot rice) and a plethora of side dishes. Liam likes the rice best.

Matthew and his dad grub down on free noodles at Naksan temple. Mashisayo! (Delicious!) Isn't it cute that they're color-coordinated? (So very Korean of them!)

things that make me chuckle

2008-10-18T01:18:00.000-07:00

1. Yes, that's "ROCK THE OTE" (downtown clothing boutique)

2. Advertisement in children's boutique window

3. "I Did Blow with Kate moss And all i Got Was this Lousy T-shirt." (This is actually one of Matthew's students. She still wears the shirt, even after he explained the meaning to her.)

4. From our mattress: "Glaring sunshine is deeply sprayed at room which is cotton. Dreaming a romantic vision, awaken life by freshing morning air. Feel the comfortable Bed-room culture which can feel own mood."

5. I'll let you read it for yourself. This was the back of a jacket prominently displayed at a vendor booth at the Yang-yang Pine Mushroom festival. The vendor showed me that it came in another color, too. After I asked to take a picture, Matthew tried to explain the meaning to her. She didn't seem very shocked. Huh...

korean food

2008-09-18T03:12:00.000-07:00

Two of the most well-known elements of Korean food are kimchi (spicy fermented vegetables -- usually cabbage -- sometimes referred to as "Korean sauerkraut," which it is definitely NOT) and gochujang (red pepper paste). I don't like either of them.

I can tolerate kimchi only if it's cooked, like in dubu kimchi or cooked on the grill with samgyeopsal (fatty pork -- a bit like thick cut bacon). Dubu is Korean for tofu; dubu kimchi then is tofu with kimchi. Chunks of semi-firm tofu are arranged around the edges of a plate filled with cooked kimchi mixed with pork. (It can be ordered without pork, but many vegetarians have been misled. Koreans tend to eat tofu in addition to meat, not instead of it.) The tofu and kimchi mixture are eaten together, with different textures and tastes complimenting each other. The tofu tempers the spiciness of the kimchi, and the pork adds some extra flavor. This is usually considered "drinking food" as it goes very nicely with beer.

Gochujang manages to be both bland and spicy at the same time, and is, in my most humble opinion, a waste of taste buds. Thai and Mexican food are my favorite cuisines, so obviously I don't mind spicy, but I like it to have more flavor. Korean cooking tends to use gochujang in place of any other herbs or spices. Gochujang is mixed with meat, seafood, or vegetables, and is usually present in at least half the side dishes served with every meal. I don't like any of it.

With that said, there are plenty of Korean dishes I do enjoy.

Since I already introduced the topic of tofu, Sundubu is a tofu stew commonly found in our provice, Gangwon-do. Very soft tofu is cooked in a delicious broth with clams (still in the shell) and thin-sliced green onion. Of course, it's served with rice as is almost any soup here. The idea is that you scoop some rice up with your spoon, then dip into the broth before eating. (The picture is actually of sundubu jiggae. It's similar, but contains gochujang and, evidentally, a raw egg.)

My other favorite soup is galbitang, beef-rib soup. Chunks of rib meat, some still attached to the bone (and therefore awkward to eat), are cooked in broth with japchae noodles (thin, transparent sweet-potato noodles), thin-sliced green onion, and egg (reminiscent of egg-flower soup). This is the ultimate sniffle-busting meal for winter.

Galbi can actually refer to the rib meat of cows, pigs, or even horses, as we learned on Jeju Island (famous for its horse meat). When we go out for galbi, we almost always order pork, since it's half the price and twice (well, almost) as moist and tender. The meat is marinated and brought to the table piled on a platter. Galbi restaurants have grills built into the tables, so it's cooked right in front of you. The waitress usually gets it started and then the women at the table (if there are any) are supposed to keep an eye on it. (Very different from the States where men typically take over grilling duties.) Matthew usually takes over, and the waitresses invariably keep placing the tongs in front of me. The meat is cut into bite-size pieces, and typically eaten wrapped in lettuce or sesame (very tasty!) leaves with soybean paste and sliced garlic (raw or grilled). Galbi seems to be the most common favorite amongst foreigners, probably because it is just straight-up good (unless you don't eat meat).

Another non-vegetarian foreigner favorite is bulgogi, thinly sliced beef marinated in sweetened soy-sauce. At a restaurant near our very first apartment (which disappeared -- the restaurant, not the apartment -- during our absence), the meat was mixed with vegetables and served on a bed of rice. The sauce was a deliciously subtle combination of spicy and sweet. I hope to find another restaurant that makes bulgogi the same way, and hopefully delivers.

Mandu is Korean for dumpling, and refers to a variety of different types. Mandu is typically filled with meat, vegetables and chopped noodles. It can be served fried as an appetizer or in Manduguk (soup) which is similar to galbitang with the exception of the title ingredient. In both of those options, the dumpling part is pasta-like (as pictured). My absolute favorite is steamed mandu, which is more bread-like. There's a small restaurant across from the express bus terminal that serves mandu this way. I wish I could put into words how perfect these steamed mandu are. They are a little bit of culinary perfect, for only $2 for a plate of five dumplings. I'm not really sure what is in the bottles on the table, some type of oil, some vinegar perhaps, and a red-pepper powder that lends the perfect touch of spiciness. The mandu are dipped in a combination of these, which the bread soaks up wonderfully. The tragedy here is that the two times we've eaten there since we've been back, there were no mandu since the owner hurt his finger. He makes the mandu and his wife makes the gimbap...another foreigner favorite which actually comes with vegetarian options.

Gimbap is sometimes referred to as "Korean sushi," but it contains no raw ingredients. Normal gimbap contains thin slices of canned ham, perhaps crab, thinly sliced vegetables like carrot and pickled radish, surrounded by a layer of rice (bap), wrapped in dried seaweed (gim). My favorite variation is chamchi (tuna) gimbap, which usually has sesame leaves and mayonnaise in addition to the vegetables and tuna. (I prefer that it doesn't contain ham.) There's also cheju (cheese) gimbap, bulgogi (beef) gimbap, and even "nude" gimbap which lacks the gim. So it's not really GIMbap, now is it? You can buy gimbap from the refrigerator section of almost any grocery or convenience store, but you should not, unless you are starving. Gimbap should always (again, just me voicing my oh, so humble opinion) be eaten fresh, with most ingredients still at room temperature. (Please ignore the chunk of radish kimchi on the plate. I would not eat that.)

Pajeon, often described as green onion and squid pancake, is considered hiking food. It's also sometimes called Korean pizza. It's neither pancake nor pizza, although it is cooked in a round, flat shape. The batter is mostly egg, with some grated potatoes and the previously mentioned ingredients. It's usually pretty greasy, as it's cooked in a healthy amount of oil, which is probably why many people find it necessary to wash it down with soju (the evil Korean grain alcohol). I've had other variations, of which I don't know the names, since they were homemade. Our neighbor made some with kimchi (again, okay, because it's cooked and not overwhelming) substituted for the onion and squid. Two of my friends (one Korean, the other married to a Korean) make it with just potatoes and eggs (and probably some other ingredients that contribute to texture, but not really to taste). All variations are served with soy sauce for dipping, which nicely flavors the bland potato-egg base.

Finally, I come to hottoek ("ho talk"), a funny name for a wonderful, fattening, tooth-rotting treat. Unlike pajeon, hottoek could accurately be described as a pancake -- not as "pitta bread with sweet filling" as Lonely Planet would mislead you into thinking (crazy Brits can't even spell pita right!). Pitas are baked, this is FRIED, FRIED, FRIED on a griddle. The "sweet filling" part is correct, but that description does no justice to the mixture of brown sugar, honey, nuts, and cinnamon that melts in the middle. If you eat it while it's hot, the filling will inevitably drip down your arms, and you will lick it off, because it is that good. (On a windy day, you may end up wearing the filling as t-shirt decoration.) Because I am a crazy American (see, I'm an equal-opportunity insanity-labeler), I consider such a sugary concoction as breakfast food. I used to occasionally walk about half a mile (from our beach apartment) on weekend mornings to buy hottoek (3 for $1), and, yes, I could eat all three in one sitting.

Korean cuisine is very diverse, and I've tried only a small fraction of the traditional dishes. I know that I've skipped over many of the delicious dishes that I have tried, but I've already made myself hungry writing this much. I need to go find something to eat.

a few more thoughts about old people

2008-09-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention in my previous post on this topic that old women often push their groceries and other packages around in stripped down baby strollers. The covers and padding are usually gone, leaving just the plastic frames. Matthew thinks they also function as a type of walker, since U.S.-style walkers would be much too slow for the grandmothers as they zip around.

I feel I should also mention that old people here are the group most likely to give up their seat on the bus for Liam & I. (The next most likely group are women in their 20s and 30s. Teenagers are the least likely, in their own little world with their headphones on most of the time.) I have declined ("Kontenio." That's okay.) when the seat is offered by a frail-looking old person. Come on, I don't need the seat THAT badly!

a head wound, a domestic disturbance and infernal itching

2008-09-03T06:44:00.001-07:00

No, these things are not really connected. Maybe someday I'll write a story in which they are.

The head wound is actually part of the continuing (even though I said it was over) saga of Bossy Grandma. She struck again.

I met up with Min Jeong, my Korean mommy friend, at the playground one evening. I was sitting on a bench, feeding Liam a snack -- and therefore captive -- when Bossy Grandma sat down beside me. She had the nerve (THE NERVE!) to touch my belly and start telling me AGAIN that Liam is too young for me to be having another baby. She used her concerned face and everything. In English, I told her, "Yes, you've already told me that. And it's none of your business." I tried to ignore her after that, although the kids who were watching Liam eat his fruit leather kept translating for her.

Perhaps 10 or 15 minutes later, Liam started one of his favorite pastimes: jumping off a bench. His friend Jun Min quickly followed, and so did Little Chunk (grandson of Bossy). Liam probably made a dozen successful, unassisted jumps before his foot caught and he went down headfirst onto the gravelly sand. Of course, Bossy Grandma jumped on him before I could take the two steps between us. I had to practically push her off my child so that I could comfort him. I was cuddling him and heading for the nearest empty bench to assess the damage when Bossy Grandma started talking to me. Of course, I ignored her, but then one of the kids started saying "pee, pee," which means "rain" or "blood" in Korean, and pointing to Liam's head. At that point, I pulled him off my shoulder and looked at his head. Sure enough, there was a patch of bright red blood in his white-blond hair. I quickly said goodbye to Min Jeong, grabbed my bag, and headed up to the apartment with Liam, shooing away the future ambulance-chasers who tried to get a good look at Liam's head.

The conclusion of this story is that once I cleaned the blood up, the wound obviously wasn't very serious. We ran into Matthew's pediatrician friend the next day, who said it was just a "surface abrasion." He has a little scab that his hair mostly hides. I haven't run into Bossy Grandma since then, but I'm sure when I do, I'll get an earful about my poor child and why I shouldn't let him jump off benches. Oy vey.

The domestic disturbance occurred last night. Liam went to bed early and I was checking e-mail and otherwise wasting time, when I heard a man's angry voice. After a few minutes, a woman started yelling back. I realized it was our next door neighbors. The windows to the hallway were open, so I could hear (but not understand) every word they were saying. I wasn't trying to understand. Then their son (about three or four years old), started crying. I shut the windows. I find this incident worth writing about not because it's that unusual. The same thing could happen in any apartment complex in the U.S. But I didn't know what to do. In the U.S., I would either stick my head out the door and ask if everything is okay, or call the police, depending on the severity of the argument. Other than the raised voices and tone, I don't know how serious it was. I could ask if she's okay, but would I understand her reply? Is that socially acceptable here? I could call the police, but what would I say? Matthew took some fresh-baked cinnamon rolls over this evening and said the mom and son were home and seemed fine. (Hopefully they split the third cinnamon roll before the husband came home!)

And, finally, the infernal itching. Liam and I have about a brazillion mosquito bites each, including on our faces. They don't seem to bother Matthew much. He is either not as sweet as we are (very possible), doesn't visit the playground as often (but I'm positive we get most of the bites while we're sleeping) or drinks enough alcohol to keep them at bay. ("Move on! This one ain't tasty!") I cannot wait for a nice dry autumn. Death to all mosquitoes!

Photo documentation of my poor little man's bites:

And thus ends my whining. Until next time.

Hiking Korean-style

2008-08-26T17:56:00.001-07:00

After two days of rain, Sunday was a perfect day for a hike. We decided to head to Mt. Seorak to do the waterfall hike: short enough for Liam, easy enough for me, but interesting enough for Matthew.

In the slideshow:
Views of the stream facing east (toward the Sea of Japan) and west (toward cable car).
The first part of the hike winds through a forested area.
Matthew enjoyed searching for caterpillars along the way, and plans to return this winter (with Liam, hopefully) to look for cocoons and chrysallises.
Suddenly, there is a clearing in the woods. Hiking (even just a short ways) stirs up an appetite for food, drink, and souveniers. A proprietress tries to talk Matthew & Liam into potato pancake or wild mountain grape wine. (Unfortunately for her, we'd packed PB&J sandwiches.)
The second part of the hike is fairly steep (mostly stairs) alongside some gorgeous waterfalls.
At the trail's end, Matthew carries Liam back up from the water to eat some lunch. Notice the women in the foreground decked out in serious hiking gear.

This hike was our introduction to Seorak National Park almost three years ago. I haven't done the hike since then, so this was an interesting return. Three years ago, we were a childless couple, just arrived in a new country. It's amazing how much has changed since then, but the hike is just as beautiful as ever. We're looking forward to doing it again in a few months when the leaves are changing colors.

I'm done.

2008-08-22T01:11:00.000-07:00

This is the final chapter in the Bossy Grandmother saga, because I've dealt with her for the last time.

When Liam and I got into the elevator early this morning (en route to the beach), she was there. She suddenly realized that I'm pregnant, although I swear she asked me the first time I encountered her. Maybe she thought I hadn't lost my baby weight from Liam, or maybe she pesters so many foreign women with toddlers that she has me confused. (That was sarcasm, as I think I'm the only foreign woman in town with a toddler.) At any rate, she proceeded to tell me that Liam is too young for me to have another baby. I said he's 20 months now. The new baby isn't due until January. They'll be 25 months apart. I don't know why I bothered. She kept insisting that they're too close together. "Whatever," I said in English as I fled the elevator.

What an evil, toxic woman. She has never said a positive word to me, other than to refer to my son as "friend" (chingu) when talking to her grandson. (All Koreans seem to do this when they have a toddler anywhere near Liam's age.)

So I'm done. When I see her from now on, I'm going to ignore her. I don't speak or understand any Korean when she's around. That's one perk of being a foreigner.

I've figured out...

2008-08-12T21:17:00.001-07:00

The bossy grandmother that I talked about in my old folks post is my honorary Korean mother-in-law.

One day, Matthew, Liam and I got into the elevator to head down to the park for an evening stroll. Bossy Grandma was already in the elevator with Little Chunk in his stroller. She scolded us for not having Liam in a stroller. "You can't carry him everywhere," seemed to be her argument. We pantomimed that he walks most of the time. Matthew was a bit surprised by her behavior, until I told him that she is the grandmother who tells me everything I'm doing wrong with Liam.

The sad thing is that Little Chunk is probably her son's little boy, meaning that her actual daughter-in-law has to put up with CONSTANT nagging. I'm assuming that she also works, considering how often I see Grandma Bossy with Little Chunk. That poor, poor woman that I don't even know.

Recently, Matthew ran into Bossy Grandma in the elevator, minus Little Chunk. She seemed to be complaining to him about how Little Chunk pinches her, as she was showing him bruises. I know it's evil of me, but I had to chuckle. I wonder if her daughter-in-law has trained Little Chunk to pinch Bossy Grandma.

Summer break: Gangneung

2008-08-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

Gangneung is the city of about 250,000 just an hour's bus ride south of Sokcho. In the past, we've only seen the downtown area. Although it does include a McDonald's and several movie theaters, it's otherwise unimpressive. During our break, we decided to check out some of the more picturesque parts of Gangneung.

It rained during most of our time there, but we had lunch in "Tofu Town," soup made with fresh bean curd, served with rice and a few sides. Then we walked in the rain to the nearby lake, where we rented a family bike, so very touristy of us. It stopped raining during our ride, so we were able to enjoy our stroll past rice fields on the way back to the bus stop. The next time we visit, there are some cultural/historical sites we'd like to see, but it was a rather impromptu day. (We had actually planned to visit a temple on the other side of Mt. Seorak, but we would have waited several hours for the next bus there.)

The random picture is three guys in matching hot pink polo shirts (all with collars up) walking together around the lake. It's a Korean thing, I guess.

another day, another walk

2008-07-30T03:06:00.001-07:00

Sunday, it was not raining. In fact, it was quite warm. We decided to check out a nearby hysterical (I mean, historical) site: a traditional thatch-roofed house that was just recently discovered. We didn't really get to check out the house, but the views from the hill where it's located are great. You can see so much of the city.

From there, we continued to wander through neighborhoods of traditional houses until we came out on the main road near the beach. Liam and I played in the water a bit, then we walked back to the main road to catch a bus home. On the way, we made an interesting discovery: a restaurant that apparently serves rabbit soup (ttoki-tang). Matthew is anxious to try it.

an amazing walk in the rain

2008-07-28T20:15:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, it looked like our entire week of vacation was going to be rainy. (This has turned out not to be the case, but weather forecasts aren't always correct.) We had spent some time downtown in the morning, but decided to take a walk in the country, with a fruit orchard and the accompanying roadside stand as our destination.

Liam rode on Matthew's shoulders most of the way there, just enjoying the scenery. We passed a construction site with building machines (just like on Bob the Builder!) that prompted a chorus of "Wow! Wuzdat?" for the next five minutes. After meandering through neighborhoods of traditional houses, we broke into open country. The rice fields are a brilliant shade of green this time of year. Fruit orchards, with apple, pear and peach trees, alternate with vegetable gardens. There was even a small herd of cows, hiding from the rain in their stalls, and several families of dogs in their kennels. Ducks and geese wandered through the fruit orchard. We bought a huge bag of peaches for W5,000 (about $5) which, although they aren't as ripe as ones we'd buy in the States, make good peach crisp.

Liam walked back, splashing in the water that streamed down hills and swirled into the drains. We decided to stop at a cafe on the way back. We had seen signs advertising (in Korean) "Cafe 900 Meters", "Cafe 700 Meters," etc. From a gravel parking lot, we passed through a small entry way surrounded by interesting wooden faces. We walked up the narrow path through the lush woods, passing several water features, pottery arrangements, and an interesting variety of wood and metal statues, including the Blues Brothers and a random non-Korean-looking soldier. As we got closer to the main building, we noticed small cabin-like buildings in the surrounding trees. When we reached the main building, the waiter who came out to greet us explained that besides the main building, there were "bungalows." He led us to one of the bungalows, a small wooden building with full windows on three walls, two of which opened. Inside the only furnishings were a shoe rack, a low wooden table, a fan, and a stack of floor cushions. We ordered coffee and kiwi juice (more of a smoothie) which came with a small assortment of packaged cookies. What a find! We had our own little retreat in the woods. We'll definitely bring people here in the future.

우리는 미친 미국 사람이에요

2008-07-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

Pron: urinun michin miguk seuram ieyo
Trans: We are crazy American people.

Why are we crazy?, you ask.

We are the crazy Americans who walk to the park in the rain, when no one else is outside.

We are the crazy Americans who don't even carry umbrellas if it's only sprinkling.

We are the crazy Americans who let our son play in puddles, knowing that we can take him home and throw him in the bathtub.

We are the crazy Americans who are having a lot more fun than everyone else.

(The pictures are from a previous day when it wasn't raining at all. This Sunday it was sprinkling just enough to interfere with picture-taking. Today it is full-on pouring. Oh, and the rain boots, while cute, are highly ineffective when he splashes water up over the tops. We've reverted to sandals.)

give it away now

2008-07-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

One of the lovely expat traditions in Sokcho is the "giving away party," at which one liquidates ones assets accumulated while here. In this respect, there are basically two types of expats in Korea: those who settle in, and those who just camp out for a while. The "campers" are usually young, single, and most likely just here for a year. The "settlers" are either older (mid-twenties and up), married, and/or here for several years. Only "settlers" usually host GAPs when they depart for home or a new locale, since they're the ones who have accumulated enough "stuff."

Our friend Ara, who is returning to the States this weekend, was definitely a settler. He has two of the three settler traits: he's older than I am (and we'll leave it at that) and just finished his second year at AP. His stay overlapped ours during his first month and last three months. He hosted a GAP this past Sunday.

Large items (cars, bikes, larger appliances, stereos, etc.) are usually sold, rather than given away. For example, Ara sold his car and oven (for a token fee) to other expat teachers. This still left a lot of food items, books, movies, etc. that he simply auctioned off to the quickest hand-raiser. Since he had previously taught for a year in Pohang (a slightly larger steel town further south down the coast), he had the foresight to mail himself boxes of food items that aren't available here. In addition, his mom sent him frequent care packages.

I wasn't able to stay for the entire party, as Liam was suffered from T&T (tired & teething), but Matthew was able to bring home a pretty good selection for us: tapioca pudding mix, various spices, graham crackers, arborio rice, a Yanni CD (Me: Yanni? Matthew: No one else wanted it. Me: Uh-huh.), a genuine Minnesota loon call whistle (which Liam has claimed), dental floss, neosporin, and five garbanzo beans. Someone else "won" the garbanzo beans, but she gave Matthew five so that he can try to grow some on our balcony. I dream of hummus. I'm also next in line for a boxed set of 100 cookie cutters, which currently belong to another AP teacher (Babbie) who leaves in another month.

As you may guess, we're settlers. We hosted our own GAP before leaving in 2006. Some of those items (books, movies, etc.) were regifted at Ara's. Now that he's leaving, the only other guest from our GAP still in Korea is our friend Kelsey.

awesome new Dokdo developments

2008-07-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

News article:
Japan - S. Korea island row escalates

Not to be missed excerpts:

On Thursday protesters in Seoul staged a bloody demonstration outside the Japanese embassy, slaughtering live pheasants – Japan's national bird – on the street.

Angry protesters battered, disembowelled and beheaded live pheasants, while dozens of war veterans in military fatigues shouted "Dokdo is our territory!" as they ate the birds' internal organs and dripped blood on Japanese flags and on pictures of present and former Japanese leaders.

Poor pheasants.

Additional news article:
Islands row deflates Japanese condom sales drive in SKorea

mothers-in-law

2008-07-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

Here's the story I've heard repeatedly from different women:

When I got married, I moved from my hometown to Sokcho, because my husband is from Sokcho. I didn't know anyone here except for my husband's family. My mother-in-law made my life miserable by criticizing everything I do.

One beautiful, educated woman, while recovering in the hospital from the birth of her first child, was told by her mother-in-law, "Next time, have a boy."

Another woman was told that she should have her 19-month-old son toilet trained. The same MIL wouldn't allow this pregnant daughter-in-law to order chicken at a restaurant because of AI (the avian influenza scare). Boiled chicken is safe, incidentally.

The whole situation seems to be a form of hazing. When a woman gets married, she leaves her family, her hometown, and essentially becomes part of her husband's family. Women who were treated horribly by their own mothers-in-law, in turn treat their daughters-in-law horribly, because that's just how it's done.

Matthew's Chinese co-worker says things are similar in China. She just has one daughter and has gotten a lot of grief from her mother-in-law because of that.

I feel a bit guilty when women ask me about my own mother-in-law. No, she doesn't criticize everything I do. After raising two sons, she's delighted to have two daughters-in-law. Some of my friends in the States have issues with their mothers-in-law, but those are individual personality differences, not a cultural institution.

if you want to get a korean fired up...

2008-07-14T02:40:00.001-07:00

A fantastic t-shirt we bought for about $3 at the traditional market. It says "Dokdo is OUR Land" with a silhouette of the entire Korean peninsula. In the second picture, one of Matthew's students is posing with Liam.

Hot topic #1: Dokdo

Basically, Dokdo (which the Japanese call Takeshima) is a bunch of rocks out in the middle of the East Sea (or the Sea of Japan if you're a liar or a thief), the ownership of which has been disputed since the end of WWII, but more fervently in recent years. The reason these rocks are so desirable is the fishing and mineral rights that accompany ownership, but if you ask any Korean child they get very adamant. It's quite obvious that the main issue is not letting those &$*% Japanese steal anything else! During a "who is this person and what do they do" lesson with 3rd and 4th graders, I was informed that the main job of Korean soldiers is to protect Dokdo. They were oblivious to the fact that North Korea, just 50 kilometers north of Sokcho, might be of some concern.

See the Wikipedia article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liancourt_Rocks

Hot topic #2: American beef

I don't know how much this news has reached the States, but it has been headline material here the past few months. American beef was big business in Korea until the mad cow scare in 2003. Since then only options have been Australian imports and expensive Hanu (Korean) beef. The new Korean president revoked the ban on American beef and his approval ratings plummeted. They're worse than Bush's. His cabinet has repeatedly offered to resign, but he refuses to accept their resignation.

From an American perspective, the Koreans are ridiculously emotional over this topic. The fact that the cow in question was actually Canadian doesn't seem to phase them. Tens of thousands protested in Seoul. Korean kids are afraid for their lives.

This is a fantastic article that might appear to be satire, but I assure you that it's all too true:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=c79d60e7-4fb3-4342-94c5-f4a854506903

If you don't take the time to read it, you should at least get this quote:
One story in the last few days, for example, said that cheap, poisonous American beef would be used for school lunches. A weeping 13-year-old was quoted lamenting that she had worked so hard to get good grades and now she was going to die.

celebrity photos (courtesy of the mamarazzi)

2008-07-14T02:25:00.000-07:00

Photos 1-3: Liam plays in the water at Sokcho Beach, with a crowd of Koreans gathered. He is rescued by a pretty Korean girl, while his dad (in the blue shirt with yellow/brown bag) watches.

Photos 4 & 5: "Noona" (older sister) pushes Liam on the swing at the now demolished playground, until Liam is mobbed by kids.

It's rough being a super-star.

old folks

2008-07-01T00:22:00.001-07:00

I think in any society, the older people are the most eccentric, but this is definitely true in Korea. A lot of older people here really show their age. When you consider how far South Korea has come since the devastation of Japanese occupation and then civil war, this country really has been built on the backs of the older generation. This is literally evident in the stooped backs of some of the older women. I suppose I notice it particularly in the older women because there don't seem to be as many older men. I'm assuming that the average lifespan is longer for women than for men, as it is in most of the world. Soju (AKA "Korean vodka" probably helps those odds.)

Here are some of the more interesting encounters and observations I've had:

I often see a rather frail-looking older man getting his daily exercise. He is the slowest power-walked I have ever seen. It's as if someone shot a video of a normal person power-walking, arms pumping away, etc, and then slowed it waaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy ddddddddddoooooooooowwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnn. But the point is, he's out there. More power to him.

In the traditional market, there is one aisle with particularly crazy old women. The craziest of the crazies has on more than one occasion, grabbed (or tried to grab) Liam by the wrists. I'm not 100% sure what she wants to do with him, as it turns into a power-struggle between my 30 pound son and the old woman. Matthew has had to intervene with a respectful, but forceful "ani-yo" (no). Liam is learning to stick close to me when we go through that area.

Old people get suited up in full hiking gear to hit Mt. Seorak or Mt. Cheongdae: matching hiking vest and pants, with the legs tucked into Nordic-style hiking socks, which in turn are tucked into expensive hiking boots, with high-tech backpacks and hiking sticks at hand.

Matthew came home somewhat alarmed and somewhat amused the other day. As he had been waiting for the elevator, a grandmother who lives on the first floor had fallen. He asked if she was okay, but felt he should tell someone, as there were no other adults around. Our building ajashi (doorman or security guard, roughly) wasn't in his little room, so Matthew ran over to the next building, found their ajashi, and pantomimed to him that a halmoni had fallen. They ran back, where the ajashi attended to the woman. The adolescent that rode up the elevator with Matthew informed him that halmoni had been hitting the soju. Aaaaahhhh...

This revelation shed some light on another incident that happened the previous week.

MinJeong and I had been watching the boys play outside my building. The ajashis have recently put up fences made of wooden stakes and heavy ropes, presumably to keep foot traffic off future plantings. An old woman shuffled by and asked MinJeong a question. She translated for me that the woman asked if Liam and JunMin are twins. (See the photo below for evidence that this was a ridiculous question.) Before I could ask if the woman was joking, she stumbled and fell to her knees, catching herself on the new rope fence. MinJeong helped her to her feet and made sure she was okay. As the woman shuffled off, I asked for clarification. "No," MinJeong said, "I don't think she was joking." I quipped that if they are twins, Liam must be an albino. It puzzled me at the time, but the weird question and fall all make more sense when soju is at work.

Another (more sober) grandmother from our building takes her grandson (two months older than Liam) to the playground. Since most toddlers aren't taken to the playground, I give her full credit for that. However, the first time I encountered her, she felt the need to lecture me (in Korean, of course) about everything that I should be doing differently. Now, my Korean isn't very good, but between her pantomiming and a little translation from some kids, this is what I understood. I should not put shorts on Liam, since he will scrape his knees when he falls. (Then she pointed out that he already had a scab on one knee.) This was a warm day, but her grandson was dressed in long sleeves and long pants. When the boys collided, Liam fell down, scraped his knee again, and of course proved her point. She continued to lecture me as I comforted my crying son and put a bandage on his knee. Liam also should not be wearing sandals, but instead should wear sneakers like her grandson. (I'm not sure of the reason on this one...possibly a tripping hazard.) He shouldn't play in the dirt. He shouldn't climb playground equipment. Either I should make him sit down or I should stop chasing him around so much. After trying to be gracious, I began replying "conten-eyo" (it's okay) and walking away.

This encounter really rubbed me the wrong way, but I should mention that it's an exception, rather than the norm. Most grandparents (and parents) at the playground are content to greet me and that's about it.

new friends

2008-07-01T00:03:00.001-07:00

Liam & JunMin share JunMin's ride on an outing

One morning a few weeks ago, Matthew, Liam and I met MinJeong and her son, JunMin, at the playground. JunMin is one month older than Liam. As the boys were playing together, we adults conversed. MinJeong's English isn't perfect, but she's very willing to try. We made plans for her to come over for tea (basically, a play date) the next day, then realized that we are both pregnant with our second child, due in January.

Since then, we've gotten together at least a few times a week. With the help of the dictionary on her mobile phone (Korean "hand phones" come with accessories, to say the least), we're able to discuss all kinds of topics. If I ever actually study, she's willing to help me learn Korean. (I have a CD/book set, but just haven't found the time.) Mostly, it's great just to hang out with another mom and have a playmate for Liam. The boys have similar temperaments and get along pretty well.

One day, we went to a play date at her friend's house. She knows a group of moms that all have children around the same age. There were two little girls there, one a few weeks younger than Liam and another two months older. Strangely enough all four moms (including me, of course) are due with their second child in January. MinJeong's friends don't speak English as well as she does, but with her help in translating, we were able to commiserate about nausea, etc.

We usually get together in the afternoon, after Liam's nap, since JunMin is on the normal Korean toddler schedule of staying up until 11p.m. or midnight, and then sleeping in until nearly noon. (Also, we like to spend family time before Matthew goes to work after lunch.) The drawback for Matthew and everyone else at A.P. is that Liam doesn't always make his evening appearance at the school.

one big happy family

2008-06-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

Coming from a big family (mom was one of six kids, dad was one of seven), I've never liked the whole "honorary family" system. I have 22 legitimate aunts and uncles, plus 31 first cousins. I certainly don't need extra aunties & uncles. Now I live in a culture that uses the honorary system for everyone.

Take for example the terms "aunt" (ajuma) and "uncle" (ajashi). Although some Koreans have tried to tell me that it's actually a different word, any woman over a certain age, especially one who is married and/or has children is an ajuma. (There are specific terms for a maternal aunt, paternal aunt, etc.) While having lunch with some of our high school students, I was a bit horrified that the girls kept calling the waitress over with, "A-juu-mmmaaa." (She didn't mind at all, of course.) Likewise, the middle-aged man who works at our apartment building is commonly referred to as "ajashi."

Last time we were here, I protested against all attempts to label me an ajuma. Now that I have a child, it's just something I have to accept. At the children's birthday party we attended recently, one birthday boy's mother instructed him (in English) to "thank auntie" for the gift we brought, even though that was the first time we'd met.

The honorary labels extend to older people and children. People clearly old enough to be grandparents (men with grey hair and women with short, permed hair, whether grey or not), are called "grandfather" (haraboji) and "grandmother" (halmoni). Children's relationships with each other get complicated. There are separate terms for a boy's older brother, boy's older sister, girl's elder brother, and girl's elder sister. All younger siblings are "dongsaeng," which is what the three-year-old boy Liam played with last week called him. There are some little girls at the playground that act like Liam's big sisters, so I've started referring to them as "nuna," (boy's elder sister).

But the ultimate illustration of how far this "one big family" philosophy truly extends came yesterday. We went to a restaurant near our first apartment, which we used to visit often. The owner remembered us and was delighted to meet our child. I asked for a small, empty bowl to put some of my rice in for Liam. When she realized what I wanted, she brought me a separate bowl of rice for him, then instructed me to add some of the broth from the cold soup served as a side. Matthew and I started to feed Liam, until "auntie" pulled up a chair and told us to eat. She would feed the baby. (I should mention that we were the only customers in the restaurant.) So she stuffed Liam full of good rice, and scolded Matthew when he gave Liam too large of a piece of food.

Sometimes it's nice to have an auntie around.

the semi-reluctant hippie

2008-05-26T19:28:00.001-07:00

Moving back to SK has caused us to make some changes (some mandatory, some not) that benefit the environment.

The mandatory:
* line-drying clothes -- clothes dryers are not common here. Supposedly, some people have washers that also dry. I think those are the rich people. We're not rich, so we hang our clothes. Matthew takes his dress shirts to the dry cleaners, so that get ironed all pretty-like.
* hand washing dishes -- dish washers are also considered a luxury. I'm not sure how much water/energy this actually saves, but I'll pretend that it's significant.
* composting (I think) -- food, at least "wet food" MUST go into a separate bag and then be placed in a separate bin in the garbage/recycling area outside our apartment building. I'm not really sure what happens to the food garbage, but I'll assume that it's composted, because that makes me feel good.
* recycling more -- Koreans are not as picky about recycling. We have to separate plastics, glass/metal, and paper, but beyond that the sorting is all done at the recycling center. More types of plastic are recycled here, too.

The voluntary:
* using public transportation -- We could get a car fairly cheaply, but we're not taking that option (at least at this point). We live very near the bus stop, which takes us anywhere on Sokcho's "main drag" quickly and cheaply. There are also an abundance of taxis (which in an American town of 80,000 would be highly unusual), which, again, are very inexpensive. When I have Liam and a heavy bag of groceries, a cab ride from the door of E-Mart to the door of my apartment building is worth the extra dollar (W 1,000) or so.
* cloth diapering -- I started off with cloth when Liam was born, but gave up because the inconvenience (of traditional flat folds) was overcome by the cheapness of diapers at big box stores. My guilt and the lack of bulk-buying opportunities here in SK convinced me to switch back to cloth. I'm using FuzziBunz (a pocket diaper) and they work great. I have 21 size mediums for Liam, so I wash diapers every 2 or 3 days. I'll buy smalls for the new baby, and we'll be set until potty training, assuming that baby #2 is a skinny little thing like Liam.

Maybe I'm finally living up to the words of my "Think Global, Act Local" t-shirt.

local celebrity or dirty little monkey?

2008-05-18T00:12:00.001-07:00

You're bound to think that I'm exaggerating some of this, but I promise I'm really not.

Most Koreans, especially in a smaller city like Sokcho, have never seen a blond-haired, blue-eyed toddler. Even taking that into consideration, I'm surprised at how much attention Liam gets wherever we go.

Adults, teenager, children, men, women, boys or girls; it doesn't matter. Everyone wants to touch him. He's like a freaking rock star sometimes. The other day, we were mobbed in the middle of the crosswalk by a group of squealing teenage girls. Another day at the local park, it was a group of teenage boys that surrounded Liam, touching his hair, handing him rocks to throw, and cheering every time he threw a rock or clapped his hands. Women randomly walk up to me and try to take him from my arms. People want to touch his hands, his hair, his cheeks.

I get fed up with it at times, and so does Liam. He likes the attention from kids the most, but he gets overwhelmed at times and just wants me to hold him. He's getting good at brushing people off if he just doesn't to be touched or held. He's usually a little man on a mission -- to see the fish in the restaurant tanks, to throw a handful of rocks in the river, etc.

And people want to give him things: ice cream, candy, a toy at the Seorak Park outdoor restaurant where we ate lunch. I'm trying to politely decline (especially on chocolate!), since I don't want a child who thinks he's entitled to everything his little heart desires.

On the other hand, Liam always seems to be filthy here. Part of it is a difference in environment. Instead of wood chips, the playgrounds here are covered in the coarse sand from the beach. (Cats are rare, so it's not a giant litter box.) He likes to lie down on this sand. I don't know why. He has a tendency to put everything in his mouth, and to touch everything. I think I'm just being realistic when I say that Korea is a bit dirtier than the States. Part of it is a cultural thing. People do not touch "dirty" things. They remove their shoes when they enter a home or some restaurants. There's a clearer distinction between the public and domestic spheres. So here comes my child, who likes to do everything by himself. It quickly became clear that it's socially unacceptable (and gross) for him to crawl up stairs using his hands. Despite my best efforts, he always seems to have a dirty face and hands and clothes...

He also threw a few very public tantrums (i.e. in the grocery store check-out line) the first few days, mostly due to jet lag. Since he's a representative for all American children, I was quite embarrassed. Since he's adjusted to the time and to daily routines, the tantrums have basically stopped...thank god.

The Korea Top Ten Lists (originally posted 28 August 06)

2008-03-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

[Note: Looking back through these old blogs that I posted on MySpace during my first sojourn in SK has really brought back memories. Some are good; some are at least amusing. Since I'm planning to delete my MySpace account soon, I wanted to preserve them here.]

I've compiled the following lists of things that I expect to miss and things I believe I will happily leave behind. I've excluded things that are completely obvious or things that are lacking (i.e. variety of food).

Top 10 things I will miss about Korea (kind-of, sort-of in order):
10. the occasional thrill of getting to use my limited vocabulary and phrases
9. coffee vending machines everywhere -- 30 cents for a small cup
8. a free apartment
7. cheap knitting needles and other domestically-made goods
6. cheap and readily available buses and taxis, which eliminate the need for a car -- also, the extra money saved on car insurance, gasoline, and maintenance
5. the amusement of reading ridiculous English sayings everywhere (t-shirts, menus, walls, etc.)
4. meeting and working with people from different countries and backgrounds -- we're all some kind of crazy!
3. living 5 minutes from the beach and 20 minutes from the mountains
2. noraebang (private singing rooms)
1. kids who crack me up on a daily basis and really want to learn English

Top 10 things I will NOT miss about Korea:
10. air-drying all the laundry, including towels (ugh...crunchy)
9. my feet being the only "average-sized" thing about me
8. smelly kids who shower once a week (the minority) and/or don't want to learn anything
7. crowds and people getting into my "bubble" far too often
6. soju- and kimchi-tinged body odor (not mine, because I don't imbibe -- other people's)
5. humidity
4. mosquito bites
3. not-quite-right food: whipped cream on a baked potato, maraschino cherries on nachos, etc....
2. the sewer and fish smells that pop up randomly on the street
1. being stared at constantly and often talked about as if I am not there or cannot understand (which I sometimes can)

And the rains came down... (originally posted 14 July 06)

2008-03-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, eight a.m. Matthew and I were peacefully slumbering, when....
BOOM!
The loudest thunder clap either of us has ever heard shook us from our sleep. The rain came down in sheets. A car alarm went off, but the owner obviously had no desire to go outside to turn it off. The thunder continues to pound. The rain continues to fall. Everyone should experience the rainy season in Asia. Incredible!

Shopping fun (originally posted 20 June 06)

2008-03-14T21:26:00.001-07:00

24 oz of Heinz Tomato Ketchup: W2,850
500 g. penne pasta: W1,480
Questionable Korean-made hotdogs: W1,500

Listening to "Shut the Fuck Up" by Limp Bizkit being played throughout D-Mart while purchasing the above, and probably being the only person in the store who found it the least bit amusing: PRICELESS

Sometimes I love Korea.

The politics of dancing (originally posted 26 May 06)

2008-03-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

When Korean people do something, they do it ALL THE WAY. This applies to working, drinking, eating, protesting, and -- the latest development -- politicking. Local elections across the country will be held on May 31st. (I'm glad I won't be around for any national elections.)

It started out somewhat slowly, about a month ago. Huge posters began appearing on buildings all over town: headshots of men in suits between five and ten feet high. I noticed similar-looking men wandering around at bus stops, grocery stores, even on the city bus, talking to people and shaking hands. (I haven't seen any baby kissing, though.) Then last weekend, the real fun began. When I went to E-Mart, there were groups of young people clad in matching brightly colored t-shirts, dancing and cheering on the sidewalk in front of the store. Across the street there were trucks with huge banners (again the headshots), playing very loud music. One of my friends said the same scene occured in front of her apartment building. She could barely get in.

Within the past weeks, these campaign trucks have been everywhere. They just park on the sidewalk and start blasting music. Because it's warm and we keep the window open, we can hear speeches, cheering and music coming from near the beach, beginning fairly early in the morning. Luckily, the madness should end on Wednesday, and we have the day off.

The public schools are closed, so many of the foreign teachers convinced the hagwon owners to close as well. It's only fair, considering that all the hagwons in town were open on Teacher's Day, even though the public schools were closed. (Apparently, we're not real teachers. I did get some sweet gifts from kids, though.)