Six in Seoul

First let me start off by saying sorry it has been so long since I updated my blog, I have been busy getting ready for the first day of school and my Mother-In-Law's visit.

So, yesterday was the first day of school for Boy 1...........

and for Girl..........

Boy 2 does not start full day KINDERGARTEN till 2 September.  Boy 3 will start preschool mid September, he will go 2 days a week, just for a few hours, more on Boy's 2 & 3 later. 

Boy 1 started 7th grade!!  I cannot believe I have a 7th grader.  I met a couple of my faithful readers when I was in 7th grade, Jana and Randy.  Can you girls believe it has been that long?  Wow,  I have a 7th grader, who is 5 feet, 4 inches tall.  Just one more inch and he will be as tall as I am.  Oh, and get this, he is wearing a size 10 in MENS shoes and isn’t he the most handsome 7th grader in history?  All the girls here at the Seoul American Middle School think so.  J  He has a pretty good schedule this year; he is taking Hongul (Korean), video production and all the other classes a 7th grader should take.  

As for my beautiful Girl, she started 1st grade.  She is very fortunate to have one of her very good friends in class with her & she is very excited about the fact that in 1st grade you get to pick your seat.  She sat by her good friend, pictured below.

A note on the door going into first grade, I found this humorous.

After school we enjoyed a little ice-cream.  Boy 1 was not with us, he was on the way to the airport to pick up his Grammy.

My face says it all.  Look more closely at the dish below, really, inspect it, and then I will tell you the story.

On date night, when Hubby and I went to the antique market we were starving, so as normal we just found a place to eat.  This time it was a little different, we were in an area of town where not many tourist go. In the restaurant there were no pictures of the food; no English menu's and no one spoke English.  Hubby and I decided to stay, because half the time we don’t know what we are ordering anyway.  We looked around saw some guys going to town on something that looked pretty good so we pointed to them and said in the little Korean I know that we would take one of what they were having.  They started delivering our side dishes, all of which were pretty good.  We had something with eggplant and the little dried fishies (you learn to love them), cucumber kimchi, which I enjoy now, bean sprouts and a few other things we could not identify, but were good.  Then our soup came out, (Korean’s eat soup year round) and I could not believe what we had ordered.  They delivered….drum roll please, Jana, get ready to be happy…..HOTDOG and SPAM soup!!!!!  AUGHHHHHHH!!!!  You have got to be FREAKING KIDDING ME!  We ordered HOTDOG and SPAM soup! I wanted to crap myself.  Much to my disgust, I moved the soup around, there was also cabbage kimchi, tofu, zucchini, onions, ramen, some clear noodles, which I have yet to figure out what they are, (they are in lots of soups here) as well as many spices.  I had to eat it, because number one, I didn’t want to offend anyone and number two, I was hungry.  I TRIED one bite of hotdog, (which were NOT all beef dogs) and one bite of spam, because I always make my kids try everything, after that I just moved the hotdogs and spam around in the bowl avoiding them like the plague.  Believe it or not, despite the hotdogs and spam, the meal was decent.  The soup had good flavor and with all the other stuff in it, we didn’t need the “meat”.  Next time, I will look more closely at what we are ordering.  
 

Date night this week was to Janganpyeong Antique Market (also know as Dapsimni Antique Market).  Hubby found the info about this market in the paper; we get the International Herald Tribune.  He said the article talks about more than 120 antique stores in three buildings.  It gave directions and said that visitors don’t know this area as well as InsaDong because visitors have to enter the buildings first to find the stores.  It says that they only get one foreign visitor per day and is a much quieter area of the city.   The article also says there are twice as many antique store here than in InsaDong.  Well, of course we had to check it out and be their one foreign visitor for the day.  (If you live in the area and want directions just let me know and I will get them to you)  The first building we went into wasn’t as big as we expected, but the antiques lined the halls, and all the stores were busting at the seams.  They had the most beautiful double doors, the type Hubby wants for the entrance to the courtyard in our dream home.   The second building was about the same as the first, not as big as expected, but still tons upon tons of beautiful antiques.  We found a wonderful long, slender table with a marble top we would love to have, but have no idea where we would put it.  It is on the list and we might have to go back for it…..we will see.  To find the 3rd building we had to venture out a little further, but it was pretty easy to find.  Here we hit the jackpot.  There were so many stores in this building, however we were running out of time and did not get to explore the entire building. We only hit a few stores on the main floor; we know there were at least 2 more floors full of antiques, if only we had more time.  We will go back when my mother-in-law is here.  She will love this place; the only problem will be if she finds something, how on earth will she get it home?  In the last building we found an amazing chair, I am sure it was made for a giant.  It was so large you could fit at least three people on it comfortably.  It was so high that it had a stool to pull out to climb up on to it.  It was all wood, with hand carvings all over it.  If I only had a nice cool 5G lying around.

Here are a couple of shots I took while out that day….this mask was about half the size of me.

And this statue was just too funny I couldn't resist.

This past Friday one of the families I do conversational phone English with picked the kids and me up and took us to their home in Suwon.  This was our first meeting with them, and our first time to be invited into a Korean home.  I was a little nervous about doing something to insult them or their culture.  We met them in a parking lot right outside the post.  U (the lady), ran to meet me with open arms, so we hugged, which is something I would normally do, but I was totally prepared to just bow to her.  Then with her husband, I blew it, I put my hand out to shake his hand, he shook mine back, but I feel he was a bit uncomfortable with this.  I should have bowed to him, but I was so thrown by U hugging me that all my Korean culture teaching blew out the window.  We drove for about 40 minutes to their home where the kids S & H were waiting.  When we arrived, we took our shoes off, which we are becoming accustomed to doing here in Korea and gave them the gifts we brought.  I was very excited to meet the kids I have been talking to for over a month on the phone, but to my surprise, they were VERY SHY in person.   S couldn’t even be in the same room with us for a few minutes. H was very cute and giggled like she does when she is on the phone with me.  She has a very cute giggle.  I tried to make them as comfortable as I could, joking and talking about things we would normally talk about on the phone, and soon after S started coming around. 

Their house was very simple and small.  U showed us around the house, first she showed us H’s room, it had a piano, a desk and a hanging rack full of clothes, and I thought to myself, “Wow, H has her own study”.  Then she showed us S’s room, same type thing, a dresser and a desk, then she showed us her room, which was a little bigger with a dresser, TV, & desk.  After she showed me S’s room, I realized they sleep in the traditional Korean way, on a “yo” a sleeping mat on floor.  Boy 1 was very shocked to see this and ask me if they have pillows to sleep on.  I am not sure, so this will be one of my questions I ask them when I talk on the phone with them tonight.  

I must tell you about the bathroom, I have been wondering why shower curtains and bathroom rugs are hard to come by in Korea.  Well, it must be because they do not use them.  When we went into the bathroom, the entire bathroom was wet.  There was no shower curtain, not carpet, no décor on the walls.  There is a bench in the bathtub for you to sit on while showering and the shower head is removable so you can sit and wash.  You don’t need to worry about getting water everywhere, because that is what the bathroom is for.  There is even a drain in the bathroom floor.  

Our host were very hospitable, they served us a traditional Korean lunch of bulgogi and duck (no, not the duck you are thinking of, this is a Korean dish called duck.  There is no duck, or meat anywhere in this dish), with many little side dishes. We sat on the floor and ate on a low table.  The kids thought this was very cool.  In fact we now want to get one of these little tables.  I’m sure we will use it for eating sometimes, but we think it will be a perfect game table, and it folds up so you can put it away.


In the picture below Boy 3 and Girl are helping U cut up a very expensive watermelon on one of the small tables.   (I am still having a hard time with how expensive watermelons are here!  $20 USD for a watermelons this size)

Below are H & S.

After we ate and hung out at their home for a while, they took us ice skating where U spoiled my kids!  She gave them each 5,000 won to use at the snack bar for anything they wanted.  Of course they all ate 5,000 won worth of candy.  Girl and Boy's 2 & 3 had never been ice skating before, even though it was challenging, they all had a great time and they did very well.

Our first experience hanging out with a Korean family was a wonderful one.  We had good food, great fellowship; learn a little more about the Korean world and we made some great friends to top it off.  Next time they will come to our house.  I'm sure they will think American are totally spoiled (because we are), the way they live their lives is so different than ours, not better, not worse, just different.  I am so thrilled to have had this experience.

PS….I forgot to mention, most Korean households do not have OVENS (or dishwashers)!!!  I was freaking out, how do they bake?!  They don’t, that is why there is a bakery on almost every corner here.  I don’t know if I could live without my oven.

Several months ago my friend Jana (don't worry, this will not be another Spam blog) ask if I would do a blog on Yongsan.  She has never been to a military instillation, which brings me to different topic…..how long have we been friends?  TWENTY-SEVEN years Missie, and you have never once visited me.  OK, I’m over it.  Anyway, it got me thinking about military life. So many things are just “normal” to me.  Like seeing this for instance……

Now mind you the first time I ever saw this, I was somewhat shocked.  Then after a few times of seeing this it just becomes normal.  I see soldiers walking down the street carrying their guns frequently.  This day there must have been some sort of exercise going on because they were everywhere.  I was going into the PX (Post version of a Wal-Mart) the day I ran into these two guys.  I stopped them and ask if I could take their pictures.  I'm sure they thought I was a little nutty, or a visitor here.  The thing I found amusing about this is, when we enter the PX (Post Exchange) we have to show our ID & Ration cards to enter, the man checking ID's made these 2 soldiers dig into their pockets and pull out their ID cards.  I guess being dressed in full uniform with guns isn't enough; they still need to see your ID card!

The picture above is taken from my back yard.  The red brick building is on post housing, the one you are looking at looks just like the one I live in. The buildings in the background are apartment buildings in Seoul. 

The morning I took these pictures, I was riding my bike around post to get these shots.  I tried looking up how big Yongsan is, but gave up after a few minutes as I could not find it.  I have heard there are about 1,000 families stationed here, but don't quote me on that.  The picture below is of the commissary, where I shop for groceries.  The background is Seoul - check out the sun on the right hand side.

In the next picture I am riding down one of our main streets (we have 2).  The wall you see on the left side is a wall that encloses Embassy housing.  I think at one point the Embassy housing was closed off & you could only go in if you lived there, but now the gate to Embassy housing stays open.  The bus in the picture below (you can see the back side of it) is one of the many busses that runs on post.  You can catch the bus 2 times an hour and take it anywhere on post.  When you first arrive here, you become very familiar with the bus system, as you don't normally get your vehicle for several weeks.  Boy 1 rides this bus all the time.

The next photo was taken outside our fire house.  Normally the dog has water coming out his hose, but I guess it was too early for him when I took this picture.

The picture below is of Seoul Tower, taken from a bridge here on post. Hazy days are pretty common here this time of year. I have yet to go to the tower, but Hubby rode his bike up this past weekend. He said it was amazingly hard. I won’t be trying that anytime soon, but I will hike it where Hubby’s mom is here in a couple of weeks. 

In the picture below, the lower buildings are post, the taller buildings in the background are Seoul.

The building below is our white house, it is where all the really "important" people work. (Notice Seoul tower in the background)

This next building is where the most important person on post works....my Hubby.

There are signs all over post guiding you to different buildings and clinics, this is common at all Army post. I am very thankful for these signs, but don't you think they could be a little prettier?  I guess they are for function, not beauty.

And last, a picture of one of the soccer fields my boy plays soccer on.  Isn't the background beautiful?  I hope you all feel a little closer to us now.  I will do a second posting on this subject at a later date, as there are more things I would like to show you around post.

These were SO good!

½ cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves minced
1 TBL olive oil
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 TBL fresh squeezed lime juice
1 TSP dried oregano
1 TSP ground cumin
8 10 inch flour tortillas
1 ½ cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Baby spinach

Salsa & guacamole on the side

In a large skillet, cook onion & garlic in olive oil till tender.  Stir in black beans, lime juice oregano, cumin; heat through & set aside.

Layer tortillas with ¼ sweet potatoes, 1/8 of the cheese, ¼ bean mix, a layer of spinach, another 1/8 of the cheese & top with another flour tortilla, make 4.

Grill uncovered on low for 4 minutes, flip and grill another 4 minutes.  (times vary per grill) You can also cook these in a skillet if you wish.

The Han River with Seoul in the background.

Hubby and I before we boarded the boat.

Hubby and I had a great time on our Saturday night date.  We went on the Han River Dinner cruise.  The Han River runs through Seoul and there is plenty to keep you busy along the banks of the Han River, jogging & biking paths, swimming pools, roller skating rinks, floating restaurants & much more.  We have yet to experience much along the Han River, however, once the weather cools off I am sure we will be going there most weekends.  The cruise started at 7:30PM, just before sunset.  The food on the boat was amazing!  There was so much sushi and sashimi I wanted to do back flips.  There were salads, several different types of seafood, tons of fresh fruit, many Korean dishes, and Korean desserts, although you know how I feel about those and there were other things I cannot remember.  I really just ate sushi & sashimi (and ate, and ate, and ate).  Oh, and for Jana, they had SPAM cooked several different ways.  YUCK! 

During dinner there was a man playing the piano and singing.   He sang every song in English, the thing even stranger than him singing in English is that we didn't even notice he was singing in English until about half way through when our friend pointed it out! The after dinner entertainment was BELLY DANCING!

Although the food was good & we had a great time, I was a little disappointed that the boat did not have decks all around.  There was only one small deck out back, and that was the smoking deck (where we are standing below), so we could only tolerate it for a few minutes.  I had read many things about how nice it is to see the lights of Seoul on the Pleasure Boat Cruise, so to have to see them through foggy glass & smoke filled air was not what I had envisioned.  Although I am happy we did the dinner cruise, and I felt it was worth it, we will be going back in a few weeks to do the cruise without dinner so we can soak up Seoul at night.

I've heard people say that bacon makes everything taste better.  In this case, I really have no idea; I didn't try it, although my friend T did.  Her report for you Jana:

Fry small slices of Spam, wrap in fried bacon, top with a drop of mayo. The rice is a little extra; it came off of something else.

Am I a good friend or what?

Well, who wouldn't like him better....look in their hands, both have FULL LEAD sodas, they are at toy alley & check out what they had for lunch......

This lady can cook Mackerel.  Any given day you will see her, or her sister sitting on a small stool cooking Mackerel on this little grill.  She is standing right now because she is posing for my picture.  When I ask her if I could take her picture, she was more than happy to oblige.  

My friend T took me to the little restaurant a couple of weeks ago.  It has quickly become my favorite little hole in the wall.  As with most Korean restaurants, there are 2 sitting area, one where you sit on the floor, the other where you sit in chairs.  I would say you could fit maybe 20 people in here, and at lunch time it is always busting at the seams.  When you walk in, you get your own water, and then seat yourself.  Soda’s and other drinks are not really an option at little places like this, which is fine, because most of the food is so spicy all you need is about a gallon of water.  Here, you don’t order.  You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit – period.  You get mackerel, and tons of side dishes, at least 3 types of soup, sometimes 4, peppers, black beans that are never fully cooked, which is the way they are supposed to be.  I like them, hubby doesn’t, you also get several types of Kimchi, rice, seaweed paper, and some kind of fishy side.  The side dishes are always changing.  This will set you back only 5000 won. When you pay, pick up a tiny vitamin yogurt drink on your way out the door.