Beijing Adventure Part III

We were fed SO much on the trip that I started to wonder how Chinese people stay so small!  For most of the meals the food was placed on a large Lazy Susan type thing in the middle of a table of 8 to 10 people.  They would keep bringing out dish after dish (some that we could recognize and some that we couldn't) until the table was so overloaded that you had to balance the dishes on the edges of the layer below.  Everyone would just spin the Lazy Susan and grab whatever they wanted with their chopsticks when it went by.  They also served yummy hot green tea at every meal.

  Here is Hubs enjoying one of the spreads!

One evening our tour guide also took us to "Wangfujing Street"  a famous strip of street vendors that sells pretty much any kind of food/weird thing you can image on a stick.

Here is a close up to give you a better idea.  I"m not sure what everything was but the little brown ones in the middle are silk worms and the two on the far right hand side are squid tentacles and baby octopus respectively.  Yum! :)

Oh and I almost forgot the starfish and sea urchins!

We had already eaten so "unfortunately" only had room to try the strawberry and kiwi crystallized in sugar.

Beijing Adventure Part II

The second day of our trip we went to the Great Wall of China!!!  It was so surreal to actually be there!

We could see where there have been some repairs and restoration done to the original structure but for the most part, the section where we were at had been preserved very well.   People are doing a good job of protecting the cultural relics.  And caltaral relics too whatever they are. :)

In the area where we were, there were two parts open for tourists to climb.  We took what our tour guide called the "hard" side.  He should be referring to it as the Stair Master Supreme Side.  The stairs were STEEP!  And uneven.  See Hubs on the left side just above the waving Asian woman (or was she falling. .hmm. . )?

Those stairs were in the first 1/4 of the climb.  The number of people on the stairs decreased dramatically the higher we went.  As did our energy to take out the camera. :)  The stairs kept curving around as they went higher so we thought that we could see the end but when we reached that point there was another 200 steps to go.  Then when when reached that point there was a few more hundred.  Then when when we reached that point. .  okay you get the idea.:)

Here I am VERY relieved to be "at the top"

And Hubs too! (doesn't he look like he is on a postcard?)

We were so tired from walking all the way up there that Hubs tried out a different route to get down.

Beijing Adventures Part I

Last weekend we took a trip to Beijing, China!  We had SUCH an awesome time!

First stop was the "Forbidden City" where the Chinese Emperor used to live.  These pictures don't do justice for how impressive, ornate, and expansive this area is.  It was amazing!

All the doorways (like the one behind me) require you to step up and over.  Our tour guide says it is because the ancient Chinese believed that the devil and evil spirits didn't have knees and they couldn't follow through a doorway that required stepping over.

 

The guide books say that there are 9,999 rooms total in the Forbidden City.  Our tour guide said that the number of actual, usable rooms is little less because that count includes some rooms that just consist of four pillars without walls.  Regardless which way you count it. . there are a ton of them!

The level of detail on everything including pillars, doors, and roofs was incredible!

Next stop was Tian'anmen Square, China's main government building area and location of the famous protest/tank incident.

The soldiers were doing some sort of formation or ceremony with a crowd of Chinese people watching.

This little guy was more interested in peeking at us than watching the ceremony. :)

Icecream Adventures

From my understanding desert is a fairly new idea to Korean culture.  Traditionally their meals don't include it and at many restaurants it isn't even offered on the menu.  The few times we have been served desert in an restaurant here it has consisted of some type of fruit rather than a sweet baked item.  Desert as a "snack" or at another location after you meal is really starting to catch on however.  They are particularly partial to Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins.  They are seriously EVERYWHERE!  I can think of at least four within a few block radius of where we live!  Baskin Robbins is good but since our most favorite adventure thus far has been to Italy, we are a little partial to Italian style ice cream called, "gelato".  Needless to say we were thrilled when we spotted what appeared to be a little Italian style coffee shop that sold gelato.  We were even more thrilled when we checked it out and the the atmosphere and the ice cream were great!

It was a really good find and I am sure we will be going back often!  However I'm not sure that we will be trying some of the Korean specific flavors of gelato that we saw advertised. . . 

Advertisement/Employment Adventures

We often come home to advertisement fliers tapped to our door.  

Usually we can’t read them but sometimes when walking around downtown we have recognized the restaurant or business they were advertising.  Imagine my surprise when I got home today and saw a flier on our door with some words I recognized. . . . 

My NAME!  AND my PICTURE!!!

Don’t worry, I’m not wanted for a crime or missing.

I’m a new teacher at an after school language academy here in Pyeongtaek!  

I get to teach English as a second language to Korean children ranging from Kindergarten to Junior High during the afternoons!  It is quite the new experience for me.  I am enjoying it very much but also have a whole new respect for both moms and teachers.  My Mom is  is BOTH so I am pretty much am in awe of her.

*Editors note- I DID know I had the job before seeing the flyer on the door but I DIDN'T have any idea that I had been hired just in time to make their fall advertisement distro or that it would be posted on every door in my apartment building.  Yikes!

Chuseok Adventures!

Last week was a Korean Holiday known as "Chuseok" (pronounced as "chew sock" with a extra hard "K" sound at the end).  I have heard it described as the Korean Thanksgiving or just a time to enjoy the Autumn Harvest and honor their family.  It is a BIG deal here (probably their second largest holiday of the year, with New Years being the first) and results in VERY congested roads as most people travel to their childhood home or to where their oldest living relatives live.


In honor of the holiday Mark and I decided to attempt to cook an authentic Korean meal at home.  We had beef bulgogi (a common dish here, basically just thinly sliced, Asian marinated, grilled beef), rice, radish kimchi (kimchi is a Korean staple. .served at pretty much EVERY Korean meal including breakfast and consists of various spicy, fermented vegetables.  So far we have tried, cabbage, cucumber, and radish kimchi with radish being our favorite.), and pork and vegetable dumplings.


Here is a pictures of our feast!

The bulgogli is on the back left, dipping sauce in the middle, rice on the back right, kimchi on the front left, and dumplings on the front right.  Now don't be too impressed because we did buy the kimchi and the dumplings already made.  Maybe next year we will try to make it all ourselves.  Anyway, the meal was DELICIOUS. We really have loved all the Korean style food we have had so far and this was no exception.  So yummy!


However when it was time to eat we discovered that we didn't have chopsticks anywhere in the house!!  So much for our "authentic" meal.  Hubs tried his hands at substituting forks for chopsticks, but it just wasn't the same.

Don't worry, in an attempt to avoid this ridiculousness in the future, chopsticks are now on my shopping list.

Souvenir Adventures

I don't know what these are for sure, but be warned you are all getting them for Korean souvenir gifts. 

 I mean really.  . .can you think of a reason why you wouldn't need a giant plastic pig?

Command Adventures

As some of you may know, Hubs took command of an Army Company recently.  Exciting (and busy!) times are ahead!

During the change of command ceremony the unit flag or guide-on is passed from the Company First Sergeant (Company Commander's right hand man) to the outgoing Company commander, to the Battalion Commander (the Company Commander's boss), to the incoming Company Commander, and back to the First Sergeant.  This symbolizes the change over of authority and responsibility.  The last step of that is taking place in the below picture.  

Here is Hubs taking over his formation from his new First Sergeant.

Isn't that just the cutest commander (and company) you have ever seen!?!? :)

I am one VERY proud wife. :)

Hydration Adventures

I have been hard at the job search since we got here to Korea.  Most options for jobs here involve working on the military bases, but there is one promising possibility that would actually allow me to work off post in the Korean economy.  One of the final steps in getting approved by Korean immigration for this particular job is a physical at a Korean hospital.  My potential future boss made all the arrangements and told me to be ready bright and early the next morning.  He also told not to eat anything that morning as the physical consisted of a blood test.  No problem, right?  Sounded quick and easy to me.  Unfortunately things are not always what they seem.

The physical consisted of X-rays, dental, height, weight, eye test, and blood pressure.   It was all pretty routine, minus of course the fact that all the instructions I was getting were in a combination of Korean and hand gestures.

The blood pressure nurse handed me back my papers (written all in Korean. . .who knows what they were writing about me) and directed me to what looked like the blood draw line.  Whew, almost done.  I waited my turn, entered and handed my paperwork to the gentleman with my standard apologetic expression of which I hoped conveyed “I’m sorry I’m an obnoxious foreigner in your country who doesn’t speak your language but I’m really a nice girl and I’m ready for this to be over so can you help me please?”

Imagine my surprise when instead of taking out a needle and vial to draw my blood, he hands me a small cup and points to a stall in the back of the room.  This time I didn’t need a translation.  It was clear:  “Go pee in this cup”.  Now, let me just say I have LOTS of experiences with urinalyses.  I would say that thanks to my time in the Army I have participated in many more than the average person.  And the instant he handed me the cup I knew I was in trouble.  I simply didn’t have to go.  And as a result of my extensive experience in this area, I have learned when in this situation there are two options:                            

1. Attempt to comply with the directive and hope and pray that your body is more   hydrated than you think and can fill the cup to the required amount
2. Go to the end of the line and start drinking water

I have attempted the first option before and let me assure you that it normally doesn't turn out well.  Usually the amount produced doesn’t reach the magical line that is required for a testing and then you have to wait even LONGER and drink even MORE water than if you had just swallowed your pride and gone to the end of the line in the first place.  I made the quick decision to choose embarrassment over possible failure AND embarrassment and started making hand gestures to convey that I was going to need some water and time in order to complete this task.  He eventually understood me, nodded, and led me over to a water cooler in the corner.  I thanked him and directed my attention to the water cooler.  And the sorriest excuse for a cup I have ever seen.

Introducing Korea’s version of the Dixie Cup:

I guess the up side is that it could also double as a hotel key holder if needed.

This is my not so amused expression after drinking  the approximately 574 cups required in order to fill one’s bladder to the necessary urinalysis level.

Mail Adventures!

Hey we got our first piece of mail in our apartment mail slot!

We were pretty excited to get mail!

But also a little confused.

Hopefully it isn't some sort of important apartment policies that we need to know. . .

Laundry room Adventures

So let me just preface this by saying that we live in a great apartment.  It is big, high tech, has luxurious features, and is in the “hip” spot according to all the locals.  We really do like it.  That being said, there are some very . . um. . “quirky” things about it. 

For example:  our laundry situation.  Now we had been told prior to coming to not ship over our American washer and dryer.  They would provide us with one over here that worked with the gas hookups, etc.  Also, we understood that traditional Korean washers and dryers were of the two in one variety and were much smaller than what we were used to.  Logically we assumed that also meant the laundry rooms would be much smaller.  After looking at several apartments, including the one we ended up renting, this was definitely the case.  We figured that was no problem though since we were going to be supplied with “Korean size” ones.

Well today our provided washer and dryer were delivered.  Imagine my surprise to find they were brand spanking new American style front loaders.  HUGE.  Well it was obviously going to be a tight fit but thank goodness they could be stacked right?  Wrong.  The Korean deliveryman looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to suggest it (my first thought was that my hand gestures explaining it weren’t translating well) and instead just shrugged and left seeming satisfied with the solution that they both fit in the room but the dryer would block the laundry room door from closing.  Not to mention the dryer was perched awkwardly on a little ledge and looked as if it would come flying off and crush me at the first hint of a tumble dry.  Needless to say I wasn’t too thrilled.

Then a few hours later another man showed up to hook it up.  To his credit he was at least distressed about the inability to shut the laundry room door but seemed flustered as how to correct it.  Again I tried to explain the stacking concept and was again given a look of confusion.  I ended up resorting to calling my realtor to act as an over –the- phone interpreter.  We came to an agreement that he would come back later that evening when the Hubs was home from work to help him rearrange the appliances.   I assumed that meant stacking them.  Once again I was wrong. He proceed to have Hubs help him juggle the washer and dryer through a complicated movement process (incidentally was very humerus to watch unfold since they didn’t speak the same language).  End result?  Dryer is now stuck BEHIND the door.  Yes, it does give me the ability to shut the laundry door but it also turns changing laundry from the washer to the dryer into a 6 step process and a low grade acrobatic performance (okay I’m exaggerating but it really is ridiculous).   Oh, and it is still balanced on the ledge.  Although he did take the time to build us a nice little wooden brace to make it a little more stable so the chance of it falling on me is now reduced from 110% to maybe 60%.  And he made sure to wrap the laundry door knob thoroughly with bubble wrap since it smacks into the dryer every time the door is opened.  Lovely. 

   Our assessment is that since they just aren’t familiar with American washer and dryers here that the concept of stacking was foreign to them.  In any rate, thanks to Ebay we have a stacking kit on order.   Now, for the real kicker.  Let me show you the end result of “hooking the dryer up”:

Yes, you are seeing that right.  Apparently Korean dryers don’t have the same type of exhaust mechanism that American dryers do so there was no exhaust hole to hook it up to.  So the "solution" was to build a nice little wire hook to hold the dryer vent out the window while it is in use.

More to follow on that later once I find some other Americans who live here who can confirm or deny if this is in fact considered normal here. . .

Exploring Adventures

Last night we ventured out to do a bit of exploring in our new city.  We are only a short 15 minute walk from the train station which also doubles as a shopping center so we decided to start there.  It was so much fun!  There is a huge grocery store in the basement complete with some things we recognized and lots of things we didn't!  Our favorites were the whole squid and octopus tentacles all packaged up with clear wrapping over it like we are used to seeing hamburger meat.  Also, there were attendants EVERYWHERE.  Every little food island had their own attendant.  For example, one for the tomatoes, one for the broccoli, one for the nuts, one for the rice. . . . it was unbelievable.  I made sure to say hello to each one.  Or maybe I said thank you?  Hmm. . .

The next four or so floors have clothes, sporting equipment, kitchen supplies, and furniture.  The prices and quality were similar to what you would find in a nice department store back in the states.  There are a few other stores that I have heard are comparable to Target and Walmart that we hope to check out later this weekend.

One of the top floors has lots of delicious smelling restaurants.  Some of them even had picture menus which made us comfortable enough to take the plunge for our first authentic Korean meal out.  It was fabulous!  Mark ordered something called the " Teriyaki set" and I had some sort of tuna bowl thing.  The food came out on a little tray for each of us and included soup, salad, and some other side dish things.  SO much food only around 7,000 wan (a little less than $7) for each of us.

We didn't know what it all was but we tried everything and it for the most part it was all super yummy!

Here is a shot of me outside the train station/shopping center.  The tall tower all the way in the back (just behind the building with the yellow banner and black writing) is where we live!  It comes in pretty handy that it is the tallest building around since it is a helpful reference point when I get lost (which may or may not happen pretty much every day. . .).

Home Away from Home Adventures

We have a new home!!!

Now if only we could figure out how to use the toilet. . . .

Arrival Adventures

The Hubs and I are coming up on two weeks since we touched ground here in South Korea! I would like to tell you all about our adventures trying the food and learning the language thus far but that would make for a very short post. Also it would be a lie.

In reality I still only know the two Korean words I retained from my previous trip here seven or so years ago: "hello and thank you". Although when it comes right down to it I don't even really know those two words that well since I am continually getting them confused in my head and greeting the people on the street with a hearty "Thank you!" and nodding a cheerful "Hello!" to shop owners as we leave their stores.

As far as food, we have been sleeping off our jet lag in the American style hotel on our Army base and have resorted to the convenience of the American food court and grocery store nearby. It is pretty ironic that I have had more Burger King and frozen TV dinners in the last week while here in Korea than the entire last year living in the US. I think it is my subconscious way of rebelling against the culture shock: "You can take me out of America, but you can't make me stop eating American junk!”. 

BUT despite our lack of communication and *adventurous eating, we have managed to make a good amount of progress towards settling in. We have an AMAZING apartment that we will be moving into in just a few days, a not so amazing but cute little used Korean car, a couple cell phones, and some job prospects (for me. . Mark obviously already has a job hence us being here in the first place. . .).

We were able to venture out to do a little bit of initial exploring in a nearby shopping area.  As you can see below, I was enthralled by their little McDelivery scooters for some reason.   (what is with me and fast food references today?!  I swear I usually don’t touch the stuff!).  Delivery scooters like this are pretty common to see on the roads here.  Lots of them darting in and out of traffic just add to the adventure of driving here.  Remind me to tell you more about that craziness some other time!

Also, don't you think my handsome Hubs does a great impersonation of a touristy angry statue thing?  (I'm sure there is a more culturally correct name for them but that is all I've got for now. . )  

  

*although frozen TV dinners could very well be classified as adventurous eating. Have you TASTED some of them recently? GAG! I can't believe they are allowed to market them as actual food products. But I digress. . .