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.