One Month and counting...

On July 19th Michaela and I celebrated our one month anniversary living in Korea. Time has certainly sped by over the past weeks which I suppose is what I can expect over this next year. We've really settled in to our new surroundings even if we still experience consternation over certain issues and customs here in Seoul. This experience has certainly brought to light my personal inexperience living with or understanding anything that is un-American. There are times when I truly feel like I've been living under a rock for the past 40 years and this is even having so many friends who are of various ethnic and religious backgrounds.

I've experienced a touch of anti-Americanism here in our community. Not because of anything that I or my family have done personally to insult, but simply because we are American and there is baggage that comes with that. It is humbling. How do you balance your national pride but also not come off as arrogant or feel like you need to continually make excuses for decisions politicians in your country have made (whether you agree or not)? I have come to realize that no matter how good of a person you may be, some people will just dislike you because of your skin color, nationality, religion, manner of speech, dress, smell, etc. I've stated before and I will reiterate here again, I will have a deeper appreciation and sensitivity for subtle racisim moving forward in life.

We joke with our other expat friends here in Korea, when you spot another Caucasian/westerner on the street, subway, bus, etc you make a point to garner eye contact with that person and do the "expat head nod", to communicate "I feel you brother. I have no idea who you are, but I understand your struggle". It is a kinship.

In an earlier blog, I spoke somewhat bitingly about the curious and sometimes hostile stares that we get every time we leave our home. Over the past month, I have become more accustomed to those looks because I understand that most of the time the onlooker has never or very rarely seen a western face. The joke is do we westerners all look the same to the Koreans? I learned recently that there are over 10 million Seoulites and approximately 250,000 foreigners. This country really just opened up to foreigners in the past 7 years. There are many incentives for expats living in Seoul to start up small businesses. The government is pushing this agenda in effort to truly go global. It is commendable and certainly for the right business model and entrepreneur the opportunity to be highly successful here both financially and professionally is like non-other. Asia is just bursting at the seams. As a Post script: On Bloomberg this morning there was a statistic stating that Nike and UPS are posting increased quarterly profits and above expected incremental growth due to the demand for their products in Asia. The desire to be a global economic power even for the everyday Korean citizen is pervasive. Luxury items abound here. For Koreans, if it's expensive it must be the best.

I feel like Michaela and I have made significant strides over the past month. From the simple, like moving in and around the public transportation system, grocery shopping, eating out, to the more complex like making new friends, establishing ourselves in our community, and beginning to garner a deeper understanding of the people and culture where we live.

Let me brag a little about Michaela. She has been taking taekwando for the past few weeks and is doing wonderfully. Now, under normal circumstances this really wouldn't be really any big news, but because of the circumstances here it is a huge accomplishment for our little girl. First, she is learning a new martial art which has very distinct differences from kempo karate which she studied for nearly a year. Second, she is learning it in another language. Her instructors are all young Korean men who speak some English but primarily give the kids commands in Korean. Michaela has just absolutely risen to the challenge. She is slowly breaking the habits she learned in karate to learn the proper stances and moves in taekwando as well as excelling daily in her classes. She has been challenged to become more flexible, faster and stronger and she's not shying away from it. She goes in to the studio daily with the mindset to try her best and get better. I know I have often said this, but I have to state again, that Michaela is my hero. Her tenacity and courage are awe inspiring. One more example, there is a little Korean girl who will sometimes stretch with Michaela at  the dojo and Michaela so wants to know her first name, so she made me practice with her over and over how to say "what is your name?" in Korean so she could ask this little girl. She approaches the little girl and asks her in Korean. Of course, the little girl doesn't answer her either because she didn't understand Michaela or simply didn't hear her. Michaela is not deterred, she told me she's going to ask her again the next time in English first and then in Korean. What a kid.

For me, I believe I have made very significant strides over the past month. My friend Robert told me that when he first used to see me walking down the street, I had this "freaked out" look on my face. Which I find to be hysterical because I was trying so hard in those first days to hide that feeling and not show it externally. I guess I did a pretty poor job. Now, I feel like I have settled in where I can have a conversation with Korean and expat friends about where to go and what to do throughout the city. I'm practicing my Korean daily with my friend Randi and also with MingKung, who runs a small business on our main street (she's a tough teacher.). I've been told by a few Korean acquaintances that my pronunciation is actually pretty good. I take that as a huge compliment considering how different the Hangeul alphabet is from our roman letters. Learning Korean has been such a wonderful experience on so many levels. From the simple task of being able to read a bus sign to demonstrating a willingness to our Korean friends and neighbors the desire to embrace their culture. What an education I'm getting at this stage in my life.

We've been making new friends, who are wonderful and special people. That is a huge step in settling in to our community. We find many commonalties with these folks and are able to share the same frustrations, issues and concerns regarding our children and living abroad. We all are truly in the same boat.

I do not want you as the reader to walk away from this blog feeling that I am at all pessimistic about living in Korea or Asia. Quite the contrary. I've actually told Mike that I would love to have follow on assignments in Singapore, or Hong Kong, or China or Australia. We will see what the future holds. Right now, we're enjoying our time in Korea even with it's challenges because it makes us appreciate the successes all the more.

Peace,
Stephanie

Michaela at Seoul Forest - The "Grand Central Park" of Seoul. This little guy is the logo for HiSeoul which is the English Language website for the Korea Tourism Board.

Waiting outside the fountain...

This water shoots up about 7 feet in the air and then comes crashing down...

Michaela just got "crashed" by the water. It took some getting used to.

With all the other kids getting wet. She's at least a foot taller then so many of the Korean kids.

Getting dry with Dad

Probably one of my favorite shots - ever - of my two love bugs. What a fun time they had bicycling all through Seoul Forest and then on the banks of the Hangang (Han) River.

One more shot - look at the smile on that little girl's face! Too precious!

Jennifer and I taking a bicycle break. 

Feeding the tame deer at Seoul Forest

One more time...

Things You Will NOT Find in Korea... and some things you will

I've been recently compiling a list of all of the "comforts of home" that are unavailable or very hard to find here in Korea. By no means is this list complete - consider it an ongoing task....

1. Cars that are any color but white, silver or black. If you see a blue or red car chances are it was imported by an expat or a diplomat from another country. Cars that are made in Korea are only produced in three colors. Black seems to be the color of choice. Now what you will find are many brands of vehicles that are not sold in the US. One example is a car made by Hyundai called the Equuis. This car is all over the place here. It is a large black sedan looks a bit like a boxy Mercedes/Bentley combo and it sells for $80,000 US. I guess the thing is tripped out inside. I haven't been in one yet. I've almost been hit by several, but haven't had the pleasure of actually riding inside one. I'm thinking the closest I'll get in the near future is when I'm riding some guys hood ornament because he's hit me from behind as I'm trucking up our hill. (I'm not sure but I'm feeling a slight tinge of racism especially when I see or hear them hit the gas when they see it's a westerner walking alongside the road - or maybe I'm just being paranoid. Juries still out on this one.)

2. Tampons - no need to explain here. But if you're coming for a visit, you may want to throw a box in your suitcase.

3. The large/"family" size vanilla yogurt. It's all the drinkable stuff, very yummy, but no just plain or vanilla. Koreans love yogurt which is great because we do too. You can find it in all kinds of fun and crazy flavors (kiwi) but if you want the big old honkin' size to take home and whip up a bunch of smoothies for a week, forgetabouit - no luck there. I've actually been resigned to opening six small yoplaits at once to make up a smoothie for my family. What a girl will do for love.

4. Pam cooking spray. I'm especially feeling this one after I attempted to whip up several batches of cupcakes for a friend and they all stuck! Uggh. PS: Can't find any cupcake foils here either.

5. Unbleached or bleached flour.  There's flour here but it is not the same consistency as flour we use to make cookies, cakes, waffles, muffins, etc...  Now, if I wanted I could purchase the flour that's used to make Korean pancakes but I'm sticking to my guns and my good old Betty Crocker cookbook and hunting down the Gold Medal to whip up those home made confections for my family. (See #3 for the point about being dedicated to my little brood).

6. Spandex based work out clothes. There are plenty of work out clothes, but apparently the Koreans are impervious to the heat and humidity that descends upon the country from July through early September. God Bless these folks, they will go out for a run, hike, walk, etc.. in full running pants, t-shirts and with jackets on all the while sporting those highly fashionable oversize visors. (I'm not coming home without a visor or two as part of my wardrobe. I'm thinking it'll be a smash in Vegas. In fact, I'm thinking these little beauties might make great Christmas presents for all those whom I hold dear. You know who you are - wink, wink.) Now I'm as understanding about being respectful to the Confucist life-style as the next guy, but I"m sorry when it's 85 degrees and 85% humidity I've gotta show a little skin during my workout. Now what you will find in Korea are fantastic walking trails that also have Nautilaus style gym equipment stations all along the trail. This is a great benefit because you can actually get a full work out in without having to step foot in a gym. (Me likey.) Mike and Michaela actually found a spot the other day on a walking trail where you could do reflexology on your feet. Pretty neat stuff.

7.  Safe drivers. You will not find safe drivers in Korea. (See #1). Apparently in Korea, stopping for pedestrians in a cross-walk in OPTIONAL. In Korea, you do not want to jay walk. In fact in Korea, you do not want to even be the first person off the curb because it is highly likely there will be a motorcycle delivery guy or a cab or a bus that decides to run the cross walk sign. Now, to cut the Korean drivers a little slack, the cross walks here are not at the corner of an intersection, usually. They are off-set about 40 to 50 feet from the light and intersection. (Don't ask me why, I'm not a Korean civil engineer and did not plan these things.) So, a driver with a TV screen suction cupped to his windshield could easily miss the cross walk signal and plow right on through. Yes, you did read right, many cars are outfitted with portable TVs on the driver's windshield. And in the US they think texting while driving is horrible. Pish posh - that's amateur night compared to watching live TV while navigating the roads.

As I stated this is not a complete list, but just some musings after nearly a month here in the "Land of the Morning Calm."

Now quickly here are some things you will find in Korea:

1. Dunkin Donuts - But this ain't your mama's DnD. I'll take pics next time I'm in one.

2. Baskin Robbins - ditto from above. You should see the fancy ice cream cakes they make here!

3. KFC - don't eat it in the US am certainly not touching it in Korea. Plus Korean fried chicken is the da' bomb!

4. Cold Stone Creamery - Koreans LOVE sweets. Pastries and ice cream are top on their lists.There are so many great local places we haven't had the urge to even try the Cold Stone here yet.

5. 7-11 - This is a little slice of heaven on earth at each 7-11. All the familiar plus a whole bunch of interesting Korean stuff and cheap, cheap, cheap.

6.  TGIF - they are very popular here. It's a different menu a scaled down version to the US menu.

7. On the Border - Again, popular. Mexican food is popular with the young people here.

8. MacDonalds - see KFC note above.

9. Burger King - see MacDonalds note above.

10. Dominos Pizza - Mike says it's very good - not like the cardboard crap they make at home. I haven't experienced it myself yet, but will be doing so tomorrow evening, so I'll let you know!

11. Starbucks -  You thought we Americans loved the "bean". Well, I've got news for you, Koreans love it MORE! There are more coffee houses/cafes per square foot here then there are DnDs in RI. There are so many local favorites serving either imported or native "Korean coffee" that I haven't even missed my beloved Starbucks. Let me tell ya' something a Green Tea Latte in Seoul is nothing like a Green Tea Latte in Vegas. Wow! The Bird and I are addicted to the things. Did I mention that one of the things it is hard to find in Korea is skim milk? So, those lattes are packing a punch in the whole weight control arena, but man are they yummy going down! They'll even draw pictures in your foam here. Yep, artwork in the foam. And the foam is like sweet and thick, oh so good. Next time I order a confection, I'll snap a picture to post for you all to see.

Anyway, that's all I have for this list. I actually am going to write a more serious blog next time about the true cultural awakenings I'm having living here. I just didn't have the candle power to pull it together tonight; I had Korean class today - need I say more?! :)

Peace,
Stephanie
스테파니

New Friends

Today was probably the busiest and most fun, action packed day for Michaela. We were invited to spend the day with new friends; a little boy Michaela's same age and his little brother and Mom and Dad whom are also all American expats living in our same neighborhood. It was an awesome day and so much fun to meet new people, who are generous and kind. The kids played wonderfully together and seemed to mesh very well pretty early on.

Michaela and I were introduced to a new mall today called Times Square. This mall is truly the mac-daddy place. I know in prior blogs I've spoken about my various Korean shopping experiences and the mega-malls here, but I don't think I've really done them justice.

Basically, when these "malls" were designed they were built as life style centers. We have one that we love in Las Vegas called Town Square. In Korea due to space constraints and the cold weather rather than build these centers in an outdoor atmosphere, they build them up in huge multi-level malls. This one has an E-Mart on the bottom two floors. E-Mart is like a grocery store and Walmart all rolled into one place. It is fantastic. If you can't find it at E-Mart it probably can't be found. The next several levels have the regular stores and in the midst of all of that the planners built a huge kids play area. In this mall it's called Strawberry Land. This is no Chuck E Cheese. This place has multiple rooms with bounce houses, zip lines, slides, ball rooms, a story room, and even a small train ride inside the facility. What a great place to bring the kids on a rainy day, like today, or when the weather is cold and nasty. They even offer package deals to  buy time slots in bulk. My friends did that and then you can go anytime you want with your coupons. Koreans are super kid focused. They truly hold their kids up on pedestals so there are always kid centered things to do in public venues. They even have set-up separate nursing areas for new mom's.  I can remember so many times having to duck into a Nordstrom's bathroom to feed and change Michaela when she was an infant because the public facilities didn't have a nice cozy place to sit while you breast or bottle fed. Undoubtedly at the top level of every life style center you will find a fitness facility, a massage business, a hair salon, a huge food court, and in some they even have wedding chapels. This truly is a one stop shop experience. The Koreans even have 4-D movie theaters. I really can't imagine what 4-D is. If anyone out there knows, I'd be truly interested in the concept.

Anyway, we had a fantastic time of it and Michaela got in some great kid play time which she has been sorely lacking since we moved here and I got in some great meet new friends time, so all in all in was a really nice day.

Peace,
Stephanie

Taekwando

Today we enrolled Michaela in a new dojo to learn taekwando. We got the lead from another expat who is in my language class and has two boys, one of whom is Michaela's age and will be in 1st grade with her at YISS. This dojo is amazing. It is huge and super active. Michaela will be in classes 5 days a week with one day a week dedicated to just physical conditioning. She was a little tentative when we first went in because she was afraid the instructors would be barking out commands only in Korean. They speak broken english (a.k.a. kenglish), but all of the kids seemed to be getting the point and following directions. By the end of our time there, she was already beginning to settle in and started playing with her new friends. It was so comforting to see her settle in so nicely and quickly in a martial arts dojo. As she says, "this is my thing."

I am like a new kid addicted to a drug and that drug is reading Korean. I know now enough to be slightly dangerous and was reading subway and random signs around town. My family started throwing Korean flyers at me telling me that I should read them because it would give me practice. I told them in about 4 months they'll be stuck to me like glue because I'll be able to read and write enough Korean to be dangerous and at least get us around the city with cab drivers who don't speak English and figure out all those awesome bus routes posted on the signs that are in Korean only.

As I was trying to figure out a subway station in Korean today, two Korean ladies, about my age, saw me working the hanguel syllables and they started laughing. I turned to them and told them I'm trying to learn to read and speak your language. They kept smiling and laughing. That is the essence of Korea, no matter how hard you try and even if you become fluent in the language, eat the foods, and really care about the future of the country you will always be viewed by most as an outsider. This is a good lesson for me to take moving forward in life. I know I will certainly be more sensitive to legitimate foreigners coming to the US and trying very hard to fit in with the new environment they find themselves in. I do not  blame Koreans for being suspicious and viewing us westerners as outsiders. This is one of the most homogeneous populations on the planet earth and these poor people have been conquered almost constantly for a thousand years. I think I'd be tentative with foreigners too. Anyway, I'm not daunted. I'm like a kindergarten kid who has just learned some basic phonics rules and can now read a bit of my surroundings. I certainly have a keen appreciation for the sense of satisfaction and frustrations Michaela is experiencing as she learns to read.

Peace,
스테파니

The zoo, shopping, language classes, and more shopping...

It's been a busy and exciting week. I feel like I have truly mastered the subway system here in Seoul and have had the opportunity to make transfers onto most of the major lines. What I've learned is that our line, Line 6, is the quietest one of them all and there is always room to sit where the other lines like 2, 4, and 5 are steadily busy - no matter what day or time. Many an older person has taken mercy on Michaela and offered her a seat next to them. It's so sweet to hear her say "thank you" in Korean - "gham ham sa mida" (roughly in English).

On Sunday we ventured to Seoul Grand Park which is a zoo, botanical garden, and amusement park complex all in one huge area. Since Korea is so hilly (small mountains in this part of the country), everything is built up a mountain. So, on this day we decided to take a chair lift ride up to the entrance to the zoo which was about half-way up the hill. The pictures I'm posting below are from our visit to the zoo starting at the entrance, up the chair lift, and then inside the zoo. This place is so big, we didn't even have the time or energy to visit the botanical garden or amusement park. These will have to wait for another day.

The website for the zoo says it is the 10th largest in the world and it did seem massive. There was an extensive monkey/ape exhibit where they had lemurs running about free in an area that we were able to walk through. That was interesting. We also saw the seal and dolphin show. It was cute, nowhere near the caliper of the water shows at Sea World, but the kids and adults alike had a fun time. Poor Michaela says as we're leaving, "Mom we got jipped again, the whole thing was spoken in Korean." I have to consistently remind her that we live in Korea and they speak their native tongue.

Speaking of Michaela. She is a hit in Korea. We can not take this child anywhere in the city where middle aged and older people don't come up to her and speak so sweetly to her, or rub her cheek, or pat her head, or simply smile at her. The older folks love to talk to her in Korean and I can't wait until I'm able to understand to translate for her and them. At least we know one of the members of the Manni family is welcome here.

We finally made it to one of the large markets called Dongdaemun the other day. (I went running and skipping the whole way and my family went dragging their heels and groaning. In the end though, we all left with purchases and smiles on our faces.) I have to say I have never seen or experienced anything like this in the US. It was shopping heaven, nirvana. I literally wanted to get down on bended knee and thank God for making this place possible. I didn't even care when the sales ladies all looked at me and held up "largee" clothes - because by Asian standards I am a giant. Really it's true. There is Asian large and American large. I can tell you with confidence that an Asian large is maybe an American small/medium.

So here is how a Korean traditional market is set-up - first, it's insane and madness. There was one whole building 5 floors high and about 500 vendors deep, which we accidentally stumbled in, where they sell nothing but clothing subsidiary goods - buttons, ribbon, zippers, sparkly jewels, etc.. (Let me say, that if you are a BeDazzler fan - you would have been having the big "O" here. I have never seen so many jewels to put on clothing in my life.) If you want to have your own bed set made, you can. If you want custom curtains, not a problem. If you want to design your own clothes, yep can do that too. And the best part, the prices are wholesale. Yep, wholesale about 80% off retail. In fact, many of the Russian and central Asian companies import their goods from this area so they buy wholesale here too. The wholesalers buy at night, after hours, and us retailers buy during the day. This place is only closed on Mondays the rest of the week it is open for 22 hours per day. What a glorious and crazy madness.

So the place where we retailers can buy clothes and housewares are located in individual stalls along the road or in large "mall like" complexes. They are basically, lots of individual vendors all under one huge roof (several stories tall)  selling all kinds of stuff. The word of the day kiddies is: haggle, haggle, haggle. So, when the calculator comes out, you have to start the negotiating process and be prepared to walk away. It is more then likely that another vendor a stall or two down will be selling the same item and be willing to deal with you. The vendors here expect you to haggle with them - it's part of the shopping process. Needless to say, I loved this place and see myself coming here again and again to buy clothes and accessories. You name it, it is here! Mike told me he expects me to come home with at least 40 pairs of shoes - DONE! I have a task and I must complete it! I am an overachiever after all. BTW: the clothing items located in this area are also about 50% - 80% off retail. We of course, were getting the foreigner prices, which weren't quite that good, but I figure over time as I learn Korean I will really be able to haggle with the vendors. Now you all are coming to a true understanding of why I'm so motivated to learn Korean.

Today I had my second Korean class and am really enjoying it. I've met two people who live in my neighborhood who are also in class. One of my classmates has a young son Michaela's age and they'll be in school at YISS together. It's really nice now that we are beginning to see some of the same faces on the street and recognize our neighbors and fellow expats. I'm feeling somewhat timid with my Korean classes, but was able to read a sign today in Korean (the word was Dim Sum). Our teacher is teaching us vowels and consonants in small doses and then having us read one and two syllable words. It is daunting, but a lot of fun. From what I learned, I can already write Michaela's name in Korean. That is pretty cool. I think I was more impressed with it then she was! I'm practicing with the subway signs and street signs too. Since most of Mike's emails from work come in Korean, I'm hopeful in a few months I'll be able to help him translate what's important and what's not. We'll see. Right now, I'm enjoying the journey of learning this language - just glad we're not in Japan - I may not have the same verve!

So here are our pictures. I hope you enjoy them and I'll do my best with descriptions of each. I'm having troubles getting videos to upload, but have been able to get them on FB. So any of you that have a FB account, you will be able to see the videos there and I'm hoping to get the video glitch worked out on the blog very soon.

Peace,
Stephanie

Walking up the hill to the apartment

Our local convenience store - FamilyMarts are popular in Korea

Heading down the hill and out of UN Village. This is just one of the apartment buildings at the end of our "street"

Another example of an apartment building in our neighborhood - kinda European flair here

This is the official UN Village guard post. I've so far gotten one of the guards to start smiling and saying "anyeong sayeo" "Good Morning" when we walk by.

This is the Mexican Embassy. I love it because it's the only embassy with a big old banner out front! Gotta leave it to Mexico to do it big, bold and proud!

 This is the view looking down our street after you leave the UN Village complex.

One more shot of our street. There are tons and tons of shops in such a small area. Everything we need is  in one city block on both sides of the street.

 I took this shot because it shows how neat and clean everything is here. And most shops have some sort of flowers out front.

This is across the street - more restaurants, picture place, dry cleaner, etc. I haven't counted all of the restaurants in our neighborhood, but I'm going to guess at least 15.

Here is our subway station - Hangangjin - pronounced (Han Gong Jin)

Clean and empty on a Sunday morning.

 A reminder you are in Korea....

Happy on the way to Seoul Grand Park...

Clowning around...

Giving a salute for the 4th of July!

The entrance to Seoul Grand Park

Lots of vendors all along the way into the park. They are all older ladies selling the same things, churros, snails, bugs, gimbap, and fruit

 That would be the snails...

Visors are big sellers here

A monk praying and asking for money

Gotta love it - KFC, Baskin Robbins, 7 Eleven, and Dunkin Doughnuts is everywhere

Fresh squid cooked to order

Michaela and her 1,000 won (about $1.00) fan. We needed it! It was stinking hot and humid!

This pavilion just was out in the water - pretty neat

The countryside around us - we were about 25 minutes outside of central Seoul. There is about another 30 minutes of subway line to the south for the metro area.

This sat in the middle of the botanical garden. It was really big and pretty. I'm not sure of it's function.

A traditional Korean picnic area. And everyone has their shoes off, too.

We see these characters all over town.

 Not sure of the significance of this tree, but it had little pieces of paper with writing on them pinned all over it.

The peanut and me with the flamingos.

Daddy and Michaela with the giraffes.

Two warriors?

Flowers and gardens are everywhere at the Park and really throughout Seoul.

I love the flower displays. They were all over the place here. So very pretty.

That's a big elephant!

It's a croc!

This is a Lion that was given to the Korean Gov't by the Chinese Gov't as a token of appreciation. The Seoul Grand Park is their temporary home until their permanent home in the central part of the city is fully constructed.

Here is the Lioness.

Just loved this picture...

Dongdaemun Gate - this place is awesome!!!

Just one snapshot of Dongdaemun section - I got too caught up in shopping to take lots of photos. When I go back, I'll take a bunch more. This is true Korea.

The kiddo wanted me to take a funny one of her dressed silly. She loves putting underwear on her head. Remind you of anyone?? hmm...