Wednesday, December 24, 2008

A Charlie Brown Christmas...

We decided to go out under the cover of night and get ourselves a Christmas tree branch.  This truly looks like the tree in "A Charlie Brown Christmas."  We welcome this little bit of greenery into our house, however, and we're enjoying the Christmas season.

Look, Ben, it drinks beer!

Almost the finished product...

Here it is!  Our little Christmas tree!  Not the best one I've ever had, but it will do... (actually, I kind of feel like a college student, when you go out to your campus, chop something, and come back and decorate it slightly tackily so that you can feel like you're in the Christmas spirit...)

But we are in the Christmas spirit, and we're having a good Christmas in spite of our distance.

Merry Christmas!

Korea National Museum

We've been on vacation this week, which has been blissful, restful, wonderful, choose your own word that means the same thing and add it here: _____________.  We had originally set out to take another cool trip, but the exchange rate has affected our financial goals, so we're staying home, resting, and taking some great day trips.  We have definitely enjoyed ourselves!

Here are some photos we took when we went to the Korea National Museum.  We only got through the first floor because it was so huge, but we learned a lot about Korean history, too.

Walkway up to the entrance.  Did I mention that admission was FREE??

This museum's architecture is famous, I think.  It was hard to capture with my camera.


When we looked through the picture "window" of the courtyard, we had a clear view of Seoul Tower.

Guess who?  The sign says "choon gong," but I don't know what that means.

Main entrance to the museum.  Wow!  

This was a really fun trip.  Normally admission is 2000 won, but today it was free, and we got an education in Korean history from 8000, BC to the present day.  They have a very long history, as you can see!


Sunday, December 7, 2008

Thanksgiving '08

We spent another Thanksgiving holiday in Korea, so this year, my friend Jennie and I undertook a traditional meal, complete with turkey!  Here is our handiwork.  You can see our hardworking legs in the background.  Our bird was truly yummy, and I recommend a brine for all of you who might tackle such a feat for Christmas.  

Our menu: turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green salad, maple-glazed carrots, cranberry jelly, babaganoush (Lebanese contribution), pumpkin pie with home-made whipped cream, and home-made flan.  Wonderful!

Jimmy and Sarah were our hosts, so we insisted that he do the honors and carve the bird.

Caught in mid-something.

Our friend Tyrone on the left, and an old classmate of mine, Gary, on the right.

This is the crowd, pre-feast.  We were grateful to have such a good Thanksgiving gathering.  Even when you're away from your family, getting people together around the table is something special.


Friday, November 14, 2008

Crab Anyone?

We took a trip to our friend's house in the countryside, and had the chance to go to the coast and eat crab.  Lots of crab.  These ladies below became our lunch.  And yes, I said ladies.  Here it is not illegal to catch and eat female crabs.  The Koreans really like to eat the eggs and gunk guts of the crab.  No thank you.




This harbor reminded us a bit of Anacortes.


Along the harbor was a road that had a lot of street vendors selling fish and shellfish.


All in all, a fun trip!  It was great to see the water again, get out of the city, and rest a bit.  A highlight of our month.



Sunday, October 26, 2008

DMZ Tour

We had the opportunity to take an organized tour to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is an area that buffers the border between North and South Korea.  This was a really interesting trip, and we learned a lot of new facts about the 20th century history of the Korean peninsula.

A few fast facts:
1. Korea has been occupied by several major world powers.  Prior to WWII, it was occupied by Japan.  After the Allied forces defeated Japan, the northern half of  the Korean peninsula became occupied by the Soviets, while the southern half was occupied by the United States.

2. The Korean war began because the Soviet Union sought to expand its power into Eastern Asia via the Korean peninsula.  Soviet-backed North Korea invaded South Korea and pushed coalition forces (US, South Korean, and several other contributing countries) all the way down to Busan, Korea's southernmost major city.  General MacArthur helped turn this situation around, and the Northern forces were driven back up near the Chinese border.  Then the Chinese sent 1,000,000 soldiers in to aid the North, and the Southern troops were driven back to the point which we now acknowledge as the border between the two countries.

3. The DMZ is an area 2 km north and 2 km south of the border.  The countries agreed to cease fire and step back 2 km from the Line of Demarcation (the border) as a way to keep the peace.  It's full of land mines, but because it is rarely bothered by human interference, it is also a sanctuary for wildlife.  We saw hundreds of birds flying through this area when were there.  It was quite beautiful.

So there's your quick history lesson.  Now on  to some pictures...

South Korea greatly wants reunification, according to our guide.  They have big dreams to create a railway that would stretch from Busan in the south, all the way to the other end of Korea, into China, and eventually to the Atlantic ocean after it's passed all the way through Europe.  This picture shows its humble beginnings.

This is Dorasan, the northernmost train station in South Korea.  It does not actually run to Pyeongyang.  Yet.

In the early 1970's a North Korean defector informed South Korea that the North was constructing underground tunnels for the purpose of invasion.  This tunnel that we visited was the third of 4 tunnels that were found (although most people think there are more).  We descended 350 meters on this little Disneyland tram and got to walk around inside the actual tunnel.


This is known as the Bridge of No Return.  POW's were released at this point and were allowed to choose whether they wanted to return to the North.  After they crossed, there was no returning, hence the name.

The white posts in the background are the actual Line of Demarcation.  One side is North, the other is South.  The posts are exactly 1 meter high and 10 meters apart.


This is the Joint Security Area.  The blue buildings in front of the South Korean soldiers are meeting rooms, which are guarded inside and out.  There is a theoretical line down the center of the conference table, too.

He is on guard.  All guards are always ready to fight (see his fists).  Also all guards in the JSA must have a black belt in Taekwondo at minimum.

Truly, this was a very interesting trip.  Wouldn't say it was exactly fun, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Here and There, Around and About

Earlier in the summer, our scooter broke down, and while we were waiting for the opportunity to take it to the repair shop, we began walking to work.  I have fallen in love with this time in my day; about 2 miles each way.  It's a nice way to gear up for the day, as well as wind down at the end of the day.  Plus, Michael and I have both become healthier and thinner as a result.  Woo-hoo!  Here are a few photos from our daily walk.

This alley is full of restaurant that all cook the SAME kind of food.  They're not doing too well; no one is ever in them, but curiously, I think  it has nothing to do with the fact that they all sell the same thing.  I think location has more to do with it.

Lights!  Recently, the city installed lights on this bridge; they glow yellow and have blue accents.  It's very bright and neat to look at.

Fall morning.  Lovely!

This commute beats my old, 45-minute commute on I-5 any day.  I'll take it, rain or shine.
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School Days

We've done a few fun things at our school lately.  Here are a few photos from our totally appropriate field trip--taking kindergartners to the museum of modern art.  Sigh.  They had fun at lunch time!
Crazy camera man made us sit here for about 10 pictures.  Ahhhh!  This one is pretty decent: the Kids' College Kindergarten.

Gotta wonder what was on his finger... I just loved his koala hat, and so did he!

Michael's class--this is so typical of them.  Each kid is doing what he or she always does.

Here's my group!

Michael's class--again, typical.

Sometimes I can't believe how much our students have learned in the last 8 months.  My students went from basic reading skills to writing multiple sentences and reading almost anything!  Wow!  It's been fun to see their progress, and I'm proud of them. 



Friday, October 17, 2008

What's in a Name?

As I've often mentioned, Asia is full of interesting takes on English, and today I shall discuss cars.  The well-known brands, Kia and Hyundai do a pretty good job giving poetic names to the models of their cars: Sonata, Chairman, Rio, Santa Fe.  But I ran across some lesser-known models that they don't sell in the States.

My new favorite: I think it's made by Hyundai... the Korando "Mantosser."  A very appropriate name for a car in this culture, since the vehicle-pedestrian relationship is based solely on who is bigger on the road--and you know who that is.  If I could only get behind the wheel!

Another good one I saw yesterday: A van known as  the Cool Saloon.  Who would not want to hang out in that thing?


At about $7.00/gallon here, who wants to be idling in traffic?  That is why I love Korea's public transit system!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Our Favorite Vehicle

Well, we've talked a lot about this scooter (sometimes known as the Beast), but it is definitely one of the "funnest" things we've enjoyed here.  We're planning on getting one when we come back to the USA, especially with all we've been hearing about the price of gas.




See how tough he looks?  And notice, the fake bullet hole on the side of the scooter.  I ask you, what could make you feel more like a man?  (I really have no idea, since a man isn't writing this...)



Sunday, September 28, 2008

The Beginnings of Fall

At last!  The cool weather and beautiful colors of fall are beginning to appear.  We enjoyed a perfect hike today and can sense in every way that fall is fast approaching.  I finally need a light coat!
Here's Michael, handsome as ever!

And me, posing for the REI or L.L. Bean catalogues.

Self portrait--not bad!

Acorns are dropping from the trees all around us, and the squirrels are having a hey-day.



Friday, September 5, 2008

Grammar Queen Rules

Over the years, I have often been the target of gentle ridicule regarding my attention to Proper English Grammar.  Although those arrows stung a bit at times, I held my ground, even when I did not fully understand my own reasons for such steadfastness.  Perhaps it is because most Americans only speak one language fluently (English) and also because perhaps we take it for granted that it will always be there for us.  I caution you, English will always be there (unless we all have to learn Chinese someday instead), but it might not be there in a form that can be communicated.

Case in point: The Poorly Translated Korean Message Shirt

I cannot get enough of these.  Poor Korean women probably think I am fascinated by their chests, but what really peaks my fascination is the abysmal English they advertise all over themselves.  I could not resist buying a shirt for the following message it sported:

*Hello!!!Mouse*
in your carears
you will meat
many people.
All are signillcant
They desaeve you allantion

(half image of Mickey Mouse at bottom)

An "A" in code-breaking if you can figure out what this message truly means.  I have my guesses.

That's all for now.  But may you gain new appreciation in the future for some of the English language's more proficient writers.  ;-)

Friday, August 29, 2008

A Changing of Seasons

Michael and I hit an important mental milestone last week--halfway through our year in Korea!  It may sound like we are counting, but we are!  But halfway seems to be a rallying point for me, an "I can do it" point in time.  Thus, every month is a re-invigorated countdown, and we're excited to finish our contracts here and come home to family and country.

Another great thing about this time of the year is the relief from the hot weather.  July and August brought hot, humid days and nights that began early in the morning and brought little relief at night.  Finally, the breeze is cool and the nights are, too.  It makes such a big difference in daily life!

So, things continue here in constant change and Korean chaos, but the great thing is, we'll see you in 5 1/2 months!

Here's a photo I took that I'm a little proud of...

Sunday, August 24, 2008

More China

I have been a bit remiss in posting photos from our trip.  It's taken awhile to sort through the really good ones, as I want to bring you only the best. :-)  Enjoy the 2nd installment of the wonderful trip we took!

We took a stroll through the rural countryside.  This is a little village about 5 minutes out from our hotel.  To reiterate the heat factor--it is barely 8:00 a.m. and Michael has his shirt off.

A lady on her way to market.  We saw many people carrying loads in this fashion, and I couldn't resist a photo of such a lovely moment.

Another farming village.  Rice paddies ready for harvest are visible in the foreground.

A fishing raft.  The guy who used this was spear fishing, so he'd motor out to the middle of the river, put on his snorkel gear and catch a few fish.  He and his friends were grilling them on the beach a few feet away from us.

Yangshuo marketplace

Bamboo rafts floating/motoring down the Li River.  We rode a smaller version of these twice.  Cost was about $7 for a 40 minute ride.  Just lovely!


A raft captain.
The foreigner-focused part of the Yangshuo market

Sunset from our hotel...