Korea Week 3

And another busy week! We have moved on to Busan and VACATION. We're having a blast!

Tuesday the rain from the Typhoon abated and we went with Joann to a nearby outlet mall. They had a mechanical playground where everything spun, rocked or blew wind and objects around. William had a blast. They have some really cool playgrounds here, I must say.Wednesday Joann, William and I went to a mountain park where we saw a statue of a famous general, hiked up the mountainside and watched a huge musical fountain. It was perfect weather, but it was exhausting!

Thursday (the day Joann left) and Friday, William and I checked out the Gyeonggi Children's Museum as well as the Gyeonggi Provencial Museum (which was right next door). The Children's museum was so fun that we couldn't fit it all into one day and had to come back for more! It had a play farm area, a science area, a water area, a construction area, a parts of the body area, a fantasy area and a community/town area. The first day we were there I realized everyone was speaking English and that their were a bunch of white women ushering around a bunch of Asian children. Turns out they were part of a teaching English group that was out for a field trip. It was weird and good to hear English again! Friday evening we had Korean BBQ on the rooftop of our hotel with all of Francis's coworkers. It was nice to get to talk to some of them and hear about their experiences.

Saturday morning we left with all six bags and headed for the train station. The hotel staff were sad to see us go and all offered William hugs and "byebye"s. It was sweet. Well, we took a taxi to the train station only to find that the elevator was blocked from the main part of the station for some reason and we had to take the stairs. Fortunately some men took pity on us and helped us get our luggage up to the top. I think Francis and I would have died from exhaustion otherwise. Well, we hurried to the terminal and tried to figure out exactly where our train can would end up so that we could line up all our stuff. We were completely wrong...I dragged two suitcases and the stroller as far as I could, but my bags tipped over and I lost sight of Francis. Everyone was rushing onto the train and it was about to leave so I got onto the nearest car after explaining through a translator that my husband had our tickets. The porter did not want to let us on, but finally he did. I quickly realized the aisle was too narrow to get both the luggage and stroller through, so I left the luggage with the porter and struggled through 11 train cars (with the help of a kind English speaking Korean woman) until I finally caught sight of Francis, who looked as relieved as I. Francis went after the luggage (and showed the porter our tickets) and we finally settled in for our train ride. I cried quite a bit, but only after I knew everything was ok. Francis had apparently gone around a huge pillar to get on the right car and never saw me fall. He was as worried as I was. But we are all ok now. The train ride itself was amazing and smooth. We got to see so much countryside and go through mountain tunnels. William loved it!

When we arrived Saturday at the train station, we had to take two (yes two) taxis to our hotel. Then we headed up to Yongdusan Park and Busan Tower to see the city view. William got his first Subway ride and we ended up having a spectacular view of the sunset over the city. We had dinner at Lotte Department store and watched the World's largest indoor audiovisual fountain do a couple of shows. It was very impressive as was the mall itself. 

Sunday we took a bus tour around the city. We found more people speak English here, to say the least. We visited the Busan Museum of History, where William got to experience a traditional wedding ceremony for himself. It was very cute. The relics they have at the museum are impressive and the museum went all the way up to modern day. The most interesting thing to me though was that final sentence on the final placard, "Indeed the [Korean] war is not over, as evidenced by the DMZ zone and still separated families". We don't think about that very much here, but it is evident that they still do. We also visited Gwangalli  and Haeundae beaches, where William got to swim in the Sea of Japan. We would have all swam if we knew the water was so pleasant, but everyone said it would be too cold. Oh well! Shinsegae department store, the biggest mall in the world, was our next stop. I enjoyed Cartier, but Francis wouldn't let me get anything...not sure why! We passed over Gwangan Bridge which provided a spectacular view and concluded our journey at the UN Memorial cemetery for the Korean War. Our last stop was certainly the most special and memorable. They could not have made a more beautiful cemetery. We watched them lower the flag and I cried. I don't even have words for this time. I will leave it by saying I will never forget it. 

Monday we went shopping a bit, but gave up because we know we will shop in Seoul. We ended up walking to Children's Grand Park where we hiked a mountain and saw Beomeosa Temple. We hiked in order to see the view, but all we could ever see was trees! It was a fun day, but my legs are tired!!!

In Busan, the gifts for William continue and are still mostly food. One shopkeeper yesterday gave him an entire bag of rice cakes! A knew thing has occurred though, people now want their picture taken with William. It's so odd, but more than 20 people have posed with him over the last 48 hours. One man walking along the beach, scooped him up, posed for the camera, put him down and kept walking. To his credit, he had seen someone else pose with him a little while before, but he still didn't ask! It's so crazy! Every one calls out to him no matter how far away he is. There is a distinct "I've just seen William" face that comes over people of all ages. When I can't find William and Francis, I just follow the faces back to them (seriously!). There is also a sigh/gasp/cry that all women seem to make when they see him. I kind of delighted "ah!". William is going to miss all this attention when we get home. 

Well, I need to go. We board the train for Seoul in a couple of hours. Wish us luck!  We will need it.

Korea Week 2

I can't believe we are already halfway through our trip. It seems like we've been here forever, but at the same time, I feel like we've only just arrived. I don't even know where to begin with all we've done this week.

Tuesday we went to the Suwon Hwaseong Museum to see how they built (and rebuilt) Hwaseong fortress. It was very interesting, and William enjoyed the Children's area. Something I am noticing about Suwon is that every museum and big store has a nursing area, baby services area and a children's area. They are very kid friendly here!!! Wednesday William and I went by the Suwon Museum of History, Calligraphy and Lee Jong Hak Archives. On the way there, William and I toured the outside of the Suwon World Cup Stadium. It was very fun! I ended up having to take a cab to the museum though and I am glad I did because nothing on the outside was in English! I would never have found it. The museum itself was fascinating. They gave me a PDA which translated everything into English when I clicked on the corresponding pictures. This museum was the most interactive I've ever seen. Everything was motion activated, including a room which played a movie before letting you into the next chamber, and a city that came to life when you walked into the room. William had a blast in the kid's area here. Never a dull moment with this kiddo! Wednesday night I got to meet and have dinner with the wife of one of Francis's coworkers. Her name is Leann.

Thursday Leann and I took a Taxi and toured Home Plus and the Galleria Mall while the rain streamed down outside. I didn't realize how many people there are in Suwon until it started raining and everyone was forced inside. The mall was packed. We had to wait over and over for countless elevators (since I had the stroller) and were on the point of tears from frustrated laughter by the time we finally got out. It was a good bonding experience. Friday Leann, William and I visited Hyowon park. It was beautiful with its traditional Chinese Garden. I took a ton of photos. William especially liked the Koi pond. He tried to climb in more than once! We also found yet another playground. This one was shaped like an airplane. It was very fun!

Saturday Francis was off work and we took full advantage by taking the bus out to Everland Theme Park. On the Bus William spoke Korean to someone! They said Hello to him in Korean and he responded "Ahn ya" (Hi) back!!!! I couldn't believe it. My baby knows Korean!! We got to the park and I couldn't believe it. It is huge! I don't think we could have done everything even if we had taken two days. As it was we toured the zoo where William had fun playing with the monkeys from the other side of the glass. When we finally got to ride our first ride (other than the sky tram down into the park), William had fallen asleep. We got in a circular boat, they strapped us in and we rode the raging rapids. William slept through it all. I guess he just thought it was a particularly wet and bumpy stroller ride. I don't know. William woke up in time for lunch after which we rode the carousel, elephant ride, train, and a really really long version of the "It's a Small World After All" ride from Disneyworld. Oh, and there was a kid area with a bunch of fountains where we let William play for a while. He drew a huge crowd of people taking pictures of him. This happens everywhere we go, but this was the biggest crowd yet. After we picked him up to dry him, people followed us and continued to take pictures. It was crazy! William and I also got to play in this awesome ball pit ride which shot out foam balls in every direction and let you play with them in every sort of imaginable way. So fun! Towards the evening we rode a safari ride in which we got to see real white tigers and bears up close and personal. One bear would not leave our bus alone and kept doing tricks so the bus driver would give him treats. He was HUGE! At night we watched the light parade and a spectacular display of pyrotechnics and fireworks. They passed out hat/face shields before the show which seemed sort of silly at the time, but by the end of the show we were covered in ash from the fireworks. Even with the mask, some got in my eye!. William LOVED it though and laughed and pointed at each successive explosion. He is his daddy's son!!!

Sunday we went to King Jeongjo's grave as well as his father's and mother's. It is situated in a beautiful national park with rolling hills and lush landscape. After this we went to Yongjusa temple. We only saw one Buddist Monk among all the finery, but plenty of people were worshiping. This made me sad for two reasons: that they are doing so much work bowing and saying all the "right words" to an idol that can't help them and that we don't spend more time truly worshiping the Living God with such fervor. It made me a bit contemplative to say the least.

Today we are weathering the edge of Typhoon Sanba. We are mostly getting rain and medium winds (40 mph). I don't think it will flood or do any damage so that is good. William is going a bit stir crazy though. He is so used to going outside that he keeps trying to escape the room. I hope this storm clears soon!

That's it for now!

Korea Week 1

So much to write. I will try not to turn this into a novel, but no guarantees!

First of all, William makes friends wherever he goes, and we have been a bunch of places. People keep kissing on him and giving him gifts. Mostly he gets food (sweets and candy), but he has also gotten a key chain and a fan. People even take pictures of him like he's a tourist attraction. Does my son mind? Nope. He eats it up. He waves when he sees someone coming and chases after them if they don't stop and talk. I've found Korean children are also fond of my little guy. Older Children come up and want to play with him. Younger children smile and wave back. I maintain that he will be sad when we go home and is "normal" again.

I was a bit worried about making the trek across the world and having to travel around by myself, but I actually feel very safe here. The streets are clean and I can always see at least three people when I walk down the street, but it's never so crowded that I feel overwhelmed. Everyone is friendly. When William and I got caught in the rain, two different ladies (one coming and one going back), held their umbrellas over us and walked us to our destination. I can't imagine anyone doing that at home. It's been great. I have learned the value of the completely clueless face and have gotten good at it when I need help. I've yet to see another white woman (or man) outside of the two tourist sites we visited this weekend. In the shops around here people are beginning to know me and William and smile and wave as we pass. Mostly, I think I feel the safest knowing that if anyone tried to hurt us, about a million little old ladies would attack them with a passion. And those little old ladies are spry; I wouldn't want to mess with them.

William and I have been walking everywhere. We have to pad in time to stop and talk to all the Korean women we pass, but we eventually get where we are going. Francis thought I was kidding when I told him that, but he found out this weekend exactly what I meant, hehe. There is a park behind our hotel and a playground down a street nearby. We have frequented both on our daily outings. I've also walked to a "mall" (basically a big Dillards) and the Home Plus store (kind of like Walmart on steroids) where I bought William a book that is in both Korean and English. I've decided that my new thing for a while: buying children's books for William from where we travel. I got him a counting book from Ireland and he loves it. Anyway, back to walking. I've been walking 5 or more miles a day. I'm so glad I have good shoes, or it would be torture!

Francis had off Saturday and Sunday so we made the most of it. Saturday we went to the Traditional Korean Fold Village. It was so fun! It was supposed to rain, but we went anyway, and you know what? It didn't rain and it was a beautiful day. I guess everyone was scared off by the forecast because no one was there (Francis has been there before when it was packed). We saw all kinds of traditional Korean houses including peasants, scholars, farmers, and noblemen. We saw wood working, silk spinning (which was fascinating!), carving, and harvesting. Most notably, we saw a traditional Korean wedding. A real one. It was in the program, but when we arrived we noticed some people were dressed like tourists while others were wearing suits. After talking to some, we found the wedding was legit! The bride was American and the groom was Korean so it was an interesting mix of people. The ceremony included two chickens (thrown into the air), some food (that was eaten), drink, and a LOT of bowing (mostly to the parents of the bride and groom). The strangest thing to me was that the bride and groom had a large table between them and they never touched.

Sunday we went to Suwon Fortress and the Temporary Palace. Suwon was originally a walled city built by a King to honor his dead Father in 1795. All of the buildings have been restored after they were destroyed when the Japanese invaded. It was amazing site. We walked about halfway around the wall, after which we were so tired that we took the “dragon train” the rest of the way around. The palace itself was impressive and large, with 33 buildings in total. The nice thing about old Korean buildings is their open floor plan. You can see everything from the outside. I especially enjoyed the changing of the guards ceremony. It was full of colorful costumes, an appearance by the (ancient) king and archery and gunfire. Overall a winner. Oh! And we wandered into a special area on accident where we were offered tea, taught how to wrap and store traditional herbal medicine, and given a traditional medical exam. The treatment for Francis’s back was herbal tea and acupuncture! He said it didn’t hurt though. He would do it again.

You may be wondering how we like the Korean food. Well, to be honest I hadn’t much cared for it until last night and William had been flat out refusing to eat it. He’s not a huge fan of rice or noodles, so I wasn’t too shocked. Last night, though, we had a meal that was amazing. It was SUPER SPICY chicken with  a bunch of trimmings. I think there may be a permanent hole in my stomach, but it was worth it. They also served a huge egg dish which William ate almost all of (which is saying something since he ate before we went out!). Today I went out on a limb and bought these fish shaped waffles on a stick that have bean curd in them as well as some colored cakes. Both are delicious and William really likes them. Hopefully he (and I) will come to really enjoy more Korean food very soon!

Well, got to go. My typing keeps waking up William. Till next time!

September 3, 2012

Hello from the other side of the world!
Yes, it is Monday afternoon here so I am going to go ahead and post while I have time.
First off, last Wednesday, Francis received word through a coworker that his 6 week trip to Korea would be cut to three weeks. Upon talking to his boss (who had not heard this), they discovered that this was indeed true. So we spent the better part of our week adjusting flights and generally deciding our course of action. We will now be in Korea from September 1-29. But wait, you may say, that is four weeks, and you are correct. We decided to take a week for vacation. Despite all the stress the change caused, I think it worked out for the best. I will now be back to Texas in time for The State Fair and HSU homecoming, as well as my mom's birthday: all things I always look forward to.

In other news, on Friday, William pooped on the potty for the first time. It was a fluke because I was changing his diaper, he started to push and so I stuck him on the potty to avoid another diaper change. He was so proud of himself when he got to flush the potty. We may have to start potty training soon if he gets that excited!

Saturday morning we left our house at 6:30 (after a taxi mix up) and started our 20+ hour trip to Suwon, South Korea. All told we had a taxi ride, two plane rides and a bus ride to get here. It was exhausting. On the plus side we got to see my parents and my in-laws in DFW airport between flights and say goodbye. When we got back through security, they were calling William's name over the loudspeaker. Turns out we had never entered his passport info for Korean Air so they needed to see it before we boarded. Not a big deal, but boy did it get our adrenaline pumping as we raced across the terminal!

The plane ride to Korea was less than what was desired. It was no fault of Korean Air, William just didn't want to sleep. Despite the lights being low or off, William wanted to visit with every passenger on the plane. He was pretty good for the first 8 hours (of 14), but eventually he really needed to get and stay in his seat. This is when he started to scream both from exhaustion and frustration until we landed in Incheon. It was downright unpleasant. Then at the hotel during the night, he screamed and cried all night because he wanted to play and explore...Not surprisingly after a huge breakfast, he passed out for 3 hours. I hope he sleeps better tonight, because Francis and I need the rest!!!

Our hotel is beautiful. The room is large and has plenty of space for our 6 suitcases and other junk. So far I am very impressed.

I am super proud of myself as I made my first adventure out into Korea by myself with William. Where did I go? McDonald's. Hey, give me some credit. I was trying to get William fed and go to a place where I was pretty sure I could read the menu. It was a 20 minute walk from the hotel (and it is a bit hot outside). I kept thinking I had gone the wrong way (one of the spots I went down looked like an alleyway), but just as I was going to turn back in despair, I saw it!!! After pantomiming with the cashier, William and I ate while everyone in the place stared at William and his blonde hair. We're not in Kansas anymore! I was warned this might happen, though, so it didn't phase me. After lunch we walked back (I didn't get lost), and I found a store near our hotel where I bought some breakfast items and a hairbrush to replace the one I forgot. The lady rattled off something in Korean which I quickly realized meant that they don't provide bags, so I had to carry all my stuff back to the Hotel. Glad it wasn't far because I looked like a fool!

Here are the things I've learned in the past 6 hours about Korea:
1. Korean is written in syllables with each symbol being a combo of vowels and consonants.
2. With the right amount of hand gestures and head nods, you can get fed, even if it isn't exactly what you thought you wanted.
3. Everyone here has flip covers for their cell phones like we have for our tablets and e-readers. So they flip it open to answer, close it to talk, and flip it open to hang up. Interesting.
4. Only special Korean cell phones work in Korea (they use a different cell system). To get my phone to make calls, I will have to rent a different one or buy a pay as you go phone.
5. There are no high chairs for babies (at least there was not as McDonald's). People use their strollers or sit the baby in their lap.
6. Sidewalks are not really for pedestrians. Cars and carts can park there and Scooters or Three wheelers can drive there. The curb is just a figment of your imagination. Good news is that the sidewalks are super wide so you can move out of the way as long as there isn't too much foot traffic.
7. No one here seems to carry plastic bags. After my experience at the super market, I looked around. Not a single one could I find.
8. You separate your food, your paper goods and your plastic even at fast food restaurants. That was new for me. So glad they had pictures!
9. The term fast food does not mean the same thing here as it does at home. I passed a Pizza Hut, a bunch of quick sandwich shops and some pizzarias, as well as some quick Korean BBQ on the way to the "closest" fast food place (McDonald's). The only fast food places listed in Suwon are McDonald's, Burger King and Popeye's. Rather limiting, if you ask me. 
10. They must purposefully hide the buttons for the cross walks so that I can't find them. I had to j-walk a bunch today unless a local was there to press some obscure spot to make the light turn. I still haven't figured out what they did!
11. Everyone LOVES William's blonde hair. More than one little old lady kissed their hand and touched his head. A bunch of other women stopped and said "Hello!" in English to him and then smiled and said something pleasant sounding to me in Korean. I can't complain though, because he loves the attention.

I know I learned more, but I will have to leave it for another day. I am going to try to nap before William wakes up. One last thing before I go. I let William turn out the light in the bathroom a minute ago. I celebrated by saying, "Good job! You did it!" Clear as a bell he responded, "I did it!" It made me so happy to hear that!!! His first three word phrase! He's growing up so fast!