Ahn Neyong Ha Seyo (Hello) from So. Korea…
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that your New Year’s Eve will be memorable. If you are one of my former students or a teacher, I hope you are being very laid back and relishing every single minute you have before school starts again in January. If you’re a skier, take a few runs for me. If you are a reader, make it through a book for me (I’ve only had three books to read since I left – they’ve been pretty hard to find!). If you are sitting by a warm, cozy fire watching a great video, take in some warmth for me. If you are catching up on some long over-due projects, let me know when you are finished… I’ll give you some of mine (smile). If you are enjoying a simple nap here and there, I’m actually joining you here whenever I get on the metro. If you are just plain enjoying the holidays with all its festivities, food, family, and friends, ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!
My Christmas Eve turned out even better than I expected. The kids surprised me and were able to find most of the ingredients for shrimp cocktail, so I showed Tayler how to make cocktail sauce. He improvised with a few other ingredients to make up for what we didn’t have, and it turned out quite nicely. The clam chowder was good, too. So in case you can’t find half and half in the future, just know that half whipping cream (unwhipped, of course) and half milk will work in a pinch.
After dinner, we did all our usual things including opening pj’s for everyone (even a surprise pair for me), and opening a new Christmas book which we read together. The kids found some kind of crackling fireplace thing on YouTube, so they ran their computer through the TV and we had a fireplace below our stockings. Too bad it didn’t include heat, but otherwise, it was great. We watched both Tayler and Meghan’s favorite Christmas videos and listened to the Christmas story from the computer. It was a fun night.
Christmas Day, we had to leave for church by 8:30 AM in order to be there by 10:00, so presents went on the back burner until we got home at 5:15 PM. We also went to the Ritz Carlton for their Christmas Brunch… very expensive, but soooo worth it. It’s the closest thing I’ve eaten to American food since I left America, and every single thing I ate was delicious! We were eating for 2 full hours! We spent one hour at church, two hours eating, and the rest of the time was spent on taxis, metros, and walking. 5 hrs. and 45 mins. to be exact. What I wouldn’t have given for my own warm car to get us where we wanted to go! We opened presents when we got home and settled into a good movie.
It finally warmed up enough on Tuesday, so Tayler and I went into Seoul to see a Buddist Temple and to do a little shopping. We went inside the temple and people were kneeling on little pads and praying everywhere with something that looked kind of like rosary beads. It was really interesting and very beautiful inside. Nobody seemed to mind that we were there, but I felt a little like we were intruding. I took an “undercover picture” from my hip – just pointed my phone in the right direction and clicked. I was surprised that it turned out as well as it did.
Wednesday, we went with Miss Hong and Mr. Jong again for lunch. This time we had gamjatang (Korean potato soup). Honestly, it didn’t seem that different from the shabu shabu that we had the other night, but I know they are totally different foods. It all tastes “Korean” to me – surprise, surprise.
I thought I was going to be in a first world country here, but honestly, there are certain aspects that aren’t much different than the other places I’ve been. Bathrooms in public places are an improvement over what I’ve been encountering in Kenya, So. Africa, and India, but they are still a far cry from American bathrooms. I’ve learned (the hard way) that you have to check to see WHERE the toilet paper is BEFORE you enter the stalls – sometimes it’s inside the stall, and sometimes it’s on a roll by the door as you walk into the bathroom.
Koreans seem pushy like many Indians we came upon especially when it comes to standing in lines for things. They just push ahead like they are the only people there. They don’t seem to be the friendliest bunch, either, but Tayler thinks they are very anxious to please others. They rarely seem to smile. It’s still hard to find a variety of foods that Americans like, but the Lotte Mart here does seem to have a lot more food than anywhere else I’ve been. The kids go to an international market or Costco in Seoul if they want to find a few of the foods they are used to buying at home. I have found it interesting that you have to check your bags before you can go into a store in Kenya (a little), So. Africa (some), India, and here. I guess they don’t trust people. The stores also close down much earlier than at home.
We’ve basically been without hot water since Christmas Eve when a boiler pipe burst out of the clear blue sky over the washing machine. Last night, someone called here (after 3 guys spent 2 hours working on the water - we're now up to five different visits and 11 guys TRYING to make it work - to no avail!) and told Meghan they couldn't fix the water and we were going to have to MOVE to another apartment. She was pretty assertive with them and basically said that wasn't an option. She and Tayler are the only teachers who LIVE here. The students could just pack up their suitcases and go, but it wouldn't be that easy for them. Later, a member of the faculty dropped by and said we could stay here. Another guy came over around 9:00 PM and did something to the water, so now we're supposed to have hot water from 11:00PM until 8:30 AM (that's generous of them, isn't it?). So the kids both still had to go upstairs to the other apartment around 9:30 to shower last night.
I'm glad I only have to live with this arrangement for one more day. Thursday afternoon, I was upstairs in the apartment we were told to shower in because it has hot water. Luckily, I had locked the front door and closed and locked the bathroom door (that is actually a first for me because I figured no one lived there, so no one would venture clear up to the fourth floor to come barging in on me). WHILE I was in the shower, I thought I heard voices in the living room. I thought maybe some workmen had come in to do something. I finished my shower, threw a cover-up on, wrapped the towel around my wet hair, and walked out of the bathroom - only to discover a man and two high school or college-aged girls in the apartment. We all looked startled. There are a few things still in the apartment, so it looks like someone MIGHT live there, but not really. I tried my best to explain in English why I was there, apologized, and quickly left the apartment. I'm not sure they understood a word I said or who was more embarrassed. At least I didn't walk out in just a towel! Just another "fun" adventure, I suppose.
I'm glad I only have to live with this arrangement for one more day. Thursday afternoon, I was upstairs in the apartment we were told to shower in because it has hot water. Luckily, I had locked the front door and closed and locked the bathroom door (that is actually a first for me because I figured no one lived there, so no one would venture clear up to the fourth floor to come barging in on me). WHILE I was in the shower, I thought I heard voices in the living room. I thought maybe some workmen had come in to do something. I finished my shower, threw a cover-up on, wrapped the towel around my wet hair, and walked out of the bathroom - only to discover a man and two high school or college-aged girls in the apartment. We all looked startled. There are a few things still in the apartment, so it looks like someone MIGHT live there, but not really. I tried my best to explain in English why I was there, apologized, and quickly left the apartment. I'm not sure they understood a word I said or who was more embarrassed. At least I didn't walk out in just a towel! Just another "fun" adventure, I suppose.
Last night, we celebrated Tayler’s birthday (Nov. 20) and Meghan’s birthday (Jan. 1). I always fix my family member’s favorite meals for their birthday, and Tayler's is corned beef and cabbage. The cupcakes with the peppermint bark turned out pretty good. Meghan's mom sent her a little 6-cupcake cooker thing, so I cooked them in that since they don’t have an oven. It's pretty slick.
Meghan is now getting sick, so tonight just Tayler and I went for Korean BBQ again – this time with Jooin, the kids’ “boss”, and his wife. He’s also a teacher, but he’s over the international faculty. Aside from the Ritz Carlton, it was the best dinner I’ve eaten here.
That's it for tonight,
Kadi
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