Lantern Festival 2010

Ok I FINALLY went through all the videos of the lantern parade that we went to back in May! Here it is:

We are moving back to the states!

Greg got a job in Maryland so we are flying back to Cali on the 19th spending some time with family then driving across country! Here is our planned itinerary, of course I'll post new things we learn and sights we see along the way!

Free Travel Blog Map from Jauntlet.com

View Larger Map

American Thanksgiving in Seoul

We hosted a small American Thanksgiving this year for a family in our complex and Greg's students who work in the lab. (Korean Thanksgiving is held in October) We even downloaded and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! Turkey is pretty expensive here if you can find it so we made Herb Roasted Chicken instead. I made mini apple and pumpkin pies from a muffin tin and I'm surprised how well they turned out.

Bird Cafe

Just as we have visited a cat cafe and a dog cafe, we also found a bird cafe! It is located in Itaewon back in an alleyway. Greg and I enjoyed a cup of tea while listening to Canaries and Finches sing! We even shared our rice cakes with them :)

Lillian's First Tea Party

We found a couple English style tea houses in Sinchon. We originally intended to spend the day with Lillian at the Christmas Cafe (a cafe with more winter decor than Christmas decor) but they were closed. So, we had a tea party instead!

Lillian's Buddhist Blessing

Greg and I have been learning about Buddhism while we have been in Korea, we feel the philosophy matches more of our values and beliefs. Buddhism focuses on self, being at peace with yourself and the world around you; things are not done to help your own ego but rather focuses on in general being a good person. Many other religions stemmed from Buddhist beliefs. We want to teach Lillian the Buddhist philosophy so we got her blessed at a Buddhist temple. She even wore a dress and shoes for the first time :) After, the monks prepared a feast for us and even drove us home since they were worried about miss Lillian being too cold.

We were originally going to give her a Korean Buddhist name; however, the arrangements got a little mixed up. Instead we had some Korean friends give her one. Her Korean name is:

It is the Korean word for Lily. She was born in the year of the Tiger so the Tiger Lily suits her well!

In search of Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man)

Seoul was having a German Christmas Market this weekend and we went in search of Weihnachtsmann which means the "Christmas Man/ Father Christmas" or Santa. The German Santa differs from our Western Santa. Instead, on December 5th or 6th (depending where in Germany you are located) a man dressed as St. Nicholas goes to homes and delivers small gifts to children. Children would leave their shoes by the window or door to awaken the next day with small gifts and goodies stuffed in their shoes. However, St. Nicholas doesn't travel alone. Accompanying him are several devil-like Krampusse who carry a switch (eine Rute) which is what is shown in the picture to the right. The Krampus just tease the children with it. In some regions in Germany the Krampus is the good guy bringing gifts, in a way replacing St. Nicholas. Just like American customs, children may leave a wish list for Nicolas who passes it on to the Weihnachtsmann for Christmas.

Christmas Eve is the most important day of the German celebration; however, Santa Claus or St. Nick do not bring the gifts to children. Typically, the living rooms housing the Christmas tree are closed of and opened on Christmas eve. Gifts are also exchanged on Christmas eve usually before or after dinner. It is believed the Weihnachtsmann brings the gifts.

Largest Buddah in Seoul

I haven't posted in a while since I've been working more on the baby blog but we visited the largest Buddha in Seoul!

Animal Cafes

Greg and I recently learned about Animal Cafes! Many Koreans do not have pets, if they do they have small dogs; thus, although it is not confirmed I do not think they have many pounds for animals. Instead animals are taken in and pampered in these cafes where people can enjoy the company of their furry friends.

Both of the cafes we visited were near Hongik University; a spot we like to explore on Friday nights and take in random musical shows in park like areas. The first was Geo Cat located near a Greek restaurant we like to go to. Before entering the cafe you rub a little hand sanitizer on your hands slip off your shoes and put on slippers as provided by the cafe. The room is a little sparse in terms of tables but has a large structure for the kitties to climb on. Drinks are also a little more expensive than traditional coffee shops but you do get to spend hours if you wish with your furry friends. To me, the kitties seemed a little sick but it does seem much better than out on the streets. There was one little kitty with a red color; he was grey colored and looked a lot like Baloo. They were very concerned when he decided to take up my lap for a nap. Apparently the ones with red colors means they bite. After seeing how this little kitty was, he really didn't attack and seemed to act like any cat who didn't want to be moved... he'd lightly bite to express his discomfort. Although I realize since it is a public place where people can come and go, it seems reasonable to disclose safety standards; however, it also makes you realize how little they are exposed to cats as pets. Many girls stayed away from this little kitty and became quite nervous if he decided to curl up next to them.

Yesterday we went on a mission to find Bauhaus- a dog cafe; however, it seems they recently changed their policy and they are only a dog hotel rather than a cafe. We managed to find another cafe with dogs a little further down. It was quite amusing to have every dog stop what they were doing and bark at anyone new who came in. There was a vast array of small dogs including mini border collies, a wiener dog, schnauzer, miniature pincher, Yorkshire terrier, terrier aka spuds mechanize (the Target dog), corgis and cockier spaniels. They had a few bigger dogs including a husky, golden retriever, and a samoyed. Once again we saw some Korean girls who had to have been at least 8 years old and they were terrified of the dogs! Greg really enjoyed himself and I know it will be one of our regular spots so he can pet the dogs. A few of the dogs could do a couple tricks and the golden retriever scouts every table for a bill ready to be paid, will take the little clipboard with the bill and cash to one of the workers. It was funny to watch her look at each table when people get up; if someone gets up to pay it themselves she quickly stops them looking at them eagerly hoping to be able to do it herself! Unfortunately I had my camera at the dog shop but had forgotten to put the memory card back in it so we only have pictures from GeoCat at the moment.

Lantern Festival

Well I intended on putting this up ages ago but I never went through and edited the vast array of videos we had from it. Greg and I went to the Lantern Festival to celebrate Buddhas birthday. Temples were adorned with brightly colored lanterns, there were crafts for tourists to do including making your own lotus lanterns, making prayer bead strands, fans, incense and much more! The lanterns were beautiful and it is amazing to think even the large ones are just made out of paper! I had a vast amount of video of the parade but editing and piecing together is a very big task so for now here are the photos I took of our weekend at the lantern festival.

Kitties Life in Korea

The Kitties are enjoying their time here. They especially love the heated floors! We managed to find them a scratching post and they have taken up a new bed....



a box from Costco! It's crazy how we can buy them things and they find simple pleasures in the items we get for free. The kitties also enjoy the enclosed patios, they spend many afternoons lounging around looking out the window or warming themselves in the sun. They don't even know they are now world travelers!

What is that thing in the ground?

Everland

Everland is a 3-in-1 park consisting of Festival World, Caribbean Bay and a Speedway. We spent the day at Festival World. Within this section of the park there was a huge tulip garden, rides, and a small zoo/safari. There was a set up similar to Disneyland in that the park is divided into different themes. Some included the Swiss Alps, Magic land, American Adventure, Four Seasons Garden and European Adventure. This month the garden featured tulips; however, next month there will be a large rose exhibit. In the European Adventure, we rode on the steepest wooden roller coaster in the world! We didn't know that before we rode it and it was pretty scary! Overall we had a great day, lots of walking but the weather was the best it has been here at a nice 70 degrees only dropping to about 60 degrees once the sun went down. Below are pictures of our day at Everland:

Peanut's first stuffed animal

The music box for the bunny I've been making finally came! He is now complete :) I think I may make him a jacket later.

Yeouido

Yeouido is home to many Korean business offices, including the Korea Stock Exchange, the LG Twin Towers and two major broadcasting stations KBS and MBC here in Seoul. It is also one of the many homes of the cherry blossom festival. This is the closest to where we live; along the island like plot of land next to the river, there is a 7-km road lined with 1,400 cherry trees ranging in age from 3 to 35 years old. We have had a week of cold so it wasn't too sunny out today; however, I was still able to get some fairly decent pictures. Also in Seoul are these lotus trees; they have large blossoms as shown to the right. They come in a white kissed with magenta and an ivory, the ivory seems to be more common here.

What I've learned from Korea

I knew moving to Korea was going to be a life changing experience. I anticipated being forced to look out for myself; to be more outgoing than I ever have in my life before. I would conclude this is one change that has occurred and will continue to occur until we return to the states. I believe everything happens for a reason; you experience hardships not to test you but to help you gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the things around you. So although I am forcing myself to be more assertive, I have also gained a deeper appreciation for the things I had.

When you are stuck on the BART train and it is crammed as full as it can go, remember to take a breath and think it could be worse... people could be pushing you from every which way until you loose all personal space around you. This is something that happens in Korea. During the busy subway times, living in Korea you must be prepared to be pushed, shoved, bumped into, and practically knocked down!

Acknowledge and appreciate the random acts of kindness such as someone holding the door open for you or the fact that someone says "excuse me" or "sorry" if they do bump into you. There have been many occurrences where I have opened the door to let myself through only to find I get bombarded by Koreans trying to walk through the same door because they won't open it themselves! A courteous reply is very seldom heard, I'd even accept a smile; some kind of act that they even acknowledge that you didn't have to open the door. As Greg and I have learned more to defend for ourselves and act more like Koreans while we are here, we have even been given dirty stares if we don't hold the door open, as if it is expected; yet, they don't even do it for themselves! Greg has pushed a door open hard enough that I can walk through right after wards quickly but it hits the person behind me, they then seem bothered that you didn't hold it for them. Oh the irony of it all!

For those of you who take the bus, be thankful the bus actually stops at the designated stops. Quite frequently I have to flag down the bus I want and if they don't see me, sometimes they drive right on by. Not every bus driver is like this, but during the busier times you find it happens more.

When you consider the cultural differences of the Korean culture versus American culture, it is easier to understand their actions. Here they have dictated politeness; they are required to follow certain customs/rules when addressing older generations. You are taught to not talk to anyone unless you have been formally introduced; this is the reason they do not acknowledge your act of kindness. You also do not act friendly towards anyone you don't know. In a culture that is so over populated, it is understandable that one must push, shove, and defend for themselves in some respect in order to make it in this city. If you aren't as assertive and do things for yourself, a lot of times they'd never get done. It is a little sad but you can very easily tell those who have visited the United States for a period of time because they are the few that appreciate the little things we do on a daily basis.

Our 1 year anniversary

One year ago,on April 13th, I married my best friend. We truly compliment one another in every way; I have never felt so at ease with anyone else but him... he is my better half. Today we spent our first anniversary together enjoying a wonderful dinner at the N Seoul Tower. The N Seoul Tower is the highest point in the city. There is a cable car that goes to the top; however, it was closed due to the high winds yesterday. We resorted to taking a taxi to the top. The tower is home to the Teddy Bear Museum, lock wall, souvenir shops and two restaurants. Many Koreans and tourists who visit the tower commemorate their love/visit by attaching a personalized lock to the lock wall; we took part in this as well. We will add another lock once the peanut is born. One of the restaurants is Korean style and the other is Western style; we dined at the Western style revolving restaurant called the N. Grill on the fifth floor. We enjoyed a wonderful five course meal with our lovely view of the Seoul lights below. Below is a slideshow of our night!

While in Insa-dong we learned about the Korean Wedding Ducks and knew we had to get them for our first anniversary. It is believed that Mandarin ducks mate for life; thus, they become a symbol of the partnership between two people. By accepting the ducks, the couple expresses their faithfulness for one another. If one mate should die before the other, they vow to not remarry.

The pair of ducks are hand-carved infusing the carvers spirit into the wood while he works. Traditionally, the grooms father seeks out the carver, someone who is fortunate and possesses the five fortunes (1. he must be rich, 2. he must be healthy, 3. among his family (including relatives) there must be no divorces, 4. he has a "good wife" and 5. he has many sons). Carvers can only make one pair of ducks in their lifetime. When the wedding day arrives, the ducks are wrapped in different colors of cloth up to the neck and carried to the ceremony; they are placed on the table when the bride arrives. After the ceremony, similar to the tossing of the bouquet in the United States, the groom's mother trows a duck to the apron of the bride, if she catches it she will have a boy as their first child; if she misses, she will have a girl.

The ducks are placed in a prominent area within the home. When pointing towards each other in a loving manner, they become a symbol for the couple, reminding them to be patient with one another and love each other. If you walk into a home and the ducks are facing away from each other, it signifies the couple is having a quarrel.

I've found cottage cheese in Seoul!

It has been a bit sad lately how much I'm craving dairy and fruits. I get by with the amount of veggies they have here but I never realized how many fresh fruits, veggies and dairy Greg and I ate until I couldn't really find it anymore! An no I don't think these are pregnancy cravings... even in the United States if I didn't get enough of it I'd crave it. Fruit choices are pretty slim since most things are imported, the only things we have at a decent price are apples, bananas and little oranges. I've been supplimenting my fruit intake by drinking more fruit juices. Anyway, at the knitting group last week someone was telling me about a little shop not too far away from Itaewon running along the base that has many foreign goods. I set out to find it and was surprised how easy it was to get to since it is in an alleyway. The shop is run by a little Philippino lady who speaks English, they didn't have cottage cheese yesterday but said she had ordered some more. I told her where I'm coming from and she felt it was pretty far so now she is going to save me a container to pick up on Saturday. I'm so excited!!!! She even has oatmeal, refried beans and cheaper cheese. I think I may be visiting her more often.

Yesterday Greg and I went to Subway for lunch, I had spotted one last weekend while I was in Insa-dong. I told him I wanted a tuna sandwich and oh my goodness, it was so good! Greg just kept telling me I was nuts, I have literally been dreaming about food it's been that bad. He said he doesn't really get cravings and will eat anything. Sad how I'm this excited about food!

Spring has sprung!

The weather is finally turning warmer and the blossoms are beginning to come out. We currently have a lot of these yellow blossoms but are awaiting the cherry blossoms. They should be out in the next couple weeks; they are so popular there are many places that have cherry blossom festivals!

Insa-dong

Insa-dong is a very big tourist area in the heart of the city. The streets are lined with art galleries, traditional craft stores, antique art dealers, traditional tea houses and restaurants. This is also the area where traditional Korean souvenirs can be found. When we arrived, we were able to witness a traditional Korean wedding; the video below is what we saw. Everyone involved is wearing Hanboks, traditional Korean clothing worn at special occasions. Western weddings are becoming more and more popular so Korean women typically take pictures in their traditional wedding attire and a Western style wedding dress.





We walked up and down the streets admiring all the traditional items and ended up getting a dragon bell. When you ring it, it represents good luck. We got another item but you will just have to wait to see that one!

Bridge Cafe for Greg's Birthday

Along the Han River, there are many bridges, on some of the bridges there are bridge cafes. Really they look like airport control towers. We went to Cafe Gureum or Cafe Cloud. This particular cafe faces the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain of Banp0 Bridge; starting the third week of April, the bridge will have a light and fountain show at night.

The cafe has three different floors. On the second floor there is seating out-looking the other bridges and Seoul city. They offered a small menu and we enjoyed a pork cutlet and combination fried rice. We were hoping to catch the bridge light show but found out it will be happening later this month.

Latest Knitting

I just finished my latest project but plan on adding 2 or 3 more to the collection in different colors. This one was quite fun to make.

Seoul Zoo

Yesterday was the first very nice day in a long time! We decided to spend our day in the zoo and I must admit it was one of the nicest zoos I have ever seen. There was a ski lift ride that took us from one end of the zoo to the other when we were ready to leave. It was also very interesting to see what animals they considered zoo animals; animals in the States we are used to seeing in our own backyards! They had skunks, deer and raccoons! Some unique animals we were able to see were white peacocks, red pandas and very interesting native ducks. Below is a slideshow including videos of the variety of animals we saw.

Knitting

Well I wasn't all that impressed with the Stitch-N-Bitch meetings so I decided to start my own. Last week I met some other foreigners from a foreign parent board I'm on and we are starting our own knitting group, our first meeting is next Friday! I can't wait to see everyone again and get more time to work on my projects. I finished this one yesterday and started another project but had to put it away to work on homework.

St. Patty's Day Festival in Seoul

Last weekend, Greg and I went to the St. Patrick's Day parade/festival in Seoul. I must admit that was the most non-Korean people I have seen gathered in one place! The event was sponsored by Guinness. There was music, free-be's, beer (Greg had mine) a parade and an opening speech from the ambassador of Ireland.

Our parting gifts, a T-shirt and a Guinness piggy bank!

Baby Blog

I started another blog about our peanut. It is updated weekly with information of how it's growing. Once I "pop" I'll also post growing belly pictures and updated ultrasound pictures. To view the blog visit here:

Our Little Peanut

Fish Market

Greg and I go grocery shopping in a warehouse; however we have to walk through a fish market to get to the store we like. Below is a video of the fish market along with the giant king crab. They look like giant sea spiders! Sorry it's a bit shaky, I was feeling a bit queasy and had to walk a little fast through there.

Why is the sky Yellow?

Today looked like an overcast day; however, something was different. The sky was yellow tinged and continued to intensify in color throughout the day. So why was the sky yellow? Turns out it is Asian Dust. It is a seasonal phenomenon that sporadically occurs during the springtime months. According to wikipedia, the dust originates in the Mongolia deserts in northern China and Kazahstan. High speed surface winds and intense dust storms kick up clouds containing the dust particles. Prevailing winds carry the clouds over China, North and South Korea, and Japan. Sometimes it even travels far enough to affect the air in the United States! Many people were wearing masks today, although that is not that uncommon and can be seen everyday. Although we were out all day, I read another blog today that advises people to stay indoors if they can when we are experiencing a dust storm. It can increase the difficulty of people who have respiratory problems and cause eye irritation. It traveled about 1,500 miles that's like San Fransisco to San Antonio!



According to the Los Angeles Times:

"As the latest sandstorm moved southeast, South Korea's national weather agency issued a yellow dust advisory for Seoul and other parts of the country.

Chun Youngsin, a researcher at the Korea Meteorological Administration, said the yellow dust was expected to hit the Korean peninsula beginning Saturday afternoon and it would be "the worst yellow dust" this year."

Fun fact of the day

This weekend marks daylight savings time in America where we spring forward and begin to have longer days. In Korea we do not have daylight savings time. Although South Korea does not currently observe Daylight Saving Time, the country did adhere to DST from 1948 to 1951, 1955 to 1960, and 1987 to 1988. I'm not sure why this wasn't continued and why there are gaps between the years it was in place. Below is a map that documents the areas of the world that have observed Daylight Saving Time.



(Image obtained through: http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/g.html)

White Day

Today, March 14th is White Day. As I have mentioned in a previous post Valentine's day is celebrated differently here in Korea. The traditional Valentine's Day as we know it in America is when couples express their love or feelings for one another. In Korea each gender has their own day. Valentine's Day was reserved for women to express their love or feelings for a special guy in their life. One month late, White Day it is the guys turn to express his true feelings. For the entire week, streets have been lined with vendors selling chocolates, large stuffed bears and various flower arrangements.

Knitting

After an unsuccessful first meeting of the knitting group, it should meet again this Sunday. I'm looking forward to it and hopefully there will be more than one person and they will be on time this week. Here is my latest creation, a new pacifier clip.