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.

The Vast Array of Foods

We've been able to eat a variety of foods here in Korea. There are many stands that sell little pastries filled with a bean paste. I'm sure you're thinking, "bean paste? ewww" but it is surprisingly a little sweet. I think my favorite little pastry so far has been Korean pancakes. They are filled with taro paste I think and have a slight cinnamon and sugar flavor. The best is to get them when they are warm.

We've partaken in American style foods at the stands as well like corn dogs. Unfortunately they aren't quite the same. The outside crust is more like a doughnut, but for less than $2.00 I guess it's not too bad. Last night we even took part in some American pizza; although they have various types of foods it is always done Korean style. We didn't end up getting a Korean style pizza this time, settled on Hawaiian. Every meal comes with various sides; for Koreans eating is all about the taste so the more little side dishes you have I guess the more it cleans the palate. Dishes are also visually appealing such as the Korean style pizzas. This one shown even has shrimp wrapped in bacon on it!

We ate at our first Korean restaurant too... it was quite an experience. There were tables with an electric pit in the center of the table. Our food came to us in a skillet uncooked; the workers come by and continually stir your food until it's ready. They gave us little aprons to wear but I don't think it was with the intention to keep your clothes clean while you ate but rather to keep you from getting splattered when they come by and stir it! After waiting quite a while we figured it was ready so we started to dig in after observing other tables doing this too.... but we were quickly reprimanded by a man speaking in Korean until he eventually said, "not yet, not yet". I think they were worried we may get sick from not fully cooked chicken. Overall it was quite tastey and fairly cheap as most food here. This dish had chicken, cabbage, these chewy rice sticks and of course chili paste. This dish has inspired Greg to create many other creations like this at home.

Changdeokgung Palace

Changdeokgung Palace was built as a secondary palace in 1405, under King Taejong's reign; it served as a residence for many kings then later served as the main palace. In 1592, the Japanese invaded Korea and both palaces were destroyed. Although it was originally secondary, only Changdeokgung was restored because Gyeongbokgung (the first palace) was no longer considered favorable. Thus, in 1610 Changdeokgung was restored and served as the main palace for the next 258 years until Gyeongbokgung was finally rebuilt in 1868.

What is unique about Changdeokgung is it's location. It is believed the buildings are laid out in harmony with the area's topography; the palace has an asymmetric beauty that is unique to Korea. The layout is welcoming and comfortable to the royal family. This palace spreads over approx. 104 acres of land and has a secret garden. Artificial landscaping has been kept to a minimum. We were only able to access part of the secret garden and we plan on revisiting the palace in autumn or spring to view the vegetation in splendid colors. Click on the picture in the slide show below to view them bigger; it will redirect you to another page where you can view the entire album.

Cheonggyecheon Stream

There are a few streams running through Seoul; however, they are usually underneath freeway bypasses. This stream too had a freeway above it, making the walking path un-accessible. In a drastic reform to bring back life to the downtown the freeway was removed and the pathway has been redone. Along this stream walkway you can see the largest ceramic wall painting depicting the life of King Jeongjo (the 22nd kind of the Joseon Dynasty). There is also a historic laundry site where Korean women once washed clothing in stremlets; it has been recreated in the current stream. We only walked about half way down to reach the largest market eatery in Seoul in the Gwangjang Market.

The Gwangjang market is famous for its meokjagolmok (food alley) lined with 200 stands selling various foods. We had read there were two alleys, one with various grilled fish that then lead to the dakhanmari or boiled whole chicken alley. I'm not sure if this is the exact area that we found but we were overwhelmed by our food choices; we may have only seen the 200 stands rather than the specific alleys. There were seafood stands with what looked to be octopus, some sort of pig sausage with a very unappealing roasted whole pig face looking at you while you ate, fried tempera like pancakes, fish and veggies. Below is video of just a few of the stands we saw. (I realize my finger snuck in the view a bit)



We stuck with something we knew and decided to eat bori bibimbap. Bibimbap consists of barley rice, chili paste, mong beans, dried seaweed, lettuces pickled with chili paste and other various wild vegetables. You mix it all up and eat it; the lady told me I didn't mix it well enough and took my spoon from me to do it herself. I was also approached by a Korean lady who seemed very surprised that Americans were eating Bibimbap; she giggled as she tapped me and said, "you like?" as I shook my head yes; then she said "it is so delicious, the best you ever tasted?" I personally was a bit shocked that I was even asked that and I guess it just shows you how few non-Koreans venture out into the Gwangjang Market.

Itaewon

Today we visited Itaewon; many things were closed for the New Year holiday today but Itaewon street is a tourist zone so we still found many open shops. It is lined with about 2,000 shops as well as jazz bars, night clubs and various ethnic restaurants from Thai, Mexican, Swiss, German, Indian, Italian, Pakistan, etc. Since this area of shopping is specifically for foriegners there were many recognizable names. The various American eateries included: McDonald's, Burger King, Hard Rock Cafe, Starbucks, the Coffee Bean, Quiznos, Outback Steakhouse, Subway, Cold Stone and a KFC. Looks like if Greg and I are craving some American food we will in deed be able to find it. They had three different Nike stores, Adidas, Puma, Columbia Sportsware, the North Face and more. As we walked up and down the streets it seemed very similar to San Fransisco but cleaner. From what I hear this is not the biggest shopping area; I may go visit that area (the wholesale market) on Thursday while Greg is at work.

Happy Seollal!

Happy Seollal everyone! Seollal is a traditional Korean holiday commemorating the start of the New Year according to the lunar calendar; just like Chinese New Year. Many people go back to their hometowns to celebrate with family. Traditionally, Koreans prepare for Seollal the night before by cleaning the house and taking a bath. This year Seollal falls on Valentine's Day. They get up early and dress in traditional Korean costumes like those shown in the picture.

Along with games and traditional customary events, Seollal is filled with many traditional dishes. They day is said to not be complete without eating ttuk-guk, a soup made with round white rice cakes. Braised short ribs are also a common traditional dish for this holiday. Unfortunately, there is not a parade like there is for Chinese New Year and in order to enjoy a traditional Seollal meal we needed to make reservations well in advance. Maybe next year we will be able to partake in Seollal.

Cultural Exchange- Valentine's Day

As you all know Valentines Day is on Sunday; however, in Korea it has a twist. On February 14th it's not the guys who are pressured to come up with the perfect gift but the girls. February 14th is the day set for Korean girls to express their feelings to one very special guy in their life. It is believed this holiday started because society is so male-dominated that this holiday allows girls to be the dominating ones. But guys get their chance too; exactly one month after Valentine's Day is "White Day". White day, held on March 14th, is the day a guy expresses his love for a special girl. We also heard yesterday that there is a singles day although I'm not sure what it's called or when it is. Basically, singles give each other slim cookies (apparently to resemble 1); a girls day, a guys day and a singles day, now that seems like a compromise!

Our Apartment

Here is video of our place. It has heated flooring which has been very nice. It's been very cold here and we've had snow the last couple of days. They say it is very uncommon to have snow this time of year but as we see with Washington DC everywhere is having unseasonably weather.

Traveling with Pets- update

Who knew traveling with pets could get so complicated! It seems the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing and no one communicates! You not only have to contact various offices but also your airline. We had to purchase our tickets then call Korean Air again to request approval for our cats to ride on the plane as well. We had to give them the dimensions of their carriers and their weight in the carriers. It also turns out 2010 has brought some new regulations and since vets do not get a lot of clientele who requests paperwork for international travel many do not know of the required forms. I have been in contact with Korean Airlines, the Quarantine office in Korea, the Korean Consulate, and various vets and they all give you a different story! Ugh it can be so frustrating. So here is the latest information for those of you who are traveling with a pet from the United States to South Korea.

The Quarantine office in Korea requires that you receive a rabies vaccination certificate issued by a Quarantine Authority or Vet. You also need a health certificate for each pet that clearly states the date the rabies vaccine was given. According to the new regulations for 2010, the health certificate needs to now be USDA certified. Sure you'd say no problem; however, this is where the mis-communication happens. The health certificate has to be issued within 10 days of flying (we do not know if that is specifically 10 days from the day you leave the US or 10 days including the date you arrive in the other country. Korea is 1 day ahead of the US so we obviously don't want to make ours 10 days exactly since we are unsure of the specific date requirement). Only some countries require that you get your health certificate USDA certified; however, when I called the office in Sacramento they were unsure for Korea. We have decided to do it anyway. Since it needs to be certified for international travel, you also have to use a particular health certificate form (USDA APHIS Form 7001) which can ONLY be requested by your vet from the office in Sacramento. (I had to give my vet all this information and the numbers to call because they want to "verify" all the information I'm telling them.... I feel like I'm doing their job) So, if all goes as planned, the kitties will see the vet on Wed. Feb. 3rd, they will receive their health certificate correctly filled out on the APHIS form 7001 and then I have to fax it to Sacramento and try to go to the office the next day for them to certify it; you can Fed-ex the form to them but it will take an additional 48 hours to process. Thus, the 10 day window in which all this is supposed to happen really limits your options.

Departure Date!

We bought our tickets and are set to leave Feb. 9th! I am oh so excited! Greg has been talking about all the stuff he saw and I can't wait to be able to see and do the things he did without me. He even bought home the travel guides and maps. We are spending the rest of our time here learning some Korean.

Updates

Greg finally got his contract to teach in the Spring! We found out it is a 3 year contract although I'm not sure exactly how that will work if he is starting in the Spring. Classes start March 1st and we will be leaving early February to attend a new faculty orientation. We also finally negotiated our housing which will be ready February 9th or 10th. We will be staying in a 2 bedroom apartment at DMC Ville in Seoul. It is currently the place Greg is staying at now. It features heated flooring, it's fully furnished, we get free breakfast during the week and there is even a maid that comes once a week! Of course there is also a gym, indoor pool and sauna. You can view the details of our place clicking on the picture below.



After many requests we also found out we can have pets at the Ville. They accept pets that do not make noise so we just have to hope no one complains about them. SO excited we get to take them, it has been the last thing we have been trying to negotiate.

Sims Family Adventures

Sims Family Adventures

Departue Update

Well, we found out the University will not be paying for our housing until March. In the U.S. that wouldn't be a problem because we would just find an apartment and pay for it outselves until then. However, in Korea it's a little different; Greg found housing that would only be around $800 US dollars a month. They have this thing called key money where you put down a ridiculously large amount as your deposit to make your monthly rent lower. So, the place we were going to try to get... requires us to put $10,000 down as a deposit! By requiring a larger deposit the landlord is able to accept a lower rent because he also collects the interest of the deposit.

So, Greg is coming back to the United States at the end of December. We will be staying with his family until we leave together in March!

Greg's Apartment

Here are some pictures of Greg's apartment I took from a video he sent me.




Here is a video of the outside of the apartment:

Departure

Greg left for Korea today... so far I've been tracking his flight and he still has 4 hours to go. I'm hoping he lands safe and I should have videos up soon of the hotel he is staying at. Taking him to the airport today, I realized how much longer BART really takes... he almost missed his flight but we did meet up with his boss as he checked in right before us. I think when I go over I will stay the night in San Fransisco...

UPDATE:
Greg landed safely at 5:30pm Seoul time. I woke him up and got to video chat with him for a couple hrs. Skype is great! I think it will definitely make being apart much easier. Video will be up soon.

Traveling with Pets

Traveling with our two kitties is turning out to be much more confusing than I originally thought it would be. The Korean Consulate says they need to have their rabies shot in a min of 30 days to bypass the quarantine period when we arrive. They also need a health certificate. I also called Korean Airlines, as this is probably going to be the airline we use and they confirmed their policy, stating it was the same as what the Korean Consulate said. Korean Airlines was very confusing too. Originally the lady told me I can only bring one pet per person, but then she was trying to say I can put one in the cargo area and bring the other cat as carry on if they weigh less than 11lbs including the carrier. Unfortunately, Oliver is 13 lbs with the carrier and Baloo is 15lbs. They are going on diets today.

I went to the vet on Tuesday and they informed me they were having a shot clinic on Wednesday and that once they received their rabies shot, they would need a checkup within 10 days. Well, I drove my cats in their carriers an hr to the vet Wed. night only to find out I was misinformed! We have to get the health certificate within 10 days of our flight!

So now, I'm having Greg call the airline back to confirm things since I apparently can't get things straight. Our only other solution will be to have Greg fly back just so he can help me bring them.... I don't understand why we can't just pay an extra fine to have them both in the cargo area.

UPDATE:

I've talked to many airlines again and have confirmed how to travel with pets. Korean Air will let me take 1 as a carry on item if they are less than 11 lbs including their carrier and the other can go in the cargo area. So they are on diets, only getting half of what I normally feed them... it seems to be working, Oliver is now 10.6lbs when I weigh him outside the carrier. I'll confirm their weight when we go to the vet.

If they kitties are both over the weight limit then I will have to ship one of them using Korean Air Cargo. It is a little bit more expensive and it will also take longer to get him. So, we will have to see which route we have to take once they are weighted in their carriers.... I'm hoping Oli is down enough.

Airlines

My goodness there is a very big difference in prices around the holidays if I travel with Korean Air! Dec. 22nd it is around $870, but the rest of the week its over $1,000! Then the day after Christmas it drops down to $660 and drops again Jan. 2nd to $570 but only for that day. So far... Jan. 2nd looks like the day I may be leaving just based on the prices of the ticket (it's not set in stone yet). Bummer....

I'll keep you all posted as to exact dates when we decide them.

Newspapers

I just ran across this as I was searching for some Korean videos, Seoul has it's own English newspaper for foreigners! How cool is that? Greg leaves in a couple weeks, so we are packing up our apartment as much as we can before that.

Recent studies in Korea also found American food is causing many Koreans to become overweight. To counteract this pandemic, they have been making gym membership much easier especially for kids. My goal: to lose as much as I can before we go over... 1. because I'm limited on the clothes I can bring and 2. maybe then I won't stick out as much... 3. to be healthier! I am wondering though, from what I've heard and read so far regarding the culture, they work hard from 8-6 and then you are expected to go out with coworkers... so when does family time happen? When would people find the time to work out and try to stay healthy? Guess I won't know till I get there.

Welcome

Welcome to our blog! Our departure is approaching fast...During our time there, I will be posting blogs and video blogs documenting our travel and adventures in Seoul. You can follow our blog by subscribing below.