So I've decided to write down a few things that I've found interesting as an observer of a unique and exotic (to me at least) culture. We still haven't got our stuff yet from the movers, so we've had a lot of time to explore the city with the stroller while Aaron is at work. And it's been so amazing to be back with Aaron - he's really the best dad in the world!
1. People here work very long hours. Not sure if they are actually working all that time, but they are in the office/bar/restaurants until very late.
2. A good 70% of the Korean women wear ridiculous shoes, and I know they are walking a formidable distance. Bunions must be rampant.
3. People, and I mean ALL Korean people are crazy about my blonde babies. They touch, hug, gush, feed, and even pick up at times, Sage. Sascha won't let them, she's shy.
4. I love our apartment - it's so modern, wood accents, great lighting and ventilation, and an entire room for shoes with built in cabinets for the shoes. Koreans don't wear shoes inside and I love it.
5. We have a kimchi refrigerator but no dishwasher or clothes dryer. But we have a special machine that dries handtowels and cutting boards? Still don't know what one of the machines does. And we have bidet - oooh...still can't relax enough for it to really work.
6. Korean Food ROCKS. It's good, cheap, great off the street or in a sit down place, and full of veggies and protein. Even the "fast food" at concert events and the zoo is better than most american restaurants. There's little to no service though - but tips are not appreciated either.
7. I'm never going back to a vacuum that doesn't plug into the wall. Those things are great!
8. Seoul may prove difficult to learn Korean as everything is written in English and most people speak a speck of it near our apt. We are very near to the base though.
9. They weren't kidding about the shopping in Korea. HOly MOLY!!! The markets here are out of hand. the malls are crazy huge and expensive, but the outdoor markets go on for miles. and i've only been to 2...noises, smells, objects for sale...tailored everything. It's overwhelming. I can't believe there is even that much "stuff" in existence.
10. My feet hurt like hell for the first week. Granted I'm carrying Sage in a front pack, or pushing the stroller, but damn! I thought I was in shape, but not for walking.
11. Grocery shopping without a car sucks. But it forces you to walk and not buy as much stuff because you physically have to carry it home.
12. Smog. whoa. I feel like I've smoked a pack a day without the buzz.
13. The wine selection is weak here. I need to find the part of town that sells it. We apparently live in the part of town where framing occurs - there are literally 30 different stores all right in a row that sell the same stuff.
14. There was a riot 1/2 kilometer from our house where 5 people died because the local tenants were evicted by emminent domain to build a mega-skyscraper apt complex like the one we live in. This was 6 months ago and police stand at attention on the sidewalk there 24/7. Not sure if I should feel guilty about "progress" and being part of the reason for locals getting pushed out.
15. Besides this incident, Seoul (and Tokyo) are the safest cities in the world. I have left my purse out many times with no thought of it being stolen and there's never really been a child snatching, especially of a foreigner. Everyone loves kids seriously, even young men and old businessmen.
16. Koreans cluck at their children.
17. Violence is not permitted on TV. It's bleeped out or visually obstructed, but cursing is A-OK.
18. There is a ton of English TV/movies on cable here. All kids have English classes starting in pre-school.
19. It's not unusual for korean businessmen to work till dinner, then go out and drink all night and go to work the next morning without ever having gone home to sleep.
20. We have a "pink light" district 1/2 kilometer from the house- they actually sit in the windows. It's illegal, but nobody enforces it. Similar to traffic laws (I never want to drive here, until winter probably when it's freezing). I guess there aren't really pimps, so the women keep a lot of their profits and that's good.
21. We have a view of Seoul tower from our vestibule - so nice.
22. There are mountains all over, not giant ones, but very steep craggy ones that look very enticing to hike. Hard to with the girls - but we'll manage!
23. I found an awesome awesome park, but it's probably a 20-30 min walk, and the new construction for the mega apt complex makes the sidewalk too narrow for my jogging stroller to get through! So we walk. And all parks include workout equipment for adults that is really good from a PT perspective. America should emulate. It focuses on core strength, lumbar range of motion, shoulder and hip range, and upper body strenthening. They even have ellipticals...they are not powered but are designed to use bodyweight for resistance -which koreans dont have much of.
24. The only things I am afraid of in Seoul are: cars/motorcyles squashing me like a grape, smog, yellow dust, and assimilating into super high stilletos.
25. At many eateries you get to grill your own meat in front of you...and all 20 sidedishes are free and kids eat free.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Alaska Trip to See Mot
Wowza, beautiful! Sascha, Sage, and I spent 5 days at my mom's place near Willow, Alaska. It's pretty much 100 miles north of Anchorage in the wilderness, except that there are espresso stands everywhere. No electricity or running water, but espresso trailers dominate! We had one great day where we could see Denali (and Menali and Hunter) all the way from Anchorage. The drive up was awesome, it was full-blown Autumn colors...green and gold. All the white birch was stunning and the crisp clean air is now fully appreciated after one week spent in smoggy Seoul. Sascha and Sage spent much time dancing away at my mom's store and new house (which is like a mini-spa!). I highly recommend staying there if you or anyone you know does the RV thing. It's Mat-Su RV park and it comes with a nice bottle of blueberry wine (yes, it sounds gross but is really good)!
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