Heart And Seoul

There is a group of guys that wanted to get off base and out of Dongducheon. There really is not much around here for the guys except for the clubs and they are more trouble than they are worth. Since I am the self professed "Subway Princess" I suggested a trip to Seoul and the Chaplain suggested Bennigan's. We left the chapel walking, and even picked up a few folks along the way. There were 13 in all. Here we are walking to the subway station. This is the same subway station that was just scaffolding in September. I had a picture of it in my "Walk to Casey" blog. Stuff goes up FAST here in Korea!

In Dongducheon, we all got a seat, but it only took a few stops for the subway to get a bit crowded. It was a bit of an adventure for the guys that had never ventured on the Metro. We had to change lines at one point, and while it was a challenge to make eye contact with everyone we were able to work the foreigner angle to our advantage. Four members of the group ended up on the other end of the subway car, so I just hollered one of their names, and when they answered we just let them know which stop was ours. Get off a train - head count - find the next train - head count - get on - head count - get off - head count....sort of like Kindergarten and their first trip to the lunchroom.

As you can see from the pictures - they had fun, but were very careful to not make a spectacle of themselves. One thing the Army stresses is that when you are in a foreign country, you do not want to stand out in a crowd and you do not want to draw attention to yourself. The blonde hair and blue eyes blended in so well, that I am sure no one even noticed we were there. The laid back demeanor of the guys only aided in our efforts to go unnoticed. Like covert agents, we slipped into and back out of Seoul undetected by the general population. (Is it too early for April Fool's?) The food was pricey, but good and there was alot of it. We managed to eat most of it, and the rest was placed in precious little "doggie bag" boxes that none of the guys wanted to carry around. We had two great servers and it would not be a complete blog entry without mention of "Tigger" (Erin sang the Tigger song over and over) and "Cinderella." None of the other servers had such names, but maybe putting us in the "Disney Section" was fitting.

After an extended dinner, it was time to head back. We found these "peculiar" structures all "piled" up on the sidewalk. Like moths to a flame, they were just too irrisistable for our crowd. After a trip back north (Miri joined us in Seoul, so we are now a group of 14) we decided that we would go bowling and that rounded out our evening.

Where's Waldo?

This is what I was talking about when I mentioned our ability to blend seamlessly into the local population:
You really have to look hard to even see Erin on the subway!

Frozen Assets

This is the "river" that runs near the apartment. It was solid ice on top, but I don't think it was solid through and through. Come January, it will be solid and I imagine the Snellings will venture out upon it - at least this one will. This "river" doesn't look like much now, but during the monsoon season, it really fills up.

It has gotten colder, but it has not been too bad if the wind is not blowing. We are in the midst of a mini cold snap so our temps are ranging between 2 - 28 degrees. From what I have been told, it ain't cold yet.

Norman Rockwell.......

Never Painted Anything Like This.....

WOW! It is a good thing we got a nap this morning! Our little Christmas gathering with the guys turned into a 24+ hour marathon with 2 X-Boxes linked up (so four man teams could defend the universe) and a game of cards going on in the background. Here is a picture of the game projected up on the wall. There was also food, WWF, a couple of movies, cooking and presents!

We purchased gag gifts for everyone, and the guys opened gifts, took each other's gifts, then opened some more. Each gag gift was named - things like "Stuck in Korea", "I Miss My Mommy Countdown", and the popular "DFAC Survival Kit" - after the dust settled and these gifts found their appropriate owner, the real gifts were passed out. Rather than a person's name, these gifts had the names of the gag gifts on the tag and were distributed accordingly.

You cannot get that many guys together without the testosterone kicking in. Instead of carols, there was a little smack talk and the "Silverback" chaplain had to prove he ain't too old to take on the younger Gorrillas in the group. Only in our family will Christmas nostalgia include memories of guys clearing out the living room furniture so wrestling can set the hierarchy of the group. After two matches, the king of the jungle had been determined and the furniture was quickly replaced before anyone else found themselves volunteered by the pack to have a go at the chaplain.

Since the party lasted a wee bit longer than planned, hot dogs and cheese fries were not enough. More food was cooked up for supper to keep these guys at their best. The evening before, a lady from chapel had brought us a container of marinating kolbi (Korean style ribs) as a thank you for our help with her daughter's wedding. Well, this kolbi was like the gifts from the Wise Men, because it was just the thing for a quick dinner. Biscuits and sausages were cooked up about 5:30 AM and everyone had a breakfast snack before crashing about 7:30 AM (I knew no one would make it through that last movie.) Everyone was awake again by 11:30 and after a bowl of cereal they picked right back up where they left off. But all good things must end, and everyone was tucked into a taxi and heading back to Camp Casey by 3:30. Whew!

Christmas In Korea

Normally, this family of Snellings sleep in on Christmas morning, but that was not the case today. (Thanks Erin!) The original plan was to wait and open our presents after the guys leave tonight, but the girls did not like that idea at all.


Since it is Christmas (and we were awake anyway) we caved and told them once they were up and the teeth were brushed they could open their gifts. Never have they been so enthusiastic about oral hygiene.

We were a bit lacking in the Christmas decorations, and Erin took it upon herself to make sure this Christmas was not tree-less. This year, our decor involved 5 bottles of paint and 3 brushes and while we were out one evening, Erin painted the tree. Putting the tree up - and probably taking the tree down - is much quicker and cleaner this way!

After fulfilling all the necessary requirements (and being bent into submission for some transgression), the girls finally got to open their presents. Meghan got a skirt, a notebook of Korean paper and Korean Celadon chopstick rests for her Hope Chest. Erin received a pair of slacks, the notebook and a horse sculpture. Now that presents are opened, the girls are getting ready to head towards Camp Casey and make sure today's guests can find the apartment. As soon as they leave, we are taking a nap!

Christmas With The Children

This evening was the Battalion Christmas party for the orphanage. The guys built a deck for their trampoline. Here they are working on it:We delivered the deck, a gift for the orphanage and supper from Popeye's for an evening of fun. Popeye's helped us by preparing individual boxes for the children. In fact, when the manager found out what the chicken was for, he went to Burger King to get prizes to include in the boxes. The chicken and biscuits were enjoyed, but the mashed potatoes and gravy were eyed suspiciously before being eaten, if it was eaten at all.
I thought the apple pies would be a big hit, but was wrong. Finally, after one of the KATUSAs started eating a pie, some of the children managed to eat theirs. I cannot imagine the kids not liking mashed potatoes with gravy and fried apple pies, but then they probably cannot imagine someone not liking odeng. (Odeng is that fishy stuff on a stick introduced to you in a previous post.)

Among the items we took with us, were some goodies from three little VanWinkles. ;) I want you kids to know that the things you sent were a hit, especially the beads. In fact, I counted them before I took them and y'all sent 51 - the exact number of children we were preparing for! Thanks kiddos.

Back to Seoul

I met Miri again for another day of holding babies. We spent about six hours at the orphanage, and I did not realize how tired I was until we were getting ready to leave. Being tired was probably 1 part playing with children and 2 parts sitting in the floor all the time. Here I am on the cusp of middle agedness and my bones are having to adjust to the floor - at least it is heated. These bones are also having to adjust to carrying children Korean style. Here, moms and grandmoms carry the children on their backs. I carried one little girl around like that for a big part of the day, but we finally had to make a change to American style so I could stand upright for a little bit.

On the way home, I tried steamed kimchi mandu and steamed meat mandu. I probably never would have done it, but Miri talked me into it. The stuff must have been good, because this "sampling" turned into dinner as we eventually ate two helpings. Here are the guys making the mandu, and they were amazingly fast at it:This is what I call one of Korea's "micro"restaurants. Five steps in front of these guys is open to the street and one step behind them are two tables with about 9 chairs total. Most folks just order and eat it standing on the sidewalk at the front.

P.S. You pronounce Mandu with an "a" sound like in father - not like the "a" sound in man. If you say it wrong, Miri will sigh deeply, roll her eyes at you and threaten you with a stick the Koreans call a "Rod of Love."

A Hand In The Cookie Jar

Touch not; taste not; handle not; Colossians 2:21

Today was the day to sort and repackage cookies - there were over 5500 cookies in all. We were up to our eyeballs in baggies, twist ties and chocolate chips. When I retrieved the cookies from the chapel freezers, the ziplock bags from California were full up with cookies............all except one. The Chaplain is in the field right now, so he could not be interrogated concerning the limp little bag of peanut butter cookies. The fact that his favorite cookie in the whole wide world just happens to be peanut butter is probably just a coincidence................

Big thank yous to AL, CA, GA and NC for the cookies and other goodies you sent - You know who you are! Because of you, I was able to traipse in there with more cookies than all the ladies from Yongsan put together. Woo-hoo! Actually, by the time I walked from the chapel to the USO with all the cookies, I was beginning to look like the missing link. My knuckles were dragging the ground like a Cro-Magnon Army Homo spouseian.

Here are the girls packaging some homemade goodies:

And here I am - packaging the packages:
These cookies will be delivered to the soldiers of 2nd Infantry on the 23rd, and I hope to be a part of that Cookie Caravan. Although there were no Generals in our midst today - work day *ahem* - it seems one or two will be making an appearance and delivering cookies. Maybe there will still be room for this missing link to join in.

A Sunday Morning Surprise

When we got up Sunday morning, there was a blanket of snow. Everything was beautiful and a bit chilly. Fortunately, the wind was not blowing. Here is the chaplain and the girls as we are leaving for chapel.

Remember that huge garden I took a picture of from our window? Well this is that garden now:
And finally, here is the view from the chapel door:
It was the start of a good Sunday.

Last Day With Miri

Psalm 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

Today is my last day with Miri - she probably needs a Betty break. We traveled into Seoul today but got a late start. That meant we needed to catch an early lunch. Guess where we dined.

After eating at my second exotic Korean restaurant in four days, we headed to the orphange where Miri volunteers. I spent the next four and a half hours holding babies and preschoolers. The preschoolers loved me. If I stood up, I was carrying 2-3 of them. I was much more useful on the floor, because I could sit down and hold two in my lap while 3-4 others crawled or climbed on me. The babies loved me - I kept three of them entertained and managed to rock another to sleep. (No rocking chair mind you. There is no room for one. We sat in the floor and rocked babies there.)

There are two groups between the babies and the preschoolers and those little children did NOT love me. I was the boogie (wo)man personified. LOL When I walked in the room, they all ran to Miri and and clung to her like baby possums cling to their mother. She was surrounded, and they were not letting go! One little girl would even pucker up and get teary if I looked at her. I went off to a corner and started playing with the toys and a brave young lady ventured over; however, I think she was more interested in rescuing their precious toys than warming up to me.

The chaplain was very jealous when I told him about it and the preschoolers would have enjoyed him. He has much more stamina when it comes to spinning, tossing and wrestling in the floor with little people. Maybe next time he will get to go with us.

The Wedding

Today, after a slow start on our day. (We can be rather lazy when we take a notion to be.) We headed off to the Gyeong-gi Traditional Music Center for a performance of a Korean Wedding. It was not quite as serious as Miri thought - it was a mix of a comical play and the traditional wedding ceremony. There was even a man dressed up like a chicken and the folks were trying to kill it to make the approriate chicken dish. (see below) It was still alot of fun, and we had our picture made with some of the cast afterward:

I also got the chance to dress up in a traditional Korean wedding dress. Miri did not dress up - she left me all alone with the two women in charge of the costumes, and did not show up again until picture time.
And here we are at the pagoda just outside the Music Center:

Afterwards, we went back to Miri's apartment, and cooked up some of yesterday's purchases!

A Hard Day of Work.......

........in my pajamas.

that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

Miri had to work today since they are still having finals at Myongji, so I stayed at her apartment and graded exams in my "home office attire". I spread the tests and score keys out on the bed and just worked my fingers to the bone. With a little Excel magic, we managed to get all her tests scored and the grades posted. It was five hours and a late night, but we did it! The hot chocolate and smores gave us the needed energy to pull through. Here we are in her university office entering information on the computers:
I eventually had to get dressed because we went to Emart to gather food stuffs which would ensure our survival over the next couple of days. Here is a shot of me outside the Emart with their hugemongous granite sculpture of a vase of flowers that were too big to be in the picture and a kitty (Bonita & Ever, this picture was made with y'all in mind.) All this granite makes me sorta miss the funeral business! Kay, I want my headstone to look like one of those flowers - then there will always be flowers on my grave! LOL
Here is most of what we purchased. I cannot believe I took a picture of our grocery store exploits, but I still think it is so cool to see Korean stuff and packaging, so y'all get to see it too.
As you can tell, we went a little heavy in the snack food department, but there are still a few good for you items in here! One of the neatest things about grocery shopping in Korea is how companies use free items to entice you to buy their stuff. Their tuna had four cans in a great plastic bowl, the coffee had a little blanket attached to it, and the toilet paper had FOUR free rolls taped to the outside of the package.

You can also eat your way through Emart sampling the food. Thanks to the cunning marketing of the sampling ladies, we bought a few items not on the shopping list - a package of pizza mandu (A delicious collision of cultures) and some sweet potato pastries.

Handel's Messiah

Went to Miri's again. She is slowing becoming my personal guide and translator! The music department and choral groups from the combined Myongji campuses performed Messiah tonight, and we attended the event. The students did a great job and I really enjoyed it.

Before the concert, we met a little early, and Miri took me to a quaint little restaurant that I had never been to before - Quizno's. It was really good, and there were no little fishies or other surprises lurking in the meal. (whew!) We also found these folks on the street, and they were more than willing to pose with me for a photograph.
Miri told me afterwards these ladies were advertising some sort of Korean alcoholic beverage. Too late, I already had a great picture. Have you ever seen women associated with alcohol and have so many clothes on??? I love Korea!

With This Chicken, I Thee Wed

Okay, I am a bit behindy on my posts. There are a couple of reasons too! First, is Erin's Dodo Bird Flu I posted about on Oct. 31. I have not ever totally recovered, so my batteries are on a low charge. What I have been doing is going full speed on one day, then crashing the next. I made up my mind about two weeks ago that I probably need to go to the doctor. I think I will call and make an appointment this week. The other reason is the battalion is going to use the chaplain's website in order to get information out to the spouses. I have been doing alot of creating and updating on that site, so this one fell to the wayside.

The Friday we purchased the Hanbok (last post), we were on our way to see the show Nanta and made a little side trip through Gwang Jang Market before we headed to the theatre. After the performance, Miri headed back to Dongducheon with me for a Saturday of Korean cooking a Sunday of chapel-izing.

I do have some pictures I wanted to post. Things like this little treat for the eyes:
(click on it to make it larger if your eyes just cannot get enough)
This is used during the Korean wedding, and is a cooked chicken (complete with head) and decorated with chestnuts and jejube fruit. There is even a jejube in the chicken's beak. Now before you go off heaving and moaning about the ickyness of it all, just think back to your last pig pickin' because a cooked head is a cooked head - no matter what the animal. Jejube fruit is just too small for a piggy, so we just stuff his mouth with an apple instead.

Here are some other pictures of what we have been up to.

Hanbok Humiliations

I was psychologically scarred as a young child when my mother would take me to the underwear department of Kmart or Masons and procede to hold up various and sundry undergarments to spot check for size. Those memories came crashing back as my friend Mirim helped me recently with a particular article of clothing. I got to stand and watch (and blush) while others talked about me, discussed my height and size, picked out an outfit for me and then DRESSED me. It was borderline humiliating, as I became quite a spectacle at the Gwang-jang Shijang (shijang is market).

At least in Kmart I had racks of clothing, behind which I could make feeble attempts to hide my shame. In Korea's open air markets, there are no such racks - just rows of shopkeepers and a flow of folks passing by with nothing to do but watch the Migook saram (American) get dressed like a child. During this adventure into the depths of my mortification, you should have heard the Korean words flying. Seems my height was a little bit of a problem, but they found a skirt that was suitable. The next major discussion amongst Mirim, the shopkeeper AND the shopkeeper next door concerned finding a short jacket that would be *ahem* big enough around. It seems some Koreans are apt to talk with their hands - pointing and gesturing a bit wildly.......while everyone watches. What a night.

After the joy of trying on clothes in an open market, here is what I brought home:

My own Korean Hanbok.

(Mirim gave me the traditional hairdo)

Here I am in all my Korean graciousness and civility


NOT!

I don't know what is under a Kilt,
But I do know what is under a hanbok!!