Settling In

After our crash course in Korean culture, we have finally started to settle in. One of our first expeditions in creating a home was seeking out a mop. One would think that this was an easy chore but it seems that they don't use the standard mop. They use something similar to a swiffer with a washcloth. This of course sent me into a slight panic, the area of floor that we have is more than the capacity of a simple washcloth. As preventative maintenance, I have bought slippers for the house and a new rule is in effect; no shoes in the house!

One of the stores that we have found is called "Home Plus". This store is similar to a "Wallmart". I love this store. The prices are marked so there is no confusion to the price of items.

One thing that we have noticed about shopping is that Korean children are very interested in us, we will notice that halfway through our shopping trip we will have acquired a following.

As we were walking into the store Chris noticed these locker units that are used for pets. The girls are also taking a Taekwondo class 5 days a week. I'm thrilled with this class. Master Song looked at the girls during orientation and said, "this is not an American school, this is a Korean school and you will respect me!" Master Song has a studio outside of the gate. He picks the kids up from school and walks them to his studio. I was concerned about the amount of American children attending (I wanted to totally immerse them into the Korean culture) but it has been the best of both worlds. He enforces the discipline of a Korean teacher with the effectiveness on technique, due to speaking English. The girls take the class very seriously.

Monday the kids (all 3) will be starting piano lessons. Piano lessons are also 5 days a week for an hour. I have tried very hard to find a violin teacher but until then the piano will have to do. Needless to say, we are keeping a very active lifestyle. Our car finally arrived! Driving or walking is not for the faint of heart. The drivers here are very aggressive. If it were not for the busy schedule, I would be horribly homesick. I miss the blessing of being able to read labels and roadsigns.

Sunflower Language School

I finally have time. Sophia has been going to Sunshine Language School for 2 days and loves it.

Gym uniform. Some of the things they do for gym, Yoga and Golf.

Daily uniform.

Sophia has adjusted very well. The school has been the highlight of our day. The first day of school Sophia came home with homework, this is going to be a very good year.

We asked Sophia if she had made any friends. She said she did, but can't remember her name, so she named her Hannah.

Sunflower Language School

Sophias new school!

More details to come...

We have a home again!

We finally have a home!

This is the kitchen and dining room.This apartment was originally 2 apartments. This is the picture of hallway connecting the 2 apartments (excellent for Heely's). The other side...

Laundry room (above) and family room (below). You can see the laundry room was once a kitchen. This is the balcony. The family room and dining room each have their own.

All the furniture is provided by the military. The apartment is very large. The design reminds me of the houses we had in Germany; radiators, flat light switches, bathrooms, and windows. I prefer this style.

The kids found this bathroom very entertaining. The bathroom can change into a shower. The shower head is connected to the sink and the drain is on the floor. Shut the door, take out the toilet paper and you have yourself a very large shower.

The kids started school today, a 2 minute walk. There are about 660 students in the entire school, k-12.

We have been busy trying to get the basics to get a home going.

I have looked into a kindergarten on the Korean economy for Sophia, Sunflower Language School. The school is Montessori based that teaches both English and Korean for ages 5-7. There is a huge emphasis on the Korean children learning the American language. The school is currently full but due to Sophia's English speaking skills they would open a slot for her to attend. She would be the only American child attending. They would also waive the monthly admission fee (600,000 won per month) and ask that we pay for the cost of food. Ill take another walk to see how far it is from the house. If it isn't too far, I'll sign her up today.

Hitting the subways

Heading out...
This is the entrance to the subway.

It seems that everyone that works for any public transportation system wears a uniform. All communication is done with body language. I'm still impressed with how clean it is. It reminds me of Germany. The system was very easy to understand and cheap. It cost the entire family about $4.50 to ride for the next 2 hours.

This was one of the many pet stores that we passed. To name a few of the animals; dogs, chickens, roosters, rabbits, birds (various types), hamsters, guinea pigs and squirrels. Not one dog was priced over 80 won. We found a Terrier for 20 won.

This was taken in front of a 12 story department store by the name of, "Donga". There was also a Starbucks inside.
Shopping area.

This is a display of rice cakes. I have no idea if they are real or just for decoration.

We had gone into a "Hello Kitty" store and found these masks. Haley's reads, "Clean your mouth".

Destination Daegu

Friday morning (10:00) Chris came with the information that we had to get to Daegu today. This meat that we had to check out of the hotel within the hour. A military escort took us to the train station, bought our tickets and arranged for an Ojeshi (male adult) to carry our luggage and make sure we got on the right train. Here is a picture of our Ojashi. Here is a picture of the platform for the trains.

The train that we took was the "bullet" train. An average train would take up to 5 hrs to get to Daegu, the bullet took 1.5 hrs. The speed was 290-300km per hr. (approx 180 mph)

The train was very clean. I'm always fascinated at how clean public transportation systems are overseas. The train employees would bow as they would enter and right before they would exit the sliding glass doors. I suppose Seoul was a major stop. There was a pre-passenger cleaning crew that came on and replaced all of the white clothes on the head rests. There was another crew that came on and picked up all the garbage. There were TV consoles on the train and at one point they had a mini show of different animals procreating, very interesting. There was a snack cart that a man pushed up and down the aisle. The girls had green tea and "jeepo", dried fish...similar to jerky. When we arrived at "Dongdague", 2 military members met us to take us to the hotel. We had our first experience of driving in a car. The lines in the road meant nothing and an inch was enough for a car to squeeze in. Driving here organized chaos. I do not see us taking that challenge on any time soon. The air was cleaner and the temp was about 10 degrees warmer. Welcome to Camp Walker. This post is very small compared to the Seoul post. The commissary is about the same size as the Dexheim commissary (for our friends who were there). It has a small town feel. We were out and exploring our new home by 9. Most of the city didn't open until 10 but it gave us enough time to walk far enough off post and get a feel for the community. As we came onto post last night Isabelle noticed a store that had puppies for sale in the window, as you can imagine, that was one of our first stops. When we stopped at the second shop they had a Shitzu that was selling for $50. This is incredibly cheap and I'm sure you could negotiate a "discount". We followed signs that said "market" and ended up here. This is where it gets insane! We were completely jazzed to have found it. This is an open market where you can find anything. I was worried that the vendors would be offended with me taking pictures but they were the complete opposite. Everyone was especially friendly to the children. Most of the items were familiar and some I had no idea. The prices were awesome. We bought 4 pairs of socks for 2000 won ($2.15). I love this picture. Sophia was petrified of everything on the table. As I was trying to take a picture of her the vendor of the table tried to help. She took one of the crabs (live) off the table for Sophia to hold. Sophia had no idea the woman was walking up behind her. When Sophia turned around and saw the woman, she screamed and jumped. This was another memorable moment. I had my back turned to Chris and the kids when I head all 3 girls squealing. I turned around and all of them are running up to me telling me the octopus moved. The vendor was slapping the octopus and the octopus was moving. I suppose it was to show us how fresh it was. I had no idea what these things were, they were all moving. I did have a hard time looking at them.There were little stands where you could buy food. Chris isn't to this point yet, he'll come around (wink).
As we were standing at a crosswalk a Korean man started talking to Chris telling us he was an employee of the club on post for 40 years. He also told us he had a mountain house and we were welcome to visit him anytime. Chris asked him for a restaurant recommendation. The man walked us to a restaurant and told the waitress to treat us well, and that she did. The food was wonderful. This is a meat call "kalbi".

Full stomachs and memories, we head home.

First impressions...

The commissary here is about the size of a Safeway, if not bigger, and very quiet. The availability of items is incredible, more than the Ft. Gordon commissary.
I havent seen very many families, excluding the ones on vacation. It may be that its spring break, either way I'm not complaining.
Everything here seems to be clean and user friendly. I have been to a couple of posts that make it impossible to get around without a car (Ft. Gordon), Yongsan is a total contrast. Most of the soldiers here aren't allowed to drive, so the public transportation system is a dream. Everything seems to work. I keep asking Chris if Taegu is going to be as nice, he says yes. I didn't believe him until he showed me a map of post and the bus schedule. I think we will be OK.
The city seems to be fairly clean of litter, considering the population. It may give the appearance of being dirty with the smog. The automobile pollution is very high. When the girls and I were out yesterday we saw people wearing masks. Most of them were cyclists and police officers. People who are constantly exposed to the pollution. By the end of our day my throat hurt and chest hurt. I think its from the exhaust.
I haven't experienced the legendary kegogi or rotten cabbage smell that permeates an entire city. When I do, I'll be sure to blog it. Validating those who had horror stories of Korea. Either way, Id rather be here than Augusta.

Get your eat on!

The girls and I ventured off post today. We left the hotel around 8:30. Hung a right and walked until we made it into town.

We ended up walking around for an hour. The shops didn't open until 10. This was a picture from a side street. We were hitting the streets for an hour trying to kill some time.

We were desperately seeking a place to eat lunch .We had been up since 430 and nothing seemed to be open. We were beating the street for an hour waiting.

As we were going through the checkout stand at a little corner grocery, I faced my first language barrier. I was having a difficult time figuring out what the cashier wanted when a woman behind me spoke up and pointed to the bill in my wallet. We waited outside of the store for her, hopping she had a recommendation on a place to eat. We were very lucky, she walked us to a restaurant that she often frequents. Her name was Paige and she was here teaching ESL. She was from Canada and had a roommate that was from Oregon.

We were thrilled with our lunch, it was wonderful. The girls had a great time.

At 7 pm we dragged ourselves to the bed and passed out. I love these kind of days!

Seoul Survivor

Georgia
Atlanta airport
Korean Air

A couple of bumps but no show-stoppers.

What's a little travel without a little bumps and bruises along the way?

Seoul
Korean Air was wonderful! The airline attendants were very kind, they exceeded my expectations. Four of us were seated in bulk head seating and the fifth (Haley) was seated in a row next to us. All seats were equipped with a personal Television-PC that showed up to 30 movies; country informational videos, video games, flight information and tax free shopping. We were occupied the entire flight. Haley managed to watch 6 movies, Isabelle kept the airline hostess busy and Sophia was in every program the touch screen had to offer. We had 2 meals. First, a traditional Korean dish named Bim Bap and the second was an American dish of chicken. The airline earned an A+.

We rushed off the plane and made our first tourist stop, Inchon Airport bathroom.

I'm standing there admiring the porcelain perfection when my backpack hits something on the wall and the most peculiar sound begins... fake flushing! At first I thought a bathroom hostess would knock on my stall door asking if I needed any help or reprimand me for taking pictures in the airport. Taking a closer look, I realized this was the legendary sound over machine for the discreet user. I stood there totally excited and kept pushing the button. I wanted to open the stall door and drag in the first bystander to share this excitement. Here is the link for anyone who would like to see it

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3554650040148085330

This is where it starts to get a little bumpy. Once we were through all the checkpoints to leave the airport, we had to line up for the military checkpoints. Our first line was to put our name on a list to get in the second line, that's to get on the bus to the Hotel.

As we are sitting on the bus, we get a mini briefing from the bus drivers son, who couldn't have been more than 14. He tells us we will be on the bus for another 2 hours before we get to the hotel. I have the dog carrier on my lap and the solider next to me it already wiping his brow from the sweat. This is after the 4 hr Atlanta layover, 15 hr plane ride and 2hours to get through immigration.

...we arrive

We are standing at the hotel check-in when Bella decides to bark. The reaction from the employees was as if a crocodile was spotted in the lobby. We are then informed that the dog is not allowed to be in the room with us. Chris has a mild temper flare up. He was told, through reservations, that having the dog would not be a problem. It's 9 at night, everything is closed and Chris is rushing so he can get back to the welcome center to go through another briefing. The only solution is to check the dog in with security and leave her there for the night. My stomach tightens. Chris gets us to the room and goes to his briefing (1hr). This leaves me with 3 hungry kids and a dog behind the check-in desk. I run through the hotel to find anything that is kid friendly and everything has closed within the last 10 min. There is one solution, the shoppette. I cant count the times that the shoppette has saved us from near disaster. I pick up a couple of delicious microwave meals, feed the kids, stick them in the shower, put them in bed and run to take care of Bella. By this time Chris has returned. We go to check Bella out of security and find out that they are storing her in the basement of the hotel near the loading dock. My heart sinks. By this time Chris and I at complete exhaustion. We go back to the room, crawl in bed and pass out without the much needed shower. We wake up at 3 am sick to our stomachs at the condition our dog is in. We get up, get ready and sneak her into the room. We keep her in the room until Chris goes to work, he's taking her with him.

This is when the girls and I explore Dragon Lodge...

We have been all over the lodge and post. They have an excellent public transportation system here.

Dragon Lodge is an American Hotel with Asian themes.....in Korea (ugh).

Later this afternoon we are planning to catch a train to Taegu.

The hardest part about all this is that I'm in the heart of Korea and I am having to remind myself that I'm not in the US.

Chris comes back from lunch to inform me that...
1. We will be here another week.
2.The post vet has made room so Bella can board there the entire time.
3. He cannot leave post.
I am thrilled that we get to stay in Seoul for a week, but feel horrible that Chris can't go. At the same time I think I am going to loose my mind if I have to eat another American meal. A little bit of heaven is just a 15 minute walk out the gate. Chris notices my anxiety, as I am snatching up anything travel related, and tells me to go for it.

Our first trip will be tomorrow...out the gate, hang a right and walk until we can't smell Burger King. Friday we are going on a day tour to see the" Korean Folk Village".

We have made it another day!

Chris has also informed us that our house will be ready the day we arrive in Taegu, assuming all goes as planned (chuckles lightly).

To all friends and family...I had somehow lost my phone on the way here. Please e-mail me with your numbers.

We are having a blast and the fun has just begun!

Mitchelle and Andrew had a good time at the Masters

We managed to get all of our luggage in the Taxi. Our Taxi driver lectured us on the amount of luggage we were taking and the lack of time we had given ourselves to get to the airport. We left at 5:15 and the flight was at 7:30 with the airport being 20 miles (approx) away. He was succeeding at making us nervous. There is one week that Augusta is famous for "The Masters" and the chaos that follows. The final day was yesterday, I have no idea who won...nor do I care. The airport was flooded with icons of the masters and sunburned foreheads. Now we wait, Atlanta next stop on the line.
(Mitchelle and Andrew were the names of the passengers in front of us)

Our last day in Georgia

Today is our last day in Georgia, which also happens to be Easter. The objective is to get through the day as quickly as possible.
Last night we bought new suitcases and were able to go down a size for 2. This has helped with my fear of dragging these things halfway around the world.
- Our first goal is to get the suitcases loaded on the plane, without loosing one.
- The second is to survive the 15 hour flight. On our last flight to San Jose Haley vomited. She woke up this morning with a scowl and stomach pains, this is not a good sign.
- The third is to get through the flight with a dog under my seat. I'm still unclear on how the dog is going to make the trip without going to the bathroom.

A sad story ...

We had neighbors in the hotel that had just come from Germany. They had 2 dogs and one of the dogs (Boxer) died in the underbelly of the plain. Both the dogs boarded the plain healthy. The death is under investigation, they believe that the dog was dropped while they were loading the animal on the plane.

Hotel Holiday

Surprisingly, it is very quiet on post. I had thought that there would be more people out and about with the Masters going on. I'm not quite sure where everyone went.

We have been in a hotel for 5 days now and it has gone by very quickly. We are in a single room, one queen bed, single pull out, single roll-away and blow up pool pad . We could have had a larger room but had to make some sacrifices to get a pet room. I haven't been feeling very well in the last couple of days and decided to go to the doctors before we left. I was lucky enough to get an appointment the same day. Just a small sinus infection with antibiotics. I'm thinking its the pet room that we are staying in causing my allergies to worsen.

Chris and the girls went to dinner at a friends house. The girls were thrilled to get a "real" meal. I was unable to go because they had 2 dogs and thought that my exposure to allergens were maxed out. I stayed at the hotel, enjoying the silence, and re-packed all the suitcases. Little by little I have been able to sneak things into the recycle bin or garbage can, the kids haven't noticed anything "disappearing" yet.

Be All You Can Be!

Kristen has graduated from Basic Training, straight A's, and was able to come home for the weekend. Mother and Daughter!

I had no idea what to expect when she came home but found that she was glowing, she looked wonderful!

Bella

Chris and I have decided that if we get another dog we are naming it "Kegogi", just to keep in the spirit of our trip to Korea (5 days till take-off) and the stereotyping that has been shared by many "well traveled" Americans. I will admit that much of this negative empathy has taken a toll on my moral and I have found it harder to wake up with the same enthusiasm that the kids have... up until I get a little motivation (thank you Meredith)
...here is a link to another American that is making it happen http://dulphotojournal.livejournal.com/

WOBC Graduation & Last Day Of School

Graduates from the Warrant Officer Basic Course

Haley with friends from her sixth grade class.

(Scott, Haley, Steven, Arie and Kishera)

Isabelle with the ladies from her second grade class.
(Amantha, Miranda, Katie, Isabelle, Cheyenne, Sara and Carisa)

Sophia with the ladies of Pre-K
(Sophia, Tessa, Sophia E, Haley and Madison)