Last Day in Korea

As they say, all good things must come to an end---- today is my last day here in the land of the morning calm.

This morning we walked Mdx to school.  She was going on a picnic with the school today and had to wear a uniform.  The teachers gave me the uniform (a pink track suit with burberry trim) when I picked her up yesterday.  We weren't quite sure what was going on, but she wore the uniform to school and took a lunch.  Mary took her in and tried to figure it out--- 1- yes, they were going on a picnic, 2- they were going in the bus, 3- yes she was supposed to wear her uniform (easier to keep track of all the kids), and 4- no she does not keep the uniform.

Mary also tried to explain the Mdx would not be at school for the next 2 weeks. She ended up having them get out a calendar to show them.  The teachers thought Mdx was leaving the school!  Mary's Grandmother passed away and she is taking the kids back to the States for 2 weeks.  It will be a challenge for her flying with them by herself, but we weren't able to co-ordinate our flights.

After dropping Mdx off at school we walked to the base.  I had a package to mail (my pottery). Marshall bought them bus tickets to the airport for the morning.  Mary went to the library to try to check in for their  flights but it was too early.  We stopped at the BX so Marshall could go to clothing sales-- he is now a 7 level at his job and had to get a new occupation badge.  Mary picked up a few things for the trip and I looked around at the kiosks.  After finding almost nothing miniature on my trip, I found a 1/40th scale model of a traditional Korean house!

This afternoon Mary and I both got packed up and Marshall weighed our suitcases for us-- we should be good on weight.  This evening we are going to the Hospitality House again for dinner.

Marshall will go with Mary to the airport in the morning (the bus leaves base at 6). He will get them checked in and stay until they go through security.  Then he will come back and we will have lunch (probably at the 6,000 won place) and take a cab to the bus station about 3 pm.  I told Marshall I could get there by myself, but he is afraid the bus might not let me off where I need to be.

I have had such a wonderful time visiting here.  I have LOTS of pictures to share when I get home.

More later....

FABRIC!!!!!

This morning a friend of Mary's, Lisa, picked us up and took us to the "Happy Quilt"-- WOW!!!!!!  It was a bit of a religious experience!

Imagine-- a building FULL of fabrics f every kind-- including Vera Bradley prints.  A lot of the fabrics were precut in  2 yard packages for 6,000 won ($5.47), flannel was 7,000 won ($6.38) and there was a table out front with some end pieces marked from 1,000 won to 4,000 won.  The table outside was 20% off today!  Since I have to start thinking about coming home (sniff, sniff)-- I weighed the my bag when we got back to the apartment-- it weighed about 8.5 lbs.  (I packed my big suitcase to see how I was on weight-- it was 48#--- so, does that mean I shouldn't put anything else in it-- or I can buy 2 more lbs of stuff to bring home??)

Lisa has an Etsy shop and sells quilts.  Her husband's tour here at Osan will be over soon.  She and her boys will be leaving in about 5 weeks.  It was obvious the guy at the fabric shop knew her! She is trying to stock up on fabric before she leaves.

After lunch, Mary, Mav and I walked to the clinic on base so Mav could get his 6 month old shots.  He was such a good little guy!  On the way back, we stopped at the ATM so I could get some money-- the ATM's were down-- now I just gotta wonder if Mike is maybe in cahoots with BoA so I can't buy anything else.

Marshall had to go into work this afternoon.  He is applying for a grant for his schooling and had to get a letter signed by his commander.  He should be home soon. He is going to grill brats tonight!

Mdx and Marshall have been hard at work building her a kitchen out of cardboard boxes. It has really become quite the project!

I've been taking LOTS of pictures and will post them after I get back to the States... more later...

HMMMM....

Marshall and I took  a walk to town this afternoon.  We had chicken on a stick and a corndog---YUM!  Then we went to a pottery place-- another one of those places that has a store front, but, "more downstair". The Korean celadon pottery is so pretty! I found some pieces I really liked-- but it was hard to make a decision!  I finally picked out a few pieces and had them wrapped to mail.  Marshall ran up to the base to get me some more cash while the guy was wrapping my stuff.  When he got back, Marshall said--uh, Mom, you didn't have any money---what the??? it was after noon here so it was after midnight at home---so hmmmmm, my paycheck SHOULD have been deposited--- guess I'll try again later.  It has been very strange not just whipping out the credit card every time I want to buy something-- Dave Ramsey would be proud!

We walked out on the street and stopped at one of the "packing guys" and got my stuff ready to mail---first he lined the bubble wrapped packages up on his table, then selected a box that he lined with 1 inch styrofoam, he packed the bubble wrapped packets in then filled the space with newspaper-- we will go to the PO on base tomorrow and send it off to NC.

It is such a beautiful day that we stopped at the "Blue Opera" and sat outside and had a drink--LIT for both of us.  In the restaurants (and bars) there is a button on the corner of each table that you press when you are ready for service-- kind of cool!

Marshall, Mdx, Mav and I are going to Mr Chicken tonight-- good thing we've been doing so much walking-- 'coz we've sure been eating well!

4/9 Market

Yesterday we went to the 4/9 Market--- basically, on any date that ends in a 4 or a 9 there is a huge street market "on the other side of the tracks".  We walked under the train tracks and were in the middle of the biggest food/fish/flea market ever!  There was vendor after vendor set up selling their wares.  More kinds of fish than I've ever seen.  Even a couple of butchers actually cutting the meat while you waited.  We saw a cow head at one butcher's, but got told in no uncertain terms not to take pictures (after we already had).  There was seaweed being processed and any kind of Kimchi you can imagine.  I think we walked around there for over 2 hours.

Mary and I found a cross stitch store.  There were some really interesting patterns.  We each got a kit.  Marshall and Mary have pointed out to me that people post their phone numbers on the dashboard of their cars so if they are parked and you need them to move, you just call them.  In the cross stitch store , there were all kinds of little pillows and signs to stitch a number on and put in the car--- pretty funny-- one said "sorry parking"-- did that mean the person was sorry they had parked where they did or they had done a sorry job of parking?

Speaking of parking, it seems like if there is space and you want to park, you park, even if it is on the sidewalk, halfway out onto the road or in the crosswalk.

Oh, I promised to tell you about our dinner out with Kenny- Marshall's realtor.  He picked us up about 8pm and then drove somewhere, out of the downtown area on the other side of the bridge.  I know we passed the bus station where we came in from the airport the night I got here.  He decided on a place then had to find a place to park.  Mdx was sitting in the back seat with me, she said "Grandma, where is Kenny taking us?".  We walked back down to the restaurant and got seated.

Immediately, they brought a portable gas heater over to the table (which has happened in almost every restaurant we've gone into, especially if we have on or both of the kids with us).  Then the guy brought a container of hot charcoals and put them into the "pit" in the center of the table.  Kenny ordered for us and out came the side dishes-kimchi (both cabbage and radish), cabbage salad with a yogurt dressing (love this stuff-- it's kind of like coleslaw), hot peppers, bean sprouts, lettuce (to make wraps), red pepper paste, salt and pickled onion slices (another favorite!).  Then the meat started-- one kind at a time came out-- we had several kinds of pork, some of it looked like bacon, but it wasn't cured and beef. It was quite a feast!

And here is where I throw the Korean under the bus--- The guys had a "few" beers--- at one point Kenny asked Marshall "does your Mom drive?".  Marshall told him yes--- when we got back to his car he opened the driver's door and motioned for me to get in-- I was shocked, he was serious---so, I got in, Kenny got in the passenger seat and gave me directions and a lesson in the rules of the road as I drove.  Not sure how many local and international laws we broke, but we got home in one piece and it was kind of a neat experience! At one point, there was a police car 2 cars behind us with the lights on, Kenny said "they hardly ever pull anyone over"--great! Seems the police drive around with the lights on all the time.

Well, that's probably enough for today-- more later....

Korean Folk Village

This morning Marshall and Mary let Mdx play hooky from school and we went to the Korean Folk Village in Suwon.  We walked to the train station, rode 7 stops and got off at the A K Plaza-- a REALLY upscale mall in Suwon (read really expensive). (The elevators had lights in the floor).  We bought our tickets for the Folk Village, but had about 30 minutes until it left so we walked through the mall for a little bit.

Once we got to the Folk Village we were transported back about 300 years.  Marshall and Mary had been there when Leslie (Mary's Mom) was here in November, but said we saw different things than they saw on that trip.  The "village" is over 200 acres, so it is easy to see how you wouldn't be able to see it all in one trip.  We climbed up a hill and up stone steps to a Buddhist temple-- it was pretty awe inspiring.  I think I took about 300 pictures while we were there.

There was a man there making honey candy.  He started with a piece of honey and working in a container of cornstarch stretched it into thin strands almost as fine as strands of hair.  Then he took a spoonful of a nut mixture and wrapped the strands around it--- it was pretty neat to watch.  We got some of the candy, so who knows, you may be one of the lucky ones to get to try it!

When we got back to Songtan, we took a taxi back to the apartment.  Mary and Mav went to the bowling alley on base-- an outing with the Enlisted Spouses Club.  Marshall Mdx and I went out to dinner with Kenny, the realtor Marshall used to find the apartment- more on that in another post-- it's a doozy!!!

More later.....

Orangesojulious and the Osan Lounge

Last night after the kids were tucked into bed, Marshall and I headed downtown---- Marshall was determined to get me drunk---- I think he was a little disappointed.  Our first stop was Xenia's-- a smoky, second floor bar-- for an orangesojulious.  According to Marshall, it is Soju, yogurt (drinking kind) and orange juice and maybe some cider. It tasted like an orange creamsicle -- kind of sweet, but not bad.  It was served over ice in a beer mug!

Then we walked to one of the street vendors outside the main gate of the base and got a combination of fried treats-- shrimp, potatoes, peppers, onions, something wrapped in seaweed that was breaded and fried (yuk) and yakimandu.  Marshall got a cheeseburger with an egg on top from the next stall over.

Our final stop was the "new" Osan Lounge.  (The "old" Osan Lounge was a block down the street and was gutted the first day I was here-- it is half way remodeled and may reopen as something else before I leave!).  Behind the bar is a row of slushy machines.  There were 7 different drinks available last night-- Strawberryaid, Tropical fruit, Green Frog (kiwi), East Sea (peach), Mango, Punisher and something else-- the first 5 were made with vodka and the last 2 with 151.  I had a strawberry and an East Sea and tastes of a couple of the others.  The drinks were really good, but I'm sure they would taste even better on awarm summer's eve!  Now, I consider slushy drinks kind of girlie and almost broke out laughing when I saw "dude" with his skull cap, shades, and bling bling jewelry sipping one of them through a straw, but  I restrained myself.  A bunch of guys were playing tabletop shuffleboard and there were a couple of groups in the back area with hookas.

This morning we walked to the base library then to the BX.  Mdx played in the kid's area while Marshall and Mary did their shopping and Mav and I watched the kids playing.

Marshall grilled dinner for us tonight-- we had steak, kielbassy, potatoes, green pepper and onions.  It was quite a feast.  Mx and I baked sugar cookies.

The weather is supposed to warm up this week and we are going to the Korean Folk Village in Suwon tomorrow--- it is 7 train stops and a bus away.

I will post pictures once I'm back-- Marshall is having some problems with his computer (I thought Mac's weren't supposed to have issues-- oh well).  More later....

Hospitality House

Since coming to Korea, Mary and Marshall have been spending Friday evenings at the Hospitality House.  It is a Christian Ministry of Cadence International providing a gathering place for military members, their spouses and dependents around the world-- kind of a home away from home.  Here in Songtan, Friday evening is for families and Saturday evening for unaccompanied military.  There are quite a few unaccompanied members who have left families at home who come on Friday evenings so they can get a little "kid" time.  Mdx was right at home there and had PLENTY of attention all evening!  Dinner last night was a taco bar and salad.  The guys especially seemed to really appreciate a home cooked meal and an opportunity to relax.  We got back to the apartment about 9:45--(2145 around here).  The kids and Grandma were exhausted!

This morning Marshall and Mary went to spin class and then worked out some at the gym.  After they got back we walked to town for pizza.  Mary is giving a violin lesson to the son of one of the people from the hospitality house.  The kids are taking naps (including Marshall) and I am enjoying the quiet.

We Skyped with Grandpa, Grandma Mac, Aunt Marcia, Uncle John and David this morning--- Mdx enjoyed having an audience and I'm sure they enjoyed being that audience!

Later today Marshall and Mary are going to go to the commissary--the kids and I are going to stay here.  Then Marshall has plans to take me out somewhere---to a bar for soju kettles---we'll see if that really happens!

More later.....