I have now been in Korea for over a whole month! Time is a funny thing, it seems I've been here for months already and Ray and I were never separated but somehow I also feel that Ray picked me up from the airport yesterday. To be fair though, everything is still relatively new to me and I'm still excited to explore and enjoy this time in Korea to the fullest. My days are pretty much just spent here with the twins (they are napping now), learning our colors and singing songs and reading books. One is walking now and the other is taking his sweet time, half scaling the wall and half power-crawling. They are sweet but keep me on my toes :P Just the other day I was washing up the lunch dishes and I peeked around the corner to see both of them sitting on top of the table their books stack up on (it's maybe a foot off the ground, but still!). My favorite part of the day is when we take our afternoon walks through town. It's so soothing to me to get out of the house for a bit and watch the boys observe everything around them. Sometimes when a car passes by they'll both yell "CAR!!!" as loud as they can and then we shout "car" for the next 20 minutes, haha. Mostly I've been choosing a route that's less congested and leads to a park with picnic tables and exercise stations. Ray and I are hoping to go there on a weekend that we're both off work and hike the back side of the mountain. There looks to be stairs that lead to different trails and paths. We better go soon though, the weather is starting to turn cold! In the morning when I leave for work it's in the 30's or 40's and this week the temperature has been in the 60's, but I'm sure it won't last long. We haven't turned on our heat yet but when I wake up it's about 69 in the house.
We have tried a couple new restaurants out in town. One is called Star Kabab and is run by a Turkish man who makes delicious kabobs. Ray took me a couple weeks ago and we were able to sit out on the patio and enjoy the lamb kabob with fries while watching everyone shop and walk down the busy street. It's not Korean, but delicious nonetheless :)
Just a few nights ago we welcomed in a new guy who will be working with Ray. Since his flight was delayed we didn't get a chance to eat until after 8:00pm and were starving! We decided to walk off base to a placed called The Bulgogi House, and were not disappointed. We ordered the Beef and Chicken Bulgogi and they cook it for you right at your table. They also brought out little side dishes which, to the best of my knowledge, included kimchi (obviously), a pickled cucumber/kimchi, sesame spinach, bean sprouts, some kind of candied, spicy bean sprouts, creamy apple salad, pickled onions, yaki mandu, several dipping sauces and a few other items I'm forgetting. It was all very good and I can't to go back again.
In other news, our home is coming along... slightly. We purchased a new duvet cover and love how warm it is. I picked out a couple rugs online that were a steal on price, but when I went to check out I discovered they don't ship to me here :( The Exchange here doesn't have a great selection so I'm heading to Ikea next week to look for a nice rug and maybe a bookshelf for our office. We're not going to totally decorate since we won't be here that long, and we have a very small weight allowance to send back home with us, so staying minimal is key.
I had the opportunity to catch a ride with a new friend to a store called "Happy Quilt" a few days ago and get some fabric for a couple projects. I'm hoping to make some pillows to create a more cozy feel to our living room. I'm also hoping to make a quilt in the time I'll have off soon (the twins and family are taking some vacation time soon) so I should have some relaxing days spent in front of the sewing machine with coffee and music - I'm very excited!
During my trip to Happy Quilt, my friend showed me a store called "Home Plus" which is kind of a mall/department store/grocery store/eatery. My Okinawa friends will understand if I say it's just like Jusco. Essentially, when you walk in the first floor you'll be on the level with all the groceries and a few food vendors, then as you make your way up each floor you'll reach a level of restaurants, then home shopping, then clothing, then beauty, etc. Not surprisingly, I only took a picture of all the fun mugs (yes, I bought two!) and my food. To be fair, it was quite delicious!
Some general thoughts on living in Korea -
- It's similar to Okinawa, but totally different too. I probably had expectations that mimicked my experience in Japan, but I'm trying to keep in mind that Korean people are their own culture. Things are obviously different. Getting to know what they believe/how they interact/what is culturally acceptable is very interesting.
- Sometimes I get frustrated out in town because I'm constantly getting shoved out of the way or cut off while driving. It's just the way people run out here, but I'm not used to it, nor will I ever be comfortable with it.
- I am loving the food! There are so many places I'm wanting to try out!
- I miss my home-y things, like my kitchen, my comfy couch, decorations and family/friends!
- I'm not a huge fan of shopping at the commissary here, but it is a relief to find "normal" items after shopping out in town.
- It makes me laugh how many Koreans want me to stop so they can look at the boys while we're on a walk. They absolutely ADORE them and I'm constantly stopping so people can fawn over them for a minute.
- I'm still afraid to drive too far from the base, but I finally found a main road with landmarks I can follow - woohoo!
- I'm dying to take Ray to the Hello Kitty Cafe in Seoul!
- Speaking of cats, there are Cat Cafes here! (Also dog cafes). Since space is limited and many apartments don't allow pets, there are cafes full of cats/dogs and you buy a snack or drink and get to play with the animals for several hours. Seriously, we're going to have to visit one soon - it's so bizarre!
- For the most part, Koreans stay out late and get to work later in the morning. Most stores don't open until 10 am, and a lot are open later in the evening. Since I'm in the habit of waking super early, and going to bed early, I feel a bit jipped :(
To wrap up this post, here are a few pictures of everyday things...
Thanks for reading! I should have some more interesting things to post soon as the holidays roll in and we take a couple trips! Goodbye for now!