Day 8
Our last day on our own was pretty uneventful. We bummed around Steph’s apartment until noon then headed back to Seoul to do some more shopping in Dongdaemun. First, we dropped Mom off at the Korean History Museum :). We had dinner with Pastor O’Neil, his wife Jennifer & their 3 children – John, Grace & James. They made us our first “American” meal that we’ve had on this trip – spaghetti!! As much as I love the Korean food, I think I’m ready for some pasta, pizza, potbelly’s, mcdonald’s breakfast…yum. Anywho…the O’Neils live at the base of the Seoul Tower – amazing location and it was so interesting to hear all about their time in Korea and their missionary work here. Later in the evening, Steph, Corey & I went to a Wine Pub so we could meet a few of her friends here. They had lived here anywhere from 3-6 months and were originally from St Louis, Canada & England. I thought it was pretty cool that this random mixture of people found each other in South Korea no less! As we headed back to Steph’s apartment, we stopped to have a little snack @ a vendor stand – ricecakes dipped in a hot sauce called dokboki – delicious, but super hot!
Tomorrow, we are heading to Ilsan to stay with our cousins for the remainder of our trip. We are driving up to tour the DMZ(de-militarized zone) that divides South & North Korea. Should be really interesting! Not sure if I’ll have access to internet for the rest of this trip so this may be my last blog until I’m back in the states! Can’t believe we only have 2 more days!!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Korea Day 7
Day 7
I have go first start today's blog by commenting on my husbands!! I just read both of his posts...and just have to say I was laughing so hard I was crying! he is a much funnier blogger than I will ever be - so he's the official family blogger for future vacations.
Matt: I can't wait to come back and see our beautifully painted basement ceilings...er i mean see your beautiful face! glad to hear you're missing me and ready for me to come home!
Now for today's blog:
We ended up not going shopping last night in Dongdaemun b/c we were so tired after our thai massages….so our plan was to go at somepoint today. We headed back to Seoul today to have lunch with Oppa & Oni (our cousins). Steph’s friend Joe also came to translate for us. We ate a traditional Korean meal(can’t remember the korean name right now…) – chicken steamed in ginseng, rice & chicken broth. Each person gets their own pot with what looks like a cornish hen(bones and all). It was pretty delicious, but definitely not as spicy as we’ve become accustom to eating.
After lunch, we went to visit the Korean War Memorial. There were several statues/sculptures depicting the human struggle during this time that lead you into the Memorial Hall. These sculptures were pretty powerful and really showed the struggle that soldiers & refugees went through during this time. One statue in particular that was really moving for me was one called “Statue of Brothers”. This was a statue of two hugging soldiers-one fighting for North Korea, one fighting for South Korea. This statue represented all of the families that were torn apart by the Korean War. There were many instances where brothers & family members were separated and forced to fight against one another. I found out that to this day, there are still thousands and thousands of families that are separated due to the unresolved Korean War. The South Korean government has been trying to help families reunite, but it is very difficult as the only way out of North Korea is to flee through China.
Although these sculptures reflected a “serious” time in history…we couldn’t help but take some silly pictures-so be sure to check them out J
The aircrafts used during the war were also displayed outside the memorial hall. I don’t know my fighter planes/jets that well, but they seemed to have very small planes/helicopters as well as massive fighter jets & submarines. We took plenty of pictures of these as well…so for those of you in the know…please view the pictures to get more details on the types of aircraft used in the Korean War. ,
Inside, there were displays walking you through the history of the S Korean military & government. Most interesting to me was the chronology of how the Korean War played out – where the battle lines were drawn and how close S Korea was to surrendering. Within the 1st 3 months of the war, N Korea had pushed their way to the very southern tip of S Korea. Had it not been for the intervention of S Korea’s Allies (US/GBritain/Spain to name a few), S Korea would’ve been overtaken. They also had rooms & rooms displaying artillery, swords, uniforms – did you know that women fought in the Korean War? Ok…I’ll stop rambling about the museum….but all in all, it was very interesting.
Next, we headed to Namdaemun to do some shopping. Suprisingly, Corey was the only one that got anything!! After a few hours of shopping, we traveled by bus up the Namsan Mountain to see the Seoul Tower(the tallest building in Korea). We ate dinner there as well which was beautiful with the night lights of Seoul in the background. It was funny to hear from our cousins that this was their first time in Seoul Tower as well as the Korean War Memorial…considering they live so close!!
After Seoul Tower, we did a little more shopping in Dongdaemun, where again, Corey was the only one to purchase anything! Who knew he was such a shopaholic?!? There was one particular salesman in one of the stores that was really infatuated with Corey…and kept telling him to take his shirt off! Corey was having some trouble deciding on what size to get and this guy kept insisting that he take his t-shirt off to try on the shirt…when he did, he couldn’t stop commenting on Corey’s abs…it was strange & hilarious at the same time. We got a picture of Corey and his “friend” so check that one out too!
Tomorrow, we are going to relax-maybe do a little shopping; then meet up with our old Pastor & his family from Algona who have been living here for the last several years.
I have go first start today's blog by commenting on my husbands!! I just read both of his posts...and just have to say I was laughing so hard I was crying! he is a much funnier blogger than I will ever be - so he's the official family blogger for future vacations.
Matt: I can't wait to come back and see our beautifully painted basement ceilings...er i mean see your beautiful face! glad to hear you're missing me and ready for me to come home!
Now for today's blog:
We ended up not going shopping last night in Dongdaemun b/c we were so tired after our thai massages….so our plan was to go at somepoint today. We headed back to Seoul today to have lunch with Oppa & Oni (our cousins). Steph’s friend Joe also came to translate for us. We ate a traditional Korean meal(can’t remember the korean name right now…) – chicken steamed in ginseng, rice & chicken broth. Each person gets their own pot with what looks like a cornish hen(bones and all). It was pretty delicious, but definitely not as spicy as we’ve become accustom to eating.
After lunch, we went to visit the Korean War Memorial. There were several statues/sculptures depicting the human struggle during this time that lead you into the Memorial Hall. These sculptures were pretty powerful and really showed the struggle that soldiers & refugees went through during this time. One statue in particular that was really moving for me was one called “Statue of Brothers”. This was a statue of two hugging soldiers-one fighting for North Korea, one fighting for South Korea. This statue represented all of the families that were torn apart by the Korean War. There were many instances where brothers & family members were separated and forced to fight against one another. I found out that to this day, there are still thousands and thousands of families that are separated due to the unresolved Korean War. The South Korean government has been trying to help families reunite, but it is very difficult as the only way out of North Korea is to flee through China.
Although these sculptures reflected a “serious” time in history…we couldn’t help but take some silly pictures-so be sure to check them out J
The aircrafts used during the war were also displayed outside the memorial hall. I don’t know my fighter planes/jets that well, but they seemed to have very small planes/helicopters as well as massive fighter jets & submarines. We took plenty of pictures of these as well…so for those of you in the know…please view the pictures to get more details on the types of aircraft used in the Korean War. ,
Inside, there were displays walking you through the history of the S Korean military & government. Most interesting to me was the chronology of how the Korean War played out – where the battle lines were drawn and how close S Korea was to surrendering. Within the 1st 3 months of the war, N Korea had pushed their way to the very southern tip of S Korea. Had it not been for the intervention of S Korea’s Allies (US/GBritain/Spain to name a few), S Korea would’ve been overtaken. They also had rooms & rooms displaying artillery, swords, uniforms – did you know that women fought in the Korean War? Ok…I’ll stop rambling about the museum….but all in all, it was very interesting.
Next, we headed to Namdaemun to do some shopping. Suprisingly, Corey was the only one that got anything!! After a few hours of shopping, we traveled by bus up the Namsan Mountain to see the Seoul Tower(the tallest building in Korea). We ate dinner there as well which was beautiful with the night lights of Seoul in the background. It was funny to hear from our cousins that this was their first time in Seoul Tower as well as the Korean War Memorial…considering they live so close!!
After Seoul Tower, we did a little more shopping in Dongdaemun, where again, Corey was the only one to purchase anything! Who knew he was such a shopaholic?!? There was one particular salesman in one of the stores that was really infatuated with Corey…and kept telling him to take his shirt off! Corey was having some trouble deciding on what size to get and this guy kept insisting that he take his t-shirt off to try on the shirt…when he did, he couldn’t stop commenting on Corey’s abs…it was strange & hilarious at the same time. We got a picture of Corey and his “friend” so check that one out too!
Tomorrow, we are going to relax-maybe do a little shopping; then meet up with our old Pastor & his family from Algona who have been living here for the last several years.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Life in Ramsey Part 2
Day 5
I wake up at 5 AM in a cold sweat. I just had a nightmare. In the dream Laura had come home walked downstairs, looked and the ceiling, came upstairs, and just said "do it again". I couldn't get back to sleep so I decided no time better than the present to paint the stupid basement. So I did that, got paint all over myself including having a couple drops land in my eye, which was great. Stopped at noon to watch the Vikes. As yesterday, they dominate the first three quarters, actually make field goals, no TD's, which means only a 15-0 lead. At this point, it's like watching a bully walk towards you knowing he's going to hit you in the face and not being able to stop it. Vikes blow it, lose the game, stupid Vikes. Twins lose and make up no ground. Worst sports weekend ever! So to make up for that I go upstairs to my chair, play video games and watch TV until I fall asleep. Final recap of the weekend, about 16 hours of video games, not bad.
Day 6
Monday, uggh. Up early to go to work, by this point I haven't heard from laura in about 4 days, wondering if she's going to come back. Thinking, I sure hope she does, starting to get a little bored. Also over the weekend, I was attempting to beat rock band drums on hard when disaster struck. The bass pedal stopped working, I looked down, snapped the thing in half. Taking a page from my Grandpa Becker I went downstairs, found a piece of wood, got some ducktape and got that thing to work. I was pretty proud of my technical skills. Work, class, sleep.
Day 7
At some point when I had to take a bowl out of the dishwasher, scrape off some dried raisin bran so I could eat some more I decided I should start the dishwasher. Amazing little machine. I've been able to avoid the washing machine so far, that thing looks like a lot of work. Laura contacts me, she is planning on coming back, which makes my day. I go home, turn on the Twins down 8-1. I decide to just leave it on, they come back take the lead, promptly give it up, and lose. Pretty much a summary of this season, close but no cigar.
Day 8
More work, more class, which I am in a break right now. Looking forward to the weekend, since the basement is basically done, I'm a free man. I think you can probably guess what I'm going to be doing.
So in summary I have found that bachelorhood is not very exciting. It does involve a lot of video games and TV though, without that guilty feeling that you should go down and hang out with your wife while she watches Project Runway or something. Just kidding, I'm ready for her to come back, but I'm glad that the trip looks like it has been a lot of fun. Definetely a lot more fun then Ramsey.
I wake up at 5 AM in a cold sweat. I just had a nightmare. In the dream Laura had come home walked downstairs, looked and the ceiling, came upstairs, and just said "do it again". I couldn't get back to sleep so I decided no time better than the present to paint the stupid basement. So I did that, got paint all over myself including having a couple drops land in my eye, which was great. Stopped at noon to watch the Vikes. As yesterday, they dominate the first three quarters, actually make field goals, no TD's, which means only a 15-0 lead. At this point, it's like watching a bully walk towards you knowing he's going to hit you in the face and not being able to stop it. Vikes blow it, lose the game, stupid Vikes. Twins lose and make up no ground. Worst sports weekend ever! So to make up for that I go upstairs to my chair, play video games and watch TV until I fall asleep. Final recap of the weekend, about 16 hours of video games, not bad.
Day 6
Monday, uggh. Up early to go to work, by this point I haven't heard from laura in about 4 days, wondering if she's going to come back. Thinking, I sure hope she does, starting to get a little bored. Also over the weekend, I was attempting to beat rock band drums on hard when disaster struck. The bass pedal stopped working, I looked down, snapped the thing in half. Taking a page from my Grandpa Becker I went downstairs, found a piece of wood, got some ducktape and got that thing to work. I was pretty proud of my technical skills. Work, class, sleep.
Day 7
At some point when I had to take a bowl out of the dishwasher, scrape off some dried raisin bran so I could eat some more I decided I should start the dishwasher. Amazing little machine. I've been able to avoid the washing machine so far, that thing looks like a lot of work. Laura contacts me, she is planning on coming back, which makes my day. I go home, turn on the Twins down 8-1. I decide to just leave it on, they come back take the lead, promptly give it up, and lose. Pretty much a summary of this season, close but no cigar.
Day 8
More work, more class, which I am in a break right now. Looking forward to the weekend, since the basement is basically done, I'm a free man. I think you can probably guess what I'm going to be doing.
So in summary I have found that bachelorhood is not very exciting. It does involve a lot of video games and TV though, without that guilty feeling that you should go down and hang out with your wife while she watches Project Runway or something. Just kidding, I'm ready for her to come back, but I'm glad that the trip looks like it has been a lot of fun. Definetely a lot more fun then Ramsey.
Recap of Life in Ramsey while Laura's gone part 1
So after reading Laura's awesome blog on her trip in Korea, i thought I would just recap how life in Ramsey has been over the same time.
Day 1
Had the opportunity to wake up at 4:00 in the morning to drive Laura and the fam down to the train station by 6:00 AM. So I decided to just go ahead and start the work day at that time, this involved working until 5, driving the minivan across downtown, going to school, driving the minivan home, and collapsing into bed. The day also included a text from Laura as she was getting on the plane to Korea that didn't say bye or I'll miss you, but instead said "Hey, don't forget to paint the basement while I'm gone! It better be done right!"
Day 2
Get up, go to work, go home, play some video games, watch some TV, go to sleep. Very exciting
Day 3
Get up, go to work, pass on happy hour because I am remembering Laura's last text so I race home and vaccum the whole basement. This involves breathing in hazardous dust, avoiding poisonous spiders, going deaf because that vacuum is seriously loud, and almost dying from heat exhaustion. I finally finished vacuuming at 2 AM and went and collapsed in bed.
Day 4
Get up, work out, then I get the joyful practice of studying for 3 hours. I'm able to stop by 11 AM because I'm excited to watch the Cyclones, hoping it will be a good game. The cyclones DOMINATED the first three quarters, but they miss three field goals, don't score a TD, and then Iowa makes a couple of big plays and wins, very depressing. To top that off when ISU beats Iowa, which is the norm, I give Christian a week or so to cool down because he probably broke a couple chairs in his house. Does he do the same favor, nope, calls and leaves a message rubbing it in. Great guy. From about 2 to 11, I do not move from my comfy chair upstairs, which has two TV's, one for video games and one for TV. Good end to the day.
Day 1
Had the opportunity to wake up at 4:00 in the morning to drive Laura and the fam down to the train station by 6:00 AM. So I decided to just go ahead and start the work day at that time, this involved working until 5, driving the minivan across downtown, going to school, driving the minivan home, and collapsing into bed. The day also included a text from Laura as she was getting on the plane to Korea that didn't say bye or I'll miss you, but instead said "Hey, don't forget to paint the basement while I'm gone! It better be done right!"
Day 2
Get up, go to work, go home, play some video games, watch some TV, go to sleep. Very exciting
Day 3
Get up, go to work, pass on happy hour because I am remembering Laura's last text so I race home and vaccum the whole basement. This involves breathing in hazardous dust, avoiding poisonous spiders, going deaf because that vacuum is seriously loud, and almost dying from heat exhaustion. I finally finished vacuuming at 2 AM and went and collapsed in bed.
Day 4
Get up, work out, then I get the joyful practice of studying for 3 hours. I'm able to stop by 11 AM because I'm excited to watch the Cyclones, hoping it will be a good game. The cyclones DOMINATED the first three quarters, but they miss three field goals, don't score a TD, and then Iowa makes a couple of big plays and wins, very depressing. To top that off when ISU beats Iowa, which is the norm, I give Christian a week or so to cool down because he probably broke a couple chairs in his house. Does he do the same favor, nope, calls and leaves a message rubbing it in. Great guy. From about 2 to 11, I do not move from my comfy chair upstairs, which has two TV's, one for video games and one for TV. Good end to the day.
Korea Day 6
Day 6
Today we headed south to Suwon to visit Hwaseong Fortress. This fortress was built by King Jeongio in 1794 to honor and house the remains of his father and was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 1997. This place was massive….and the weather was extremely hot today-in the high 80’s. Needless to say, we didn’t stay long. We briefly watched a martial arts show and walked through some of the palace. After an hour there, we decided it was time to go somewhere a little cooler. We headed back to Anyong for Thai massages. This was my first time getting a Thai massage, so I didn’t really know what to expect. First, they massage your feet & legs. Then they massage the rest of your body using a combination of yoga stretches and pressure points. Corey & I really liked it, but we’re pretty sure we’ll be sore tomorrow! Mom wasn’t a fan of the yoga stretches…the masseuse was rather forceful and didn’t really seem to care if your body didn’t stretch a certain way! Tonight we’re planning on going to Dongdaemun Night Market to do some shopping. I’m super excited to finally get some good shoe/clothing shopping in :)
Today we headed south to Suwon to visit Hwaseong Fortress. This fortress was built by King Jeongio in 1794 to honor and house the remains of his father and was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 1997. This place was massive….and the weather was extremely hot today-in the high 80’s. Needless to say, we didn’t stay long. We briefly watched a martial arts show and walked through some of the palace. After an hour there, we decided it was time to go somewhere a little cooler. We headed back to Anyong for Thai massages. This was my first time getting a Thai massage, so I didn’t really know what to expect. First, they massage your feet & legs. Then they massage the rest of your body using a combination of yoga stretches and pressure points. Corey & I really liked it, but we’re pretty sure we’ll be sore tomorrow! Mom wasn’t a fan of the yoga stretches…the masseuse was rather forceful and didn’t really seem to care if your body didn’t stretch a certain way! Tonight we’re planning on going to Dongdaemun Night Market to do some shopping. I’m super excited to finally get some good shoe/clothing shopping in :)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Pictures
Here's the link to all photos. ll try to upload as much as I can throughout the trip. Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/mbecker0410
http://picasaweb.google.com/mbecker0410
Korea Day 5
Day 5
Today was the most AMAZING day!!! Our cousin & her daughter drove us to Taebaek City(4 hrs east of Seoul) - which is where we were born and lived for the first few years of our lives. In doing some previous research, I found that this city has changed tremendously in the last 20+ years due to the decline in the coal mining industry. With so much change, we were unsure how much we would be able to get out of this experience. All we had was an old home address, our parents names/jobs & some fuzzy memories - 2 different versions(Corey didn’t really remember much)J. Our first stop was the Tourist Center where we hoped we could get directions to our old home address. We found out that the address no longer existed, so they were not able to provide us any direction. They did, however, direct us to the coal mine - where our father worked. It seemed we were not going to be able to get many specific answers today - as so much had indeed changed. The location of the coal mine was renovated into a new building that housed a Coal Museum. As we were walking through this museum, our cousin April began asking some of the employees if they would have any additional information about what this city used to look like 20 years ago. Luck must've been on our side today...one man (Kwan In Gyu) had lived in Taebaek City all his life. His father was a coal miner and he was a wealth of knowledge. He was able to draw us a map of what the city used to look like - which helped to clarify a lot of fuzzy memories that Steph & I had. He took the rest of his afternoon and drove us around Taebaek to see the entrance to the mine where our father worked(it was still in tact, but not functional), our old home (he was able to look at the old address we had and take us to the exact street!!), the old location of the tofu factory where our mother worked & our school - which was a functioning school up until last year. Steph + I both remember walking up a huge hill every day…and our memories were correct! This school is no longer safe as the foundation is slipping-literally down the mountain.
This man was incredibly generous with his time, knowledge & memories. What’s even more amazing is that he was willing to help complete strangers! Hearing his memories and knowing that it was a first hand account was priceless. I can’t thank him enough!! Also, had it not been for our cousin April (who translated) and her mom who drove us, we would not have had this incredible experience. We are so fortunate!!
As I noted in the first sentence of today’s blog, today was an AMAZING day. We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome to our visit to Taebaek. There are still fuzzy memories and I’m sure there always will be, but it was an unbelievable feeling to physically walk down the street where we used to live, walk through the school where we actually attended & really take in the city-as different as it may now be. It brought some peace in knowing our history and I can’t wait to go back some day and hike up the Taebaek Mountains, attend the Snow Festival & see all that Taebaek City has to offer.
Today was the most AMAZING day!!! Our cousin & her daughter drove us to Taebaek City(4 hrs east of Seoul) - which is where we were born and lived for the first few years of our lives. In doing some previous research, I found that this city has changed tremendously in the last 20+ years due to the decline in the coal mining industry. With so much change, we were unsure how much we would be able to get out of this experience. All we had was an old home address, our parents names/jobs & some fuzzy memories - 2 different versions(Corey didn’t really remember much)J. Our first stop was the Tourist Center where we hoped we could get directions to our old home address. We found out that the address no longer existed, so they were not able to provide us any direction. They did, however, direct us to the coal mine - where our father worked. It seemed we were not going to be able to get many specific answers today - as so much had indeed changed. The location of the coal mine was renovated into a new building that housed a Coal Museum. As we were walking through this museum, our cousin April began asking some of the employees if they would have any additional information about what this city used to look like 20 years ago. Luck must've been on our side today...one man (Kwan In Gyu) had lived in Taebaek City all his life. His father was a coal miner and he was a wealth of knowledge. He was able to draw us a map of what the city used to look like - which helped to clarify a lot of fuzzy memories that Steph & I had. He took the rest of his afternoon and drove us around Taebaek to see the entrance to the mine where our father worked(it was still in tact, but not functional), our old home (he was able to look at the old address we had and take us to the exact street!!), the old location of the tofu factory where our mother worked & our school - which was a functioning school up until last year. Steph + I both remember walking up a huge hill every day…and our memories were correct! This school is no longer safe as the foundation is slipping-literally down the mountain.
This man was incredibly generous with his time, knowledge & memories. What’s even more amazing is that he was willing to help complete strangers! Hearing his memories and knowing that it was a first hand account was priceless. I can’t thank him enough!! Also, had it not been for our cousin April (who translated) and her mom who drove us, we would not have had this incredible experience. We are so fortunate!!
As I noted in the first sentence of today’s blog, today was an AMAZING day. We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome to our visit to Taebaek. There are still fuzzy memories and I’m sure there always will be, but it was an unbelievable feeling to physically walk down the street where we used to live, walk through the school where we actually attended & really take in the city-as different as it may now be. It brought some peace in knowing our history and I can’t wait to go back some day and hike up the Taebaek Mountains, attend the Snow Festival & see all that Taebaek City has to offer.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Finally Blogging! Korea Days 1-4
After finally figuring out how to access blogspot in English, I'm finally blogging! We are in day 5 of our trip so there is lots to recap!
Arrival
We arrived in Incheon airport Thurs night after 17 hours in the air. No matter how often I fly to Korea, I don't think I'll ever get used to the length of the flight! Corey & I were squished in the middle seats w/ some unruly kids behind us that kept kicking and shaking our seats! Regardless, we finally arrived and were met by 3 of our cousins. Our first Korean meal was at the airport and Mom began her quest to conquer...the chopsticks. It was pretty hilarious watching, but I guess I can't give her too much grief since I'm no master either. Steph met us at the restaurant and we all bused it back to her apartment in Anyong-about an hour away.
Day 1
It’s so exciting to be back in Korea…I can’t believe I was fortunate enough to get back here 2 times in 1 year! Today we headed off to Holt Adoption Agency to pick up copies of our adoption files. When we arrived, as were waiting for our files, the Social Worker took us to the baby/toddler rooms. There were approx 5 toddlers and 4 infants that were waiting to make their trip to the US. Holt typically houses children in their facilities 10 wks prior to when they will depart for their adoptive country. There are several pictures of these adorable babies-they were so much fun to play with!!! It’s just a small taste of how many children there are out there that are in need of homes. It was hard to know these children were either abandoned or given up by their birth family…but exciting to know that they were soon to be adopted! One of my favorite pics is of a particular baby boy that was intrigued w/ Corey. He loved playing with Corey – as long as I was holding him. Once I handed him off to Corey…the flood of tears began!
After Holt, we were off to see Gyongbok Palace which is located in the heart of Seoul. This palace was originally built in 1395 as the primary palace for King Taejo, but destroyed during the Japanese invasion in 1592 & just recently restored in 1910. This was my 2nd time visiting this Palace, but it was just as beautiful as the first. This time, they had an area where you could dress up as the Guards & take photos, which with Steph’s insistence, we did. There are a few pics where you will see Steph & me wearing the traditional Guard attire holding very large, dangerous weapons! I felt pretty silly…but I guess it was all part of the experience!
From Gyongbok we headed towards Insadong to do some street shopping. This area has many shops that sell traditional Korean items – great for souveneir shopping! We found roasted buckeyes-which Steph/Corey/I all remembered eating. We also got to see how ricecakes were made as you will see in the pictures.
All in all, it was a busy first day in Korea! Jetlag was definitely setting in, so we headed back to Steph’s apartment for a good night’s sleep!
Day 2
Today we got to sleep in J and headed back to Seoul to visit the 63rd Building. On the subway, we encountered a man that randomly sat down in the middle of the aisle with a beer can in one hand(mind you it’s 11AM). He then sprawled out spread eagle on the floor…when he finished his beer, he stood up, stomped on the beer can and kicked it against the wall…very interesting. Just a random subway story for your enjoyment! The 63rd building is the 3rd tallest building in Korea and is actually where a Life Insurance Company is located, however, they have an observatory on the 60th floor where you can view the entire city. They have art exhibits as well and the current exhibit was Hello Kitty. It was interesting to see all the various art surrounding Hello Kitty-this character is HUGE here in Korea! We were able to see some great views from that high and take some great pictures!
Next, it was off on a boat cruise down the Han River. This river runs East to West through Seoul. This was a great way to view the city without having to do all the walking! Before boarding the boat, we walked through an exhibit of bugs/butterflies/other random insects which was pretty disgusting. As some of you may know, I am deathly afraid of bugs…and some of these insects were enormous & weird looking. I kept envisioning that they were going to come to life and jump out of their little glass boxes…I’m just getting creeped out writing about it! Chris – if you read this, I was thinking of you and how you would probably have loved this!
That night, we went to our Cousin’s house in Anyong for dinner. His wife, daughter, & mother (our Aunt) were also there & got to meet Corey & Mom for the first time. We enjoyed a traditional Korean meal…and oh my goodness…did we have our fill! We had so much food, I’m still full. There were many foods that Steph/Corey/I remember eating. We remembered eating kimchi, ricecakes, squid & sesame leaves. It’s been fun(yet a little strange) trying all the different foods & having memories of eating them years ago! All of it was absolutely delicious and it was fun visiting with our Cousins – my Aunt especially adored Corey and was physically feeding him food…it was pretty cute J. After dinner, we were still suffering from a little jetlag so we headed off to bed-we were staying at our Cousin’s since were heading to Andong with family the next day.
Day 3
Today was an early one…on the road @ 5AM heading towards Andong which is 3 hours south of Seoul. We rode in a van with 7 of our relatives (cousins & aunts) -tight squeeze! Andong is where our father’s oldest living brother and his wife live. This is also where we lived for several years prior to moving to the US so this city has special meaning to us. This would also be the first time our aunt & uncle has seen Corey in over 20 years. It was very emotional as they were anxiously awaiting our arrival. Their 4 sons, wives, children were also there so Mom & Corey were able to meet a majority of the family.
This weekend was a special Korean holiday called Chuseok. During this holiday, a sacrifice/offering is made to honor family members who have passed. A feast of food is prepared and set up as an offering. This offering was made to our grandparents, uncles & parents. It was very surreal to be in Andong with our family participating in this special tradition. We also went out to the gravesite of our grandparents + uncle to do this same type of offering. What I wasn’t expecting was that we would literally be climbing a mountain to get there! Their cemeteries are not as they are in the US. Each family owns a mountain or plot of land where their loved ones are buried. As we drove through Korea, you would see gravesites everywhere - some even right next to rice fields or in backyards. It is said that the location is very important and that some families will even seek out advice from professionals on what locations would be ideal.
We spent the rest of the day eating tons of food-I felt like we were constantly eating! We also were able to see some photos of our father, including pictures of when he was in the Korean army. Our cousin Shin Woo Son (the oldest son of our aunt & uncle) decided it was important to show us our ancestry. They have a special book that documents all the lineage…and only MEN are included in this book-which I found interesting. Next came the Chinese/Korean writing lesson for Corey J they insisted that Corey learn to write his name in Chinese + Korean as well as other family members’ names. It was pretty funny to watch! I tried my hand at writing Chinese characters, but apparently I wasn’t really cutting it. There are so many minute nuances…I couldn’t quite figure it out! Once our writing lesson was over, we headed off to the elementary school where Steph + I attended for several years. I don’t really remember much of this school, other than some of the unusual playground equipment.
After lunch, we visited a Korean folk village called Hahoe Village. There are still inhabitants in this village, but it is very similar to what a typical Korean Village may have looked like. You’re home and location were dependant on your status as a citizen. The upper class lived in the center of the village in beautiful, spacious homes while the common people lived in the outer edges of the village in smaller homes with straw roofs.
Next, we went to a Private School for children of the wealthy. This school was more of an etiquette school that taught proper manners/traditions. It was located near Nakdong river and the view was amazing!! Dinner consisted of the traditional bulgogi which is a Korean style bbq…delicious!! I am LOVING the food here!
Some of the more humorous moments of the day would have to be our hotel room & our ice cream run. Our cousin booked us a couple of rooms in a nearby hotel…come to find out it is a “love motel” J This motel is rented out by the hour and the rooms have black lights and mirrors everywhere!!! Be sure to check out the pics! After settling into our rooms, we decided we were in the mood for some ice cream. Our cousin walked us to a nearby convenient store that turned out to be owned by his sister-in-law. Our simple “ice cream run” turned into an all out shopping spree. She insisted we take everything…gum, ice cream, tea, soda, candy…it was ridiculous! I guess I now know what it must feel like to rob a convenient store!
After a good nights rest in our “love motel” we headed back to Anyong on Monday morning. This visit to Andong was full of adventure and excitement. I was an unbelievable feeling to get a chance to see where we lived for a few of the early years of our life(turns out I lived there for about ½ my time in Korea).
Day 4
Today was a lazy day. We got back from Andong mid afternoon & took a nap; did some laundry. Later on in the evening, while Corey & Mom slept, Steph & I went out to do a little shopping. Matt ~ I only bought 1 pair of shoes & a shirt! Shocking, I know. We also visited a local hookah bar that was recently opened by a friend of Steph’s. Katherine ~ this reminded me of you and your hookah! Anywho….like a said-a pretty low-key day.
Arrival
We arrived in Incheon airport Thurs night after 17 hours in the air. No matter how often I fly to Korea, I don't think I'll ever get used to the length of the flight! Corey & I were squished in the middle seats w/ some unruly kids behind us that kept kicking and shaking our seats! Regardless, we finally arrived and were met by 3 of our cousins. Our first Korean meal was at the airport and Mom began her quest to conquer...the chopsticks. It was pretty hilarious watching, but I guess I can't give her too much grief since I'm no master either. Steph met us at the restaurant and we all bused it back to her apartment in Anyong-about an hour away.
Day 1
It’s so exciting to be back in Korea…I can’t believe I was fortunate enough to get back here 2 times in 1 year! Today we headed off to Holt Adoption Agency to pick up copies of our adoption files. When we arrived, as were waiting for our files, the Social Worker took us to the baby/toddler rooms. There were approx 5 toddlers and 4 infants that were waiting to make their trip to the US. Holt typically houses children in their facilities 10 wks prior to when they will depart for their adoptive country. There are several pictures of these adorable babies-they were so much fun to play with!!! It’s just a small taste of how many children there are out there that are in need of homes. It was hard to know these children were either abandoned or given up by their birth family…but exciting to know that they were soon to be adopted! One of my favorite pics is of a particular baby boy that was intrigued w/ Corey. He loved playing with Corey – as long as I was holding him. Once I handed him off to Corey…the flood of tears began!
After Holt, we were off to see Gyongbok Palace which is located in the heart of Seoul. This palace was originally built in 1395 as the primary palace for King Taejo, but destroyed during the Japanese invasion in 1592 & just recently restored in 1910. This was my 2nd time visiting this Palace, but it was just as beautiful as the first. This time, they had an area where you could dress up as the Guards & take photos, which with Steph’s insistence, we did. There are a few pics where you will see Steph & me wearing the traditional Guard attire holding very large, dangerous weapons! I felt pretty silly…but I guess it was all part of the experience!
From Gyongbok we headed towards Insadong to do some street shopping. This area has many shops that sell traditional Korean items – great for souveneir shopping! We found roasted buckeyes-which Steph/Corey/I all remembered eating. We also got to see how ricecakes were made as you will see in the pictures.
All in all, it was a busy first day in Korea! Jetlag was definitely setting in, so we headed back to Steph’s apartment for a good night’s sleep!
Day 2
Today we got to sleep in J and headed back to Seoul to visit the 63rd Building. On the subway, we encountered a man that randomly sat down in the middle of the aisle with a beer can in one hand(mind you it’s 11AM). He then sprawled out spread eagle on the floor…when he finished his beer, he stood up, stomped on the beer can and kicked it against the wall…very interesting. Just a random subway story for your enjoyment! The 63rd building is the 3rd tallest building in Korea and is actually where a Life Insurance Company is located, however, they have an observatory on the 60th floor where you can view the entire city. They have art exhibits as well and the current exhibit was Hello Kitty. It was interesting to see all the various art surrounding Hello Kitty-this character is HUGE here in Korea! We were able to see some great views from that high and take some great pictures!
Next, it was off on a boat cruise down the Han River. This river runs East to West through Seoul. This was a great way to view the city without having to do all the walking! Before boarding the boat, we walked through an exhibit of bugs/butterflies/other random insects which was pretty disgusting. As some of you may know, I am deathly afraid of bugs…and some of these insects were enormous & weird looking. I kept envisioning that they were going to come to life and jump out of their little glass boxes…I’m just getting creeped out writing about it! Chris – if you read this, I was thinking of you and how you would probably have loved this!
That night, we went to our Cousin’s house in Anyong for dinner. His wife, daughter, & mother (our Aunt) were also there & got to meet Corey & Mom for the first time. We enjoyed a traditional Korean meal…and oh my goodness…did we have our fill! We had so much food, I’m still full. There were many foods that Steph/Corey/I remember eating. We remembered eating kimchi, ricecakes, squid & sesame leaves. It’s been fun(yet a little strange) trying all the different foods & having memories of eating them years ago! All of it was absolutely delicious and it was fun visiting with our Cousins – my Aunt especially adored Corey and was physically feeding him food…it was pretty cute J. After dinner, we were still suffering from a little jetlag so we headed off to bed-we were staying at our Cousin’s since were heading to Andong with family the next day.
Day 3
Today was an early one…on the road @ 5AM heading towards Andong which is 3 hours south of Seoul. We rode in a van with 7 of our relatives (cousins & aunts) -tight squeeze! Andong is where our father’s oldest living brother and his wife live. This is also where we lived for several years prior to moving to the US so this city has special meaning to us. This would also be the first time our aunt & uncle has seen Corey in over 20 years. It was very emotional as they were anxiously awaiting our arrival. Their 4 sons, wives, children were also there so Mom & Corey were able to meet a majority of the family.
This weekend was a special Korean holiday called Chuseok. During this holiday, a sacrifice/offering is made to honor family members who have passed. A feast of food is prepared and set up as an offering. This offering was made to our grandparents, uncles & parents. It was very surreal to be in Andong with our family participating in this special tradition. We also went out to the gravesite of our grandparents + uncle to do this same type of offering. What I wasn’t expecting was that we would literally be climbing a mountain to get there! Their cemeteries are not as they are in the US. Each family owns a mountain or plot of land where their loved ones are buried. As we drove through Korea, you would see gravesites everywhere - some even right next to rice fields or in backyards. It is said that the location is very important and that some families will even seek out advice from professionals on what locations would be ideal.
We spent the rest of the day eating tons of food-I felt like we were constantly eating! We also were able to see some photos of our father, including pictures of when he was in the Korean army. Our cousin Shin Woo Son (the oldest son of our aunt & uncle) decided it was important to show us our ancestry. They have a special book that documents all the lineage…and only MEN are included in this book-which I found interesting. Next came the Chinese/Korean writing lesson for Corey J they insisted that Corey learn to write his name in Chinese + Korean as well as other family members’ names. It was pretty funny to watch! I tried my hand at writing Chinese characters, but apparently I wasn’t really cutting it. There are so many minute nuances…I couldn’t quite figure it out! Once our writing lesson was over, we headed off to the elementary school where Steph + I attended for several years. I don’t really remember much of this school, other than some of the unusual playground equipment.
After lunch, we visited a Korean folk village called Hahoe Village. There are still inhabitants in this village, but it is very similar to what a typical Korean Village may have looked like. You’re home and location were dependant on your status as a citizen. The upper class lived in the center of the village in beautiful, spacious homes while the common people lived in the outer edges of the village in smaller homes with straw roofs.
Next, we went to a Private School for children of the wealthy. This school was more of an etiquette school that taught proper manners/traditions. It was located near Nakdong river and the view was amazing!! Dinner consisted of the traditional bulgogi which is a Korean style bbq…delicious!! I am LOVING the food here!
Some of the more humorous moments of the day would have to be our hotel room & our ice cream run. Our cousin booked us a couple of rooms in a nearby hotel…come to find out it is a “love motel” J This motel is rented out by the hour and the rooms have black lights and mirrors everywhere!!! Be sure to check out the pics! After settling into our rooms, we decided we were in the mood for some ice cream. Our cousin walked us to a nearby convenient store that turned out to be owned by his sister-in-law. Our simple “ice cream run” turned into an all out shopping spree. She insisted we take everything…gum, ice cream, tea, soda, candy…it was ridiculous! I guess I now know what it must feel like to rob a convenient store!
After a good nights rest in our “love motel” we headed back to Anyong on Monday morning. This visit to Andong was full of adventure and excitement. I was an unbelievable feeling to get a chance to see where we lived for a few of the early years of our life(turns out I lived there for about ½ my time in Korea).
Day 4
Today was a lazy day. We got back from Andong mid afternoon & took a nap; did some laundry. Later on in the evening, while Corey & Mom slept, Steph & I went out to do a little shopping. Matt ~ I only bought 1 pair of shoes & a shirt! Shocking, I know. We also visited a local hookah bar that was recently opened by a friend of Steph’s. Katherine ~ this reminded me of you and your hookah! Anywho….like a said-a pretty low-key day.
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