Another Holiday in Korea

  Yet another holiday in Korea, this time Easter.  Another family gathering has come and gone without us in Austin.  We miss our family and friends just as much today as we did the day we left and I hope we don't take family gatherings for granted ever again.  We are getting the hang of making holidays "our own" and spending them in a dramatically different way.  At home in Austin, we would be getting together with family and friends;  baking, cooking and grilling our way through the day.  Counting our blessings as we went along.  There would be some shopping for new spring/summer type clothes in bright colors and perhaps a pair of shoes or two.

  This year, our lovely Easter baskets arrived in March (Thanks Nana and Poppy!) and we couldn't wait.  You could smell the chocolate when we opened the box.  There were tears of joy when we found yet more corn bread muffin mix.  In some ways we have been celebrating Easter for weeks.  We passed forward the baskets to a family that just arrived and were scrambling to find something for Easter for their younger kids.  It fit the season perfectly.  There was not much shopping this year since it can be challenging to find clothing that fits (we have different body types) and that isn't outrageously expensive.  The shopping will have to wait until our return this summer.

  So what did we do with our Easter?  Well... we ended up hitting the amusement park, Korean style!  The Metz's, The Reifsnider's and a friend went to Everland!  Everland is a Samsung owned amusement park.  A little better quality than a Six Flags but not quite as good as Disney.  It was a total blast!  The weather was cooler, in the mid to high 50'sF and cloudy with some winds during the middle part of the day.  The flowers were gorgeous with lots of displays of tulips everywhere.  The music was catchy and very fitting for each area.  The rides were your typical amusement park type rides with roller coasters, twirling and spinning type rides.  Souvenirs were everywhere of course and the food was again amusement park food.  The main difference was the price.  Surprisingly there really wasn't any gouging of price.  The ice cream was the same price as from the grocery store.  The eight of us ate lunch for under 60,000W which is about 55 dollars US.  We didn't even have to pay to park it was included with the tickets.  [Which is what totally gets me at Six Flags since there is really no other way into the park, just add it into the price of the ticket already] 

Here are the pictures!  

Enjoy and Happy Easter to all!

The kids at Everland in front of the tulips.

We couldn't resist buying ears!

The boys take the lead.

I get David on a ride.  The ride happen to have a rodeo theme so we started shootin' Dad!

The parade was nice with some very interesting floats.

This person was really high up!  The confetti was a nice touch that you don't see too often anymore.

Not sure what the theme was but the bright colors were great.  If you look closely the character in yellow is drumming.

This entire float is drumming!  It was fantastic!

Another look at the drum float.

On to the Tulip Garden and all the displays.

So many different varieties.

The little displays throughout the garden were adorable.

A nice blend of displays, tulips, foxgloves and daisys.

Jason got a great shot of a very unique variety of tulip.

What tulip garden would "bee" complete without a bumble bee band?

Love the architecture and the "China Moon" restaurant!

Perk to waiting for friends on a ride is soft serve ice cream.  Yum!

Can you spot the foreigners?  That's my kid in the middle...upside down!

Close up!

Coming off the ride...ready for more...

They sell some of the craziest stuff..those are full size, adult costumes.

   As you can tell we had a great day with some great friends.  Galen was asleep as soon as we hit the car and somehow we made it straight home without getting lost!

Lucky Seven

  First time through it was Galen with her finger in the Orthopedics office (See "Totally Cracked Up" on this blog 2/6/2011).   This time it was David's turn to experience the Korean medical system.... in the form of an emergency room visit for stitches in his right leg.

  After school last Tuesday, David finished with running club and was waiting with his friend for their ride.  They were goofing off in the school gym as kids will do.  David was jumping around when he took his eyes off the bleachers for a split second to check his phone and fell landing on his shin....square on the bleachers.  (I always do a mental "OUCH" whenever I get to this point of the story.)  Hitting your shins on anything really hurts but landing on your shin on bleachers gets the big OUCH!  There was a little bit of panicking involved since there was some blood.  The school nurse was found and she was able to get the bleeding stopped.   I happen to be in Osan (about an hour away) watching the girls varsity soccer team when I received David's frantic call.  Jason was leaving work. Somehow over the phone I was able to get David to calm down.  After a series of frantic phone calls a plan of action was reached.

  Thank God for neighbors!  Our neighbor down the street Heather was able to get the boys and meet Jason at the subway station (Jukjeon Station).  She picked him up and got them both to the hospital ER (Seoul University Bundang Hospital).  Of course Jason walks into the ER with David, limping with a nasty cut on his leg,  wearing his Samsung jacket and gets the royal treatment!  He's pretty sure he got moved up in the line as well either because we were foreigners or because he worked for Samsung or  both.  An x-ray was taken to make sure nothing was broken since there was concern over the way David landed.  Once it was confirmed there was no fracture, it was decided that stitches would be required.  Jason is also convinced that it was the senior doctor on staff that did the eight stitches necessary to seal the cut.

  For insurance reasons, the school nurse took a picture of David's leg.  I know this because when I took David to school the next day the photo had circulated already.  We easily got an elevator pass for David and made arrangements for me to come up and give him his medications.

  By Thursday we were headed back to the doctor (this time our regular doctor in Pangyo) for a check up of the stitches.  A quick clean up of the area and we were headed back out with replacement bandages and antibiotic cream.  The stitches will come out May 3rd.  Unfortunately this will not in time for David to compete in the upcoming track meet.  We'll go to support the team!

  Below is a picture of the cut (it is a little gruesome) and the 7 stitches! 

Leg with 7 stitches.

Spring Has Sprung.... FINALLY!

  For months I have waited, sometimes not so patiently, but it appears finally Spring has arrived!  The trees are budding, the grass is turning greener and it is no longer below freezing at night.  Flowers are coming up everywhere.

 Last weekend we went to Yeouido Park for the Cherry Blossom Spring Festival.  The park is in Seoul so we started out early to try to beat some of the crowd.  We didn't, there were people all over,  but it was still fun.  The weather cooperated nicely with temperatures in the low 60's F.  The sun was out and the sky was clear.  The trees were absolutely stunning, it was like they blossomed overnight!

The tiny blossoms up close.

 The fragrance of the blossoms was incredible, although we had to get away from the street food vendors.  I was glad we brought our own snacks since they were serving up roasted silk worms on every corner (and they smell like roasted gym socks).   An older gentleman even tried to get us to taste one.  We declined as politely as we could but the look of disgust on David's face was priceless!  The guy was lucky I responded before David could since I knew a very loud "eeeewwww" was on it's way out of his mouth when he saw the worms.

The trees were beautiful!

Trees and a glimpse of the crowd.

   I can tell we have been in Korea for a long time.  The crowds don't bother us as much as they used to. 

Jason got this one.. if you look close you can see the moon rising above the trees.

     Once we got to the part that was blocked off from traffic, the crowd opened up and you could really see things. 

Traditional Korean Drums:  They actually weren't too loud and were amazingly coordinated between drumming and dancing!

  There were performers everywhere!  Music bands played on corner stages.  Some dancers were performing on the street.  We stopped and watched some drummers and they were amazing. 

  In addition to the performers there were flower displays, in both containers and beds.  Plus we had a great time with a sculpture competition.  Basically we had fun seeing everything!  It was great to be outside after the long winter.  I can see why they have a spring festival and celebrate its arrival.

Some of the many containers full of flowers!

The flower beds were narrow strips full of flowers that seemed to go on and on!

Close up of flower bed.

Street sculpture that's actually part of a competition.  The winner gets their sculpture made full size somewhere in Seoul.

This is the one I liked the most.

Would love to know the meaning behind this one!  No matter what its pretty with all that gold!

   All in all it was a beautiful day in Seoul with everyone!  The weather was nice, the flowers were beautiful and it was great to be out of the apartment experiencing the sites of Korea!  We capped off the amazing day with dinner at "On The Border" near the COEX Shopping Mall in Seoul.  I haven't had Mexican food in 8 months so it tasted fantastic!  Also, we had never dined at the one in Austin so I can't compare the food.  All I know for sure is that it was a fitting meal to finish off a fabulous day!

You Know You Have Married A Geek When....

  You know you have married a GEEK when....taking apart an iPod once is not enough.  You have to take it apart a second time when parts arrive in order to fix it and use it yourself.   Of course you have to have a wife that is willing to let you spend $35 on parts in the first place. 

  As previously chronicled in this blog (See "Every Now And Then" from March 4, 2011 of this blog) iPods and laundry machines don't get along very well,  just ask my teenager.  She can also atest that 3 weeks without an iPod is a very long time!  Yes, we did make her wait for her birthday to get the new one.

  So parts were ordered.  Luckily we have a  dear friend from the home that agreed to have the parts mailed to her which she then forwarded to us.  She now has the joy of strange parts arriving at her house from Amazon just like me!  Jason was sooooo happy when the parts finally arrived.  I think waiting for the parts for him, was like Galen waiting for her birthday.  Both anticipating a new iPod.  At least this time I remember to take pictures!!

Researching directions to ensure safety.

Taking apart process begins.

Pieces start coming off.

Completely apart.

Yes, this is my kitchen table!!

Putting back together begins.

The anticipation mounts...

Slowly but surely, less and less pieces to put together and the iPod is back together.

  Everything got back together just fine.  No extra pieces left over.  It works fine, screen is beautiful and the touch screen works.  The only hiccup is that he didn't check the battery.  Turns out it should have been replaced too.  The result is a perfectly good iPod that won't hold a charge.  Yes, he is trying to talk me into buying a new battery for it which means another $20. For now it is back to his old Nano.   I'm thinking of just get him a new iPod touch for Father's day to avoid another repair session.  Although more pictures would be fun,  I think this one may have had enough.

My new favorite son.

  Complaining that sometimes the urge to contribute to this blog comes only at the very early hours of the morning OR the very late hours of the night.  My adoring son declared that I should now take several two hour naps during the day to remedy the problem.  Love that kid!

Gum Auto Repair Goes Worldwide

  Growing up in Austin, Texas my Dad had an old (and I mean really) Volkswagon Beetle.  The old style ones with the engine in the back and everything.  It was yellow.  He was always working on it.  I think it is where my brother gets it because these days David is always working on his truck.  I can remember pushing that Beetle down the street to get it to start.  I can remember fetching Dad parts from the garage.  I know my tools because if you brought the wrong one you had to go back. 

  I remember one day in particular Dad was working on the Beetle because it had a very bad oil leak.  I was playing with some friends nearby when he called me over.  Thinking I was heading for the garage, I went over to where he was working.  Mom was there too.  I'm not sure whose idea it was originally but they asked for my gum.  Gum?  I know, yes, they asked for my gum.  Mom took the gum and gave it to my Dad; who then took it with his oil covered fingers and, as you probably guessed by now, put it over the oil leak on the engine.  It worked beautifully.  No more leak.  I didn't want my gum back.

  Fast forward a number of years that never will be discussed in this blog, our Perfectly Nice Car here in Korea has had a two week history of leaking coolant.  I don't mean a little drop here or a little drop there, I mean a spot on the cement we measured comparing to plates (dinner plate, salad plate etc.).  The amazing person we bought the car from has stood by the vehicle as no other used car salesman would in the world.  Mr. Tony has tried to fix it twice already. 

  This past discovery was found while shopping. A Korean gentleman kept staring at the front of the car by the headlights.  Curious I went up to the front of the car and looked.  Sure enough there is coolant coming out of the headlight and a HUGE puddle on the ground.  We get back to our parking garage and Jason pops the hood.  Big as day, there is a fountain of coolant coming from one of the hoses. 

My little fountain of coolant.

This time I knew what to do and I told Jason.  Then I race up the elevator and grabbed the kids.  I handed them the camera and told them to give their gum to their Dad.  They both grabbed a piece of gum and headed down to the garage.  Jason got the gum on the hose, but the damage had been done.  Coolant was all over the floor. 

  I should take a quick moment to describe Korean parking garages to you.  They are the cleanest I have ever seen.  There is at least one attendant if not 10.  They are constantly sweeping, cleaning and wiping off something....in the garage.  If you take the nicest parking garage in Austin and clean it up tenfold that is what you have here.  The floor of the parking garage is actually shiny.  Up at the kids school I have seen a person on what looks like a riding lawn mower only it is steam cleaning the garage floor.  I think you get the picture. 

  Given this description it really shouldn't have been a surprise the next day when our door person called Jason over to ask him about the car.  We assured him it was being taken care of.  When we went down to check on it someone had placed newspaper all around the front of it.  But it appeared that the repair was holding and it wasn't leaking anymore.  Mr. Tony and Mr. Lee came and got the vehicle and promised all new hoses would be put on the car.  They dropped it off today.  As we were casually discussing the vehicle (and after seeing our parking garage he understood why we couldn't have a vehicle that leaked anything) he commented that our repair was genius.  That the gum had held all the way back to Osan.  I quickly told him the story about where I had gotten my car repairing technique, and we all shared a laugh. 

  At dinner I told Jason about Mr. Tony's comment about the gum repair and he almost dropped his fork.  Jason admitted he only did the gum repair to humor me not thinking it would work at all.  It turns out it did work and didn't go unnoticed.  The car is back and now works fine.  We'll see if it leaks anymore but if it does we will know what to do. I'm putting a pack of gum in the glove compartment today.

  By the way, the kids don't want their gum back either.  Now that I think about it, even if they did, my husband is the one that attached that gum to that hose.  Trust me, it's there for a while.

Beautiful Busan!

  As some of you know, we were planning to go Japan for Spring Break.  Way before the earthquake and tsunami the trip was canceled due to Jason's work schedule.  We then decided that we would head for Busan.  Hindsight being perfect, this change in plan worked very well in our favor.  Jason had a friend from work help him decipher the train schedule and he booked the trip with confirmed seats and everything.  We chose the slow train (5 hours) down so we could see the countryside and the speed train for the return (2 hours) figuring by Sunday we would be ready to get home, plus we all wanted the speed train experience. Heather and I researched the hotel and decided on the Westin Chosun since it was the only one right on the beach.  With some help from Ms. Diane (our Korean Language teacher) the reservations were made and we were finally all set.

  We were all very excited about finally trip.  We all had different reasons; some were just excited to get out of town, some were excited about the train experience, and some were just used to going someplace for Spring Break.  Either way you could feel the excitement that morning.  After mis-judging morning traffic we hopped on the subway heading for Seoul Station to catch the train.  Train travel is extremely easy here.  No one scanned or weighed my luggage.  No ticket or check-in lines at all in fact there wasn't even a security checkpoint at all.  We literally just arrived at the station, got our tickets and got on the train.  To make matters even easier, the train left at its scheduled time!  For most of the trip we had the car mostly to ourselves. 

Kids could face each other on the train.  They had a blast!

We could get up and move around at will (no seat belt sign anywhere).  A bonus: the chairs swiveled so the kids could converse and play games with ease and without disturbing anyone else.  The slower train went along at a nice leisurely pace so we could see the countryside.  Korea is such a beautiful country.  Much more mountainous than I originally expected.

  After 5 hours on the train we were all ready to get off and find the beach.  A quick 20 minute taxi ride through town and we arrived at our hotel.  Literally on the beach, the Westin Chosun is beautiful.  Architecturally laid out to take full advantage of every beach view possible, the hotel was stunning!  We lucked out with a corner view of both the park and the beach.  You could even open the window and hear the gulls and the waves!  It was relaxing just sitting in the room!

View of the beach from the room.

   We settled in and went for a walk on the beach.  We found a great western restaurant TGIFridays and waitpersons that spoke English.  We ordered.  Got the food we ordered...the way we ordered it.  Sometimes when there is a language barrier you just never know.  Tonight was definitely our night.  After dinner we returned to the hotel.  Sent the kids up to play cards and the adults went to this amazing bar overlooking the beach.  Busan is an international harbor so the clientele was very diverse.  We met some very interesting travelers from Germany, England and the US.  The beer was cold and the conversation was lively!

  Friday, the next day, we head for the harbor, specifically the International Fish Market.  All in all, I'm glad we went but I'm quite sure I'm never going back to another one.  Turns out, I have a very sensitive sense of smell, which really isn't very handy in a fish market.  The site was amazing with just about every type of anything that lives or swims in the ocean available, some of it still breathing!

  Somehow I made it out of the fish market with my breakfast but it was close.  We head over to the international market instead.  There was a variety of goods and it smelled much better!

  We walked around for the better part of an hour.  We found some t-shirts and socks,  and then headed for the park.  The park turned out to have a tower as well so you could go up and see a large part of Busan, the harbor and the beach!

Paper lanterns outside a Buddist Temple we found on the way to the park.

Busan Tower

Pagoda housing the Bell.

Dragon sculpture.

Harbor view from tower.

Otherside of the harbor!

Jason finds the staircase to the observation tower a little narrow.

  The views from the tower were beautiful as you can see.  We lucked out with some great weather.  I couldn't resist this last picture of Jason heading up the stairs to the observation deck.  It's funny how many places here just aren't built for tall people!  In this particular stairway he had to duck and turn sideways to make it up!

  Saturday we spent geocaching!  We had great success finding 80%.  We saw so much more of the beach area this way.  We ended up off the beaten path with some great sights of Busan we normally wouldn't get to see. Here are some of the pictures from along the way.

Playing tag with the waves.

Lighthouse, islands and a fisherman!

Mural from the boardwalk along the beach.

The Reifsnider's and a Lighthouse.

Mermaid sculpture out among the waves.

Everybody look natural...

  This last picture is one of my favorites from the trip.  Sometimes while geocaching you have to pretend to pose for a picture in order to hide the find again.  In this particular photo, we are trying to block the view of Jason while he hides the cache.  We were in direct view of others so we were trying to be discreet, which is difficult in Korea where we stand out in a crowd already!

  Finally we head back to Bundang.  This time on the speed train.  We had a typical taxi driver to the station, this time even going on the wrong side of the street to catch an alleyway!  Again no security checkpoints or luggage tie ups, just get one the train and go!  The speed train seats swivel as well so the kids still had fun.  There was better lighting and it was smoother so I could stitch as well. At some points we went as fast as 303kph (190mph).  It was fun watching the landscape zip by!   All in all it was a great trip although quick.  We had fun and I would definitely recommend Busan (speed train route) and I'm checking the schedule to see if we can make it down again sometime during cherry blossom season!

Kids having fun on the speed train.

Me finally getting some stitching time!