I didn't get much in the way of details from Michael, but when he came out of school he was smiling and responded "good" when I asked how the day was. There are 7 children in his class with just 1 girl. One other is from the States and 3 from England, and he couldn't remember the others. He liked IPC a lot - international primary curriculum, a class that is topical and is supposed to cover a wide range of subjects (history, math etc. all in one). The first topic is astronomy.
We left the apartment at 7:25 and got to school a few minutes before the 8:45 bell- which someone comes out and rings. The children can basically congregate in the courtyard until the bell. We had to wait about 10 minutes for bus - it might just come about every 12 minutes at that time of day. We were both sitting by 10 minutes into the ride. I read the paper for awhile. He wanted to me to go all the way to his classroom ... no doubt that will change soon.
I took the bus to campus so I would have an idea of time, etc. It was nearly empty (as people get to work and school by 9:00. It was an hour. I had one of Chris' sermons, but it turns out only the first 5 minutes! I went to the department office and met the chair and then they got a key to my office door (sharing with 3 others - no one else was there today). They were not expecting me, so I said I was just fine for the day. I need to be preparing for class. They did send over a keyboard that has English and Korean characters - but Microsoft Office screen is in Korean. One funny meeting was a professor who said, "I have seen you riding your bike at Ulsan Grand Park." There are hardly any non-Koreans there, and a repeat caucasian must be noticeable. A few faculty were very interested that Michael is here with me.
I had sent an e-mail to Professor Kim (Jeong first name), my accounting professor contact who has been so helpful ever since I found out I was coming. He just got back from the States and reached me on my cell phone to say he was coming to the office. I found out he lives within 5 minutes of us and regularly walks/hikes in the park - he offered to show me some of the trails. He showed me around a little more and also took me to lunch. He has English language version of Word in the works for me. He said I only have 8 students enrolled as many are nervous about taking a class from someone who cannot speak Korean - makes sense. But I need a few bodies!! At restaurant Ch/Jung Shik (I wrote it down) is like ordering the daily special. That will come in handy other places. I also met a marketing professor who is from Canada. He is starting his second semester. His wife is Korean and they had been living in Canada for awhile. They have an apartment in the same building as Michael and I are in. His office is across from mine, so I expect to talk to him some more (and I am wondering what kind of enrollments he gets).
I decided to take a cab to pick up Michael - less than 30 minutes. That's going to start to be a good time/money trade off. After school we got on a bus and had seats right away. We stopped at Lotte Mart and he ate a burger at Lotteria - Korean fast food place. I knew he must be very hungry after a long day and not big lunch. Lotteria has bulgogi burgers and other different fast food, but he likes the regular (to us) big burger a lot. Then we did some shopping (including for a few school supplies he wants/needs - pencils mainly) and got home about 5:45. Cool purchases today: individually-wrapped sushi for 400 won each (40 cents) and a gum container that hooks onto car A/C vent and then has a push button to dispense from the bottom - Michael said it acts like an air freshener. Stuff we didn't purchase: there seem to be a lot of boxed set items. I am wondering if it's for gifts for upcoming holiday, but maybe it's a regular thing. Our favorite: 9 spam for 29,000 won. Why is that stuff so popular around the world?!
So ... Wow!! We are tired. But we feel like there was answered prayer today - that's for sure. I have been praying about school, teachers, classmates for months. We both still have a lot to figure out at school and work, but I am very thankful for a good Monday.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Finally ... chicken
(I posted some new pictures - see end of blog).
Well, we feel like real Koreans. We have had the chicken that is so popular for delivery. But let me go in time order. Sat. Justin came over about noon. He wrote more Korean directions for us to give taxi drivers: university and school have been added. Michael and I both have a set in a laminated cover. He also found a convenience store nearby where we can add money to our bus passes. We then went to the grocery store in the neighborhood to check the adjoining restaurant so Justin could tell us some of the menu items. We ended up eating a delicious (and inexpensive) lunch there. It is nice in Korea that the price includes tax and there is no tipping. I told Justin I was fine with reading the first two items (gimbap and bibimbap). He was surprised and said, "You are reading Korean? When did that happen?" I said I am working on it and it's not too hard because it's sounding out the words. But it's easy to mix up letters, and I have not learned all of them. I would REALLY like to be speaking.
Justin had a couple idea for things to do, and I was telling him there are 12 scenes/views in Ulsan that the city promotes for tourism. He didn't know about that. But the place he picked, a park past Michael's school. turns out to be 1 of the 12. There was a sign. It was a rocky area near the port and HHI. We saw many big ships heading into port. Then we were heading back to our neighborhood. When we got off the bus we agreed we were a bit hungry, and I said that on the bus I had mentioned chicken to Michael. We decided to go to a place vs. having Justin walk back to our apartment to order. I had seen a couple places when investigating the neighborhood. The first didn't even have seating - it really is a delivery thing. But the second place had a couple little tables. I was glad it turned out to be a place that does not fry and we could get it boneless. It comes from an oven and seems sort of baked/grilled. It had sort of mild teriyaki sauce, and two sauces were served on the side. There were about 20 pieces in our order - two or so bites per piece. The utensils make a lot of sense - fork about the size of salad fork and tongs the same size. We just stabbed with fork because of no bones, but I expect with bones that one holds the meat with the tong and then uses fork to tear off chicken. The chicken always comes with pickled radishes and a can of Pepsi per order. So we split the Pepsi!! There are always self serve water coolers in restaurants. There is absolutely nothing else that comes along with the order; the menu is only chicken. Not a carrot or celery stick to be seen!! Justin and I were both surprised by how much Michael liked the radishes.
We had a lot of fun. I don't think a lot of people even go in the actual store front, and a child and mom from the States appeared to be a novelty. The people were so nice to us. I was taking a picture of Justin and Michael, and the owner volunteered to take a picture of the three of us. I told Justin Koreans are so friendly AND also good with cameras - he agreed. The owner gave Michael a set of cards (about 5 x 9) of 9 attractive young ladies who are in a band and advertise for this chicken chain. The girls are pretty and not too scantily attired though their skirts are quite short. When I paid with my credit card, the woman looked and said my name (Kay vs. Key ... like others we have met). So we are quite excited to have that experience! Justin showed us which picture to point at next time and also the part of the words that mean "boneless." I said about our day, "Ulsan is more fun with Justin."
Today (Sunday) a sweet 13 year old girl approached me after church. She spent a year in Nebraska as an exchange student. She was translating for me and for her dad. She asked for our phone number. She likes to go to the English service given her year in the States. This afternoon Jo-el (I will spell like Michael does) met us at the park. His dad dropped him off and returned 1 1/2 hours later. I had the boys check in with me about every 30 minutes. They seemed to have a lot of fun. We had some cool ice cream that comes in an individual carton, but then they put it in a machine and out came softer swirl.
We've branched out a bit at the grocery lately. We found some finely chopped onions, celery, and carrots and bought it to make tuna salad and potato salad ... so now I don't miss my Pampered Chef chopper. We got a fresh veg. combination packet that has broth and seasoning for soup - lots of onions, some potatoes, carrots, and green pepper, and lots of straw mushrooms. I added some tofu and ate it all for lunch today. (Michael said he had enough snacks after church to count it as lunch - he would not have eaten any of the soup.) We also bought some stuff in plastic large pouch type packaging - it looks like we just open and heat. One is actually spaghetti with sauce. We tried one of the free samples and thought it would make a good dinner. A couple others are soup or curry. We bought a lot of sliced ham for Michael for sandwiches for school. The cheese seems all the be processed, but he does not mind. We also tried a couple different things at Paris Baguette including what was like a round donut with sweet potato filling and blakc sesame seeds on outside - I liked it a lot. And now my brother, Mike, is wondering if I actually took pictures of all the food .... but I did not!
School starts tomorrow. We are leaving by 7:20 (I let Michael decide). Then I go to the university and then back to get him. I expect he will ride on his own soon, but we don't have a second phone yet, and I am sure he will be a little nervous until he gets everything about school figured out. I am trying to get some sermons on my IPod and other edifying content (I have some good Christian music). It doesn't seem easy to read. One thing we definitely hope for is a seat. Michael has not complained about standing, and yesterday he stood for more than 30 minutes. He gave us his seat to an older lady - I was proud of him. Often a younger person and/or male keeps his seat. So, please keep the start of school and work in your prayers. We know Hurricane Irene is likely dominating your news and hope and pray for safety of people in the path and dealing with the afterwards. God bless.
Well, we feel like real Koreans. We have had the chicken that is so popular for delivery. But let me go in time order. Sat. Justin came over about noon. He wrote more Korean directions for us to give taxi drivers: university and school have been added. Michael and I both have a set in a laminated cover. He also found a convenience store nearby where we can add money to our bus passes. We then went to the grocery store in the neighborhood to check the adjoining restaurant so Justin could tell us some of the menu items. We ended up eating a delicious (and inexpensive) lunch there. It is nice in Korea that the price includes tax and there is no tipping. I told Justin I was fine with reading the first two items (gimbap and bibimbap). He was surprised and said, "You are reading Korean? When did that happen?" I said I am working on it and it's not too hard because it's sounding out the words. But it's easy to mix up letters, and I have not learned all of them. I would REALLY like to be speaking.
Justin had a couple idea for things to do, and I was telling him there are 12 scenes/views in Ulsan that the city promotes for tourism. He didn't know about that. But the place he picked, a park past Michael's school. turns out to be 1 of the 12. There was a sign. It was a rocky area near the port and HHI. We saw many big ships heading into port. Then we were heading back to our neighborhood. When we got off the bus we agreed we were a bit hungry, and I said that on the bus I had mentioned chicken to Michael. We decided to go to a place vs. having Justin walk back to our apartment to order. I had seen a couple places when investigating the neighborhood. The first didn't even have seating - it really is a delivery thing. But the second place had a couple little tables. I was glad it turned out to be a place that does not fry and we could get it boneless. It comes from an oven and seems sort of baked/grilled. It had sort of mild teriyaki sauce, and two sauces were served on the side. There were about 20 pieces in our order - two or so bites per piece. The utensils make a lot of sense - fork about the size of salad fork and tongs the same size. We just stabbed with fork because of no bones, but I expect with bones that one holds the meat with the tong and then uses fork to tear off chicken. The chicken always comes with pickled radishes and a can of Pepsi per order. So we split the Pepsi!! There are always self serve water coolers in restaurants. There is absolutely nothing else that comes along with the order; the menu is only chicken. Not a carrot or celery stick to be seen!! Justin and I were both surprised by how much Michael liked the radishes.
We had a lot of fun. I don't think a lot of people even go in the actual store front, and a child and mom from the States appeared to be a novelty. The people were so nice to us. I was taking a picture of Justin and Michael, and the owner volunteered to take a picture of the three of us. I told Justin Koreans are so friendly AND also good with cameras - he agreed. The owner gave Michael a set of cards (about 5 x 9) of 9 attractive young ladies who are in a band and advertise for this chicken chain. The girls are pretty and not too scantily attired though their skirts are quite short. When I paid with my credit card, the woman looked and said my name (Kay vs. Key ... like others we have met). So we are quite excited to have that experience! Justin showed us which picture to point at next time and also the part of the words that mean "boneless." I said about our day, "Ulsan is more fun with Justin."
Today (Sunday) a sweet 13 year old girl approached me after church. She spent a year in Nebraska as an exchange student. She was translating for me and for her dad. She asked for our phone number. She likes to go to the English service given her year in the States. This afternoon Jo-el (I will spell like Michael does) met us at the park. His dad dropped him off and returned 1 1/2 hours later. I had the boys check in with me about every 30 minutes. They seemed to have a lot of fun. We had some cool ice cream that comes in an individual carton, but then they put it in a machine and out came softer swirl.
We've branched out a bit at the grocery lately. We found some finely chopped onions, celery, and carrots and bought it to make tuna salad and potato salad ... so now I don't miss my Pampered Chef chopper. We got a fresh veg. combination packet that has broth and seasoning for soup - lots of onions, some potatoes, carrots, and green pepper, and lots of straw mushrooms. I added some tofu and ate it all for lunch today. (Michael said he had enough snacks after church to count it as lunch - he would not have eaten any of the soup.) We also bought some stuff in plastic large pouch type packaging - it looks like we just open and heat. One is actually spaghetti with sauce. We tried one of the free samples and thought it would make a good dinner. A couple others are soup or curry. We bought a lot of sliced ham for Michael for sandwiches for school. The cheese seems all the be processed, but he does not mind. We also tried a couple different things at Paris Baguette including what was like a round donut with sweet potato filling and blakc sesame seeds on outside - I liked it a lot. And now my brother, Mike, is wondering if I actually took pictures of all the food .... but I did not!
School starts tomorrow. We are leaving by 7:20 (I let Michael decide). Then I go to the university and then back to get him. I expect he will ride on his own soon, but we don't have a second phone yet, and I am sure he will be a little nervous until he gets everything about school figured out. I am trying to get some sermons on my IPod and other edifying content (I have some good Christian music). It doesn't seem easy to read. One thing we definitely hope for is a seat. Michael has not complained about standing, and yesterday he stood for more than 30 minutes. He gave us his seat to an older lady - I was proud of him. Often a younger person and/or male keeps his seat. So, please keep the start of school and work in your prayers. We know Hurricane Irene is likely dominating your news and hope and pray for safety of people in the path and dealing with the afterwards. God bless.
Friday, August 26, 2011
School Orientation and New Friends
Thursday evening we rode our bikes to the park, where Michael likes to use the exercise equipment. I kept riding, and when I got back, he had met a friend, Joe-L it sounds like. He is 11 and sister Luna is 10. The boys rode off together, and I talked to mom and dad and Luna. Luna's English is very clear and she is not too shy to speak. Michael said Joe-L's English is good. The dad was translating some things for the wife. They said they would like to be friends and invited us for dinner. I can hardly believe how friendly people have been. We are supposed to go tonight (Fri). I hope we can get the taxi driver to understand. We have their phone number, so they might have to talk to the taxi driver. The family name is Ji. (long e sound like spanish i)
Friday morning we went to the HFS (Hyundai Foreign School) new student orientation. There were 20 or so kids (with total enrollment about 135 - grade 1 to 8). The staff and teachers all seem nice. Michael will have about 8 kids in his class - a few others are new. They had a non-profit group make a presentation about Korea, which was interesting. We just found out today that the kids get out of school at noon on Wednesdays. It's new and provides teacher planning time. The other days have been extended a bit. The funny thing is that I arranged my teaching not knowing this schedule - and I teach Wed. noon to 2:00. We are not too concerned. I met a family who could probably pick up Michael; they live between the school and our apartment. They also expect to start some after school clubs in a couple of weeks. I think Michael will be comfortable with the bus on his own soon, but I would rather be home when he gets home. I might have him come all the way to campus a couple of those Weds. So he starts Monday. I will go to university Monday. I am sure there is paperwork, key to office, etc. But I really need to start preparing for class!!
Our settling in and vacation time are about over! The building is really starting to look ready for more people to move in. Everyday there is something new happening - cupboards yesterday, fridge and washing machines today. I poked around - the first floor is like dorm rooms with 2 single beds, bathroom, and a fridge (but no cooking). Second and third are one bedroom apartments. We met a guy today who teaches French, and we expect to see a lot more activity next week or so.
We are praying for the start of school and work to go smoothly and that we can be a blessing to people around us. We pray for people we know with cancer and were so pleased to hear Julia G had a good report. Please keep us in your prayers and especially the relationship between Michael and me. We have spent a lot of time together, and now we will spend a lot of time apart during the week. We are curious how our lifestyle will feel. God bless!
p.s. We just back from dinner. What a nice family. Luna made a sign for the door: Welcome to our house, Michael. The boys really seem to like each other. They played in Joe-L's room (English name from kindergarten teacher; his Korean name is Hoon) and then watched some videos/movies. Both of their kids sat down and played the piano briefly ... but not Michael! The meal was bulgogi, noodles, salad, and a few sides with large selection of fruit for dessert. I sat at the dining table after dinner with husband and wife with husband translating. Occasionally he used an IPad type device to translate a word (e.g., accounting .... it's good I know how to say it in Korean). We talked about a lot of things from family (she is one of 10) to camping (they are looking at tents) to school for kids to my job. At one point we were talking about taxes, and I said my colleagues at home would say "boring!" It's interesting seeing the kitchen that is not very big (but adequate) and the kimchi fridge taking up so much room. Also, they have a big rice cooker and large water purifier - taking up significant amount of counter space. 3 burners; no dishwasher - common set up. They picked us up by meeting at the park entrance we both could find. We hope to get the boys together Sunday afternoon - outside at the park would be good for them. XO, Kim and Michael
Friday morning we went to the HFS (Hyundai Foreign School) new student orientation. There were 20 or so kids (with total enrollment about 135 - grade 1 to 8). The staff and teachers all seem nice. Michael will have about 8 kids in his class - a few others are new. They had a non-profit group make a presentation about Korea, which was interesting. We just found out today that the kids get out of school at noon on Wednesdays. It's new and provides teacher planning time. The other days have been extended a bit. The funny thing is that I arranged my teaching not knowing this schedule - and I teach Wed. noon to 2:00. We are not too concerned. I met a family who could probably pick up Michael; they live between the school and our apartment. They also expect to start some after school clubs in a couple of weeks. I think Michael will be comfortable with the bus on his own soon, but I would rather be home when he gets home. I might have him come all the way to campus a couple of those Weds. So he starts Monday. I will go to university Monday. I am sure there is paperwork, key to office, etc. But I really need to start preparing for class!!
Our settling in and vacation time are about over! The building is really starting to look ready for more people to move in. Everyday there is something new happening - cupboards yesterday, fridge and washing machines today. I poked around - the first floor is like dorm rooms with 2 single beds, bathroom, and a fridge (but no cooking). Second and third are one bedroom apartments. We met a guy today who teaches French, and we expect to see a lot more activity next week or so.
We are praying for the start of school and work to go smoothly and that we can be a blessing to people around us. We pray for people we know with cancer and were so pleased to hear Julia G had a good report. Please keep us in your prayers and especially the relationship between Michael and me. We have spent a lot of time together, and now we will spend a lot of time apart during the week. We are curious how our lifestyle will feel. God bless!
p.s. We just back from dinner. What a nice family. Luna made a sign for the door: Welcome to our house, Michael. The boys really seem to like each other. They played in Joe-L's room (English name from kindergarten teacher; his Korean name is Hoon) and then watched some videos/movies. Both of their kids sat down and played the piano briefly ... but not Michael! The meal was bulgogi, noodles, salad, and a few sides with large selection of fruit for dessert. I sat at the dining table after dinner with husband and wife with husband translating. Occasionally he used an IPad type device to translate a word (e.g., accounting .... it's good I know how to say it in Korean). We talked about a lot of things from family (she is one of 10) to camping (they are looking at tents) to school for kids to my job. At one point we were talking about taxes, and I said my colleagues at home would say "boring!" It's interesting seeing the kitchen that is not very big (but adequate) and the kimchi fridge taking up so much room. Also, they have a big rice cooker and large water purifier - taking up significant amount of counter space. 3 burners; no dishwasher - common set up. They picked us up by meeting at the park entrance we both could find. We hope to get the boys together Sunday afternoon - outside at the park would be good for them. XO, Kim and Michael
Jeju Island
We spent 4 nights in Jeju. It is an island off the southwestern part of the peninsula. It is the vacation capital of Korea, and Koreans take much pride in the island. We can understand why! We took a 10 minute taxi from near our apartment, 70 minute bus ride to Busan, 1 hour flight, and 80 minute bus ride to the side of the island opposite the airport and city. We were glad to stay in the small town of Seogwipo - pop. about 85,000. We stayed in a guest house - sort of a small hotel with prepare-your-own breakfast in a downstairs kitchen area. The owners are amazingly welcoming and helpful. I would have ideas for what we might do, and they would sort of change them based on day it was, for example. They were right. We met people from Florida, Germany, and Sweden.
We had a great view of the harbor, which has a beautiful bridge (it looks like a sailboat and has different colored lights) to a small island and also a waterfall nearby - prettiest at night with lights. We walked around there the day of arrival and also around the traditional market in the downtown area. It's our first view of such a market - lots of stuff from the sea that we didn't think looked very appetizing. The contrast with this area and some of the upscale shoppimg within a block is an interesting aspect of Korea. We ate at Mr Pizza!
The next day we took some buses and taxis to the nearby resort area of the island. There are many tourist museum type places - everything from teddy bears to where we went: the automobile museum. It exceeded our expectations. There must have been nearly 50 vintage/antique cars. On the way there we saw a "Kart" place - small vehicles driven around a track. Michael really wanted to go there, and our taxi driver called someone who spoke English so we could explain. Our experience with the people has been so positive. While we were waiting for a taxi (the security office at the auto museum called one for us), they had us sit down and have a cup of coffee. After Karts, we went to the beach area. Michael spent a lot of time in the water with a tube and also building a sand castle. We were not avoiding Korean food, but we were very hungry and ended up at Kraze Burger.
A popular and reasonable way to see the island is to hire a taxi for the day, so we spent the next day in the taxi quite a bit but seeing many island highlights. We went with an English teacher and her mom so split the cost. Our driver was recommended by the guest house and was very helpful and spoke English pretty well. We saw natural sights including a green crater area formed by volcano (lots of steps to get to top) and a lava tube (big cave). We also went to an area that has the traditional housing set up of Jeju Island. Our driver pointed out that the house style is only in Jeju. It was a 9 to 6 day. We had dinner at a place that has a grill in the middle of the table - recommended by guest house. It was very good and many good side dishes.
The last full day we walked/hiked a local Olle (two syllables Ol - Le;). The guest house owner drove us to a good starting place and recommended a buffet restaurant as our ending place. She has taken lots of pictures that she shows on the computer to give directions around town, etc. So we knew what our ending place looked like. The hike included city park, rocks by coast, road by a nearby harbor, and what seemed like walking through bush! On the rocks by the coast, we met a Korean man (Kim, Ki Hyun ... 2 parts the same as my name!) and his 13 year old daughter. She was fairly slow (and Mr. Kim said angry too - probably not enjoying the rocks), but Michael wanted to stick with them and they were very agreeable. Mr Kim told him "Mommy, take care." Mr. Kim sort of took charge including picture taking. He spoke some English. We showed him the name of our target destination, and it would have been hard to make it there without him. We took a path that said it was closed, for example! (A recent typhoon has caused some damage on the trails.) But we got there! And the buffet was delicious and a bargain. I wanted to buy lunch, but then Mr. Kim bought coffees afterwards, and the coffees cost nearly as much as lunch.
He and his daughter were headed to Peace Museum and Chocolate Museum, so we went along after going to Karts one more time for Michael. He arranged for taxi driver to stay with us for set price and then to bring us back to our guest house. I should have paid more because of the distance to our guest house, but Mr. Kim said 30,000 won for him and 20,000 won for me because he is the man and I am the woman. They ended up coming to our guest house and going out for dinner with us - traditional restaurant with fish and local pork and the most side dishes I have seen so far. They then headed to the harbor. It was a fun and interesting day.
At the Jeju airport we sat down at a little coffee and snack place. There were Korean and English on the board, and it's fun to be able to read the Korean translations of English words. I could sound out hamburger, coffee, and sandwich. A Korean syllable can have three sounds at the most, so bur and ger get split. I noticed with mart and kart spelling also that there was a second syllable with the t's and then a vowel in that second syllable (sort of like short i). No one pronounced it that way; it's just the spelling. Also, there is no f in Korean, so I was curious what letter they would use in coffee - it was the b/p letter (sound is sort of inbetween also). We found a website with short lessons, and I am trying to get Michael interested. The two people talk quite a bit and joke around, so the informal nature makes it a little more fun and insightful too.
We were sad to leave Jeju and hope we can make another trip there.
We had a great view of the harbor, which has a beautiful bridge (it looks like a sailboat and has different colored lights) to a small island and also a waterfall nearby - prettiest at night with lights. We walked around there the day of arrival and also around the traditional market in the downtown area. It's our first view of such a market - lots of stuff from the sea that we didn't think looked very appetizing. The contrast with this area and some of the upscale shoppimg within a block is an interesting aspect of Korea. We ate at Mr Pizza!
The next day we took some buses and taxis to the nearby resort area of the island. There are many tourist museum type places - everything from teddy bears to where we went: the automobile museum. It exceeded our expectations. There must have been nearly 50 vintage/antique cars. On the way there we saw a "Kart" place - small vehicles driven around a track. Michael really wanted to go there, and our taxi driver called someone who spoke English so we could explain. Our experience with the people has been so positive. While we were waiting for a taxi (the security office at the auto museum called one for us), they had us sit down and have a cup of coffee. After Karts, we went to the beach area. Michael spent a lot of time in the water with a tube and also building a sand castle. We were not avoiding Korean food, but we were very hungry and ended up at Kraze Burger.
A popular and reasonable way to see the island is to hire a taxi for the day, so we spent the next day in the taxi quite a bit but seeing many island highlights. We went with an English teacher and her mom so split the cost. Our driver was recommended by the guest house and was very helpful and spoke English pretty well. We saw natural sights including a green crater area formed by volcano (lots of steps to get to top) and a lava tube (big cave). We also went to an area that has the traditional housing set up of Jeju Island. Our driver pointed out that the house style is only in Jeju. It was a 9 to 6 day. We had dinner at a place that has a grill in the middle of the table - recommended by guest house. It was very good and many good side dishes.
The last full day we walked/hiked a local Olle (two syllables Ol - Le;). The guest house owner drove us to a good starting place and recommended a buffet restaurant as our ending place. She has taken lots of pictures that she shows on the computer to give directions around town, etc. So we knew what our ending place looked like. The hike included city park, rocks by coast, road by a nearby harbor, and what seemed like walking through bush! On the rocks by the coast, we met a Korean man (Kim, Ki Hyun ... 2 parts the same as my name!) and his 13 year old daughter. She was fairly slow (and Mr. Kim said angry too - probably not enjoying the rocks), but Michael wanted to stick with them and they were very agreeable. Mr Kim told him "Mommy, take care." Mr. Kim sort of took charge including picture taking. He spoke some English. We showed him the name of our target destination, and it would have been hard to make it there without him. We took a path that said it was closed, for example! (A recent typhoon has caused some damage on the trails.) But we got there! And the buffet was delicious and a bargain. I wanted to buy lunch, but then Mr. Kim bought coffees afterwards, and the coffees cost nearly as much as lunch.
He and his daughter were headed to Peace Museum and Chocolate Museum, so we went along after going to Karts one more time for Michael. He arranged for taxi driver to stay with us for set price and then to bring us back to our guest house. I should have paid more because of the distance to our guest house, but Mr. Kim said 30,000 won for him and 20,000 won for me because he is the man and I am the woman. They ended up coming to our guest house and going out for dinner with us - traditional restaurant with fish and local pork and the most side dishes I have seen so far. They then headed to the harbor. It was a fun and interesting day.
At the Jeju airport we sat down at a little coffee and snack place. There were Korean and English on the board, and it's fun to be able to read the Korean translations of English words. I could sound out hamburger, coffee, and sandwich. A Korean syllable can have three sounds at the most, so bur and ger get split. I noticed with mart and kart spelling also that there was a second syllable with the t's and then a vowel in that second syllable (sort of like short i). No one pronounced it that way; it's just the spelling. Also, there is no f in Korean, so I was curious what letter they would use in coffee - it was the b/p letter (sound is sort of inbetween also). We found a website with short lessons, and I am trying to get Michael interested. The two people talk quite a bit and joke around, so the informal nature makes it a little more fun and insightful too.
We were sad to leave Jeju and hope we can make another trip there.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Hyundai shipyard tour
Thursday we took a bus out to the foreigner compound for a tour of the Hyundai shipyard that is hosted by FLIK (foreign life in Korea). There were about 15 people including Australia, Russia, India, and the UK. They showed a short movie and then took us through the Asan memorial/museum (the founder). Then we drove around the shipyard. The place is amazing. The dry dock work looks so elaborate. We also were able to see a special private hanok where a potential buyer might be housed while here. The tour ended with a complimentary lunch. The FLIK people really try to help the foreigners - and even though we are not with Hyundai, we were welcome too. The two hostesses were interested to hear I'll be teaching at the university. One family has children at the foreign school and have been very happy. The woman and her daughter from the UK recommended an Aveda salon for hair cut and color and I spotted it downtown. Next week we will take the Motor Manufacturing tour.
Saturday morning we head to Busan to fly to Jeju Island - the top vacation destination in Korea and very popular. It is a bit southwest of the main land. We come back to Ulsan Wed. And then we have new student orientation Friday.
Saturday morning we head to Busan to fly to Jeju Island - the top vacation destination in Korea and very popular. It is a bit southwest of the main land. We come back to Ulsan Wed. And then we have new student orientation Friday.
Little things
Today at the laundry place where I take my clothes to be ironed (because they are definitely wrinkled just hanging them to dry), the woman offered me a cup of coffee and pulled out a little stool for me to sit on. Then she gave me a treat from home - not so tasty or nice to look at, but of course I ate one. It was kind of glutinous - very thick and gooey with little taste and with sort of fine bread crumbs on the outside. She always has a big smile and is so friendly. Tonight I ate at the little restaurant that is connected with our main neighborhood grocery store. I could order bibimbap because I know what it is and how to say it. It's rice on the bottom and then a few kinds of shredded vegs. and some seaweed. Here she cooked two fried eggs and put them on top. You sort of mix it all up with chop sticks. It is tasty and accompanied by a couple of side dishes, including kimchi of course. I could tell on the menu board which item was bibimbap because I am starting to learn the alphabet. It's very satisfying because the written language makes a lot of sense to sound out and for how the syllables are structured. At a couple of places I have shown Michael the two syllables of "Ul-san." He does not seem very interested, but I hope he has to learn at school. I am getting tired of not being able to communicate and hope to make some more progress.
It was rainy today so we rode our bikes to the nearby Ulsan Museum (I wore a rain poncho). They have two good regular exhibits on the history of Ulsan - old and more recent. The more recent is much about the industrialization of the city. The special exhibit was from a British museum and highlights of fantasy figures like dragons, unicorns, etc. It was interesting and a good way to spend a few hours. Places like these tend to be spotlessly clean. Even the grocery stores seem to have perpetual floor cleaning. We figured out today that there are little plastic bags designed for wet umbrellas to be taken inside. I walked around the neighborhood more and found a couple of hair cut places for Michael.
It was rainy today so we rode our bikes to the nearby Ulsan Museum (I wore a rain poncho). They have two good regular exhibits on the history of Ulsan - old and more recent. The more recent is much about the industrialization of the city. The special exhibit was from a British museum and highlights of fantasy figures like dragons, unicorns, etc. It was interesting and a good way to spend a few hours. Places like these tend to be spotlessly clean. Even the grocery stores seem to have perpetual floor cleaning. We figured out today that there are little plastic bags designed for wet umbrellas to be taken inside. I walked around the neighborhood more and found a couple of hair cut places for Michael.
Seoul trip
The KTX Ulsan station just opened last year - the high speed train. Michael thinks it is very cool. The train stopped in a few cities on the way and then 2 hours and 10 minutes after leaving Ulsan, we were at Seoul station in the heart of the city. The view along the way is mountains with some big cities (all the cities have the same appearance in many ways with the tall housing apartments/condos). There was lots of farm land - not big plots like Iowa but many greenhouses that look to be covered with plastic.
At the Seoul station a nice young lady talked to us and then we asked her about where we were headed. She recommended the subway (I had thought cab and then to start figuring out subway), so we figured out how to buy the tickets (machine dispenses for one trip; we had to put in our destination stop; all subway info has English). But we went to the stop with the same name as the neighborhood of the Holiday Inn - Seoungbuk-gu. A nice couple helped us there and said "no" you cannot walk and told a taxi driver where we were headed. No problem getting there. At the original stop I thought the place looked rather residential by Seoul standards - not too many high rises. Michael didn't seem phased at all. He could have asked what the heck I was thinking!!
The Holiday Inn was very nice - the people helped us a lot. (And now we knew our subway stop.) I have figured out at a nice hotel with breakfast buffet that morning is the best time to get some greens. It's a little strange loading up on salad bar for breakfast, but the selection is good. Michael preferred eggs, sausage, etc. I planned a few things on the north side of town because that's where our hotel was. Monday was a holiday and lots of places (e.g., museums and palaces) are closed Mondays anyway, so we went to Bukhansan national park in the morning. The hotel people gave us a note for the bus driver, but he said "no," so we regrouped and took a taxi. A 25 minute ride was only about $12. The driver took us right to the trail head, which is right by a fairly large Buddhist temple. We were glad for the taxi. The walk up the road from the entrance was probably a mile. The temple seemed pretty busy, and people were bowing to statues aroudn the area. It seems so sad because I don't see how anyone could think a holy God wants people to bow to cement statues. The hike was really good - fairly steep and rocky. Michael makes it pretty clear he doesn't really want to hike, but he is much better than I am. And once he gets going he has a good time. We met a couple of English speakers who were nice and asking him if he was waiting for his mom. There started to be light rain, which was sort of refreshing. After hiking a short two hours, we had lunch at a little place by the trail head. We spotted others eating a big vegetable pancake. It was delicious. I am getting respectable with my chopsticks. Once Michael said I was trying to close them too tight, things have gone much better.
After the hike, we needed a taxi. But the main taxis to the trail head area act as a shuttle. The guys directing traffic figured out our situation and one of them took us back in his taxi. Apparently they have a couple of taxi drivers directing traffic. This was just one example of people being very nice to us where I wished I could communicate I understood they were going above and beyond duty. We were kind of wet so headed back to the hotel to clean up. Then we took the subway to a downtown area to walk around the small river that flows through downtown below the main street level. I had come across this area when I was here last year and was familiar with this area of town. I had let Michael pick the night city bus tour, which departs in this vicinity. We had dinner and then came upon a Coldstone so enjoyed an ice cream. A nice fellow started a conversation - he has a US PhD and his daughter is headed to Harvard in the fall. Wow. Pretty smart and hardworking girl. The 1 hour tour was on a double decker bus and when mostly around the Han River - very nice to see the bridges lit up at night and city on both sides. The audio in English told what many of the bridges represent. There was a LOT of traffic - I think there always is. But it seemed to be moving pretty well. We got back to the hotel about 10:00. I was letting Michael figure out signs, direction we needed to go on subway, how to get to transfer line, etc. He did a good job.
Tuesday we slept late and had the hotel breakfast and then took a subway to an area of town where we could do two main things. We walked around a historic neighborhood (Bukchon) that has maintained many traditional houses, called hanok. It's the roof you would picture on an Asian house. There is a small cultural center (that I finally found!!) that explains some of the history. This area of town has very narrow streets and lots of very small store fronts - really, this is sort of the way it is in many parts of Korea. There is anything from a shoe store to a porridge restaurant (a specialty - I would like to try but Michael is not going for it). We then went to one of the five palaces in Seoul - they all have similar styles of structures and quite a bit of open area. This one is especially nice because there is a secret garden tour - the garden can only be seen if a tour is booked. We knew the times and got there for English. It's not really a garden but more like a big park. We couldn't even see or hear the city from inside. The guide was quite informative about the different areas. It was raining - hard sometimes - but afterwards Michael said how nice the tour was. We were then hungry for what would be an early dinner. I said "Korean," and he said, "Pizza." It seems like he only wants to eat Korean with Justin!! I sighed and said I had seen a place that from the window looked like it had pretty good salads too. But on the way we went by a very small place that was making steamed dumplings. I said, "Let's have one. I guarantee you will like them." They were DELICIOUS. We ordered more and counted it as a light early dinner. They were making them fresh. We opted for pork, which had some veggies too. Then we were headed to the subway station and saw a very small place with a guy making what turned out to be two pieces of bread with filling that goes in a device like a waffle maker - so the middle comes out shaped like a fish. I thought "no way Michael is going for this," but he stepped right up and said he wanted the one with the red bean filling. Apparently Denny from school had brought some bread with these red beans. They were so tasty. The sweetened red beans are the same thing they put on the shaved ice desserts, and I've seen it as donut filling too. So that was our day! We walked so much it was hard to fathom. And the subways were usually fairly crowded so we were usually standing. I feel like I am getting in "city shape."
We also tried our first Dunkin Donuts while in Seoul. There are plenty around Ulsan too. They have some America style donuts, but one thing Michael likes is the steamed blue berry donuts. They are really kind of like baked cake - so I like them because they are not fried. Wed. morning we headed by subway to Seoul station and returned to Ulsan on the KTX. Michael liked Seoul but said he prefers "home" in Ulsan. On the map I could tell which two buses probably went to our neighborhood, so we took a bus after asking "Nam-gu, Ok-dong?" Gu refers to a large neighborhood, and dong is the smaller neighborhood. The same terms are used in other cities. Interestingly, Korea is doing away with the historical references. Gu and dong might still apply, but they are starting to have streets with consecutive numbers. Apparently the original numbering was by parcel of land, and numbering was not in any real order. So, they are westernizing! Even when I was looking around to figure out what to tell a taxi driver to get home, Prof. Jang said they probably wouldn't recognize a street name. Our piece of paper from Justin adds that our place is "next to ____," one of the large apartment buildings next door.
I intendeed this trip to Seoul to be one that would familiarize us with KTX and also Seoul in general, and I think we succeeded. I would like to go again and do a few specific things. A few new pictures are posted at the end of the blog.
At the Seoul station a nice young lady talked to us and then we asked her about where we were headed. She recommended the subway (I had thought cab and then to start figuring out subway), so we figured out how to buy the tickets (machine dispenses for one trip; we had to put in our destination stop; all subway info has English). But we went to the stop with the same name as the neighborhood of the Holiday Inn - Seoungbuk-gu. A nice couple helped us there and said "no" you cannot walk and told a taxi driver where we were headed. No problem getting there. At the original stop I thought the place looked rather residential by Seoul standards - not too many high rises. Michael didn't seem phased at all. He could have asked what the heck I was thinking!!
The Holiday Inn was very nice - the people helped us a lot. (And now we knew our subway stop.) I have figured out at a nice hotel with breakfast buffet that morning is the best time to get some greens. It's a little strange loading up on salad bar for breakfast, but the selection is good. Michael preferred eggs, sausage, etc. I planned a few things on the north side of town because that's where our hotel was. Monday was a holiday and lots of places (e.g., museums and palaces) are closed Mondays anyway, so we went to Bukhansan national park in the morning. The hotel people gave us a note for the bus driver, but he said "no," so we regrouped and took a taxi. A 25 minute ride was only about $12. The driver took us right to the trail head, which is right by a fairly large Buddhist temple. We were glad for the taxi. The walk up the road from the entrance was probably a mile. The temple seemed pretty busy, and people were bowing to statues aroudn the area. It seems so sad because I don't see how anyone could think a holy God wants people to bow to cement statues. The hike was really good - fairly steep and rocky. Michael makes it pretty clear he doesn't really want to hike, but he is much better than I am. And once he gets going he has a good time. We met a couple of English speakers who were nice and asking him if he was waiting for his mom. There started to be light rain, which was sort of refreshing. After hiking a short two hours, we had lunch at a little place by the trail head. We spotted others eating a big vegetable pancake. It was delicious. I am getting respectable with my chopsticks. Once Michael said I was trying to close them too tight, things have gone much better.
After the hike, we needed a taxi. But the main taxis to the trail head area act as a shuttle. The guys directing traffic figured out our situation and one of them took us back in his taxi. Apparently they have a couple of taxi drivers directing traffic. This was just one example of people being very nice to us where I wished I could communicate I understood they were going above and beyond duty. We were kind of wet so headed back to the hotel to clean up. Then we took the subway to a downtown area to walk around the small river that flows through downtown below the main street level. I had come across this area when I was here last year and was familiar with this area of town. I had let Michael pick the night city bus tour, which departs in this vicinity. We had dinner and then came upon a Coldstone so enjoyed an ice cream. A nice fellow started a conversation - he has a US PhD and his daughter is headed to Harvard in the fall. Wow. Pretty smart and hardworking girl. The 1 hour tour was on a double decker bus and when mostly around the Han River - very nice to see the bridges lit up at night and city on both sides. The audio in English told what many of the bridges represent. There was a LOT of traffic - I think there always is. But it seemed to be moving pretty well. We got back to the hotel about 10:00. I was letting Michael figure out signs, direction we needed to go on subway, how to get to transfer line, etc. He did a good job.
Tuesday we slept late and had the hotel breakfast and then took a subway to an area of town where we could do two main things. We walked around a historic neighborhood (Bukchon) that has maintained many traditional houses, called hanok. It's the roof you would picture on an Asian house. There is a small cultural center (that I finally found!!) that explains some of the history. This area of town has very narrow streets and lots of very small store fronts - really, this is sort of the way it is in many parts of Korea. There is anything from a shoe store to a porridge restaurant (a specialty - I would like to try but Michael is not going for it). We then went to one of the five palaces in Seoul - they all have similar styles of structures and quite a bit of open area. This one is especially nice because there is a secret garden tour - the garden can only be seen if a tour is booked. We knew the times and got there for English. It's not really a garden but more like a big park. We couldn't even see or hear the city from inside. The guide was quite informative about the different areas. It was raining - hard sometimes - but afterwards Michael said how nice the tour was. We were then hungry for what would be an early dinner. I said "Korean," and he said, "Pizza." It seems like he only wants to eat Korean with Justin!! I sighed and said I had seen a place that from the window looked like it had pretty good salads too. But on the way we went by a very small place that was making steamed dumplings. I said, "Let's have one. I guarantee you will like them." They were DELICIOUS. We ordered more and counted it as a light early dinner. They were making them fresh. We opted for pork, which had some veggies too. Then we were headed to the subway station and saw a very small place with a guy making what turned out to be two pieces of bread with filling that goes in a device like a waffle maker - so the middle comes out shaped like a fish. I thought "no way Michael is going for this," but he stepped right up and said he wanted the one with the red bean filling. Apparently Denny from school had brought some bread with these red beans. They were so tasty. The sweetened red beans are the same thing they put on the shaved ice desserts, and I've seen it as donut filling too. So that was our day! We walked so much it was hard to fathom. And the subways were usually fairly crowded so we were usually standing. I feel like I am getting in "city shape."
We also tried our first Dunkin Donuts while in Seoul. There are plenty around Ulsan too. They have some America style donuts, but one thing Michael likes is the steamed blue berry donuts. They are really kind of like baked cake - so I like them because they are not fried. Wed. morning we headed by subway to Seoul station and returned to Ulsan on the KTX. Michael liked Seoul but said he prefers "home" in Ulsan. On the map I could tell which two buses probably went to our neighborhood, so we took a bus after asking "Nam-gu, Ok-dong?" Gu refers to a large neighborhood, and dong is the smaller neighborhood. The same terms are used in other cities. Interestingly, Korea is doing away with the historical references. Gu and dong might still apply, but they are starting to have streets with consecutive numbers. Apparently the original numbering was by parcel of land, and numbering was not in any real order. So, they are westernizing! Even when I was looking around to figure out what to tell a taxi driver to get home, Prof. Jang said they probably wouldn't recognize a street name. Our piece of paper from Justin adds that our place is "next to ____," one of the large apartment buildings next door.
I intendeed this trip to Seoul to be one that would familiarize us with KTX and also Seoul in general, and I think we succeeded. I would like to go again and do a few specific things. A few new pictures are posted at the end of the blog.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Pictures Posted
Most of you know I am no good at this technology .... I wish Norman or Jennifer M. were here to help!! Anyway, at the bottom of the blog postings for August are some pictures. We had a great time in Seoul .... more on that later!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Latest adventures
Wow. Time is going by so fast. Let me see ... Wed. we rented bikes in the morning at the Ulsan Grand Park. They were somewhat low quality (not all gears worked) and low to the ground (my knees were bent the whole time!), so we decided to buy a couple of bikes at a nearby store. We will get a lot of use out of them. Justin helped us with the purchase on Thursday. The price was pretty reasonable and included 2 lights, lock, and bell - which we never would have figured out on our own. Wed. afternoon we went to the pool at the park. It's very nice - indoor and outdoor sections and some waterpark-like features. Michael spent a lot of time in the wave pool. Everyone has to wear a cap, and luckily we figured out the lifeguard said "rent" when he blew the whistle at Michael. The toddler swimming suits with matching caps are adorable. A couple of times a small group of children would say, "hello" and start giggling.
Thursday Justin was coming over to help with the bikes and a couple other things and to have lunch (he helps there too with ordering). His mom called while he was with us and asked if we would like to accompany them to Busan and go to the biggest beach in Korea and then out for dinner with family there. Of course we said "sure." The beach was right in the city so big buildings all around. There must have been 1,000 umbrellas set up for rent. The water was cold and lots of seaweed by our umbrella. But Michael and Justin got a tube and headed down the beach a bit where the water did not have seaweed. Michael today said the beach has been the best thing so far. We went to dinner with Kuen-yung's two sisters, a niece and her boyfriend. The niece was leaving the next day to return to States as exchange student. The restaurant featured sitting on floor and then table had two built in grills where the customers do the cooking. There were lots of side dishes as usual, and the main cooking was eel, shrimp, and clams. Michael was leery, but once I had the eel I told him I guaranteed he would like it. And he did. The style was to take a lettuce leaf and put in some ginger, garlic, etc. and then the eel and some sauce. Yummy!!! There were a variety of clams, and Michael tried that too. He sat by Justin and the boyfriend (who is heading to Univ. of South Carolina next week) so enjoyed the guys. One of the sisters said "handsome boy" about Michael. She speaks almost no English. It was especially funny because that's what one of the construction workers in our builidng calls him. Then we went to a coffee shop that serves a Korean style dessert: shaved ice, some kind of beans, and then ice cream on top. It was good, though we are not sure we would order it on our own.
Friday we had a bike in morning and swim in afternoon day (4 hours at pool). We were smarter about the locker room, renting cap, and renting life jacket for wave pool. We needed to go to grocery store (Lotte Mart) so took the bus there. Michael is not too fond of standing on the bus but will get used to it, I think. We knew there was a Pizza Hut nearby, so we had dinner there. Michael wanted meat, so I suggested a Hawaiian because I like that too. The menu said "bologna sausage," so I said even though it might be delicious, I didn't want to risk it. We noticed "half and half" on menu so ordered 1/2 veggie and 1/2 pepperoni. We also got the salad bar (sign says Salad Kitchen). The plates were on our table and small, and I didn't think they really wanted us to go back for more. But it was nice to see some lettuce. There were several items that were strange to us. The restaurant is very modern looking - maybe it's the chain's new style. The pizza had very little sauce and the crust was not as doughy. It was $25 US or so (a lot for what we got) - but no tipping is required at restaurants. Once we shopped, we took a taxi home with our handy directions in Korean.
Today (Saturday) we biked. There must have been a line of 100 people for the pool at 9:30 - a good day for us to skip. I had told Michael we could look for IPOD at Hyundai Department Store, which requires a 15 minute or so bus ride. Justin said that's the only place he knew that carries them and that Apple seems more interested in China. The department store is unbelievably upscale. There are 10 floors or so and name brand sections everywhere. We said that Grandma would really enjoy looking around. The 10th floor has restaurants - Italian, Korean, noodles, and Kraze Burgers. We had seen the burger place on a street when we were with Justin - so it's a chain. We said "crazy," but he said it's pronounced differently (ah for first a and long a for y). So we decided to try it. Delicious. I had a tofu slice on mine as the main ingredient and there was some cheese, lettuce, and sauce on a wheat bun. Michael had a burger that looked yummy. He also had Chisling Cider (I forget exact spelling - which is like Sprite -not like cider- but not as spicy according to Michael). He is getting a real taste for Korean style Western and European food (Paris Baguette)! The Apple section was fancy and IPODs too expensive for me to be willing to buy. I told him we better do some research. We rode bikes in the park in the evening too - lots of people compared to morning, probably because it is cooler. We tried some exercise equipment in the park. Then we went to the small grocery store in the neighborhood and got ice cream. It was the individual Blue Bell style, and Michael figured out a spoon was packaged inside - smart packaging!
Some of my impressions after a week: do not try to take bus at our regular bus stop when boys' middle school is letting out!, neon crosses on churches, Justin and his cousin bow so politely when it's appropriate, there are a lot of young people with Korean style big, dark plastic frame glasses (I think Norman and my dad should get a pair), Lotte Mart free samples are delicous, how can there be so much unrecognizable prepared food at Lotte Mart?, does the traffic ever let up?, how many streets are there with 8 lanes?, the driving looks challenging and the parking even more so, there are signs all over buildings, look out for scooter food deliverers, Paris Baguette has Lightning McQueen cake, the mountains are beautiful (between here and Busan especially visible).
We are getting into some of our home patterns pretty well. We have a Spurgeon morning and evening devotional (I mailed several books to Professor Jang and got them earlier in the week). We are reading outloud at night - Heaven is for Real, recommended by a couple of friends in US and Justin too. Eating breakfast in our apartment is easy, and we are trying to figure out a few basic lunch or dinner items. Michael is in charge of hanging our wet laundry on our rack on the porch. We have been successful in getting ironing done at a little place in the neighborhood (very little and crowded for workers). The woman there is very friendly. Life is sort of simple with 2 of things: forks, bowls, plates, etc. Michael seems so content. I am very thankful.
Tomorrow we will go to Seoul for a couple days - leaving on the high speed train after church. We are working on getting some pictures posted and making the blog prettier!
Love, Kim and Michael
Thursday Justin was coming over to help with the bikes and a couple other things and to have lunch (he helps there too with ordering). His mom called while he was with us and asked if we would like to accompany them to Busan and go to the biggest beach in Korea and then out for dinner with family there. Of course we said "sure." The beach was right in the city so big buildings all around. There must have been 1,000 umbrellas set up for rent. The water was cold and lots of seaweed by our umbrella. But Michael and Justin got a tube and headed down the beach a bit where the water did not have seaweed. Michael today said the beach has been the best thing so far. We went to dinner with Kuen-yung's two sisters, a niece and her boyfriend. The niece was leaving the next day to return to States as exchange student. The restaurant featured sitting on floor and then table had two built in grills where the customers do the cooking. There were lots of side dishes as usual, and the main cooking was eel, shrimp, and clams. Michael was leery, but once I had the eel I told him I guaranteed he would like it. And he did. The style was to take a lettuce leaf and put in some ginger, garlic, etc. and then the eel and some sauce. Yummy!!! There were a variety of clams, and Michael tried that too. He sat by Justin and the boyfriend (who is heading to Univ. of South Carolina next week) so enjoyed the guys. One of the sisters said "handsome boy" about Michael. She speaks almost no English. It was especially funny because that's what one of the construction workers in our builidng calls him. Then we went to a coffee shop that serves a Korean style dessert: shaved ice, some kind of beans, and then ice cream on top. It was good, though we are not sure we would order it on our own.
Friday we had a bike in morning and swim in afternoon day (4 hours at pool). We were smarter about the locker room, renting cap, and renting life jacket for wave pool. We needed to go to grocery store (Lotte Mart) so took the bus there. Michael is not too fond of standing on the bus but will get used to it, I think. We knew there was a Pizza Hut nearby, so we had dinner there. Michael wanted meat, so I suggested a Hawaiian because I like that too. The menu said "bologna sausage," so I said even though it might be delicious, I didn't want to risk it. We noticed "half and half" on menu so ordered 1/2 veggie and 1/2 pepperoni. We also got the salad bar (sign says Salad Kitchen). The plates were on our table and small, and I didn't think they really wanted us to go back for more. But it was nice to see some lettuce. There were several items that were strange to us. The restaurant is very modern looking - maybe it's the chain's new style. The pizza had very little sauce and the crust was not as doughy. It was $25 US or so (a lot for what we got) - but no tipping is required at restaurants. Once we shopped, we took a taxi home with our handy directions in Korean.
Today (Saturday) we biked. There must have been a line of 100 people for the pool at 9:30 - a good day for us to skip. I had told Michael we could look for IPOD at Hyundai Department Store, which requires a 15 minute or so bus ride. Justin said that's the only place he knew that carries them and that Apple seems more interested in China. The department store is unbelievably upscale. There are 10 floors or so and name brand sections everywhere. We said that Grandma would really enjoy looking around. The 10th floor has restaurants - Italian, Korean, noodles, and Kraze Burgers. We had seen the burger place on a street when we were with Justin - so it's a chain. We said "crazy," but he said it's pronounced differently (ah for first a and long a for y). So we decided to try it. Delicious. I had a tofu slice on mine as the main ingredient and there was some cheese, lettuce, and sauce on a wheat bun. Michael had a burger that looked yummy. He also had Chisling Cider (I forget exact spelling - which is like Sprite -not like cider- but not as spicy according to Michael). He is getting a real taste for Korean style Western and European food (Paris Baguette)! The Apple section was fancy and IPODs too expensive for me to be willing to buy. I told him we better do some research. We rode bikes in the park in the evening too - lots of people compared to morning, probably because it is cooler. We tried some exercise equipment in the park. Then we went to the small grocery store in the neighborhood and got ice cream. It was the individual Blue Bell style, and Michael figured out a spoon was packaged inside - smart packaging!
Some of my impressions after a week: do not try to take bus at our regular bus stop when boys' middle school is letting out!, neon crosses on churches, Justin and his cousin bow so politely when it's appropriate, there are a lot of young people with Korean style big, dark plastic frame glasses (I think Norman and my dad should get a pair), Lotte Mart free samples are delicous, how can there be so much unrecognizable prepared food at Lotte Mart?, does the traffic ever let up?, how many streets are there with 8 lanes?, the driving looks challenging and the parking even more so, there are signs all over buildings, look out for scooter food deliverers, Paris Baguette has Lightning McQueen cake, the mountains are beautiful (between here and Busan especially visible).
We are getting into some of our home patterns pretty well. We have a Spurgeon morning and evening devotional (I mailed several books to Professor Jang and got them earlier in the week). We are reading outloud at night - Heaven is for Real, recommended by a couple of friends in US and Justin too. Eating breakfast in our apartment is easy, and we are trying to figure out a few basic lunch or dinner items. Michael is in charge of hanging our wet laundry on our rack on the porch. We have been successful in getting ironing done at a little place in the neighborhood (very little and crowded for workers). The woman there is very friendly. Life is sort of simple with 2 of things: forks, bowls, plates, etc. Michael seems so content. I am very thankful.
Tomorrow we will go to Seoul for a couple days - leaving on the high speed train after church. We are working on getting some pictures posted and making the blog prettier!
Love, Kim and Michael
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Early in the Week
We were up early on Monday and set out on the bus first - with umbrellas. We have not had success with our ATM card, so we went to a downtown hotel where we could change some US money. Many of the banks are essentially local only. We mostly need it just for cabs, but it's always good to have some cash. Then we used the hotel internet briefly. We were making such good progress we went across the street for a mid morning snack at ... Paris Baguette, of course. Michael had a fancy egg mcmuffin. Then we took a cab to the Hyundai Foreigner Compound. Ulsan is a large port city and the industrial capital of Korea, and it is sure obvious in that part of town. A cab from our apartment out there is about 25 minutes. There is a "Foreign Life in Korea" office, and they were very helpful to us with some guide books and information on signing up for tours - we are hoping to go on a shipyard tour next week. The young woman helping us gave us a ride over to Hyundai Foreign School, where Michael will be enrolled. It is very nice in appearance, almost quaint given all the tall apartments nearby. The very closest housing is actually bungalows. It is located just off the main road, which will be so convenient for taxi or bus. We had a brief tour and thought the facilities were very nice. We will go there on August 26 for a new student orientation. Seeing the school gave me great peace of mind, especially because Michael seemed to like it a lot too.
We returned to our apartment by bus and borrowed a worker's phone to call Prof. Jang. He picked us up and took us to the immigration office. We had to complete some paperwork for an alien registration card. We cannot really do anything without it - including cell phone and connect internet. He thought we would get the card that day, but we are supposed to go back Sept. 5 to get it. We then went over to campus where he checked about phone and where the phone stores confirmed "no card; no phone." Prof. Jang showed us around a few more parts of campus, and we did find a place we could use the internet - a student service builidng. It was nice to see the AU home page in English!! We had tried a couple of internet cafe type places, but they were in Korean only. We were sort of resigned to going to campus for internet and living without a phone. Michael especially was not thwarted. I have said an important Bible verse for us on our trip is from Ecclesiastes - about two are better than one because when one falls (or gets overwhelmed or tired or frustrated) the other can pick him up (with a kind word). We also have been adopting the Smurf tune about "sing a happy song" starting with the la la part.
But Tuesday things changed ... not without a lot of patience and planning by Prof. Jang. We had been told we could use an old phone and pre-pay, so he found an old phone at home. We didn't know he was still working on our situation so diligently. We were getting ready to leave the aparment about 9:00 when he came over. He figured out the apartment is already set up for internet - it's not necessary for us to get our own contract. It seemed the laptop was not charging properly (even though he had got a Korean plug for us), but he noticed something in one of the connections was bent and fixed it. (The fellow is amazing!!! All this help is way beyond anything we could expect and certainly not part of his jurisdiction on campus.) Then we headed over to the phone store by campus.... and were told the old phone idea would not work because we still needed the alien registration card number. So, Prof. Jang got us a phone using his name. We didn't even have enough cash with us, so we even owe him money. (We could pay for minutes with my credit card but not for the actual phone). So, after expecting yesterday not to be able to connect to the outside world except in person, I am typing the blog in our apartment.
We have been here less than a week, but we feel like we are familiar with many things that will be part of our regular lives when school and work start. We are hoping to do some traveling in the next couple of weeks. We have to be patient because it is hard when so much information is in Korean. But that's part of the reason to come to a place like Korea - it's a great learning experience. When God sent the people out from the tower of Babel, His plan worked!! "Come let us go down and confuse their language so that they may not understand one another's speech." I am glad we can say hello and thank you in Korean! We hope to learn much more.
The Lord bless and keep all of you. We know school and work are getting underway in Aubun-Opelika and hope things go smoothly for all. Love, Kim and Michael
p.s. Michael's e-mail address is mtkey1121@hotmail.com if you want to send him a note.
We returned to our apartment by bus and borrowed a worker's phone to call Prof. Jang. He picked us up and took us to the immigration office. We had to complete some paperwork for an alien registration card. We cannot really do anything without it - including cell phone and connect internet. He thought we would get the card that day, but we are supposed to go back Sept. 5 to get it. We then went over to campus where he checked about phone and where the phone stores confirmed "no card; no phone." Prof. Jang showed us around a few more parts of campus, and we did find a place we could use the internet - a student service builidng. It was nice to see the AU home page in English!! We had tried a couple of internet cafe type places, but they were in Korean only. We were sort of resigned to going to campus for internet and living without a phone. Michael especially was not thwarted. I have said an important Bible verse for us on our trip is from Ecclesiastes - about two are better than one because when one falls (or gets overwhelmed or tired or frustrated) the other can pick him up (with a kind word). We also have been adopting the Smurf tune about "sing a happy song" starting with the la la part.
But Tuesday things changed ... not without a lot of patience and planning by Prof. Jang. We had been told we could use an old phone and pre-pay, so he found an old phone at home. We didn't know he was still working on our situation so diligently. We were getting ready to leave the aparment about 9:00 when he came over. He figured out the apartment is already set up for internet - it's not necessary for us to get our own contract. It seemed the laptop was not charging properly (even though he had got a Korean plug for us), but he noticed something in one of the connections was bent and fixed it. (The fellow is amazing!!! All this help is way beyond anything we could expect and certainly not part of his jurisdiction on campus.) Then we headed over to the phone store by campus.... and were told the old phone idea would not work because we still needed the alien registration card number. So, Prof. Jang got us a phone using his name. We didn't even have enough cash with us, so we even owe him money. (We could pay for minutes with my credit card but not for the actual phone). So, after expecting yesterday not to be able to connect to the outside world except in person, I am typing the blog in our apartment.
We have been here less than a week, but we feel like we are familiar with many things that will be part of our regular lives when school and work start. We are hoping to do some traveling in the next couple of weeks. We have to be patient because it is hard when so much information is in Korean. But that's part of the reason to come to a place like Korea - it's a great learning experience. When God sent the people out from the tower of Babel, His plan worked!! "Come let us go down and confuse their language so that they may not understand one another's speech." I am glad we can say hello and thank you in Korean! We hope to learn much more.
The Lord bless and keep all of you. We know school and work are getting underway in Aubun-Opelika and hope things go smoothly for all. Love, Kim and Michael
p.s. Michael's e-mail address is mtkey1121@hotmail.com if you want to send him a note.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Settling into Ulsan
We wanted to go to church Sunday, so Justin wrote down directions in Korean to give the taxi drivers - to get to church and to get back. We are encountering almost no English, so we joke about whether we have our information with us about where we live. There is a English-language service at just one church. There were about 40 people there. Their pastor has just recently departed, so in the mean time a couple of men are sharing preaching responsibilities. There was a lot of singing with a band. They had snacks afterwards, and we talked to several people. Michael ate enough of the rolled-style sushi (but with vegs. inside) that he called it lunch. Everyone was very friendly and a few had us write down phone numbers in case we needed any help. Several of the people teach at English language schools where many children go after their regular school day.
We are living the city life of walking a few blocks to catch a bus or taxi. Buses and taxis are very reasonably priced. The prices for apartment items and some food was surprisingly high - 2 to 3 times that of the States (e.g., a simple coffee maker $40; flimsy bath towel $12, basic pedestal fan $50, watermelon $15; $5 box of cereal; $4 1/2 gallon of milk .. but the prices do include taxes!!) Within short walking distance is a small grocery store and bakery. I think because people do not have ovens that there are very good bakeries. Investment tip: buy Paris Baguette stock. It is a bakery/coffee shop/prepared sandwich place. Michael might keep it in business!! They are all over town, and we have one at the corner of the main street that it is our landmark for how to get to our apartment.
We've have been taking everything in and like things that are new to us. A favorite is the scooters that deliver food - including McDonald's. The drivers are wild - sometimes they are on sidewalks and they do not always obey traffic lights. There is a lot of traffic with a large round about nearby. I cannot figure out how people drive through there. There are signs all over buildings - pretty much if there are 10 floors, there will be 10 signs up the side of the building. The buses are always coming and going and seem to have near misses with car drivers who are fearless. The city just seems to go on and on. Prof. Jang has taken us around so many parts, and there seem to be endless little shops on the first floor. The tall apartment buildings are all around town (most units are actually owned vs. rented). There are cell phone stores everywhere - KT, LG, and SK.
God bless!
We are living the city life of walking a few blocks to catch a bus or taxi. Buses and taxis are very reasonably priced. The prices for apartment items and some food was surprisingly high - 2 to 3 times that of the States (e.g., a simple coffee maker $40; flimsy bath towel $12, basic pedestal fan $50, watermelon $15; $5 box of cereal; $4 1/2 gallon of milk .. but the prices do include taxes!!) Within short walking distance is a small grocery store and bakery. I think because people do not have ovens that there are very good bakeries. Investment tip: buy Paris Baguette stock. It is a bakery/coffee shop/prepared sandwich place. Michael might keep it in business!! They are all over town, and we have one at the corner of the main street that it is our landmark for how to get to our apartment.
We've have been taking everything in and like things that are new to us. A favorite is the scooters that deliver food - including McDonald's. The drivers are wild - sometimes they are on sidewalks and they do not always obey traffic lights. There is a lot of traffic with a large round about nearby. I cannot figure out how people drive through there. There are signs all over buildings - pretty much if there are 10 floors, there will be 10 signs up the side of the building. The buses are always coming and going and seem to have near misses with car drivers who are fearless. The city just seems to go on and on. Prof. Jang has taken us around so many parts, and there seem to be endless little shops on the first floor. The tall apartment buildings are all around town (most units are actually owned vs. rented). There are cell phone stores everywhere - KT, LG, and SK.
God bless!
First Days
We arrived late on Thursday night and were warmly greeted by Justin and his dad, Professor Jang. We met Justin and got to know him a little bit during spring semester. He graduated from AU in May in finance, and we met his family at graduation. Prof. Jang is an engineering professor at the University of Ulsan, where I will be working. We stayed at a hotel the first two nights. On Friday, Justin, Prof. Jang, and Justin's mom, Keun-yung, picked us up and took us to see our apartment. It is in a good location in town - easy bus access and near a huge park. The building is undergoing a major renovation, and we have a lovely apartment on the 4th floor. Floors 1 to 3 are currently a construction zone. It's pretty messy on the way into the building. Our apartment opens into a small hallway, including a closet just for our shoes. We are getting used to taking off our shoes when we arrive home (one of the rules of the campus-provided apartment), but it's a bit tricky with both of us standing there! The kitchen has a cook top but no oven. There is a washing machine in the bathroom. Dryers are rarely used in Korea, so we bought a clothes drying rack that is on our very narrow porch - just wide enough for the rack!
The Jangs then took us to Lotte Mart for some shopping - sheets, etc. We've been back a couple of times on our own for more apartment amenities and also for food shopping. It's got everything. We've been able to poke around and look at all the prepared food in the produce and meat sections - sort of like a mini deli. I don't think I am going to be eating too much salad, but there are at least 10 kinds of greens suitable for cooking. Michael likes getting the cart because a coin is inserted to unlock a cart and then returned when the cart is put away - he has it all figured out.
We then took a tour around campus and then had a delicious Korean lunch at a restaurant that was out of town a bit -down a one lane bridge and a gravel road. The mountains are right behind. We sat on the floor on pillows and there is a low table where MANY small bowls of side dishes were placed in the center. We had our own bowl of rice with vegs. and also soup. Michael was quite impressive using his chopsticks. He is making me look bad with my fork.
Saturday Justin and Prof. Jang picked us up and we brought our suitcases to the apartment. We also took another trip to Lotte Mart. Prof. Jang walks faster than I do and is quite fit; while we did the shopping (with Justin finding things and me trying not to get distracted by all the unfamiliar and interesting things), he walked several blocks and picked up bus passes for us. We got back to the apartment and they headed home. We arranged things and unpacked. Then the Jangs had us over to their home for dinner. They are on the 14th floor and have a good view of part of the city (mountains block view of whole city). In their kitchen is a large kim chi refrigerator - yes, just for storing kim chi. I had heard of these but never guessed how big it would be for a small family.
We have felt so thankful for Justin and his family. God's providence in our entire process of applying for the professional improvement leave to meeting Justin to our very smooth arrival has been so evident. We didn't know our living arrangments until about a week before we departed Auburn, but we did not have any anxiety. We had met Justin and his family, and when we were in Seattle in early July, I had dinner with my main accounting professor contact, Prof. Jeong Youn Kim. We knew there was somewhere for us to live - but it was so nice to be all set to move in when we got here. A prayer helps too. I think we were kind of shocked by the construction zone and had a few things about the apartment that struck as as negative at first sighting (quickly taken care of with all purpose spray and paper towels), but on Sat. morning Michael prayed "Thank you for our apartment." It immediately changed our whole outlook, and even when we got back to the apartment Sat. it seemed so amazing to us that we have such a nice place.
Thank you for your interest in our Korea adventure!
The Jangs then took us to Lotte Mart for some shopping - sheets, etc. We've been back a couple of times on our own for more apartment amenities and also for food shopping. It's got everything. We've been able to poke around and look at all the prepared food in the produce and meat sections - sort of like a mini deli. I don't think I am going to be eating too much salad, but there are at least 10 kinds of greens suitable for cooking. Michael likes getting the cart because a coin is inserted to unlock a cart and then returned when the cart is put away - he has it all figured out.
We then took a tour around campus and then had a delicious Korean lunch at a restaurant that was out of town a bit -down a one lane bridge and a gravel road. The mountains are right behind. We sat on the floor on pillows and there is a low table where MANY small bowls of side dishes were placed in the center. We had our own bowl of rice with vegs. and also soup. Michael was quite impressive using his chopsticks. He is making me look bad with my fork.
Saturday Justin and Prof. Jang picked us up and we brought our suitcases to the apartment. We also took another trip to Lotte Mart. Prof. Jang walks faster than I do and is quite fit; while we did the shopping (with Justin finding things and me trying not to get distracted by all the unfamiliar and interesting things), he walked several blocks and picked up bus passes for us. We got back to the apartment and they headed home. We arranged things and unpacked. Then the Jangs had us over to their home for dinner. They are on the 14th floor and have a good view of part of the city (mountains block view of whole city). In their kitchen is a large kim chi refrigerator - yes, just for storing kim chi. I had heard of these but never guessed how big it would be for a small family.
We have felt so thankful for Justin and his family. God's providence in our entire process of applying for the professional improvement leave to meeting Justin to our very smooth arrival has been so evident. We didn't know our living arrangments until about a week before we departed Auburn, but we did not have any anxiety. We had met Justin and his family, and when we were in Seattle in early July, I had dinner with my main accounting professor contact, Prof. Jeong Youn Kim. We knew there was somewhere for us to live - but it was so nice to be all set to move in when we got here. A prayer helps too. I think we were kind of shocked by the construction zone and had a few things about the apartment that struck as as negative at first sighting (quickly taken care of with all purpose spray and paper towels), but on Sat. morning Michael prayed "Thank you for our apartment." It immediately changed our whole outlook, and even when we got back to the apartment Sat. it seemed so amazing to us that we have such a nice place.
Thank you for your interest in our Korea adventure!
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