Minnesota Not So Nice

This was quite a surprise to walk into after a long plane ride. Apparently, my son who is almost 21 only washed what he absolutely needed during the 5 months we have been gone. His entire wardrobe is in this pile, excluding what he was wearing this day. His closet was a sea of empty plastic hangers. In case you were wondering, no we didn't surprise him with our visit, he was aware of our itinerary for about three months. We had quite the talk with him and are cautiously optimistic this won't happen again. (Yeah, right) It took two and a half days to get it all washed and dried. Oh, it's so good to have a dryer again.

Curt (hubby) with our grandson, Noah. No stuffing there Noah!

Another picture of Noah with Grandpa.

I must say that I have strange interactions with Americans now too. Here are two since we have arrived home:

1. I was entering our bank about the same time as an elderly woman leaning heavily on her cane. I held the door open for her and she gave me a dirty look and said "Harrumf" (That's what it sounded like to me) and proceeded through the door. That remark didn't deter me and I held the inner door open for her. She walked through and gave me another dirty look and said, "Young people!" The guy behind her just started laughing and I shrugged my shoulders and entered the bank behind her.

2. I was at the grocery store yesterday just picking up a few things. The lines were huge with 10+ people in each line. I noticed that the lady two in front of me received a phone call during her transaction, proceeded to continue to talk as she paid and then stood there continuing the conversation not bothering to pack her groceries which filled the entire conveyor belt. The lady directly ahead of me was checked out quickly and proceeded to bag her groceries. There was no room to check me out so the checkout girl just shrugged and said I had to wait. Curt was waiting outside in the car and the cellphone chick was still standing there talking so I told the gal I would grab a bag in front of the cellphone chick and we could get me checked out. So that is what I did. The cellphone chick was still standing there talking when I left. I just find that so incredibly rude.

I'm beginning to wonder if it is me or are we getting more rude and inconsiderate. Maybe the older I get, the shorter my fuse is. I'm not going to ask my husband that one! The last two weeks here have been so frantic. I needed to finish Christmas shopping which I did today. We need to pick up gifts for our Korean friends. Asians are VERY big on gifts so we need to bring back gifts for quite a few people. I've had lots of lunches and dinners with friends and family. I am definitely getting my American food fix. I have a new video camera so I will be video taping more experiences to put on the blog. Sometimes words just do. Have a wonderful Christmas and I'll be back in a week or so.

Dan Fogelberg August 13, 1951 - December 16, 2007

Dan Fogelberg, one of my favorite singer/songwriters died of prostrate cancer yesterday. The video is one of my favorite songs of his. His song "Longer" was sang at my wedding. It just makes me so very sad. Back in the 1980's when he was touring, he did a concert here in the Twin Cities. My husband just happen to be at a St. Paul hardware store when one of Dan's roadies came in looking for tools. We thought that was so cool! He will be missed.

Well, we made it home and we arrived to find quite a surprise. I'm figuring out how to download my pictures onto my son's computer so you will have to wait a day or two. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

We have about five inches of snow on the ground and have missed a lot of the big snowstorms which is just fine with me. We also arrived to find out furnace not working properly and when it is 0 degrees Fahrenheit and you are used to 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit, you are freezing all the time. It was fixed without costing too much.

I also had an early Christmas present. I've had a sore tooth since the first week we moved (about 6 months) but held off going to a Korean dentist. It only hurt when I chewed on that side so I was able to get by. I needed a root canal which was my first and I was TERRIFIED. My dentist did an excellent job and I can now chew on both sides of my mouth. WooHoo!

Snowman Magnet/Pin

Snowman Magnet/Pin

Materials:

Polymer clay: White and orange

2 "E" size black beads

2" 2mm black Neoprene cording

2 10mm red pompoms

Round toothpick

Blush and cotton swab

Glue gun and glue

Round magnet or pin back

Circle template, optional for measure ball size

Instructions:
1. Flatten a 3/4" white ball. For the eyes, press the two black beads into the head. Use a toothpick to indent two squint lines by each eye.

2. For the nose, roll a 7/32" orange ball into an oval and press onto the head under the eyes. For the mouth, use a toothpick to indent 7 holes in the shape of a smile. Use cotton swab to blush cheeks.

3. Bake in a preheated 265 degree oven for 20 minutes and let cool.

4. For the earmuffs, hot glue Neoprene cording and one pompom to one side of the head. Press and hold until the glue has cooled. Do the same with the other side.

5. Hot glue magnet or pin back to the back.

In the words of Ozzy Osbourne, "Mama, I'm comin' home." Tomorrow we fly to the States for a three week visit. I hope to post some during our stay but we will be pretty busy seeing friends and family. Also, can't forget to get our Donatelli's, Chipotle, Panera Breads, chili's... fix. I do miss American food.

I'm interested to see if there will be any reverse culture shock. Will I miss NOT being stared at, not having adolescent boys excitedly come up to me to say "Hi," not being able to understand most of the conversations going on around me? How much has the U.S. changed in five months? Will I remember how to drive after not driving for five months?

Have a wonderful Holiday and I can't wait to see what 2008 brings!

Christmas in South Korea

I thought I had seen everything when it comes to Christmas decorating but this Christmas tree just inside a Lotte Department Store topped it all. I never thought to add legs to a Christmas tree. It sure caught our attention when we entered the store. Also, Christmas decorations didn't appear until after the U.S. Thanksgiving which is a lot later than in the U.S.



My last maedeup class of the year. This is called Maehwa Maedeup and is also known as the Plum Blossom Knot. I don't have it quite figured out yet but I have video on how to create it. I will miss four weeks of classes now since we are going to visit back home for a few weeks.

War Museum of Korea

The main entrance to the War Museum of Korea where you will find the history and artifacts of Korean wars.


















These walls list the Koreans killed in wartime.


A ceiling in the museum.

The Korean War Armistice Agreement signed between North and South Korea.

Paratrooper

Paratrooper's parachute.

The Drop which is comprised of 1300 dog tags.