The Scooter and the Taxi

We had finished our visit to the Hwaseong Fortress and were waiting to cross the street when I saw a scooter come zipping out of a side street and BANG, it was hit by a taxi. The taxi driver got out and began to yell with hands waving at the scooter guy who was laid out on the pavement at the time. I'm yelling at Curt to call 119 (911 in Korea) since no one else seemed to be concerned. He didn't call because his Korean is just a little better than mine and we didn't know where we were. (It's hard to find a street sign in Korea). We are still waiting for the light to change and I'm complaining to Curt about how the taxi driver is handling the situation. Of course, the scooter guy was wrong but geez, you hit him with your car! How about a little compassion!

The street light finally turned and we crossed the street to find this scene. The lady was the customer in the taxi at the time of the accident. I couldn't believe the taxi driver wanted his fare. The scooter guy is sitting on the sidewalk out of the shot, holding his stomach and shaking his head.


Now, she needs to find another taxi to get her to her destination. No one was talking with the scooter guy to see if he was alright and I really didn't know what to do since I couldn't speak in Korean. I'm not sure if the police were even called. I hope the scooter guy is ok. Scooters and taxis are two reasons I DON'T drive in Korea. They are crazy; running red lights, driving on the sidewalks (the scooters) and basically using their brakes only when absolutely necessary.

Hwaseong Fortress

Hwaseong Fortress is just about a mile away from our apartment so off we set for another adventure in South Korea along with some exercise. Construction was planned by the 22nd king of the Joseon Dynasty, Jeongjo, when he decided to move his father's tomb from the Yangju area to Mt. Paldalsan in Suwon County in 1789. The fortress construction was started January 1794 and completed in June 1796.

This is called a "Poru" which is a tower with many holes which would enable the defenders to attack using guns for the smaller openings and cannons for the larger openings.

Janganmun Gate 장안문 - It is the north gate of the Fortress and it's main gate as well.

Gongsimdon is a 3-story stone brick structure built on top of the fortress wall. There are many holes in the wall which allowed sentries to keep watch on outside activities and to shoot intruders if needed. A unique feature of Hwaseong Fortress.

Steps leading up the Fortress wall.

To gauge just how massive this fortress is, do you see the people in the center of this picture?

A close up of the brick wall.

A path that runs along the Fortress.

Another pathway, I wouldn't want to try this during a rainstorm.

There is a lot of climbing and steps to be found throughout the Fortress. There were also a lot of Koreans taking advantage of the beautiful day.

More steps.

What you find at the top.

A beautiful view of the city of Suwon. Can you see our apartment?

Suwon is no small city and is growing unbelievably fast. There is always a construction crane in view just about from any vantage point.

This is not the first time I've seen this in Suwon. These are patients from a local hospital out for a little walk. It was four men, two had their left hand bandaged and I do admit that I looked at their backsides to see if they were covered.

I took a break from part of the walk, I was just too tuckered out. As I was sitting on a bench waiting for Curt to return, two Koreans with rather large lensed cameras walked by. All of a sudden, I hear click, click, click. They had ducked behind a tree about 20 yards from me and were taking pictures of me. I looked up at them and gave them the peace sign along with my biggest smile. They turned and ran.

I thought that was the end of the excitement for the day but you never know in South Korea. I'll tell you tomorrow what I witnessed and I have the pictures to prove it. Stay tuned, you won't believe it!

The Chuseok Holiday

The Chuseok Holiday is the biggest holiday in Korea. This year (2007) it is celebrated from September 24-26. It is a time when Koreans leave their homes to travel to their hometowns all over Korea. Many people visit the grave sites of ancestors and tend to the graves. They will also leave food and drink in honor of their ancestors. It is also the time that traditional Hanboks are worn. Gifts are bought for parents and grandparents. Our local Home Plus had a huge section devoted to Chuseok gifts. There were fruit gift boxes and even Spam gift boxes. My husband brought home a "Dove" gift box filled with "Dove" products.

It is a time to gather together and be thankful, very much like the U.S. Thanksgiving. The main food of Chuseok is songpyeon which is half moon shaped rice cakes filled with red beans and sesame and steamed over pine needles. Families make songpyeon the eve before the holiday and it is an old Korean saying that whoever makes the prettiest songpyeon will have the best looking spouse.

Maedeup Class #2

A walk to the bus stop. Be careful where you walk in the Fall here in South Korea. You see a lot of peppers drying on the sidewalks.
A view from the back of the bus on our way to Seoul. The bus drivers are crazy here. They run red lights, they drive on the shoulders, and are constantly switching lanes on the highways to get ahead. I got carsick for the first time on the bus on the way home from maedeup class. Luckily, I made it home without getting sick but it sure wasn't a good feeling.

My latest maedeup knot. This one was quite easy but the hard part was getting it tight enough. The teacher gave me a dolphin charm and said that dolphins bring good luck. It's neat how her English is improving each week. She can now count to five in English. I'm learning some Korean in the class, I know now yogi means here.

Mexican Food in Seoul

My biggest craving since moving to Korea has been for Mexican food. Thanks to the Daily Kimchi, we found Mexican food in Korea. By subway, take exit 6 from Gangnam Station and upon leaving the station walk about one kilometer and look for the Tous Les Jours bakery which will be on your left side. Right before the bakery is an alleyway, turn left into the alley and you will see the signs for Dos Tacos. We were there on a Saturday about 3:00pm and it wasn't crowded at all.
We sat next to some other Westerners, something you don't see in Suwon everyday. We found a table and were given menus immediately. Then about three minutes later a waiter came to take our order (unusual in Korea, you normally have to wave over the waitstaff). We started to speak in our limited Korean only to find out the waiter spoke perfect English. I was also surprised to hear English being spoken exclusively by Westerners and Koreans alike. It felt really strange to hear all the English.

This is my chicken burrito which cost $5.50 USD. It came with plenty of chicken, sour cream, lettuce, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, onions, rice and a delicious salsa. They also had a spicy sauce you could add but the waiter said it was very spicy so we passed.

Curt ordered the chili burrito for $9.00 USD. His burrito came with beef, cheese, fried rice, chili bean, onion, jalapeno, olive, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, lettuce, and salsa. He said it was delicious. This definitely soothed our Mexican craving and we will be going back!

Adios!

My First Award!

What a wonderful thing to wake up to here in South Korea. My dear friend Holly on her blog, http://creekhiker.blogspot.com/, gave me the "Nice Matters Award"

“This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends, and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you have been awarded, please pass it on to seven others whom you feel are deserving of this award.”

I'm trying to keep a positive spin on life here in South Korea. But like life in general, you have good days and you have bad days. I have had a couple of hard (bad) days and this put a big smile back on my face.

I am thrilled to be able to present the "Nice Matters Award" to the following:

Eva McKinnon, better known as "Stranger in Suwon" who has been very helpful with my transition here in Suwon, South Korea. - http://survivingsouthkorea.blogspot.com/

Donna Kato, the one who introduced polymer clay to the masses - http://web.mac.com/donna_kato/Site/Blog/Blog.html

Linda Peterson, a fellow polymer clay designer and friend - http://www.lindapetersondesigns.blogspot.com/

Kevyn Burger, I watched her on the news as a reporter and now she has her own radio show - http://kevynbaby.blogspot.com/

The Daily Kimchi, a wealth of great information on South Korea - http://thedailykimchi.blogspot.com/

Polymer Clay Daily, I'm always trying to aspire to the talent found here - http://polymerclaydaily.com/

Craft Sanity, where I can learn so many new crafts - http://www.craftsanity.com/

Observations

Korean boyfriends are very attentive to their girlfriends, carrying their purses is not an uncommon sight to see in Korea.

I have also noticed that when they eat a take out sandwich, they leave the wrapper on.

I was channel surfing the other day and the name of this show caught my eye, "3 Color Women Talk Show." I admit to being curious as to what the hostesses looked like.

These are the hostesses.

Another name for toilet paper holder.

Maedeup Class

Saturday was the first of my eight week maedeup classes. We learned two knots. The one on the far right was quite simple with few steps. The knots in the center I had learned during my previous introductory class. The three knots in the center of the first maedeup was extremely difficult with a lot of twists and turns.

The maedeup bracelet we made. The teacher picked out the colors. How did she know it was Minnesota Vikings colors? It was so much fun to make.

On Sunday, I had a craft afternoon with mother of my husband's co-worker. She loves to craft and wanted to learn some of my crafts. We made some polymer clay beads which I am putting into a bracelet for her. She brought me this box that she made. It is a Korean paper craft called Hanji http://www.koreanpaperarts.com/about/what.asp). She is going to teach me how to do this. She also knows where the store is to buy the supplies.

Another view of the box. Although she spoke really no English and my Korean is still in it's infancy, we communicated brilliantly through our love of crafting. Her daughter was also there to help translate. It was a wonderful afternoon and I think I made another friend here in Korea.

Trying to Find the Post Office

I set out on a walking excursion to find the post office and a community center which are both within a half mile of our apartment. I found a set of buildings and this sign. I'm sure it identifies what the buildings are but I couldn't read it. So I went into the nearest building and up to the information desk. I heard an orchestra playing in the background and I inquired if this building was the community center. No one spoke English and they tried to give me a program to the concert. I declined, thanked them and headed for the door.

I found a second building that looked (to me) like a community center. I entered and again inquired at the information booth. The young girls here were quit giggly and also spoke no English. They talked among themselves for a time and then a security guard came up and led me to another building. I assumed he had understood me.

We enter the third building which seemed more like an office building and we approached the counter. A group of six girls gathered and the guard was telling them something and they were responding. Finally, a girl from the back of the room came forward and took me to a another counter and gave me a form. I told her I was looking for the community center. She said the guard had told her that I was moving and wanted a form to change my address. She didn't really understand community center so I said that I liked to swim. She understood and pointed me to a fourth building. I thanked her and off I went.

I entered this building and was greeted with that old familiar smell of chlorine. I love that smell! It reminds me of so many fun times. I went up to the information desk and asked if I could get some information. More of the same - big smiles, embarrassment and no English. I said, "So, no one speaks English here?" I got a bunch of smiles in return and took that for a yes. Oh well, off the the post office.

I became lost taking many of the tiny sides streets in my neighborhood and came across this elementary school. I would love to do some volunteering while I am here so I went into the school. I was surprised that none of the doors were locked and were, in fact, propped open. I found the Administration Offices which were also labeled in English and I entered.

Work ceased and I had their full attention. I spoke to a girl about volunteering. She didn't know English and really didn't know what to do about me. Suddenly, an older Korean came over and asked in English if he could help me. I think he could have been the principal. I told him that I would like to volunteer or help in a classroom. He said, "Must be Korean to teach." I said, "I don't want to teach, just help. Volunteer, for free." He said again, "Must be Korean, only Korean." So I said, "So that means I can't help out here at your school?" He said, "Yes." I said thank you and that was that. I'm going to ask our relocation agency about it. I would still like to do it.

I never did find the post office.

Fan Death

This is a picture of our Korean fan. It may look like an innocent fan to you but it can kill. I have talked about fan death with quite a few Koreans and there are several ways a fan can kill:

1. A fan can cause death by hypothermia. The fan can lower your body core temperature which can lead to hypothermia and death.

2. A fan can cause death by suffocation. The fan can reduce enough of the air around you that you suffocate.

This is not a joke but a real concern. In Korea, you cannot run a fan all night long while you are asleep. This is when fan death strikes. One Korean told me of his concern for his girlfriend so he calls her before bedtime to make sure she isn't running her fan. Another told me that when someone dies at home in bed and there is a fan in the room, it is assumed that the cause of death was fan death. I was told the amount of deaths per year is 3-4 people.

I tried, in one case, to plead a point that it didn't really make sense, but I quickly learned that this is truly indisputable. Honestly, my first reaction was, "You've GOT to be kidding me!" But now with time to reflect on all I have heard, is it really any different than:

1. Don't walk under a ladder, it will bring you bad luck.

2. Break a mirror, seven years of bad luck.

3. Step on a crack, break your mother's back.

Plus a whole lot more.

In closing, we don't run the fan at night but we do run our air conditioning unit all night long and have for two months. I forgot to ask if air conditioning can cause death.

Something I Thought I Would Never Do in Korea!

I got highlights and a haircut. My hair has been driving me crazy. With the humidity and the need for a haircut, my hair just became too much of an issue. I was going to grow it out and it was at the point where it fit mostly into a ponytail which was really nice when it was humid. But now that we are into September, the humid days are getting fewer. Curt wanted to get a hair cut at a beauty salon in Home Plus and I decided to do it too. Luckily, there was a customer there who knew English and could translate what we wanted.

Our stylist was a guy and he started with Curt's haircut. Then it was my turn. They do it differently here than in the States. Your hair is cut dry with an occasional spritz from a water bottle. It was really strange to be in hair salon with no curling irons anywhere, no bottles of mousse, styling gel, or even hair spray. The hair dryer appeared from under the chair. They keep their tools (scissors and combs) in a tool pack around their waist.

They gave me several books to look at cuts. I chose one and showed him. He then cut my hair using techniques I had never seen before. One technique, he took a clump of my hair and as he dropped it on his scissors, he cut away. I saw HUGE clumps of my hair falling to the floor and my first thought was, "I'm glad my hair grows pretty fast!" He finished the cut and then styled my hair. I started to get up to leave, thinking he forgot about the highlighting, he gestured for me to sit down. He went into another room and came back with the blue goo but no tin foil (I'm used to getting foils). He basically highlighted my hair like you would do when you get foils. I sat for about 20-30 minutes and then he led me to the shampoo area and my hair was shampooed and conditioned. He laid a white blindfold on me before he started. Back to the chair where my hair was blow dried and styled. No curling iron and no hair spray.

I think he did a great job. I have only one complaint, he started the highlights about 1/2" - 3/4" from my roots so it looks like it's grown out some. Curt thinks I'm being too picky but I think next time I'll get him to go all the way to the root. The peace sign is what Koreans do when you take their pictures.

It's Not Always as It Seems

We discovered a chicken restaurant a few blocks from
our apartment. I usually go once a week and get some
chicken to go. The owner gives me free treats in my bag
like a Pepsi. This week, she handed me this corn. It
smelled and looked delicious. When you bite into it, the
corn was the toughest corn I have ever eaten and we
really couldn't eat it. The chicken comes with a sweet
and sour coating and is really delicious.

We never would have ever gone into this restaurant if not for the sign.
In English, it said "Mexican" and I was so hungry for anything
Mexican that we entered the restaurant. Luckily, it had pictures of
the food on the wall and we soon discovered that the only thing Mexican
was the name, it was actually a chicken restaurant. We ordered a plate
of fried chicken and one of the sweet and sour chicken. The owner really
questioned (in Korean) our choices but we were very insistent that was
what we wanted. About 20 minutes later, she brought out two huge plates
of chicken. Ohhhhh, now we get it. The menu is family style. We brought
how a lot of leftovers.

I have been wanting to go to Icheon since we arrived here in Korea.
It is a huge ceramic community. I had visited all the websites:
http://english.tour2korea.com/03Sightseeing/DestinationsByRegions/depth04.asp?oid=&sightseeing_id=114&ADDRESS_1=21134&ADDRESS_2=20048&sight=sightseeing&konum=1&kosm=m3_1
http://www.atcjob.com/enjoy/view.php?bbs_num=29&bbs_code=visit

We found the Visitor's Center and got a map of the area. We found on the map the Icheon Pottery Village and off we went. We drove past it the first time. On the way back, we found a pottery shop pretty much next door so we parked the car and walked.

We found one shop. It had extremely expensive pottery, a vase was $1600.00. We walked outside and found this outdoor kiln.

Another shot of the kiln.

We found these two bags of peppers.

We found this street which lead to some private homes.

We followed it and found someone outside who we asked

where the village was. He basically pointed to where

we had been. I was extremely frustrated so we decided

to head home.

The GPS put us on this road. I told Curt, "This can't be right. This road

is too narrow." Curt said, "It's just like one of the back roads I take to

work. We continued on.

Then we ran into a roadblock. Curt had a few fine words for the GPS

and promptly started to back up the car. Why were we backing up?

The road was too narrow to turn around!

Another view of the road the GPS chose.

See why I was getting nervous.

We finally got on the right roads and headed back to Suwon. Here
is a tunnel we are about to enter. One of the tunnels is one mile long.

Inside the tunnel.

I was really disappointed and frustrated. I wanted to do some major

Christmas shopping. We ended up stopping at The Outback for a late

lunch. That really hit the spot.

I also did something I thought I would never do in South Korea. I'll

go into the details on that adventure tomorrow.