If you ever go to Asia, one of the first challenges you face it telling people apart. Everyone here has dark eyes and dark hair. People also have similar hair cuts to match the current fashion. It takes a while to figure out how to tell people apart. You would think it would be easier for them to tell Westerners apart since we have a variety of hair colors and eye colors, but they feel the same way about us as we do about them. Everyone with brown hair looks like they are related.
This makes for interesting conversation. In Korea, couples looking alike is a good thing (I don't really know why, their standards of beauty are very uniform). People say Riley and I look alike all the time, and they don't seem to realize its not really a good thing since it implies we are related.
By Korean standards I am beautiful because: my nose has a bridge, my eyes are wide, and I have blue eyes. They would be surprised to know that in the US I am not considered a "beautiful person."
Koreans tend to call the odd things foreigners do as "cute" which is why lots of Koreans told me my dad was very cute (they call Riley cute too).
A Chinese friend told us that my mom sounded British, but my dad didn't. We were also told that my parents were very calm people. I was confused until I remembered this person used to live in New York City.
One other thing someone said, and I haven't had the chance to get her to explain more, it that she was very surprised to see how proud my parents are of Riley and I. She said that Korean parents would never tell people they were proud of their children.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Traditional Korean Wedding
Last weekend Riley and I got invited to a wedding for a friend of ours. She is from China and she married a Korean guy. We had heard the Korean weddings were strange combinations of Eastern and Western culture, but our friend insisted on a traditional Asian wedding.
The beginning and ending of our journey was a long bus ride full of Chinese students. It was strange not understanding a word anymore. Not that we know Korean, but we can pick up words.
Once we got to Seoul, we drove into the War Museum parking deck. We were very confused until we realized the wedding was going to take place in the War Museum courtyard. They had everything set up for traditional weddings near all the missiles and tanks parked outside. Luckily we got there early so Riley and I could look around the yard some at the tanks, airplanes, and boats.
Our friend had decided on a Royal wedding where the bride and groom were dressed as the prince and princess of Korea. The dress was really elaborate. The groom's hat kept getting in his eyes.
The first part was getting the bride and groom into chairs to be wheeled to the top of the aisle. This took a long time for the bride since it meant getting her headdress off and on again. Then the bride walked down the aisle first. There was lots of yelling in Korean and drumming. Then the groom joined her with more yelling and drumming. They also brought the two wooden ducks down the aisle and set them on a table. Speaking of tables, there were tables of fruits, candles, and incense arranged at the front.
After the drumming and yelling (translated "Congratulations" "May you live a thousand years") they walked back down the aisle. Then they came back and took a lot of pictures.
We then went to an all you can eat buffet with sushi, fried mushrooms, fish, potato salad, and ice cream. The bride and groom came back in more comfortable looking traditional Korean clothes (Hanbok) and greeting everyone.
It was really interesting, but the odd part was all the attendants were from the wedding set-up. They were basically actors helping the couple through the ceremony. They had really neat outfits, but I think I would prefer knowing the people who helped me get married.
I loved the colors, though, everything was really bright! It was a beautiful wedding, and the couple looked really happy (especially when the groom got to change his hat).
The beginning and ending of our journey was a long bus ride full of Chinese students. It was strange not understanding a word anymore. Not that we know Korean, but we can pick up words.
Once we got to Seoul, we drove into the War Museum parking deck. We were very confused until we realized the wedding was going to take place in the War Museum courtyard. They had everything set up for traditional weddings near all the missiles and tanks parked outside. Luckily we got there early so Riley and I could look around the yard some at the tanks, airplanes, and boats.
Our friend had decided on a Royal wedding where the bride and groom were dressed as the prince and princess of Korea. The dress was really elaborate. The groom's hat kept getting in his eyes.
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| The bride and groom. The colors of Korea are red, blue and yellow. |
The first part was getting the bride and groom into chairs to be wheeled to the top of the aisle. This took a long time for the bride since it meant getting her headdress off and on again. Then the bride walked down the aisle first. There was lots of yelling in Korean and drumming. Then the groom joined her with more yelling and drumming. They also brought the two wooden ducks down the aisle and set them on a table. Speaking of tables, there were tables of fruits, candles, and incense arranged at the front.
After the drumming and yelling (translated "Congratulations" "May you live a thousand years") they walked back down the aisle. Then they came back and took a lot of pictures.
We then went to an all you can eat buffet with sushi, fried mushrooms, fish, potato salad, and ice cream. The bride and groom came back in more comfortable looking traditional Korean clothes (Hanbok) and greeting everyone.
It was really interesting, but the odd part was all the attendants were from the wedding set-up. They were basically actors helping the couple through the ceremony. They had really neat outfits, but I think I would prefer knowing the people who helped me get married.
I loved the colors, though, everything was really bright! It was a beautiful wedding, and the couple looked really happy (especially when the groom got to change his hat).
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Mom and Dad's Trip Concluded
After a whirlwind 10 day tour of Riley and Margaret's favorite places in Korea, Mom and Dad made it safely back home.
We took them to see our work place and what a traditional market looks like. The we took them for Sam Gap Sal that evening, but I think they were too jet lagged to enjoy it too much. The next day was rainy, so we went to the Natural Science Museum so I could show them the Korean wildlife and how to make Kimchi. Then we went to the Arboretum to see Korean plants.
The next few day we went to Gyeongju. This is a town that used to be the capital of one of the three kingdoms, and it has huge tombs for the kings and queens. There is also a famous temple and many famous Buddhas. We climbed a mountain that was very steep and rocky, but the views were worth it.
Back in Daejeon, we visited the nearby national park for some hiking and souvenirs before heading back to get ready to have our bible study.
We then visited Gong-ju to see the old fortress and some more museums.
The next day we went to lunch at a Korean household. The guy who had us over is our small group leader for our mission training classes. It was delicious! They even had cheesy pasta!
The rest of the time was just visiting and packing. It was a great visit! We didn't even have time to get to Seoul. They wore Riley and I out!
We took them to see our work place and what a traditional market looks like. The we took them for Sam Gap Sal that evening, but I think they were too jet lagged to enjoy it too much. The next day was rainy, so we went to the Natural Science Museum so I could show them the Korean wildlife and how to make Kimchi. Then we went to the Arboretum to see Korean plants.
The next few day we went to Gyeongju. This is a town that used to be the capital of one of the three kingdoms, and it has huge tombs for the kings and queens. There is also a famous temple and many famous Buddhas. We climbed a mountain that was very steep and rocky, but the views were worth it.
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| Mom and Dad on top of Namsan |
Back in Daejeon, we visited the nearby national park for some hiking and souvenirs before heading back to get ready to have our bible study.
We then visited Gong-ju to see the old fortress and some more museums.
The next day we went to lunch at a Korean household. The guy who had us over is our small group leader for our mission training classes. It was delicious! They even had cheesy pasta!
The rest of the time was just visiting and packing. It was a great visit! We didn't even have time to get to Seoul. They wore Riley and I out!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Visit from Mom and Dad!
Mom and dad are here! They survived the 13 hour flight and arrived in the airport yesterday! We have a lot in store for them, including traditional markets, historical temples, and kimchi! This morning we had them try our usual rice for breakfast (with sesame seeds). They were a little out of it until they got a good night's sleep and a cup of coffee. One of our friend's has an extra double bed, so they don't have to squeeze into our apartment.
More to come!
More to come!
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| Mom and dad arriving in the Incheon Airport in South Korea! Don't they look happy? |
Saturday, May 12, 2012
I haven't posted many pictures in a while, so here are some of the flower pictures I took when the cherry blossoms were blooming.
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| This is one of my best Egret pictures. They were really hard to take a good picture of, but there is one in the middle of the tree. There were tons in the tops of trees, but white birds with a white sky in white flowers doesn't show up well. |
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| This is the most common bird you see here. They are a type of Magpie and sometimes flock in the hundreds. |
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| Spring green maple leaves! |
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| Cherry Blossoms |
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| This is a type of Rubus (I don't know if it turns into an edible berry like blackberries or raspberries), but the leaves with water drops were pretty. |
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| This is one of the famous cherry blossom trees that they have festivals about. |
Traveling without a car in Korea
One of the interesting things for us living in Korea is the fact we do not own a car. Since we live in the city it turns out okay. Everything is close enough together here there is not much of a problem. If you did not know, Daejeon, has over 1.5 million people, but has a land footprint that is half the diameter of Charlotte (Measured by belt line size.) Charlotte has 0.7 million people. So this makes living without a car very easy. We do not even miss the things, except the powerful feeling we get when driving them. So without the gas guzzling traffic generating machines that get our country into awkward political situations (See Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria etc) what do we do when we want to go somewhere?
Work: We usually walk the 3/4 mile journey to work. It takes about 30 minutes. Along the way we normally practice our Korean. If we are late we bike.
Groceries: There is a grocery store that is a 5 minute walk away. It has almost everything we need. It carries a good stock of fruits and vegetables, and there are many mom and pop dealers outside too. Shopping in Korea is halfway between a western supermarket, and a open air market. The dealers outside sell fruit, vegetables, and grains. We normally buy from them when we can because once they know you as a regular, they give you discounts :-). Unfortunately, we still do not know the words for many food items, so we normally point, and ask how much it costs. It's a little awkward, but it gets us food. Note: the Korean fruit tastes, and the Korean milk taste much better than the American versions. Every piece of fruit I have ever had here, has been perfectly ripe. It's nice, but I wonder if it is because of GMO's, or if it is because their agriculture here is ran almost exclusively by small farmers who pay very close attention to their products. On the apple trees here, they always wrap plastic bags around the apples to keep the insects off because the cost of labor is low ($5 per hour minimum wage, but given the work culture here (long hours, but slow work), it is probably equivalent to our $7.75 minimum wage).
Manufactured goods: There is a Super Walmart-like store here, called Home Plus. It is operated by a British firm known as Tesco which has similar stores in Brittan. We go there about once every 2 weeks to get special items. It is a 30 minute walk away, but we sometimes bicycle (10 minutes). There is also a Sam's Club-like store that requires no membership very close to it. We get our bulk items (Prego Spaghetti Sauce and peanut butter) there. Although we can get a lot of Prego for cheap, very few of our friends know what it is or how to use it, so they are often impressed when we make spaghetti. We also use it to make pizza.
Church: This is our farthest destination. It is a 45 minute walk, or a 20 minute bike ride. There are other churches closer to our house, but this church is the first one we attended, and we liked it so we stayed.
Downtown: The movie theater, and a bible study that we often attend is downtown. It is somewhat of a trek in the winter, when bicycling is not much fun at all. What we normally do is bike to the subway station, and take the subway the remaining distance. It is not efficient and takes about 30 minutes to make the 3 mile trip. In the summer we normally bike and if traffic is nice, it takes 25 minutes. We only go once a week.
Across town: Twice a year, an English speaking high school has really awesome festivals (think western food that is normally unavailable in Korea like hot dogs and tacos), so we go to them. The bike ride is 45 minutes, and the bus ride is too, but the bus ride is often worse because the air gets stuffy. I really enjoy biking, so we normally bike. The taxi fare there is $6, but we like to save money. The school also puts on a twice a year play which is also good. Some of our church friends teach there.
The countryside: This is the best part about a compact city. There are parks everywhere, but if you want real trees, they are right outside town. So we can take a 20 minute bus ride, and be in a national park (which is more like a state park), or a 10 minute walk and be on a forested mountain that is on the edge of town.
Other cities/the airport: We take the Korean intercity bus. It takes about 3 hours to get to Inchon (where the airport is). We take the KTX sometimes too. It takes 90 minutes to get to Seoul, but that is because we are going 150+ mph. It runs on standard rails, but they have the concrete ties, so they are very stable. Also its couplers are as tall as the car, so oscillations are greatly reduced. I think that's how it goes so fast.
So that is how we survive without cars. It's also nice that we pay no mechanic, no insurance, no fixing it ourselves, no gas and no traffic. The nice thing about this city is that our rent is cheap and we have no grass to mow. So we like our life here, but we really miss home because it is what we know and what we are used to. I am coming home in June for two weeks, and I hope to see many of you. Margaret is staying in Korea, but will visit in September.
Work: We usually walk the 3/4 mile journey to work. It takes about 30 minutes. Along the way we normally practice our Korean. If we are late we bike.
Groceries: There is a grocery store that is a 5 minute walk away. It has almost everything we need. It carries a good stock of fruits and vegetables, and there are many mom and pop dealers outside too. Shopping in Korea is halfway between a western supermarket, and a open air market. The dealers outside sell fruit, vegetables, and grains. We normally buy from them when we can because once they know you as a regular, they give you discounts :-). Unfortunately, we still do not know the words for many food items, so we normally point, and ask how much it costs. It's a little awkward, but it gets us food. Note: the Korean fruit tastes, and the Korean milk taste much better than the American versions. Every piece of fruit I have ever had here, has been perfectly ripe. It's nice, but I wonder if it is because of GMO's, or if it is because their agriculture here is ran almost exclusively by small farmers who pay very close attention to their products. On the apple trees here, they always wrap plastic bags around the apples to keep the insects off because the cost of labor is low ($5 per hour minimum wage, but given the work culture here (long hours, but slow work), it is probably equivalent to our $7.75 minimum wage).
Manufactured goods: There is a Super Walmart-like store here, called Home Plus. It is operated by a British firm known as Tesco which has similar stores in Brittan. We go there about once every 2 weeks to get special items. It is a 30 minute walk away, but we sometimes bicycle (10 minutes). There is also a Sam's Club-like store that requires no membership very close to it. We get our bulk items (Prego Spaghetti Sauce and peanut butter) there. Although we can get a lot of Prego for cheap, very few of our friends know what it is or how to use it, so they are often impressed when we make spaghetti. We also use it to make pizza.
Church: This is our farthest destination. It is a 45 minute walk, or a 20 minute bike ride. There are other churches closer to our house, but this church is the first one we attended, and we liked it so we stayed.
Downtown: The movie theater, and a bible study that we often attend is downtown. It is somewhat of a trek in the winter, when bicycling is not much fun at all. What we normally do is bike to the subway station, and take the subway the remaining distance. It is not efficient and takes about 30 minutes to make the 3 mile trip. In the summer we normally bike and if traffic is nice, it takes 25 minutes. We only go once a week.
Across town: Twice a year, an English speaking high school has really awesome festivals (think western food that is normally unavailable in Korea like hot dogs and tacos), so we go to them. The bike ride is 45 minutes, and the bus ride is too, but the bus ride is often worse because the air gets stuffy. I really enjoy biking, so we normally bike. The taxi fare there is $6, but we like to save money. The school also puts on a twice a year play which is also good. Some of our church friends teach there.
The countryside: This is the best part about a compact city. There are parks everywhere, but if you want real trees, they are right outside town. So we can take a 20 minute bus ride, and be in a national park (which is more like a state park), or a 10 minute walk and be on a forested mountain that is on the edge of town.
Other cities/the airport: We take the Korean intercity bus. It takes about 3 hours to get to Inchon (where the airport is). We take the KTX sometimes too. It takes 90 minutes to get to Seoul, but that is because we are going 150+ mph. It runs on standard rails, but they have the concrete ties, so they are very stable. Also its couplers are as tall as the car, so oscillations are greatly reduced. I think that's how it goes so fast.
So that is how we survive without cars. It's also nice that we pay no mechanic, no insurance, no fixing it ourselves, no gas and no traffic. The nice thing about this city is that our rent is cheap and we have no grass to mow. So we like our life here, but we really miss home because it is what we know and what we are used to. I am coming home in June for two weeks, and I hope to see many of you. Margaret is staying in Korea, but will visit in September.
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| Taken from a bike trip across town and over a mountain (no fossil fuels used!) |
Monday, May 7, 2012
One Year!
First off, I want to thank everyone who wished us a happy anniversary! Its still hard to believe its been a while year since we stood on the porch with everyone there. I miss all of you and I wish we could have a similar occasion again to have everyone we love together in one place.
In Korea, to celebrate our anniversary we escaped from Daejeon and took a bus to a nearby small town for the weekend. This town was once the capital of one of the three kingdoms in Korea around the 500s. They have a beautiful fortress with stone walls and trails. Though not as fancy, it reminded us of the Great Wall of China. The town also had a lot of tombs with an underground tomb museum. The really really nice thing about going to historical sites in Korea, is that almost all the informative signs are half in English!
We also had a delicious meal with grilled fish and lots of side dishes. The quality of a restaurant in Korea depends on the amount and variety of side dishes. There are normal ones that you pretty much always have (kimchi, sesame leaves, picked radishes), but in fancier restaurants you get quail eggs, tofu soup, crabs, and candied sweet potatoes.
To celebrate the actual day on Monday, we got a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake! Yay for anniversaries!
In Korea, to celebrate our anniversary we escaped from Daejeon and took a bus to a nearby small town for the weekend. This town was once the capital of one of the three kingdoms in Korea around the 500s. They have a beautiful fortress with stone walls and trails. Though not as fancy, it reminded us of the Great Wall of China. The town also had a lot of tombs with an underground tomb museum. The really really nice thing about going to historical sites in Korea, is that almost all the informative signs are half in English!
We also had a delicious meal with grilled fish and lots of side dishes. The quality of a restaurant in Korea depends on the amount and variety of side dishes. There are normal ones that you pretty much always have (kimchi, sesame leaves, picked radishes), but in fancier restaurants you get quail eggs, tofu soup, crabs, and candied sweet potatoes.
To celebrate the actual day on Monday, we got a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake! Yay for anniversaries!
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