Tuesday Evening/Wednesday

I wanted to be able to look around Jen's school more and take pictures. She said I could come to school at 6pm to meet her. I took that nap and when I woke, it was almost time to leave. The truck had stopped working outside but there was still no power. I decided to try flipping one of the 3 breakers. Guess what? Yep, power. Oh well.

I was hoping to get to the school before 6 so I would peek in on class but I didn't make it. It's uphill, you know. Mrs. Park who runs the school had bought me a gift. They had planned to take me to dinner but didn't realize I was leaving so soon. The day before Jennifer brought home several blouses that one of her co-workers sent me as a gift. The Koreans seem to be very generous. Jen's superiors also told her she could have the morning off on Wednesday so she could take me to the airport.

The facility was even nicer than I had originally thought. The Kindergarten is separate from the part where Jen works. Jen has had preschoolers in the past but I guess these students were not enrolled in the Kindergarten.

Here's Jen at her desk:



This is the library. The teacher facing us is Michael and the other is Joe. They are the ones who went to lunch with us on Friday.





There was a garden:



Here's the playground area:




We went back to the apartment to change and then onto Bupyeong Station for last minute shopping and dinner. I wanted to try more Korean food but by the time we got there it was pouring rain. It started getting late so we ended up at KFC. The menu was different so I decided to go for different. I ordered Garlic Roast with a side of cole slaw and a Coke. I'm not sure what kind of meat I got but it definitely wasn't chicken. It was pretty nasty. I had a few of Jen's fries and my coleslaw which looked different but tasted much like the US KFC. I told Jen we should at least go for coffee so we went to Holly's Coffee. It was a nice place to relax for a bit. It's sad that this trip is drawing to a quick close.


I was up packing until just after midnight then awake at 5 to get ready to leave. Abby still wanted to go with us to the airport even though Jen was off to take me now. I couldn't believe she was willing to get up so early to go with us.

It took us about 20 minutes to get a cab. They don't come by the street in front of the apartment all that often, and 3 of the driver's drove off after hearing English. We finally got one. He talked to us quite a bit, but we didn't understand any of what he was saying. We were meeting Abby at Songnae Station. I believe he wanted to take us all the way to the airport, but we made it very clear we only wanted him to take us to Songnae Station. Traffic was very heavy but we finally made it to the Station. From there we took another bus which was a shuttle to the airport. I'm sure the subway would have been faster because of the traffic, but it would have required several transfers which are not all that easy with heavy baggage. It probably took us 1-1/2 to 2 hours to get to the airport.

Jen wanted me to cry really badly. She kept saying I wouldn't see her again for 4 more months. Abby offered to cry but that really wasn't what Jen wanted. Well, fortunately for me there were no tears, but I will really miss those hugs. She's a beautiful person inside and out if I do say so myself. She was a wonderful hostess. It was really different having her to treat me to dinner and such. I'm very proud of my baby girl. She may be all grown up, but she's still my baby girl. And I love her friends. I believe they genuinely care about one another like friends should.

This blog would not be complete without another toilet. I found this one at the Seoul/Incheon airport. These Asians may have some squat toilets but they are miles ahead of us on some of the other ones. This one had a seat covered in plastic wrap. There was a button to push which caused the plastic wrap tube to advance to clean plastic. Genius.



The trip home went as well as could be expected. I slept more than I hoped--not really comfortably but OK for an airplane. The trip from Seoul/Incheon to Tokyo I was seated by a Korean lady who was traveling to Jackson, Mississippi with her Mom. This lady has lived in Jackson for the last 9 years. Her mother had never been on an airplane before. This little lady was glued to the window not wanting to miss a thing. I enjoyed talking with the daughter. They were also on my next flight but I didn't get to talk with them again.

The trip from Toyko to Atlanta I was seated beside a young Phillipino man who was traveling to the US for the first time. He had flawless English and I would have suspected him to have been born in the US. He explained he worked in a call center. I assured him I had never gotten anyone at a call center with his kind of English. The flight attendants didn't give him the correct documents and at first insisted they had. I believe they assumed he was an American. When they saw his green passport, they gave him the correct form. He was going to be working in Florence, SC for just over a month. What a scenic place to visit. (Sorry, Debbie.) He was very kind and helpful during the trip.

My flight to Charlotte was delayed. I arrived approximately an hour late but didn't not experience any of the turbulence the captain promised us. Thank you, Lord! He has been very gracious to me in allowing me this experience. I had good flights, a great time with my favorite daughter, and I didn't even get lost. YAY! Now who wants to go back with me for another visit.....

Tuesday Morning

Just as Jen was almost ready to leave for school the power went off. The intercom had come on earlier saying something in Korean. Just as the power went off a large truck started lowering cables down into the ground just below Jen's window so we assumed they had cut off the power. Jen went on to school and I quickly got ready without power or hot water.

I decided to walk though the traditional market once again and take some more pictures for your enjoyment.



While waiting for the bus I took this picture of an old lady selling produce on the sidewalk. It's not unusual to see the elderly doing this and other kinds of work. Some of them are so stooped over you can't see their faces but they seem to trudge along with a great sense of purpose and determination.


I don't think I've mentioned the beggars I've seen here--only a few for a city of this size. All of them were elderly or handicapped. I've seen two men without legs pulling themselves along the ground on creepers with boxes for money in front of them. I've also seen a couple of elderly women lying on the stair landings of the subway with boxes in front of them.

Anyway off to the subway where I thought maybe I'd go into Songnae and do what I had planned for Monday. But again I changed my mind. Subway map in hand I decided to try to find the 63 Building on my own. Jen had mentioned this building and I had found it listed in the top 10 things to see in Seoul. It's the tallest building in Seoul at 63 stories although 3 of these are underground. It houses a wax museum, and imax threater, and SeaWorld. Since I had left so early that morning I decided I had time and I might as well be adventureous on my last day. I took the rapid subway to Daebang station. I thought I had read to go out Exit 6 to catch the bus to the 63 building so out exit 6 I went and there I found the bus waiting. (Interesting side note: sometimes the signs say, "Exit" and sometimes they say, "Way Out.)

The first stop the bus made was another subway station. It told of this stop in several languages the last of which is English. Unfortunately, that was the only English. So I started searching the skyline for a tall building. I thought I maybe saw it but the bus had already stopped and didn't stop again for several blocks on several different streets. I figured I could always ride the entire loop again. Several stops later almost everyone got off the bus at this one stop. I had looked out the window and didn't see any tall buildings but I did see a covered bus stop labeled 63 Building so I jumped off the bus at the last minute. I scanned the skyline again and still didn't see anything that looked like it might be the 63 Building. While waiting for another bus I did find a neighborhood map on a post. According to this map the 63 Building was right across the street from me. I check the other side of this sign and again it looked like it was right across the street. So I crossed the street and walked a bit. Sure enough I found a revolving door that said 63 Square so in I went. I was very impressed with myself.


I walked all around that floor. There were food courts and boutiques. There was an information counter where I found an English brochure. I decided to visit the art gallery on the 60th floor (the top floor) so I purchased a ticket and got a ride in the glass elevator with a view. It went too fast to take any pictures though.

The museum was interesting. Some of the art was very nice but the view out the windows was even better. It was drizzling rain so it would have been even better on a clear day but I still really enjoyed it.





Back down the elevator I went to see what else I could find. There was a wax museum on one of the lower floors but apparently it wasn't open. They did have this display of Elvis in the lobby. A very bad impression of Elvis I might add.


I decided it was still pretty early so I bought a ticket for 63 Sea World. I don't know if this is the same Sea World as here but I would doubt it. It wasn't nearly as big and I didn't see any shows. First stop was the penguins. I didn't realize how small some of the penguins are--probably less than 12"--but they had larger penguins too. My pictures didn't come out great but here are a few.







Jen had told me about Doctor Fish. Apparently there's a place in Korea where you can go and have these fish eat all the dead skin off your feet. These didn't do your feet but your fingers. It was a very interesting feeling having them nibble at you. It made me giggle which made the other visitors giggle at me.

After Sea World I decided to walk around the outside of the building because I had seen a fountain and a sculpture from the 60th floor.




I made my way back to the subway station and home without getting lost. Still no power in the apartment but the truck was still working outside so I decided to take a quick nap before walking to Jen's school where I was to meet her at 6.

Monday

Monday Jen went to work and I ventured out on my own. I planned to take the subway to Songnae and go to one of the stores I had seen near the church. That would have required me to take a bus and I wasn't positive where to get off the bus so I chickened out and got off the subway at Bucheon station where we had went on Friday night. There was underground shopping there and I basically just did lots and lots of walking.


I also went to E-Mart again and took my time checking out the entire store. The appliances in Korea are quite different. I wanted to take some pictures but the sales staff have a tendancy to follow right behind you so I wasn't comfortable taking pictures. But I did find a picture of one the refrigerators that seem to be so common there so I'm posting it here.



Outside the subway station was quite different from the atmosphere on Friday night. I guess lots of street vendors come out at night and probably even moreso on the weekends. It was somewhat difficult to find lunch. It's very hard to order Korean food and have any idea what you might be getting and I'm not that adventureous. I ended up getting something at a bakery that ended up being closer to dessert than lunch. I didn't expect it to have a sweet filling inside but it did. Oh well.

I also got the privilege of using one of the squat toilets. Jen hasn't even done this yet. Sorry... I know not everyone wants to hear the private details of life, but I get fascinated with the difference in lifestyles. I think I find that most interesting part of travel. Anyway I had heard of squat toilets but thought they were more like outhouses than actual plumbing.


Jen decided we would go for Korean pizza for dinner. We went to Mr. Pizza.

I guess women do love Mr. Pizza because even though the place was packed there were only two men dining there. Korean pizza is quite different as far as toppings are concerned. They offered lots of seafood toppings and even one pizza had stuffed crust kind of like Pizza Hut but with a different twist.


It was stuffed with shrimp. The dough and sauce were very similar though. We ordered potato pizza which had large slices of baked or roasted potato and corn on top. It was very good. They served it with a side of garlic sauce (of course) and sweet pickles. Apparently pickles are very popular because this was the second time I'd had pickles. They were very similar to our bread and butter pickles. The pizza is not economical in Korea. Even though ours was small it cost somewhere between $18-20 I think. That was without drinks. Speaking of drinks I'm not sure I told you but when Koreans do order soft drinks, it's not at all uncommon for 2 or 3 people to share one drink. In fact on Saturday when I ordered a drink I was given two straws. I guess they assumed I was planning to share it with Jennifer.

Then we were off to Seoul Tower. Jennifer had told me it was quite a hike uphill to get to the cable car so you don't have to walk "up" to Seoul Tower. She wasn't kidding. We took the subway to Myeongdong and started walking up this hill. I asked her if this was the hill she had been talking about and her reply was not yet. I was pretty tired on that one. When we got to "the hill," she said, "It's easier if you just run." Yeah right. As her friend Robin can attest, she found it quite amusing to run, turn around, and take pictures of us in our suffering.


At the top of the hill there were some really pretty restaurants that would have been interesting to visit. We just took pictures instead.


Finally, we were at the Namsan Cable Car. I'm not sure Seoul Tower (actually N. Seoul Tower) is quite worth the cost but I guess it's something most tourists do. I thought the ride in the cable car would be scenic but they cram as many people as possible inside so unless you're first and get a spot near the window (to stand) you really don't see much. Then you still have to pay to go up in the tower. It was still interesting for sure.






It was another late night though. I could not keep my eyes open on the subway home so I joined most of the Koreans and slept. I'm sorry that neither of us are getting as much sleep as we need.

Sunday

I woke up early again but fortunately I was able to go back to sleep until 8. Yay!! We were pretty lazy in the morning. I worked on my blog forever. Sorry it was so long. I had a really hard time with the pictures loading too.

We left the apartment around 1:15 headed for church which is at 2:30. We took the bus from the apartment to the subway. We stopped for kimbap (or gimbap) which looks sort of like sushi. I ate some of it and it was OK but definitely not my favorite. Jennifer says it's a popular, healthy snack. It's pretty cheap--1,000 won which is less than $1.



We took the subway towards Incheon to Songnae station which is still in Bucheon where Jen lives. We then took another bus towards the church. Jennifer is definitely no longer directionally impaired. She said she pretty much had to learn it all on her own too. She gets around this place very well and to me it's very confusing. I've navigated New York City much, much better. It's hard to get your bearings when you can't really walk or drive. I'm thinking Bucheon is much larger than I first suspected.

It was still a walk of a couple of blocks to the church. There were absolutely no signs of a church so I'm amazed that she was ever able to find this place. We went though a small side door on the building and walked though a hallway that smelled like a Korean fish market (not really good) to the elevator. Even on the elevator there were no signs of an English speaking church. One floor did say Acts 29 but that was not Jen's church. I'm sorry to say I don't have any church pictures because that would have been too weird to do. It probably wasn't that different than a small church start up in the US that meets in a non-traditional space. The dress was casual maybe even moreso than Steele Creek. The pastor who wasn't much older than Jen wore jeans. The worship team led us in probably 4 songs. I only knew one of them--Hosanna. They had keyboards, guitars, bass, and drums. One of the guitarists used a mandolin on one of the songs.

The pastor teaches English here as well. I'm pretty sure the pastor position is part time. Jen said he's an English major. It's a pretty transient congregation because most of them are here for only one year. I believe the church is part of a larger Korean ministry. The two elders were Korean. They were dressed in suits and wore white gloves as they served communion. The service was from 2:30 until 4:00.

Afterwards there were refreshments and fellowship. Jen's friends Kristina, Katie, and Abby also attend the same church. You may remember I had dinner with them on Friday night. Katie is on the worship team and Abby was responsible for snacks on Sunday. Kristina's mom Sunyung (sp?) was also at church so I was able to meet her. She is Korean but until last summer has lived in Hawaii for 20 years. It was really nice to meet her and talk with her. Her family was Buddhist when she was very young but had converted to Catholicism. She became a Christian in the US and worshipped in a non-denominational church in Hawaii that met in, guess what--a tent. It sounded a lot like Steele Creek.

I also met another mom at church who was visiting her daughter. This lady was originally from Hong Kong but now lives in Syracuse. Her daughter was not at church because she had to work. Some of the schools had closed because of the swine flu scare so her daughter was making up missed days. Sunyung and this lady (don't remember her name) talked of how they are the only Christians in the their extended family.

After church we went with the girls and Sunyung for more Korean BBQ. We ate outside this time and the grills were different. The ones on Friday were electric. Here the waitress brought out two cylinder shaped charcoals that were probably 15" high and looked heavy. They were very hot. Seemed like a dangerous job carrying these things with tongs (one at a time). Then she brought a bowl full of meat (pork, I think) and lots of sides. Abby ordered blood clot soup. Here's a picture of the soup and the blood clot. I can promise you, I didn't go near this stuff.


Abby ate one blood clot and I guess she'd had enough.

We kept the waitress hopping bringing us more and more sides. I'm not sure how many times we had to get her to get more garlic. We ate lots and lots of garlic. This place also brought out sliced cucumber and carrots. We probably had her go back for more of these 4 or 5 times. I really enjoyed these. The cukes are really good here and very inexpensive in the markets. I also improved greatly with the chopsticks and was able to eat the entire meal with them. It was probably still very comical to watch but I was happy about it.







We had a great time together and again I really enjoyed talking with Sunyung. She seems to really love Jennifer and all the girls. It's nice to know they have a mom here and they all love her. Abby left us then the rest of us went to Baskin-Robbins for dessert. Koreans love ice cream and cakes. I guess we Americans do too.

Jen and I said our goodbyes for the night and she took me to E-Mart which used to be Wal-Mart I think. They have everything there from a pet store which sells puppies (and veterinarian serivce) to groceries to clothing to appliances. The clothing is higher end than Wal-Mart. They had Gore-tex jackets and hiking boots in their camping section. Jen got a nice pair of Levi's that cost 9,000 won which is less than $9. Prices here are interesting. For instance most of the umbrellas seem to be 15-30,000 won. Again these are high-rise buildings but they have an interesting way of getting the shopping carts from level to level.


Jen explained that the wheels lock in place so it's not so difficult to hold them on the incline. The grocery part of the store was very interesting. It was large like our grocery stores but they have sales people urging you to try samples and calling out loudly for you to buy. There are often free samples of other products attached to anything you buy too.

Once again it was close to 11pm when we got back to the apartment.