Or, rather, Boy v Girl.
Today we trekked across Seoul to Yongsan Electronics Market to look at the largest electronic market in the world. Every electronic gadget, humidifier, dehumidifier, fridge (blinged out fridges), teeny pieces of computer stuff (to build your own), DVD's, Games - you name it, big or small, if it could be plugged in, it was there.
A total boy's paradise.
Dongdaemun by comparison, is shoes, bags, clothes, fabric ...
Thus, Boy v Girl.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday Night
We went out on the town last night for dinner. Well, actually, we just walked down the road. Went to a really nice restaurant and had Shaboo Shaboo. This is what we called a Steamboat in NZ - a big pot of broth bubbling in the middle of the table, and then thin sliced beef, a huge number of leafy greens, rice balls, mini meatballs, tapioca (which is like chewing elastic bands). It was delicious. After we ate that, they added noodles, which we ate, then put in some rice and an egg and made a risotto kind of thing. By that time we were a bit full.
After, we went to Haagen Dazs for icecream.
The icecream cost more than dinner.
After, we went to Haagen Dazs for icecream.
The icecream cost more than dinner.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
One More Thing ...
Logging onto Google and finding it in Korean. Then hitting buttons until I get to the right place. I did this for 4 days, then John showed me a button right at the bottom that said "Google in English". Grrr.
Unexpected Korea
We have now been here 5 days, and so far I feel good, apart from waking EVERY day at 4am. There are things we expected to find when we arrived: not being understood, people looking and touching the little blonde girls, lots and lots of cars, very helpful people ... But we are also finding other things that we had not even considered or even knew about. The best way I can do this is a list (sorry).
Not finding tea (regular, English-type tea) except in the international section.
Taking the girls up the Mt Achasan (meaning Mt Oops!) to the playground, and having them play with the sound of chanting Monks in the background.
Also up the mountain (when I say mountain, I really mean about the size of Mt Kaukau in Wellington) finding a huge number of Koreans decked out in full-on tramping gear - backpacks, hiking gear, boots, walking sticks and facemasks.
Not seeing blue sky.
This I think is funny - for those 'serious' mountain climbers, there is a station where they can clean themselves off with compressed air. I am not sure of the reason for this, but I think it is because a lot of the mountaineers catch the subway here, then climb, then have to subway back.
I was worried that there might not be any fabric stores in Seoul, but Dongdaemun Market is a sewing girls dream. Fabric for miles (quite literally), buttons to reach the moon, buckles, ribbons, lace, trims galore. I will have to get the girls into school so I can go shopping for days!
Cell phones and TVs that work in the subway.
Going down 107 steps to get to the first level of the subway.
Having someone at the market actually read and understand my attempt to write the word BREAD.
Mila not punching everyone who touchs her - although she is perfecting her "don't you dare" look.
Realising that we all need non-lace-up shoes otherwise we spend too long taking our shoes on and off.
Finding out that because we are in a PCUSA apartment, it is wired for 120V, so we could have bought some of our American stuff over here, but none of our new stuff works except in one Korean outlet, which is wired for 240V. Hopefully when we move downstairs to our new apartment in a few weeks it will be 240V.
Realising that I do need a hairdryer to feel human (and pretty!).
There will be many more things to come, I am certain. Today we go into the heart of the beast (Seoul), to get our Alien Registration Cards (eat your heart out Jen - not Cylon, but close), which will take most of the day. Wish us well.
Not finding tea (regular, English-type tea) except in the international section.
Taking the girls up the Mt Achasan (meaning Mt Oops!) to the playground, and having them play with the sound of chanting Monks in the background.
Also up the mountain (when I say mountain, I really mean about the size of Mt Kaukau in Wellington) finding a huge number of Koreans decked out in full-on tramping gear - backpacks, hiking gear, boots, walking sticks and facemasks.
Not seeing blue sky.
This I think is funny - for those 'serious' mountain climbers, there is a station where they can clean themselves off with compressed air. I am not sure of the reason for this, but I think it is because a lot of the mountaineers catch the subway here, then climb, then have to subway back.
I was worried that there might not be any fabric stores in Seoul, but Dongdaemun Market is a sewing girls dream. Fabric for miles (quite literally), buttons to reach the moon, buckles, ribbons, lace, trims galore. I will have to get the girls into school so I can go shopping for days!
Cell phones and TVs that work in the subway.
Going down 107 steps to get to the first level of the subway.
Having someone at the market actually read and understand my attempt to write the word BREAD.
Mila not punching everyone who touchs her - although she is perfecting her "don't you dare" look.
Realising that we all need non-lace-up shoes otherwise we spend too long taking our shoes on and off.
Finding out that because we are in a PCUSA apartment, it is wired for 120V, so we could have bought some of our American stuff over here, but none of our new stuff works except in one Korean outlet, which is wired for 240V. Hopefully when we move downstairs to our new apartment in a few weeks it will be 240V.
Realising that I do need a hairdryer to feel human (and pretty!).
There will be many more things to come, I am certain. Today we go into the heart of the beast (Seoul), to get our Alien Registration Cards (eat your heart out Jen - not Cylon, but close), which will take most of the day. Wish us well.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
We Have Landed
Entry number 3. We arrived in Korea yesterday morning at 5am. It was still dark, and on the car ride into Seoul (1 hr) it seemed that we could have been in any Western country. The girls even asked at one point as we were about to go into a tunnel if we were going to Pittsburgh. Only once we got closer to the city and saw hundreds of highrise apartment blocks did it seem a bit more foreign.
We saw none of the famed traffic congestion, but admittedly it was 5am on a Sunday morning. John had met us at Incheon airport with 2 of his faculty colleagues. Our bags (only 9) went in one car and we went in the other. Unloading them at this end was a bit of a task as we are currently living on the 3rd floor.
The flight itself, and leaving the US was pain-free - not tear-free. Karen and Iris drove us from Princeton to JFK. Mila was pleased to see NY city at night, before she fell asleep in the car. We flew Asiana Airlines, which I highly recommend. We had signed up for Family Assistance, which you can get if you are flying with children under 7. This was a GREAT idea. We were helped onto the plane, just after the First Class passengers. This was really helpful, as the majority of travellers (mostly Koreans) had started to line up for boarding 1 1/2 hours before we started boarding. Both girls slept at least half of the flight - I think leaving at midnight helped!
Arriving in Korea we were helped off the plane, then whisked through all the restricted areas, taken to the front of the line in customs, then and 2 staff help us with our bags, which came off the carousel straight after the First class bags. We were out of there within 1/2 hr!
We got to the apartment which is furnished in what I would call retro/junk/left-over/yuck style. Still it is furnished. Our final home will be an identical apartment (in layout, not decor) on the 2nd floor. It is currently being refurbished, and should be ready at the beginning of April, which coincides with when our things arrive that were shipped.
So, back to yesterday - we had a snack, then all went to bed, woke 4 hours later and then John gave us our first experience on the Seoul Subway. We went to church, then I was given the task of finding our way back home. Subway on the green line, transfer to the purple line, then finding our way back to our apartment through all the tiny little winding streets. Obviously we made it. John made us a Korean dinner, then all back to bed. I woke at 3am this morning, which is 5pm in Princeton, and the girls woke at 5.30am, so I think we are in good shape to survive the day.
Today John is taking us to the Dongdaemun market, which is legendary, and huge. I hope to tell you of our adventures there later.
We saw none of the famed traffic congestion, but admittedly it was 5am on a Sunday morning. John had met us at Incheon airport with 2 of his faculty colleagues. Our bags (only 9) went in one car and we went in the other. Unloading them at this end was a bit of a task as we are currently living on the 3rd floor.
The flight itself, and leaving the US was pain-free - not tear-free. Karen and Iris drove us from Princeton to JFK. Mila was pleased to see NY city at night, before she fell asleep in the car. We flew Asiana Airlines, which I highly recommend. We had signed up for Family Assistance, which you can get if you are flying with children under 7. This was a GREAT idea. We were helped onto the plane, just after the First Class passengers. This was really helpful, as the majority of travellers (mostly Koreans) had started to line up for boarding 1 1/2 hours before we started boarding. Both girls slept at least half of the flight - I think leaving at midnight helped!
Arriving in Korea we were helped off the plane, then whisked through all the restricted areas, taken to the front of the line in customs, then and 2 staff help us with our bags, which came off the carousel straight after the First class bags. We were out of there within 1/2 hr!
We got to the apartment which is furnished in what I would call retro/junk/left-over/yuck style. Still it is furnished. Our final home will be an identical apartment (in layout, not decor) on the 2nd floor. It is currently being refurbished, and should be ready at the beginning of April, which coincides with when our things arrive that were shipped.
So, back to yesterday - we had a snack, then all went to bed, woke 4 hours later and then John gave us our first experience on the Seoul Subway. We went to church, then I was given the task of finding our way back home. Subway on the green line, transfer to the purple line, then finding our way back to our apartment through all the tiny little winding streets. Obviously we made it. John made us a Korean dinner, then all back to bed. I woke at 3am this morning, which is 5pm in Princeton, and the girls woke at 5.30am, so I think we are in good shape to survive the day.
Today John is taking us to the Dongdaemun market, which is legendary, and huge. I hope to tell you of our adventures there later.
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