The differences I see between Korea and the USA - a year after leaving Korea

Let me give you all some background, some know this and some don't. I lived in Korea for 3 years and loved it the whole time. I was never "ready to leave" like some people are. I cried many times just thinking about leaving this beloved country. I dreaded coming back to America because there is such a richness in Korea that is hard to put into words and I didn't want to leave it. God blessed our lives there in so many ways. I've been back in America for a year and I'm glad I'm back, but thoughts of Korea come to mind everyday in some way, shape or form and I would go back in a heartbeat... even right now with the "threat" of war, if I could.

Before coming back to America, my children had never learned about "stranger danger" because that mentality is so opposite to the Koreans. My girls would have been considered rude to refuse gifts of candy and food from strangers (Koreans) or for pulling away when Koreans reached out to touch them. We felt so safe in Korea... really, really safe! I did not want to have to inform my children of the evil that surrounds us in America. I did not want to tell them that everything they knew and all their behaviors regarding strangers were now not safe. Strangers could be dangerous and you always have to be on the lookout, prepared to scream and kick and fight to be safe!

I knew there was always a chance of N Korea attacking. They attacked S Koreans twice while I lived there. Even then, I never felt afraid. I did feel mad. Mad that some foolish decision by some crazy guy might cause me to need to flee this country I loved! But my daily life was not impacted. I still felt safe.

Americans live with a similar background fear, but it is the "stranger danger" fear and it's different. It makes you look at people funny. It makes you not trust those around you that you don't know and even some you do know. It makes your daily life different. You parent differently because of it, I parent differently because of it. My parenting is very different from what it was in Korea. Most Americans don't even notice it because they have never been free from it. Those who have lived in other countries and have come back to America notice a difference.

America is not a safer country to live in, but we believe we are safe here because we don't have a bad guy threatening to cross our border and attack us. Our family was almost stationed in Colorado when we left Korea. A few months later, a little girl, my daughter's age, was kidnapped and killed in a peaceful, "safe" neighborhood as she headed to school. A gunman killed and injured innocent people in the "safety" of a movie theater. In another state, college kids going about their day were stabbed and killed on a college campus - in broad daylight! And we can never forget about the people on 4 different airplanes who were killed when terr orists chose to use the planes as weapons to fly into buildings. And the thousands of people that got safely to work that morning who died in their places of employment when planes flew into those buildings. These are just a few examples of how we are not safe, even in the great land of America. We do have evil here, it just looks a little different than it does in Korea.

Please pray for those in Korea. They need our prayers. They may have to run for their lives someday because of N Korea. Pray for us as Americans, too. We may have to run for our lives from the guy next door or the kook from another country who hates America. We are all living in a dangerous world!

Itaewon

Recently, while I was in Seoul, my friend, Melanie and I decided to walk over to Itaewon. I have not been there since I came to visit my husband in Korea about 12 years ago. It looked quite different to me. Lots to see, lots of shopping and lots of food! We had a gyro-like sandwich for lunch (which was yummy) and Cold Stone Ice Cream for dessert! 6/3/10


Flower boxes along the way

Entrance to Itaewon. It was election season. See all the campaigners in blue?

McDonald's open 24 hours. They have cones for 40 cents!

Melanie found a pair of shoes she likes

Shoes wrapped in plastic just like your hamburger in the deli case. lol!

Embroidery shop

Burger King and Reebok, what a combination!

Garden Statue

Hangover soup with Oxbone

Grilled Stomach (Tripe)

Beef Tripe and Intestine Soup

Interesting light- A bag full of incandescent bulbs
with a fluorescent bulb shining through them.

Chocolate shop with delicious chocolates inside

Coffee Shop next door

Carriages in the antique section of town

A cool-looking house

Banners welcoming you to Itaewon in several languages up the street

My first real Korean restaurant

Today, the Nature Girl and I went out to lunch with a sweet Korean lady named Ray. We met at the train station one day about 3 weeks ago. She was the first Korean girl my age that spoke with me. Her English is fair (my Korean was nonexistent at that time) and we had a chance to talk for a little while that day. I offered to pay for lunch if she would like to take me to an authentic Korean restaurant. Up until now, our schedules have just never worked out. So today was the first chance I have had to see her since we met. We went to a “famous” Korean restaurant in New City near the train station. Ray ordered for us and we had dakgalbi and naengmuen. The dakgalbi consisted of chicken, sweet potatoes, rice cakes and was VERY hot and spicy… it burned my mouth and made me gulp water…. I felt much better when I saw Ray “suffering” from the spices, too. :) We had a good time. The naengmuen is a cold dish with rice noodles, pears, hard-boiled egg and cucumber. It was very good and was not spicy. There were some dishes on the side that I sampled, but did not catch the names of all of them. The meal was a real treat, and by the end of it, my tastebuds had gone into shock from all of the spices and I could eat the spicy chicken with no trouble. Ray and I made plans to get together again soon. She is a great gal and I am so glad we met!


Stopped for a quick photo shoot before lunch


A neat heart sculpture


The "famous" Korean restaurant


Dakgalbi


Naengmuen

Dongdaemun

I went on a "field trip" with a bunch of ladies to one of the biggest markets in South Korea. The train ride there took about an hour and we never had to switch trains, so no confusion in getting there. The group I was with was going to buy fabric for some upcoming sewing classes. Since I shipped a bunch of fabric with my HHG, I didn't buy any. I was mostly going to look around and see what was there for future reference. Unfortunately, it was raining when we got there, so we only ventured into one mall. I met a sweet gal in the group named, Lady, from the Philippines. We wandered around with the other ladies and had lunch together. I really enjoyed the trip and I can't wait to go again with a friend and preferably... without children.


Commonly known as Dongdaemun is a prominent landmark in central Seoul, South Korea. The Korean name "Dongdaemun" means "Great East Gate," and it was so named because it was the major eastern gate in the circular wall surrounding ancient Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty, and is situated on the eastern end of Jongno ("Bell Street").


Dongdaemun Market is located near Dongdaemun of which it takes its name. It is the largest shopping center in South Korea. In total the market has 26 shopping malls situated over 10 blocks, 30,000 speciality shops, and 50,000 manufacturers. The market sells goods ranging from just about everything but notably silks, clothes, shoes and leather goods, sporting goods, plumbing and electronics, office supplies, toys and food areas specializing in Korean cuisine.


Walls of fabric everywhere


They sell it by the yard


A shop that makes Hanboks.


Hanbok is the traditional Korean dress. It is often characterized by vibrant colors and simple lines without pockets. Although the term literally means "Korean clothing", hanbok today often refers specifically to hanbok of Joseon Dynasty and is worn as semi-formal or formal wear during traditional festivals and celebrations.


A shop selling traditional Korean dress for children. They are just beautiful.

Rainy Day Fun

When I heard that Korea gets about 49 inches of rain a year, I decided that we needed raincoats and boots. I found rain boots in AZ, but I had trouble finding raincoats. While we were in NY, I finally found them. The girls were so excited about their new apparel that I had to promise them that they could play in the rain with them one day. Well, the Artist never forgets anything. So, every time it rained, she kept after me begging to go play in the rain with her new gear. Today, I finally caved. It is raining outside and my girls want to go play. What do you expect? They've grown up in AZ. So, I got the girls dressed in their new raincoats & boots and gave them their umbrellas and let them run around in the rain for a bit. The Nature Girl found a water-logged bug and kept her eye on him more than anything. The Artist just played on the playground equipment without a care in the world. I can only imagine what the Koreans who saw us must have thought of those "strange Americans" playing in the rain.


The girls can't wait to go play in their
new coats and boots in the rain


Umbrellas up







Even in the rain, she can't help but watch bugs




Wet or dry, merry-go-rounds are fun!

Camp Adventure

When we got to Korea, The Artist was having trouble getting settled. She had spent 6 weeks saying goodbye to many friends and family members. I wasn't sure how I was going to help her get through the heartache of moving and missing her friends. I checked out a magazine put out by MWR (Morale, Welfare & Recreation) to see what was going on in the local area and found Camp Adventure. It is nine 1-week camps with arts and crafts, games, field trips, bowling and swimming for 40 hours a week. It sounded like the perfect opportunity to help my daughter get settled. We weren't able to get her in until the 3rd week and she just loved it. It was the solution she needed to finally feel settled and at home. She had a great time with the other kids and the counselors, Mr. Monsoon and Ms. Rainbow. And she can't wait to go back again! She went to a beach in Korea this week. The family was invited to join the kids, but the Nature Girl and I didn't... wished we would have, but I needed to get some things done around the house. I'm still trying to get moved in. Maybe next time.

Our first week and our new apartment!

Daddy and the girls at the airport

The girls were so happy to see their daddy after being separated for 3 long months. We took a 2 hour bus ride from the airport to the army post. We were able to stay in the lodging there on post for our first week. The housing office would not allow us to move into our apartment until beds and a fridge were in the place.

So Friday, a week after our arrival, we finally got keys to our new home! And what a home it is! My husband and I do have the same definition of "big" :) I love this place! I believe it is the nicest place I have ever lived in! I have a 3 bedroom apartment with 2 "Western" bathrooms (which means that they look like stuff back in the states) with a jacuzzi tub in the master bath, an enormous kitchen with tons of cupboard space, a master bedroom twice the size of any other bedroom I have ever had with one whole wall that is nothing but storage closets! and a vanity area with 3 more closets!

The realtor had to explain so much to us about how the different appliances worked because they do things so differently here. They have an oven/microwave combination unit! How cool is that? The floors are how they heat their homes, so we needed to be shown how to turn that off when we don’t need it. You can select which rack gets washed in the dishwashers! You don’t have a hot water tank here… you turn the heater on to get it and it comes out HOT… but when you aren’t using it, you turn it off to save gas. They have washing machines that also dry your clothes! (but unfortunately we didn’t get one). Our loaner furniture came on Friday, too. They brought the beds, table and chairs, a refrigerator, a dresser, night stands, lamps, a coffee table, end tables and a washer and a dryer. They were supposed to bring us a desk and a couch, but they were out of them, so we are sitting on the floor. Since we have lawn chairs and folding tables coming in our household goods (HHG) on Monday, we aren’t really worried about it. At least we have a place to sleep.

Now the rent amount will kill you... 1,700,000 Won... which equals about $1,350 +/- in dollars plus utilities! I was very nervous to get into such a "pricey" place, but my husband was already in an agreement on the place, there was no getting out of it... but I have to say, I love it! There are both Koreans and Americans living here, so we will get to make all kinds of new friends. The neighborhood is clean and quiet... except for those 2 roosters that live somewhere nearby. We are close to the train station so we can get back and forth to post easily. It is such a nice place! Our household goods (HHG) will be arriving Monday, so that means that all our important (lol) possessions will be here then. Yeah!


Master Bath


Kitchen and dining area


More Kitchen Cabinets


Master Bedroom


Wall of Storage Closets in Master Bedroom


Living Room


Girls Room


Did I mention that they have a playground on the premises?

We have arrived!

We have arrived in Korea!

After 2 days and 19 1/2 hours on an airplane with 2 small children, our flight(s) are finally over! I am sitting at the airport at 6:20pm (5:20am Eastern time) waiting for my husband to arrive. I have no phone number to call and no way to make it anywhere by myself with 4 suitcases, 2 army duffles, 3 carry-ons, 2 computer cases, 2 purses and one small stroller. I was under the impression that he would be here around the time I got through customs, but he is nowhere to be found and I have no way to contact him. The next bus going to the post is coming in an hour. I already bought tickets... but do I jump on the bus if my husband is not here? Probably not. Then he would be here and I would be somewhere else, but still lost with nowhere to go and definitely no way to get there. At least here at the airport I have the baggage cart to move our bags with.

My DH told me that he found us an apartment. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, and a large kitchen. I guess we will see if we both share the same definition of "large" :) I was IMing a gal on a message board I am a part of and she thinks my DH may have found an apartment in her building! How cool would that be?

The girls and I are definitely ready for bed. Actually, I just want to be alone for about 24 hours to get myself together. I have hit sensory-overload. I need some down time.


Doesn't she look cute all ready to go be a world traveler?


The little one didn't want to leave grandma... and grandma didn't want her to leave, either.