"Wow" Filled Wednesday

What a day!!

We started with breakfast at our new hostel-Amanda had toast and I had ramen. :) Around 10 we headed out for our mountain hiking adventure to Korea's National Park Bukhan(san) (san meaning mountain). Amanda had researched some and we had looked into the route we were going to take, however, upon entering the subway, we were TOTALLY surrounded by other hikers. I mean, a good 80% of our car was filled and looking at the next one down, at least 75% of that car was hikers too. We were counting our stops when suddenly, 2 stops before we were going to exit, ALL the hikers left. ALL of them. We looked at each other and said, "Should we follow?" We decided yes, yes we should follow ALL of the hikers off the subway. We continued following the mass of hikers, past many shops selling 'to go foods', hats, boots, hiking poles, gloves, hats, and other hiking apparel and was lead to a trail. Onwards and upwards! We finally got to a point where there was almost sheer rock at a good 80 degree angle or so...Amanda and I started up, but as I was going, I could tell my shoes did not have enough grip, and I did slide a bit. I decided to go back down, but Amanda was at a point higher where going down would not be good. There were plenty of other hikers and one man helped me to a level spot. I was thinking "there has to be another way up" and sure enough I found the place where most of the other people were going-the sheer rock way only had about 7 people going that way... So again, onwards and upwards. I made it to the top and spotted blond hair! At the top, we sat and enjoyed the view for a good 40 minutes to an hour I think. Then we made our way back down. I found a kimbap shop and got lunch. Once we got near the guesthouse Amanda got a very Garlicy pizza from Domino's. We rested a bit, cleaned up and I researched places to go for dinner before heading out to the college area of "Sinchon".

I had found a crepe restaurant that looked really good, so we were on the hunt to find it. As it turned out, I couldn't remember the name and thought it might start with the letter M...were were walking and walking and were just about to give up when I looked to the 2nd floor of a building and thought-I think that's it! Of course the name did NOT begin with the letter M (however, the street it was on, DID). The restaurant was called Le Celtique and is owned and operated by a Frenchman who has lived in Korea for 3 years. (Amanda and I talked to him a little). We split a chicken, onion, green onion and a cream sauce crepe. For dessert we split an apple, ice cream, whipped cream, caramel and cinnamon dessert crepe....YUM. It was worth the extra walking to eat at this place!

Then it was on to find the place where the Kpop concert was being held. We were a little early, so we sat in an area near the movie theater waiting space and played war (winner to be determined!). At the concert, I found Brian; he's been my contact to Kyunghee because he attend the summer session and is doing the next session as well because he won a scholarship through InKAS (a Korean adoptee group in Korea). The concert was pretty interesting-a great cultural learning experience. All the bands except for 1 guy lip synced, but it's probably because they were dancing like crazy. The final band was a group of 2 guys with 2 back up dancers, and one of the lead guys targeted Amanda, talked to her and then later came up to her seat, and asked her to a front row seat, sang to her and then asked her on to the stage to dance!! Fear not, I have captured it on video. :) And now Amanda is famous.  

Our view at the top

Buff girls!

At the cute little crepe restaurant

Dinner!!

Dessert!!

Band #2

Amanda being asked to the stage

Being serenaded to!!!

Next Leg of the trip

This morning we went to volunteer with the babies again. They are so cute-I wanted to take them all home with me. I also was able to meet my social worker and thank her for all of her help in contacting Kyunghee University for my program.

After helping with the babies, we went to the Gangnam Finance Center to find lunch-and got Omurice, which is rice under an omelet with a sauce and other options served along with it. After lunch, we started our long, strenuous, treacherous, and difficult trip across town to Myeongdong (another area in Seoul, near the downtown). It took a little over an hour to get our bags through a few subway stops and find the new guesthouse. Amanda muscled up and took both my suitcase and hers up about 20-30 steps before 2 gentlemen stepped in to 1. grab mine and 2. assist her with hers for about 10 steps.

We found the guesthouse and settled in a bit before venturing out into Seoul. While the room is very cute, the bathroom will be an adjustment. We have quite a spacious room with a bunk bed, tv, and fridge. The bathroom...has a toilet and a giant "sink"...the basin of the "sink" is actually a tub, so the faucets just open up to the basin.

We took the subway to Insadong and walked through there (it's an "cultural arts" area with many traditional/cultural/artsy souvenirs available). We both found some good gifts and items for ourselves. :) We also did the street food thing-waffles good, chicken kebab....maybe not so good. Then on to Namsan Tower for beautiful city night view. There was a huuuuuge line for the cable car up. It took about 40 minutes to get on the car, but in the 3 other times I had been to Namsan, I had never seen such lines! (And considering 2 of them were in summertime, I was very surprised. However, tomorrow is a (another....) holiday so maybe people are out celebrating because they don't have to work tomorrow.) Just as we were about to leave for the cable car, we heard some drumming music and turned around--there was a 'light show' being projected onto the pole/post part of the tower, which was pretty cool. Then, it was time to head back for the night. Sweet dreams, friends!

Sweet Baby

Another Baby

Amanda and her baby

Insadong

Insadong

The BEST Waffle ever! Ice cream and flavored "whipped cream" inside! YUM!

Namsan Tower

View of the city at night

At Namsan at night

Packed Day

The bummer of today: I forgot to put my camera card back in from my computer last night so I had my camera, but not enough memory or a way to put it on my computer so I could not take pictures today.

We started out our morning helping on one of the floors with the babies. We were in the room with babies ranging from about 4-8 months old. The room in front of us had newborns. It's always a special experience holding, loving and caring for the babies, and imagining myself in their position.

After helping with the babies we went to Seodaemun Prison History Hall. I was there last year, but they have added a few things. It was a very moving exhibit and as always, a good history lesson. Again, it reminded me of my visit to Dachau.

We walked to the Seoul Museum of History. I was there last year also, and again, it seemed as if the exhibits had changed a bit. As we were leaving the museum we had a "city volunteer" come up to us and tell us about the city-wide festival going on now through the 7th. So, we walked on to downtown to see some of the events. It was really cool because many of the main streets were shut down so people could walk in them. We watched a few different 'events/performers' and then got food and sat down by Cheongyecheon to eat and people watch. The unfortunate thing is that once the sun started setting, it got cool and we were in shorts and light 3/4 length shirts. We did catch part of the "opening ceremony" but decided to come back early.

Back at the guesthouse I tried to figure out the washing machine and dryer....right now I am listening to it making noise and am nervous about what's going on in there. Hopefully everything comes out alright.

Tomorrow is "moving day"-on to our next location in Seoul.

Back in Seoul

Yesterday Saturday 9/29

We had planned on going to Nampodong (an area in Pusan) for shopping, some sightseeing stuff and cloud mandu soup, but when we started thinking about timing, it would be rushing so we decided to stay at Haeundae Beach and just relax. Amanda and I took a walk along the beach, but we did go over our time limit a bit. We said goodbye to Ginger and hopped on the subway. We started counting subway stops and realized we would miss our train if we stayed on the subway. We got off at the next station and grabbed a taxi there. As it was, we made it to the station, collected our tickets, found the train and sat down 9 minutes to departure time. *Whew*

The train ride was not too exciting. The best part was when there was a 2 year old sitting in front of us and she stood up on the seat and made faces back and forth with us. We 'played' with her for a good 10 minutes before she told us "bye bye!" and got off the train. After she left, a young man turned towards us and said,  "I think she really liked you two!" Then Amanda and I had a conversation with him-it was really neat because I have not really encountered overly friendly-conversation starting Koreans before. Turns out he had interned in Poland, so I think he understood what it felt like to be the foreigner in another country and how meaningful it is to have someone say some kind words and make you feel welcomed.

We made it back safely to the guesthouse and I was so exhausted I passed out almost right away. (All those days-er nights- of not sleeping must have caught up with me!!)

Toes in the sand at Haeundae Beach

Amanda trying out the "sand blaster" thing

*WHEW* We made the train!!

  TODAY
I finally really slept! I still woke up quite early, but I got a good 8 hours I think-pretty much uninterrupted too. Amanda and I went out for breakfast, but it was about 8am on a holiday on a Sunday. We did not find much open. In the end, we decided on McDonalds. We came back to the guesthouse and got ready for the day. First stop was Gyeongbok Palace. We got lucky! It was free admission because of Chuseok (the Korean holiday that started Saturday and goes til Monday; it follows the lunar calendar and is about family, ancestors, food, harvest stuff...). We walked around the palace grounds a bit and then heard music so started walking that direction. Turns out in front of the Folk Museum (on the grounds) there were booths set up to celebrate/have events for the holiday. We dressed up in hanboks (traditional Korean dress) and got our pictures taken and then decorated a paper frame for it. We went through part of the Folk Museum, but got hungry so left for lunch.We went to a nice sandwich place and both got a "Bulgogi Hogie" hehe. We walked back towards the palace and realized that the changing of the guards was about to begin so we were in time to catch that! Then we went to the Palace Museum on our way out of the palace grounds. Next off to Sarangchae-a modern overview of the history and culture of Korea/Seoul/presidents; it has a lot of interactive exhibits. After that "museum" we decided to do a little bit more walking around; it was 3pm and we were starting to hit that wall of tiredness. However, as we were walking towards Gwanghwamun Plaza, we saw more tents and heard more music and caught the beginning of another cultural event to celebrate chuseok. It was pretty neat. We decided to also duck into the performing arts buildings to see if we could find a schedule/information about any shows, but they told us there weren't any in English. We were stopped randomly by an elderly gentleman who told us "my wife had baby today". It was kind of random and surprising, but we think maybe he just wanted to practice his English with us.

We headed towards Cheongyecheon to find somewhere to get a drink and sit, but saw Baskin Robins and decided ice cream sounded good. Again, by Cheongyecheon there were booths set up and a stage with performers practicing music. It was very cool. We walked along Cheongyecheon and then decided it was time to head back and get dinner. We were on the subway and missed our stop because we were chatting, but the next stop isn't that far, so we walked (which our plan was to go walk to find a particular restaurant anyway) back, but did not see the restaurant. So we went to the guesthouse to get an address/more information on the location. Turns out the name is on the inside part of the building, so you can only see the sign if you are coming from the opposite direction....We ate at Mad for Garlic-a very Amanda and Amy kind of restaurant. It was very good, but they do not give to-go boxes so we ended up sitting a bit longer til we could finish eating. We stopped at a muffin shop to get breakfast and a little treat for Mr. Lee (he gave us each a peach earlier in the day).

Always have to have this photo op!

Amanda sized door!

Made it in time to see the changing of the guard

Hanging out with the president and his wife!

A random 'concert' we stumbled upon

Mmmmmm Baskin Robins!

Cheongyecheon, I've missed you!

"It's like coming back home"--My Return to Gimhae

The title comes from a conversation I had with Ginger; she was also excited about returning to Inje. I didn't realize what Ginger had said was true or how much I had actually missed Gimhae and Inje until I was there. It was almost like I hadn't been away at all, yet it had because there were new stores/restaurants and some of the places we had gone to were not there or had changed. I really had missed Inje. The previous night, I had sent an email to my Mom while I was still in Seoul and I told her how I had realized that it was the first time I had ever been in Korea and I was actually excited to leave Seoul and travel elsewhere in the country. Seoul has been my favorite place for so long and has a special place in my heart, but I think Inje has crept in there and is asking to share the space.
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Thursday:

Amanda and I headed out to downtown Seoul to find the free shuttle bus. As it turns out, I couldn't quite remember which exit number it was, and it is one of the largest stations-in the distance of the exits, I think. I was watching the clock and getting nervous about making it on time, however we arrived with about 5 minutes to spare. Bad news of the day: the strap on my favorite sandals broke. Good news: it broke only about 1 minute before we actually arrived at the bus! Anyway, the bus ride was nice. We stopped at a rest area and one of the 'shops' there sold music/videos-Gangnam Style was playing (on repeat) and Amanda and I danced along and we saw many Koreans smiling as they watched us. Our bus guide also was amused and he talked with us about the music video a bit when we were back on the bus. We arrived in Pusan-it was a bit warmer than Seoul, but maybe it was cooler in Seoul because we were up and moving around at 7am. We found the subway station and put our bags in a locker so we could walk around a little without all our baggage (we arrived at 1:15 and didn't need to leave til 3:00ish). We then proceeded on to Gupo Station and waited to meet Ginger, another Korean adoptee who participated in the IIIHR program at Inje this spring. I hadn't met her before but had talked to her and given some advice. We met Ginger and then took the NEW light rail into Gimhae. However, it doesn't quite take you to Inje, so with a decision to take 2 different buses, of COURSE I picked the 128-1! The 128-1 is one of the craziest bus rides-the drivers drive fast and almost recklessly. It is always, always crowded and very hot. Nice to relive that for a 10 minute ride.

We arrived at Inje gate but had to wait for Jihye. Ginger and I were hungry so I went to the kimbap shop (it was owned by a different company though) and then I see Jihye out the window because she was so excited to see me, she did not want to wait for me to return; she had come down to find me. :) We walked to her new house-so beautiful- and she made us a small snack/meal. She had to leave at 6 to go to a class in Pusan. Ginger and I had made plans to meet up with different Inje students we had befriended so all of us met at the front gate. I had to get my phone working so Bumsik (my friend) and Yoon Hee (Ginger's friend) went with me to help; Ginger, Amanda and one of Ginger's friends went to the restaurant where we were having dinner to get a table for us. Phone is working, but I have a new number: 010.2181.6187. Anyone recognize the last 4 digits? I got to pick them and I figured I should do something easy to remember-I had ONLY just memorized my old number right before arriving this year. Dinner was at a spaghetti/pizza place; it was yummy. One of my other Inje friends stopped by for a bit, but he had other plans so he had to leave. After dinner, we went to Makgoli Salon (another adoptee in the current IIIHR program joined us-for the rest of the night), then to Noraebang (Karaoke) and Jihye met us there, finally on to Kae Jip ("Dog House" in Korean) for bulgogi bread and darts. We spent the night at Jihye's lovely, lovely home.

Ginger, Hee Ryeo, Jihye and me outside Jihye's apartment

L to R: Me, Bum Shik, Amanda and Yoon Hee after dinner. Guess I missed the "Kimchi!" memo

At the new Makgoli place in town! Bum Shik trying to teach/help Amanda with chopsticks

At Noraebang!

BULGOGI BREAD!!!

FRIDAY
Jihye made breakfast-I was up early so I ate with her and her husband. She had yummmmy bulgogi-it was an adoptee's birthmother's food I think. Then we went to campus to leave our bags at Jihye's office. Amanda and I met up with my friend Byung Ook to go 'mountain' hiking. It was so much fun to be back on the trails that I had been on so many times with Emily last year. After hiking, Amanda and I just walked around campus-I found the tree I had planted, visited the soccer fields and then stopped by the radiology students' 'offices' to say hi. Amanda and I met up with my friends Han Su, Bum Shik, and Byung Ook for lunch. We went to one of my favorite places-Mongshili. They have bibimbop and hand-cut noodle soup. After lunch, we met up with Jihye and Ginger again to go to the tea class. It was kind of neat to attend and learn some stuff (I have already experienced several different tea ceremonies before, so  have good background knowledge). Then we returned to Jihye's office to prep and get ready to head to Pusan.

In Pusan we made it to our hotel, rested and then went to Centum City-it is the name of the Shinshegae (brand/compnay) Department Store-the Largest in the world! We met up with another of Ginger's friends and had dinner in the department store. Amanda and I then went on to Spaland-a Korean Jjimjilbang (spas and saunas) and Ginger went with her friends to another area of Pusan. It was soooo nice to soak in the hot baths and go into the sauna rooms. After the Jjimjilbang, Amanda and I returned to the hotel and passed out.

Jihye in her kitchen

Near the top of the mountain-didn't have enough time to go to the top

My soccer fields!

Lunch at Mongshili. Please notice all the boys using their left hands. No, they are not all left-handed; Amanda made them because if she has to struggle with chopsticks, so must they.

Tea Ceremony Class

Outside of Spaland- Amanda about to get Cultural Experience #1263...

TODAY
I was able to sleep til 6:15!! Every day is getting a bit better-at Jihye's I slept for 3 1/2 hours straight; today was 5 1/4. Amanda and I will return to Seoul this evening.

Landed and Jet Lagged Part2

This morning:
We went out in search of Isaac Toast for breakfast, but couldn't find it so we ended up going to Tom n Tom's for Honey Butter Toast. (Turns out we were soooo close to the Isaac's!!)Then we walked on to COEX-Asia's largest underground shopping mall-complete with aquarium and art gallery. We also went to the kimchi museum, which was fun and educational. After COEX, we took the subway back to the guest house and took a nap/rested for a bit. Mr. Lee, the door man came up to check with us about dropping our bags off at the front desk (so we don't have to lug all our bags to Pusan and back) and I was able to give him the gift I got for him (chocolates and post cards of St. Joseph). He came back a few minutes later to bring us some chestnuts. He was making comments about the jewelry we had out and on, and I tried in broken Korean to tell him Amanda's mom sells jewelry-didn't work so well. Amanda and I finished getting ready and then headed out to Gangnam. We did stop to talk to Mr. Lee again (I came prepared with written Korean what I wanted to say-good thing because he didn't understand when I spoke it, but understood what I had written.) We did a little shopping and walked around looking for a good place for dinner. We picked Rice Story-it was pretty good. We stopped at Paris Baguette to get some pastries for breakfast tomorrow. We're heading to Pusan for a couple days to visit my Inje University friends.
Good night!

Mmmm....Honey Butter Toast!!

In the Kimchi Museum

"Express your feeling of kimchi with face" Amanda looks fearful of kimchi

"Express your feeling of kimchi with face" Amy loves her kimchi

Chestnuts from Mr. Lee

Amanda at Rice Story-the server brought her a knife and fork before the food came, haha

Landed and Jet Lagged

Well, we have arrived at the Guesthouse after some very minor road blocks regarding my cell phone. At the airport I was looking at the information sign to remember which exit we wanted to get the bus for Gangnam and this ajushi came up and started asking us where we were going etc. He pointed out the bus and exit, but then said, "taxi? Bus 2 hours, taxi (hitting chest) 1 hour! Bus at...6:30, taxi now". (It was around 4:50) We politely thanked him but declined and walked away. However, I had this feeling he wasn't right about the 6:30 departure, so we went out to the buses and found our bus-sure enough 5:12 was the next one. Thanks a lot TaxiMan. However, he was right about the 2 hours, but I think it was because of traffic.

We got off the bus and had a "long" walk (well, it only seems long when you are carrying over 50lbs of luggage with you...) to the Guesthouse. Mr. Lee, the doorman, recognized me immediately and gave me a great big hug. He helped us up with our luggage and said goodnight. We did some unpacking and organizing and crashed by 8pm.

It's now a little after 4AM, but I am pretty much wide awake after dozing and waking up, dozing and waking up since 8.

Waiting to board the plane! ROK-here we come!

On the plane waiting for take-off

First Bibimbop of the trip!

Amanda very entertained with the games on flight

We're on our way to Gangnam! Oh wait, does it say there are buses BEFORE 6:30? Imagine that.

Great News Prior to Trip

Whew! I had been stressing out about all the details coming together for this trip, but it looks like everything is finally falling in to place. I have to admit, I think I did a pretty good job. I am so excited to share with Amanda one of my favorite places on Earth-not only that, but also show her my Korean heritage and culture. Good news of the day: we 'won' a spot on the free tourism bus from Seoul to Pusan.

I just returned from my last visit with my Grandpa and Great Aunt before I leave for 3 months. It was so good to see both of them and spend time with them.

Aunt Ruth and me :)