"JAM" in Korea: April 2007

26 April 2007

Shinjang Mall

This is not a "mall" in American standards. It's more of a shopping area. TONS of little hole in the wall stores with everything from furniture to food. This shopping area is a strip right off the main gate to the base. Most people park on base and walk across the street. This is where everyone buys there souvenirs from Korea. It's very fun! I haven't done any damage yet. I'm pacing myself...I still have 10 months to figure out what I want! :)

This is the entrance to the mall. You can see some of the street vendors here too...they are selling food. However I haven't seen or smelled any bugs yet! :) LOTS of the bars are here as well. Marc said at his in processing orientation deal they told him there were 112 bars in a ONE MILE radius. But it only gets wild and crazy after dark. During the day it is very family friendly.

See, I will be just fine! :) One CAN live on ice cream alone ...I have learned!

This is one of the purse stores. TONS of knock off purses from Coach to Louis Vuitton. One of my friends took her coach purse from here to a REAL coach store and they couldn't tell the difference in the real and fake! Yes...I'm taking orders.

It's all a little overwhelming as well! SOOO much to see and buy! :)

BIG break through for ANA!!!

THIS is a TOTAL praise God moment!!! Ana has never been able to be held to fall asleep. Normally she can't be tired and just fall asleep wherever she is. She has to be in a car seat or a bed and be able to do her "orphanage rock" to put herself to sleep. WELL, on Easter we were at church and she was so tired. I tried AGAIN (I've been trying for a year now) and put her head on my shoulder and she WENT TO SLEEP. I thought it was a once in a life time moment...an Easter blessing. Well, these last couple of weeks she has been cuddling up and taking cat naps here and there. I'm thinking she is FINALLY comfortable enough with us and her life and this is just another small achievement of overcoming her past.

This is in church on Easter and after the service was over I told Marc to take a picture so I had proof and wasn't dreaming!!! It was the best feeling ever...to hold my little girl as she slept!!!

This is on our Cherry Blossom trip. We were in a restaurant and her head was bobbing and her eyes were heavy and Marc put his arm out and laid her head down and she slept a good 30 mins!

This is this past weekend! SOOO sweet. Our court date of when Ana legally became our daughter is a year ago this coming Sat! 28 April. Amazing how time flies and how much I grow to love her more and more EVERYDAY!!!

Block Party - Osan AB

This past weekend the base had a "Block Party". Basically, there were booths of food/beer and all the different organizations on base that had information and free bees to hand out. There was entertainment. A ROCKING band was there playing American favorites and then there were different Korean acts. The weather was perfect and it was a fun afternoon!

This was a "traditional Korean dance". Some of the group also played a music instrument. I thought the "flag deals" on their hats were pretty cool. They literally were bobble head people, constantly moving their heads so that their flags were moving at all times. I would have been dizzy in the first couple of seconds of doing that. It was pretty neat.

This lady was amazing!!! She started off just walking across the rope which was neat in itself. THEN she starting doing all the acrobatic routines! NEVER FELL and was so graceful! Below her is a group of musicians playing as she walked.

Amazing Tight Rope Routine!

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20 April 2007

Driving in Korea

I haven't taken my Korean driver's test yet. I have 30 days that I can drive legally without a Korean drivers licence. From what I understand...they have laws...but no one obeys them! It's kinda fun! Red lights and stop signs are really more of a suggestion. NO ONE really stops. However if you turn left on a green light...you get honked at! Ya gotta wait for the green arrow to turn. It's kind of frustrating to sit there ON A GREEN LIGHT and not get to turn. But I have to say I feel wild and crazy driving through red lights! FUN!

I did stop to take the picture! :) But got honked at.

This is one of the cars on base. It's the General Ree! Get it? ALL the cars are "beater uppers". I haven't seen a car more than $1000 yet. Unless families shipped a car. I'm glad we didn't ship our car. Living off base the roads and parking spots are tiny and ya need a tiny car. Our Tahoe would have been a mess when we got it back home. You can see how dingged up these cars are.

Too funny!

This is OUR $600 beater upper! :) It rather nice for what it is. It's a standard and that's fun. I forgot how much I like driving standards. And the good part is...IT'S CLEAN on the inside!

Fabulous Flower Market

This morning we went to the Flower Market with some friends. IT WAS AMAZING!!! I loved it!

This is just one of the vendors at the market. TONS of fresh, beautiful flowers!

This is a view of this warehouse that the market is in. It is two levels and the bottom level is all fresh flowers.

This is the upper level. It had baskets, ribbons, fake flowers, real flowers, vases etc....

This was also on the upper level. You could have fresh flower arrangements made...

These are the flowers that Ana chose! When we got home we had lunch and then it was nap time. When she woke up she saw her flowers on her nightstand and was so excited!

It was purple and white flower day for us! ALL the flowers were about $17! The three vases were $14! Ya just can't beat that. I had a blast! This will be a "regular spot" for me for sure.

Laundry Drama!

Our apartment came with a Korean washer/dryer deal. It is ONE machine that SUPPOSEDLY does both. I've messed with the buttons...tried to figure it out. Can you understand it at all? How many weeks have I been here? Okay...I figured out the "washing" part of it okay. HOWEVER, I have learned that Koreans don't dry there clothes completely. The "dryer" part just gets all the water out of them so that they are damp. I am suppose to hang dry them the rest of the way. I don't like that. SOOOO...I am doing my laundry on base at Marc's dorm until we buy an American dryer. Most American families in these apts. do that...so I'll buy a used one from one of the families leaving soon. Which is fine. Each floor in Marc's dorm has 4 washers and dryers so I put Ana down for her nap in Marc's bed and then do all my laundry in one afternoon.

15 April 2007

Kunsan Cherry Blossom/Temple Tour

The base offers day tours around the area pretty much everyday of the week. They will take you anywhere from places in the local town (ie spas, amusement parks, stores) to other cities with attractions. Marc and I have decided to take advantage of this and do a trip every weekend if at all possible to see it all! This past Saturday we went about 3 hours south of where we live to Kunsan. It was a wonderful day! The perfect day for being outside.

The trees behind us are the Cherry Blossom Trees and they were beautiful!

We walked along this path around a lake with trees all in bloom and it was breath taking.

You could rent these duck paddle boats! We didn't have time to do that but I thought they were too cute! Ana got a kick out of them.

Ana loved climbing the trees!

In the Korean culture they are very giving. EVERYONE would give Ana food...and she got more than one of these "plates" (as Ana calls them). We eventually had to buy her a bag of them because she likes them so much. It's basically a thin rice cake....Marc is hoping she doesn't confuse them for styrofoam and start eating plates at picnics!

We had rest stops along the way and to my surprise their potties are holes in the ground. This is me just before (not after if you were wondering!) I "took care of business"!

This is one of the Buddha temples we visited. This particular temple had a huge Buddha statue in it that we weren't aloud to take pictures of.

There were Cherry Blossoms around the Temples as well. BEAUTIFUL!

This is a close up of the designs on one of the Temples.

We went to an area that had about 10 of these buildings that all had Buddha statues in them. I'm not familiar with the religion but all the Buddhas were different and I'm sure they all have a different purpose. It was very interesting.

This is one of the Buddha statues.

Another one.

And another one.

I just thought this was a beautiful scene. It was on the path up to the Temples.

FUN DAY!

11 April 2007

The Market

So this is THE MARKET that is right around the corner from our apt. It is open only on days that have a 4 or 9....ie the 4th, 9th, 14th, 19th, 24th, and 29th of each month....kinda bazaar huh? BUT not near as bazaar as the things THE MARKET has to offer....

It is jammed packed along about 5 major streets and TONS of little alleys. You will see clothes on one side and fruit on the other...there is no rhyme or reason to these little vendors.

Go ahead an help your self to a variety of Kemchi!

How about some mussels?

Jewelry

Dead Pig...can't be sanitary just hanging there in the open like that!

Don't really know what this is...my guess is snacky type foods.

BRAS anyone?

How about some fishy fish?

Knock your socks off with as many onions as you'd like!

Flowers are always nice.

Some pressed seaweed to enjoy!

Beans/Rice/Grains...a plenty!

And last but not least...BUGS! Yes friends and family, those are dead bugs! LOTS of little vendors had them...some uncooked and some cooked nice and hot for you like in the above pot here! AND those little chicken like things cooking on the grill there is BIRD! Don't know what kind...but looked like just a little bird we feed in our backyard! There was a table set up next to this vendor and people were eating the bugs and birds. YUM!

08 April 2007

Happy Easter!

This is our first Easter as a family and it could not have been better! Ana got up early and we opened our Easter baskets. Then we hunted eggs. Then we dyed some eggs and had breakfast. Then off to church on base. Then brunch at the Officer's Club! Again, we are so blessed to have Ana in our lives and truly can't imagine life without her! Everything is just so much more fun with her!