Away at home

Beppu, Japan

2010-11-29T00:38:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of the "mini-break" we took to Beppu while my mother was visiting. Beppu is an Onsen town only 1 hour and 10 minutes flight from Incheon. Built over hot springs, the town steams and spurts around you as you tour the bath houses while stopping periodically to soak your feet or steam some eggs. We stayed at a nice Minshuku (first photo) where they fed us ample breakfasts and dinners and let us wander around in nemaki and bathe in their large "family baths." Mostly the thing is to do in Beppu is bathe. The children love Japanese-style baths - wandering around naked and plunging into giant warm pools equipped with jets or waterfalls or scenic views is certainly their idea of a good time. I can only bathe twice a day at most, however, so we had to find some other activities. We went on the "Hell tour:" 8 jigoku, or themed hot springs (for viewing rather then bathing). We observed milky steam lakes, red mud baths, boiling pits of grey clay, geysers and assorted animals kept captive in these Hells to amuse the visitors (8 photos below - one for each Hell). We also visited "monkey mountain" where free-range monkeys swarmed an old mountain temple. The children walked among the animals, while dutiful monkey-attendants followed behind with brooms and dustpans to keep the mountain waste-free (second-last photo). Other than that, we strolled, observed steam, watched cats, ate noodles, soaked feet, and tried to spot bath-tourists walking the streets in robes and clutching soap and towels.

Things NOT to do with kids

2010-11-29T00:27:00.000-08:00

No, nothing salacious, it's just that there are many things on the tourist trail here in Seoul that simply do not work when encumbered by the under fives. Sometimes you would never expect it. Above, in the "Story of King Sejong Exhibition Hall," after you have written your name in Hangeul, been told the movie is only for those over 8, and admired the turtle boat, you come across a "naval weapon firing experience" where you may choose your weapon and blow the Japanese to smithereens. These weapon-firing experiences are very popular here. The high-tech one at the war memorial museum was particularly troubling (as was the giant tank that fired smoke, light and sound at you if you inserted coins - the boy-child was terrified). There are actual firing ranges here in Seoul, but they have not yet tempted me, even on nanny-days.

What do tempt me are the markets, and they are so child-unfriendly. Crowded and narrow full of giant carts and speeding delivery motorbikes, there is no room for strollers and no space at child-eye level. On nanny-day, however, I can explore. Above, Mom and I found the food alley of Gwangjang market. Sensational no?

Buddhists, while not child unfriendly, do tend to organize events that are not exactly child-focused. Templestays I have always rejected on this basis, but for some reason when invited to a "family dinner" at Bongeunsa, and having confirmed that children were indeed allowed, I relented. Baru Gongyang: traditional temple dining to be done in quiet contemplation (no sound of conversation, dishes, and eating to disturb community harmony) is not, I repeat NOT for children They can not sit cross-legged before their own table of strange food and follow the precise method of pouring, serving, eating, and cleaning up that the spirit of Baru Gongyang requires. For those of you without accompanying minors, however, please chant and reflect and experience, and find calm peace and tranquility. My virtues are so little (literally - they are both under 5) that I am hardly worthy to receive it. At least, as Augustine spake before me, not yet.

This is Dragon Hill Spa, my first jimjilbang (Korean bathhouse/sauna) experience. There were baths (many types, many temperatures), a strange older woman in black underwear who scrubbed me (for a fee) with a very rough cloth very thoroughly, and (unisex) saunas and ondol-heated sleeping rooms of a wide array of styles: the salt room, the snow room, the jade temple room, the ochre pyramid room, the woodland breezes room, the charcol burning witch-oven room, the inside of a giant pine in the midst of a raging forest-fire room, the I accidentally stepped into a pottery kiln that is being fired room, the there has just been a nuclear disaster and I am hoping this burlap sack will protect me from the radioactive fallout room etc. Apparently intense levels of heat are comforting to some. In the tree-during-forest-fire room, there was even a gentleman exercising while we all burned. I enjoyed, particularly, salt, snow, breezes, and cool jade - but it was all good. I was sorely tempted by the many warm scented sleeping rooms, since neither of my young do any sleeping in the rooms I currently possess, so I will go back, one nanny-day and nap. Koreans suggest that jimjilbangs are good family spots, but since mine are too young for the PC Bangs, Sports halls, cinemas and firing ranges on site, I think I will keep these warm relaxing spaces to myself for a little longer.

Young Seoul

2010-11-28T22:32:00.000-08:00

"Strange and huge form of an alien" though I am, my "curiosity and challenging spirit" still motivates me to make the occasional "verbal intervention." So today I would like to talk to you, briefly, about some Kid-Friendly activities here in Seoul. Above and below, we have Chonggyecheon Stream; 6 km of restored waterway running through downtown. Though difficult to stroller and often more crowded than the streets above, it is (when the sun beats less strongly), a welcome retreat from traffic and shopfronts. In addition, it often showcases cultural events. Above: an October Art display, and below: a November lantern display. (Some of the lanterns shown below are actually from a simultaneous lantern display at Bongeunsa temple) The children like the stream, they can play in the water in the warmer months, and collect weeds and autumnal grasses in the Fall. They did not, however, particularly like the lantern festival as it was very crowded and took place past their bedtime. Still, despite costing $280 million USD and providing zero environmental gains, I'm all for the stream. Where else could I see a hanji-paper crucified Christ lighting up the night sky beside guardian deities like Dongjin Bosal and the Statue of Liberty.

Generally the children do not enjoy the requisite tourist visit to Bukchon Hanok Village. Climbing narrow uphill winding streets clogged with tourists who photograph and fondle them in order to see restored traditional architecture is not, I expect, high on the list of any of the under 5 set. We did, however, on this last excursion, happen across this museum of Asia. In addition to spectacular views of the tiled-roofed village from the terrace, it also had many nice walls and statues (including lion fountains that would bite the hand of any liar silly enough to test the superstition), a restored schoolroom, a hands-on cultural experience room equipped with enough drums, fans, shoes and pestles to delight any small person, and a cheerful English guide who didn't hush you while you looked at Buddhist statuary.

Children, we have decided, must spend lots of time outdoors experiencing seasonal change through family hikes. So we take them to parks and mountains and palace grounds and show them trees and grass and photograph them against wholesome backdrops. Generally they enjoy it. For Canadian kids, however, they are getting a little short-changed in the nature department. But we do what we can here in this city of over 10 million souls. Autumn was lovely, with mild temperatures and vibrant Japanese maples. Too brief to document fully; but here are a few photos.

Dongdaemun is NOT a place to bring children. I love it, as I have said before, for its tangled mess of unexpected alleys, old markets, and the fact that you never find the same place twice. Look below - it's strange animal alley ("exotic pet store row"). Here are pets for those for whom dogs and cats just don't cut it. How about a hedgehog, or a beaver, a groundhog or some exotic poultry to keep you company? There are reptiles and amphibians galore, and small rodents to sustain them. Or small reptiles to sustain large rodents, if that's your preference. This, I think, is a Dongdaemun site that children would love - as long as they are unconcerned about population sizes vs. habitat or any other humane care issues.

Children's Seoul always must include Gyeongbak Palace, home to the children's museum, folk museum, palace museum, and the big palace itself with its pleasure grounds. Here the children can cavort with their favorite zodiac animals, admire Hanbok-clad wedding-photo couples, wear their favorite straw shoes, ring street-car bells, and evade roaming photographers who occasionally pick them up to place their faces in cardboard cut-outs of traditional Koreans. Sometimes they can fall out of trees. Childhood is a magical time.

I know that Children's Grand Park has been featured before, but look - have I ever shown you all the school groups in their matching outfits? I bet you have never before seen the likes of the "Crapas Bear Winter Kids." Ah Crapas Bear - why have you not caught on in the West? Also there is a aviary where you can feed tiny birds. If bird is one of your favorite things to point out to your Mommy - what better place is there? Sadly (or happily for the birds I guess) the aviary is closed for the winter. But still there are rides. I have found that the endless piling up of 100 and 500 won pieces can best be alleviated by feeding them into coin-rides at Children's Grand Park. The children seem to agree.

And finally, Here is Seoul Forest. Here you will find bridges, deer, play structures, pathways, computer screens that do things when you push buttons, and nice ladies who hand you maps. It is dreadful to drive to and if you arrive after noon you will wait up to an hour for a parking place, but then you can pick up sticks, float leaves in puddles, and play with your friends to your heart's content. So my strange and small aliens are still having fun in this heaving metropolis, and their curious and challenging spirits can find stimulation (and some islands of harmonious nature) amid the skyscrapers.

Family Festivities

2010-11-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

I think this is my excuse blog entry. It has been almost two months since my last confession. October is, you see, a very busy time. Between Brian's late September birthday, and Jamie's in early November, we also have the fun of Thanksgiving, my birthday, and Halloween. In addition my mom was here for about a month, Jamie had a week off school, and we did some travelling. There was lots of single parenting since Brian was busy with the G20 and North Korea leaving no remaining time for recording and reflection. So, for want of any humorous anecdotes - here are some photos of the festivities:

Thanksgiving came in a box this year from Dragon Hill Lodge on the American base. I highly recommend it. The turkey was tasty, and although stuffing and side dishes are better made at home, the box made it possible to have a short-notice get together, and simply enjoy company.

Here am I with my two birthday parties. Champagne and cupcakes with friends of all ages, and the flaming inferno that was my family "house on fire" cake. Since the last 4 years (or 5 if you count the pregnancy) have been entirely focused on raising the young, my birthdays always come as a surprise to me. Apparently the small people are not the only ones who are growing older. This is worrying, not in the least because I'm not sure that my accomplishments are keeping pace with theirs. There will be time to reflect on this disparity, however, once I emerge alive on the other side.
Jamie turned 4. Here is his small family birthday. His large "Halloween birthday," referenced by the spider cake at the right of this photo, is actually what occupied my entire month of October. With 50 people ranging in age from 1-63, it was quite the affair. Here are Jamie and Iris trying on their various costume possibilities:
And here are some photos of the party itself. There were decorations, games, costumes, trick-or-treating, flowers, balloons, loot bags, presents, food and cake. I may have over estimated the party-game-potential of 4-year-olds, but much fun and frivolity ensued. It was, however, an incredible amount of work, and may well have over-taxed my already over-festived resources. But now there is nothing else to celebrate until - oh, are those sleigh bells I hear?

Unicorns and Rainbows

2010-10-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

I heard that there was a new bakery at the 63 building (Eric Kayser), so off we went this rainy Sunday. The aquarium was its usual chaotic self with giant crabs, Unicorn tangs, otter tubes, underwater syncho and finger-nibbling Dr. Fish. We had planned a full day of 63 building fun, but IMAX seemed too scary, weather too rainy for scenic vista, and wax museum - well, we will save that for more desperate times.
Instead, we visited Seonyudo (Seonyu Island, in the middle of the Han River). This island is one of the centerpieces of a "New Seoul" millennium campaign that focuses on making Seoul more livable for its 10 million inhabitants. A former water filtration plant, it is now a "post-modern space" filled with water-themed gardens, walking paths, and some cultural and performance venues. It does not appear in much of the English tourist literature, so until a chance blog encounter a while back, we didn't know it existed. Brian found it by driving along Hangang Park and looking for an accessible island.

The vehicle-restricted island is reachable by a foot bridge (Rainbow Bridge, "mujigae-dari," designed by a French architect and a gift from France), which is supposed to offer stunning views of Seoul. Seoul wasn't really designed to appear stunning from the river I suppose, or designed at all for that matter. We enjoyed the greenhouse and sunken gardens, listened to some live jazz, saw some wildlife (middle left: Korean bunny, and decorated dog - they love the ear-dye here), remarked on the many photo-shoots and hair colours (blue and pink wigged footballers, and orange-hued musicians top-centre), and felt proud for having found a green space so close to home and so easily accessible. Rain resumed on the walk back (see recreation-seekers cowering under rainbow bridge bottom-right), but we did get a chance to witness two new team activities: top-right, soccer-volleyball, and below that a sort of Korean pinata. Large lantern-like balls were held on poles above people who hurled bean bags at them until they split open and out furled a scroll and some paper-wrapped treats. A bit mysterious, but we will seek further knowledge. Or we won't. Perhaps we will heed the advice below, and simply "Toss Education."

September swings the ups and downs

2010-09-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

After a summer that seemed to last forever, the days grow short when you reach September - by which I mean to say that this month ended in an eye's blink. I am sad to report that during the month of September I lost my recently purchased new camera, so I'm back to the old one whose batteries die after three photos and whose flash ne fonctionne pas. Also, since I only have 45 minutes to complete this post before I must wake up Iris and take her to nanny so I can take Jamie to swimming lessons, this will be quick and ugly.
This is the Samsung Children's Museum. It was, as is usual here in Seoul, very tricky to get to, especially when travelling with four children. Although the displays were entirely in Korean, thus making it difficult to figure out how our kids were supposed to interact with the exhibits, there were many activities for them: a giant house that you could enhance with roof tiles, extra bricks and new rafters, complete with building cranes to help you get your gear to the top floor; a room where, it seemed, you could administer several intelligence tests to your young to find out which of the 8 types of IQ they had, enabling prediction of their future profession (allowing you to put them in their proper hagwans now); a room of machines that shot foam balls through a variety of tubes; a room full of water tables; a mock kitchen where you were encouraged to drum on the pots and pans and garbage cans etc.; a room in which you could video your kids playing musical instruments and performing well known songs (expertly, if you were Korean); a room of the future where you could wear metal hats that claimed to be able to read your brain waves (see Jamie, top-centre); a room that taught you the science of life and had a model of a pregnant woman you could ultrasound and puzzles of key life passages including the peeing boy bottom right (potty-training?). There was also a baby-play-room full of toy cars, and sadly, that's where all four children preferred to hang out.

Look, I made kim-bap. It only costs 3$ for 2 rolls and is available in every second shop here in Seoul, but I thought I would spend an afternoon learning to do it myself.

Yesterday I went as the parent helper on Jamie's school trip. We took about 40 kids 5 and under on a 2 hour and 45 minute bus ride (the driver got lost) to a kid's farm outside of Seoul. They made ice-cream, milked a cow (well, they lined up to individually squeeze the teat of a 8-month pregnant cow, who may have wanted to spend her last trimester otherwise), fed some calves, took a tractor ride and had a picnic. They admired the tank-loads of armed soldiers who clearly thought a children's activity farm was the best place to practice maneuvers. They glanced nervously at the videographer who, despite the teacher telling him not to film our children, followed them around filming them. They were loaded on a giant swing, and told it was for "photo only," and would break if they tried to swing on it. They were invited to feed the animals from the pile of hay and grasses provided for that purpose, but were told that the animals would likely bite - especially the ostrich who was notorious for biting children. They listened to long Korean explanations for things that by the time they were translated into English, and then French, were no longer remotely interesting to them. They were shepherded back and forth to various washrooms to wash various parts of them by their helpful parent volunteer, and then they got to get on the bus for the 2 hour ride home. I guess they had fun.

For Chuseok week, I went with the children (and some friends) to Busan for the week. There I lost my camera. Otherwise you could see photos of the darling children playing on the beautiful sandy beach, the seaside temple with the stunning views, the aquarium with its school of sharks swimming along with their tiny babies riding under their fins, and the giant house that was built for an APEC conference. Sadly, you can not. September is apparently the only time that it is possible to travel to Busan beaches while the sea is still swimmable to be able to glimpse the ocean through the crowds. The sun was (mostly) shining the water was (nearly) warm, the children were grubby (read happy). I was given chocolates, songpyeon (Chuseok rice cakes), glittery nail-polish and lip-gloss (?) and free tickets to Spa-topia in Asia's largest shopping mall (not for those under 12). I ate the chocolates. The hotel lacked beach facilities (eg. an outside shower to remove sand before traipsing it through the posh lobby - apparently mine were the only kids who required such amenities). The holiday-makers swarmed my children, making it hard for them to relax on the beach. My friend's kids spent the final two days vomiting. Everything was closed for two days because of the holiday, which corresponded to the only days too rainy to play outside. When I taxied my kids to the seaside Temple (Haedong Yonggungsa) it turned out to be far away from everything else. Unable to call for a new taxi, I had to make the taxi driver wait and thus had only a very quick visit. I promised Jamie a boat ride, but boat tours were apparently not running and operators kept telling me the weather (hot and sunny) was not suitable. Instead we spent an afternoon sitting on a rock and watching the boat tours (that we, for some reason, were not on) speed past the shore. But Jamie enjoyed the train ride, he got to visit many new kid's cafes, jump on hotel beds, and spend time with his friend. I got away from Seoul, which I had quite throughly explored over the summer, and finally saw those beaches that everyone is on about. Iris got to sleep with Mommy for 4 nights, and "run around, run around, run around." Brian got to work long days in Seoul and have a lie-in on his day off. So, apart from the tragic camera loss, we are glad we went on holiday.

Look - it was Brian's birthday. He ate steak and salmon, cake and ice-cream, played with his kids and built some Lego. I'm sure he has never been happier.

Here is the boy in a bubble. Properly, I guess this should be paired with photos of our children surrounded by Koreans remarking on their features, praising their antics, and trying to film them thus providing a montage that underlines the whole hamster-in-a-cage phenomenon that is their lives, but instead it is just Jamie enjoying rolling around on the surface of water in a giant ball. Also metaphorical I think.

Sorak National Park

2010-09-13T04:47:00.000-07:00

Mid-August we went on our first Korean mini-break and drove to Sorak National Park in Gangwan Province (Heavenly Blessed Land: Gangwan-do). The drive was quite lovely with mountain views and glimpses of the East Sea (Koreans don't say the Sea of Japan). Upon arrival, we took the Sorak Cable Car up Kwangomsan (a high, and very windy mountain), and admired the vista. There was a very small temple (Allak Temple) harboring a very wide monk with very bad cell-phone reception. I may have preferred chanting to shouting - but you have to stay connected I suppose.

Day two we trekked the easy Piryang Waterfall Trail, to admire the 13 waterfalls along the path and marvel at the trail's namesake that is said to look like a great flying dragon wending its way down the rocks. Climb was a bit rocky and unstable at times, but Jamie is a trooper and Iris enjoyed the ride. It was amazingly refreshing to be away from Seoul, and the mountains were indeed lovely.

The area is also a big beach destination. The East Sea beaches are lined with tenement no-frills pensions, tourist draws (horsewagons, family bikes, an Edison phonograph museum, and a man-made lake to stroll about), and boast sandy beaches equipped with requisite inner-tube rentals and beach umbrellas. Once again the beach day we chose was a rainy and windy one - but we played a bit for form's sake.
At the entrance to the National Park is Shinhungsa Temple which boasted a very large Buddha, vibrant guardian statues, and dragons adorning the stairwells. Jamie and Iris really like running about in sandy temple grounds, and mountain temples are extremely picturesque.
We stayed in the Kensington Stars Hotel, a British Theme Hotel complete with double-decker buses (this one unfortunately advertising something slightly rude), royal nick-knacks and peeling Victorian-inspired wall-paper. There were oh-so-British family Norebangs in the basement, but we did not indulge. The hotel had a great location, but not much else in its favour.
A few asides. Bottom right are the anti-tank defenses that line the roads. When blown up, they litter the highway with heavy concrete blocks preventing enemy passage. Top right are pictures of the Tyrolean-hatted bear and his small cub who offer advise throughout the National Park. The mountains are known for Sanchae or mountain vegetables, renowned in Temple food. The easier trails come to groups of colourful kiosks where women sit sorting and washing these chewy and slightly furry delicacies (centre bottom). Sanchae bibimbap (mid-left) is a regional dish that we ate at practically every meal while away. My jaw muscles were very strong by the end of the trip. Soraksan was well worth the visit, and would be stunning (though crowded) in the Autumn. The beaches probably merit another look next summer. Jamie thought it was all too far away and there wasn't enough for kids to play - but that was only because he wasn't allowed to stop at the giant Santa's Bouncy Castle at Sokcho beach. Next time we will take Brian to the Edison museum and let Jamie take a wagon ride. I will be happy to merely gaze at misty mountains and chew furry roots.

If the shoe fits

2010-09-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

I really liked being a tourist when my friend Isabel came to stay at the end of the summer. Taking advantage of my nanny, we had a couple of baby-free days of just exploring parts of the city that I have always meant to spend more time in. Namdaemun market, pictured above, for example, still manages to take my breath away with its sheer number of ... everything. On this visit we were particularly struck by the sparkly belly-dancing gear, the dark food-alleys, the dank basements of imported goods (like the Creap Coffee featured above) and a wide array of gifts you wouldn't wish on anyone - like the robotic soldier toy who crawls along the ground preparing to launch his assault, the potty-sitter with sounds to match, and the temple socks declaring the surrounds a no-fart-zone. As always the range of vibrantly patterned polyester Ajumma clothes, complete with permed and visored Ajummas who don't hesitate to try on sequined cross-trainers (does this shoe fit?) and floral stretch-pants in public, won my vote for best Namdaemun sight.

Insadong: another perrenial favorite. We had a relaxing rainy stroll exploring the shops and galleries of Insadong-gil, and this time we did two big tourist tickets: the Old Tea House (yes, it's really called that) with its range of warm fruit teas, aging woodwork and live free-flying birds, and Sanchon Buddhist Restaurant, with it's lotus flower interior and fresh mountain fare. I really enjoyed both, perhaps because we caught them on a quiet rainy Monday, the better to evoke the traditional ambiance of the places, and that apart from us, they were fairly tourist-free. But the fact is, I like being a tourist in Seoul. It's not as though I am ever going to fit in, or fully understand what's going on - so why can't I just stand out, and take in what the city has to show me? If the shoe fits - I should probably wear it. Unless, of course - it's a a high-heeled Korean shoe. Which brings me to Dongdaemun. Apparently most of the big department stores here in Fashion Town are closed Mondays, but that allowed us to spend some time in the back alleys. We found Toy Street, Work-shirt Street, and Shoe Town. In this district you can wind your way all along the path of life for the perfect Korean shoe. Shops selling rubber soles, high heels (just the heels), buckles and embellishments give way to alleys and alleys of vendors of the finished creation. It is indeed an amazing sight, and a good source for craft supplies if you are of that persuasion. If the shoe doesn't fit - take it apart and make a different one.

Apart from permitting the exploration of some of my favorite neighbourhoods in more detail, and at a more sedate pace (we also did Bukchon Hanok village and I finally found the elusive Jeongdok Public Library and an education museum that may be child-friendly), Isabel's visit also took me to places as yet unseen. We went to Jogysa Temple in Insadong, but sight-seeing amidst the prayers and chanting was a little uncomfortable. Visiting the Bongeun Temple (1488) near COEX seemed less intrusive. Close by the temple is the "three royal tomb park" (Seonjeongneung) where the Bongeun Temple's founder, Queen Yun, lies buried. The Temple-tomb-trek here is a good one for visitors, offering a taste of historic Korea amidst the furiously-forward-facing-future-friendly COEX sky-rises. We lost our camera at the tombs, but responsible Brian went back for it an hour later. The delighted guards, who had been waiting for that foreign fellow they saw in the photos to appear in real life, happily handed it over. The shoe quite visibly fit. And here, below, are the photos that the guards had to entertain them in the duration. Those foreign children sure are cute!

A drowning man

2010-09-12T23:41:00.000-07:00

When a friend asked Jamie how he liked living here, he said "Everything is CRAZY in Seoul." I think that's part of what keeps me sane. Last week, for example, I found myself downtown on a very narrow cobble stoned street, made narrower by the presence of a group of blue-shirted protesters singing mournfully under flowery banners. I edged across the street only to come face to face with a long line of riot-gear-clad police who had arrived to oversee the rally. Sticking to the middle of the road now, what should I see coming, but a parade of feather-hatted, drum-and-conch-shell-playing, regally bedecked reenactors doing their hourly changing-of-the-guards march. I deftly wove my way through these three colourful lines of men and thought indeed - things are crazy in Seoul.
Presenting, for your diversion, a few of the things that have amused me over the summer. Ah, English signage - how I do love you. Most recently - here is some historical erasure, meaningless large-scale billboards, polite invitations, warning signs, and suchlike.
As you can see, I am still loving the matching outfits, and the kids seem happy to play along. I

am also very fond of the way that cute matching couples are always equipped with a camera; and the boy is forever photographing his sweetie, even though he, and his matching pants, do not make it into the romantic record. Charmed by my children, a group of farmers at the Folk Village gave them this strange fruit. Spiky and squishy on the outside, it is filled with sweet red seeds resembling guts. If anyone knows what it is, please tell me. And finally, a small video demonstrating the inventiveness of Koreans, especially when it comes to cleanliness. Such are the fragments we shore up against our ruin: life rings to rescue a drowning man.

How I spent my summer vacation

2010-09-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

So, in the 5 hot and rainy weeks between my return from Australia and Jamie's return to school we did the following: 3 Kid's cafes, 2 birthday parties, 2 public swimming pools (several times), 2 science/nature museums, 2 history museums, 2 children's museums, 1 folk village, 3 amusement parks, 2 palaces, 1 tower, 2 movies, 1 musical, 3 zoos, 1 dolphin show, 1 beach, 2 art shows, several playgrounds, 2 swimming streams, 2 river parks, 1 war memorial museum, 1 mountain adventure and many walks around different neighbourhoods searching for something else fun. Time just flew by. As you may have noticed, there has been no blogging. I'm not sure I can remedy that - but here are some photos.

This is the Gwacheon Science museum, located just outside of Seoul Grand Park (home of the Seoul Zoo, the Contemporary Art Gallery, the Children's Zoo, and Seoul Land). The Science museum is itself a giant complex containing 6 galleries, a planetarium, several outdoor ecological experiences, some trains and a rocket, and a life-scale dinosaur walking trail. In one of the galleries you can see some of the prehistoric sea creatures first discovered by Mary Anning, heroine of two of the novels I just finished reading. We saw very little of the museum on our first visit, but we did go to the special exhibition of kinetic sculptures by Theo Janson. These wood and sail monsters could move with the help of compressed air tubing and a skilled operator, and the demonstration, though long-winded and in Korean, was pretty cool. We could pose beside cut-outs of Mr. Janson (they really love the 2-D photo-op here), and there was an entire tent filled with building tubes and blocks where we spent a happy few hours seeking shelter from a deluge and building towers.

Ah birthday parties. With two children, we seem to be attending them fairly regularly. I finally went to a real Korean 1st birthday complete with baby boy twins, matching family outfits, a ballroom full of people and food to feed them, door prizes, video presentations, speeches, and fortune telling. I think they picked a car and money - but it was a little hard to follow. Also Jamie's favorite friend turned 4 and the kids had a ball at their own Banyan Tree gazebo bash. It was a nice way to end the long summer. When not invited to the pools of elite private clubs, the likes of us go to the public pools that line the Han River here in Seoul. Public pools are remarkable here. Amazingly crowded (but clean), they usually are a sea of tents and picnic blankets surrounding pools (generally 4: toddler, kids, lane-swim, play) that are chock full of floaters, pool rings, barbie-boats and the like. Families wear matching swim wear, order fried chicken to be delivered to their tent, and spend the day munching kimbap and taking turns pulling the young on inflated toys. The secret is not to resist. We bought many pool toys, erected our tent (useful when seeking shelter from the monsoons that hit every day of the summer), ordered our chicken and rode with the crowds.
Playgrounds: kids love them. Amusing the very young is not that tricky if you can bear the heat and the fact that kids get amazingly dirty and wet whenever left unattended for more than five minutes.
Many Seoulites go to beaches in the summer months. We only did this once, on a rainy day early in the season. Even to drive to Incheon beach is fairly far for a day trip given Seoul traffic, and on sunny days they are reportedly wall-to-wall beach umbrellas. The season is short. Beaches close here on August 31, which I think simply means that the restaurants (mostly live-fish BBQ) and other services (inner-tube and beach-umbrella rentals) that line the beaches shut-down. We have noticed that Koreans like very much to do things that other Koreans are doing (preferably many other Koreans). When the services go, so too do the people; empty beaches might as well be closed because no one would want to be there on their own. Koreans like crowds, so we have different ideas of a good beach day. The day we went, however, was perhaps too deserted, cold and drizzly even for us. The children were chased by a group of walking ajummas who wanted to hug them while having their photos taken. The children were not on board and ran away. Children can run quite far on a beach. I burned myself while trying to BBQ prawns, and Iris broke her shovel. We did not repeat the experiment, but there are many summers ahead and many nearby beaches to explore.

And so I will leave you here with a photo from the last day of school in June, and the first day back in September. The time in between I had little opportunity to draw a breath, let alone a word-picture describing our life. It is enough that we saw, explored, and experienced more of this vibrant and vibrating city and kept our growing glowing brains alight. Jamie is now in Moyenne Section (bilingual), and Iris has a new nanny 2-days a week - so you may be hearing more from me.

On s'amuse bien: Seoul Amusement Parks for the shorter set

2010-09-12T23:31:00.000-07:00

Apparently almost-four-year-olds love amusement parks. All Spring I was trying to get Jamie to do things: eat vegetables, go to bed, drink milk, walk up and down the hill without complaining, by telling him that he had to grow 100 cm in order to go to Lotte World. Come Summer - guess what? My newly taller boy was keen to discover the joys of big-boy rides at Seoul's favorite indoor amusement park. Turns out, for most rides, you have to be 110 cm - but still Jamie and his school friends enjoyed train-riding, and frog-hopping, and merry-go-rounding. Jamie was also keen on the magic donkey who, upon insertion of coin, would poo out a jelly candy. Lotte World's chief advantage is that there is an indoor section - and since this was the summer of intense heat and lots of torrential rain, that is a bonus. It is, however, fairly expensive (even with Seoul Grand Sale discount), especially since we could only go on rides for the 100cm and below set. It is far away, lines are long after noon, and Jamie is a little bit afraid of costumed characters - even if they play tubas. He is similarly none-too-fond of Korean puppet shows involving wolves eating a family of furry lambs or 4-D dino movies involving biting teeth. Also they don't stamp your hand or give you a ride bracelet so you have to keep digging out your ticket - which is near-impossible for frazzled and forgetful moms. None-the-less, a small taste of Lotte fun, and the boy had the amusement bug: "I want to go to a place with rides for kids that we haven't gone too before..."

We tried the more economical option of the amusement zone of Children's Grand Adventure Park. Here you pay as you go, and Jamie was happy to have coin after coin inserted in the various cars, planes, Santa sleds, and dwarf-driven-gondolas that were available for "kids to ride by themselves," rather than go on the more expensive amusement rides. Iris could also ride these, teaching her to say "ride ride ride" instead of her customary "walk walk walk." I ran out of coins sooner that Jamie ran out of desire, and I had to drag him away shouting "but I want this to be my house - I want to live here forever." The amusement park, to the adult eye, is pretty old and run-down, and we actually had to track the ride-operators down in order to have the rides run for us. There is not readily available food service, and the hideous beating sun nearly did me in - but luckily the rest of the Children's Grand Park includes a shade-covered stream where Jamie and his school friends usually enjoy splashing about.

Seoul Grand Park was the winner this Summer. We went on a very rainy day when lovely Isabel was visiting. The rain meant that the park was pretty much our own. There were no lines, and ride-operators who would not only open the rides just for us, but would mop off the very wet seats before we sat in them. (Yet they still gave their instructions in Korean via the microphone). Rides were run according to my children's desires. Iris signed "all done" and "down" while on the tree-hopper. The ride was stopped, she got off, and Jamie was allowed to ride 2 more times. Jamie got to try all of the covered vehicles on the truck race, some with Iris, some without, and only had to get off because Mommy and Izzy were soaked and hungry. As the only kid on the bumper cars, Jamie had his own personal chauffeur in the ride-operator. Apparently it is hard to remember to push the gas pedal all the time when you have finally achieved your ultimate desire of a "car to drive by myself that really goes." Both children were followed by the merry-go-round operator, who shouted at them "I love you I love you" and gave them lollipops. Strange for the grown-ups, but pretty standard for my young royals. There were many more rides for the 80 cm(Iris) to 100cm(Jamie) set than at Lotte World, including 3 kiddie roller coasters (one out-of-service). Although Jamie enjoyed the Santa reindeer coaster (they sure love Santa here), he screamed in terror all through the "Crazy Mouse." (though he later claimed that was a different boy who was crying.) His favorite game is now: "crazy-upside down-roller-coaster-that-only Daddy-can-ride," and he is champing to return to Seoul Land. Visa discount made it fairly inexpensive, wrist-bands made riding a breeze, and it is too big to see all of if you are small. Food service is less varied than Lotte but better than CGP; rain gear is available; and ride-operators are flexible. It is difficult to get to via taxi or subway, but there is ample parking if you drive. I'm not sure Seoul Land is a favorite for grown-ups (Everland, still to be visited, is the most praised), and some of the rides, like the "fun house," were not at all fun, and sort of smelled like a rabbit cage. However, for the soon-to-be-four-year-old and his tiny sister, both currently enchanted by all forms of motorized transit, it was the bees knees.

Seoul Notes

2010-05-17T00:25:00.000-07:00

Now that May is coming to a close, I should tidy up a few of these unfinished posts. I always feel so optimistic when I settle down to write one, but inevitably a baby cries; it's time for school pick-up; the children clinging to my legs have started pulling each other's hair or I get distracted by thoughts of laundry or lunch or work emails or a doorbell rings and I simply wander off. And so, in no particular order, and with no particular motif, refrain, or theme, here is some more of Seoul and its environs:

Children's day (May 5th) was a National Holiday here in Seoul (except for the children at the French school - but it was a Wednesday 1/2 day). We were warned that all parks, museums and amusement parks would be crowded beyond enjoyment - so we headed to the National Cemetery for a picnic - as you do. Although we weren't the only ones with this idea, it was a pleasant open-space with a river, tombs, statues, steps, and flowers.
Nami Island was recommended to us for a day-trip, so one Sunday we did the hour-long drive to this "pedestrian" Island. We took a boat to the Island, and then explored via toy train and family bicycle (other options included tandem bikes, toy motor cars, personal golf-carts, electric scooters, and sky-bikes on tracks through the tree tops. It was very crowded and vehicle-ridden for a car-free place, but we had a nice time. The Island was used to film parts of the Korean mini-series Winter Sonata, which I watched before leaving Canada, so I was happy to see the celebrated locations. There are many artists selling their wares (the most prominent created small clay figures of peeing boys and nursing women), and to highlight the artistic nature of the island, they disguised their public washrooms as "toilart studios." There were folksy warning signs about the killer mosquitoes (no mosquitoes in Korea - hah!), live concerts and comedians, and pretty scenic views of the waterway, and strange little cottages you could rent if you wished to stay over on this crowded lively retreat. On the way home we were stuck in traffic as usual, but we were diverted by the hawkers selling snacks, fruit and sundries right in the middle of the 8-lane expressway. Personal safety is not paramount in this city.
On Buddha's Birthday (8th day of 4th lunar month, another National Holiday), we took advantage of VIP seating for the lantern parade. The lanterns were lovely, and the giant illuminated paper creations quite astonishing (Jamie particularly enjoyed the young Monk riding Thomas the Tank Engine, and Pororo hugging a baby Buddha). Temple congregations work all year to create their own hand-held and float lanterns and come out in vast numbers (it's all about quantity) to show their stuff. Many lucky parade-viewers were given lanterns, but by the time I know I should be shouting for one, my babies had had it and we headed home. It was a very very long parade. Before the show there was a Buddhist street fair, and we were illuminated further by the many English-language signs advertising booths devoted to such things as "Stamp! Realize! Love!," "Good day, Good people, and sharing clothes!," and "Imagination the Buddha." We were the only foreigners who didn't make a lotus lantern, or queue to have old men write us out a family precept, but we watched them bathe a statue, we made a fish lantern and stamped our way to love, or at least a bandana for Jamie.

A while back my supper club went to a high-end Noraebang for Korean karaoke. Your group is given a private room with microphones, instruments, a playbook, a video screen, a plate of fried food, many beers and a bottle of whiskey (for beer bombs - but this is a family blog). If you happen to be a group of tone-deaf foreign women with inside connections to the music scene (?) you are also given four young Korean men who will sing to you and pour your drinks and dance (??). They will also, it seems, perform a magic show complete with live bunnies (the furry sort) who will hop around your table and let you cuddle them. Apparently a uniquely Korean experience; and as we were there for 4 hours and left nary a drop of whiskey or with any remaining vocal chord - I guess we experienced it "to the full," but enough of that.

Look, here are some beautiful Spring flowers.

This is the police presence mustering in preparation for a protest. Guess who was protesting? Handicapped children. I tried to capture the scene where the police had downed a young woman in a wheelchair - but you will just have to imagine it. Apparently every week the few remaining "Comfort women" (victims of Japanese soldiers during the occupation) come out to protest and demand an apology from Japan and many Japanese tourists run up to apologize to them individually, but I haven't seen this myself. I have seen many student marchers, and more mustered police - but so far everything remains orderly.

Ah Korea, how I love that you mob my children wherever they appear; that you provide for them playrooms filled with large teddy bears to jump upon; that your stations have child gates, your potties have baby seats, and your department stores nursing rooms. How I love that you use English without really understanding it; that you name your English schools things like "Toss English" or "Prestirium Language Institute"; that it's okay to name your tandem bikes "Lespo"; that your beach signs warn against "regretful things" that will make your family and friends "feel sad by acceidental mistakes,"and your "underground cave experiences" need to have a no high-heel policy. How I love your enthusiasm for participation which leads to mobs of old ladies sharing a three-person train seat, tourists joyfully indulging in pre-programed "experiences" to the delight of gathered crowds (here, underneath the bikes for lesbians, an ajumma does some top spinning), and also makes you think that one motorbike store is good, but 150 motorbike stores are better, and causes you to believe that the best business to open on my street with 17 coffee shops is another coffee shop. So there are my notes; some sour, some sweet, and life tinkles along until we meet again. Good night and a "Mobile Flash Butt Welding Machine" to you all.

Korea tourism: Gyeongju and Jeju

2010-05-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

Visiting temples and palaces is a good way to remind ourselves that we are indeed in a country with a history and culture different from our own. Although I have been doing some reading about designs and building techniques - the history of the place still remains largely unknown to me. I read one book about the contribution of Korean women to "traditional arts and humanities," where I learned that their ability to participate was rare enough that most of the accomplishments during the Chosun period came from high-status prostitutes, known as "flowers who understand words," or the few Dowager Queens fierce enough to contest their male councilors (thoough these ones tended to be poisoned or torn apart as far as I can make out). Largely, however, English-language histories of Korea (apart from the Korean war) are rare, and April touring with Brian's visiting parents only underlined how little we actually know about this country that is our new home. With that caveat (also pleading poor memory and a baby who has had a month-long war with the laptop) - here is a quick run-through of our two-week April adventure.

Ah Seoul, there are always new things to discover. With the parents I finally visited the "hidden garden" (Biwon) of Changdeokgung Palace (free-roaming Thursdays - now suspended it seems). This was much bigger than I expected, more on the scale of Central Park, and there were many nice stone-work chimneys and pavilions for poetic princes to ponder for posterity. We returned to Bukchon to see the Hanok homes, and found the very small, but beautiful, maedup museum; some of us dressed in Hanbok at Namsangol Hanok village (one of our Seoul City Tour Bus stops); we saw the lights of Seoul Tower at night and did various boating activities around Yeouido during the day. It was nice to do tourist Seoul again, visiting markets and palaces and museums that we hadn't seen in a while, and I found a street that sold nothing but motorcycles and motorcycle paraphernalia and one that sold nothing but Buddhist monk outfits (summer and winter selections with accessories) - if there is one thing Seoul excels at, it is quantity. After a week of Seoul, seeing if not searching, we headed out of town to see a little more of the country.

We took the fast train (and then the medium train reminds my precise son) to "beautiful Gyeongju" (meaning "congratulatory district" - so catchy these place names). Our taxi-driver who took us to the station hailed from Gyeongju and asked what we were interested in seeing there. Revealing my above-noted ignorance I suggested that it was very old and there were many historical parts. But indeed, the place was chock full of Royal tombs (the grassy hills in the photos above - there are 35 tombs and 155 tumuli in the city, and 455 in the outskirts), ancient observatories, 31 national treasures, a lovely Temple and many stone Buddha statues that always make me feel very calm. We enjoyed the exposure to Shilla Kingdom, and exploring tombs in the rain. I learned very little about its history though, as English signs were confined to telling us things like: "caution of stairs" and providing informational tidbits like: "among the military stone figures, a Western figure is attractive." (That's him in the middle - he is a looker isn't he? It's his bulbous nose, bulgy eyes and giant ears that give him away I guess). Monday was museum closing day so we missed the 16,333 artifacts extracted from the tombs, and the hotel charged us to use the pool - but otherwise we enjoyed seeing this part of Korea.

Then it was off to Jeju island, the "Hawaii of Korea" and, at only 75 minutes from Seoul, the top beach resort destination for city-mini-breakers. Luckily we were off-season, so the beach wasn't mobbed. It was pretty cold though. Kids love beaches, but we only had 3 days - so instead of running and playing at the waterfront, they got to climb mountains, scale volcanoes, descend deep dark dank caves and spend long hours driving in cars past scenic oceans views. They are very good kids, and so accommodating.

It was very nice to see the natural features of Jeju - such a welcome break from crowded built-up Seoul. Jeju does a very thorough job of promoting itself and icons of the island include the grandfather statues which litter the Island (most are replicas, some conceal telephone booths or trash cans) as well as representations (mostly statues, some cartoon mascots) of women divers. The romance of the women divers, who scour the ocean for saleable sealife diving with only a mask and their tremendous lung capacity, is hard to resist even once you know that the women who have been doing this for centuries were the poorest members of society forced to preform this hard labour from early childhood until late old age. Today the few remaining women divers are almost all over 40 and you can see them (now wearing wetsuits) walking along the highway carrying their sacks of shells and seaweed, or huddled in groups around fires on the shore.

Here is a lovely photo-montage from Hallim park. There were gardens, caves, lava tubes, bonsai gardens, rock gardens (the feature mid-left is called "Lovers Rock" just one of the many Jeju attractions designed to inspire honeymooners), a historic village and an aviary. We ate prickly-pear cookies and hid from the rain with a python; what more could you ask for in a tourist attraction?

Here we are at Cheonjeyon waterfall (three-tired and much climbing). We enjoyed the various depictions of musical nymphs who descend nightly to bathe in the ponds, and Jamie thought he saw his new friend, the dragon Lava-Badda, hiding behind one of the waterfalls.

Oh - here we are doing more exploring: Mt. Halla (namesake of the Hallabong tangerines that we ate voraciously); the very steep trek to volcanic crater Songsan Ilchubong, birthplace of Lava-Badda; the lava-tubes of Manjang; and a dragon-head rock formation that Jeju City lights up at night for tourist delectation. Generally between the fields and the sea, things were a bit more relaxed than at home - but Jamie trudging up the crater under his own steam caused the usual sensation and crowd-pleasing. Teenaged boys chanted little encouraging songs for him; young girls mobbed him for photo-ops; and ex-military men tried to put him on their backs to ascend the heights. We made it up to the crater alive, but the crowds convinced me that I would stick to off-season for return visits to this fascinating island.

The hero on passionate stage

2010-04-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

April is here and Seoul, as usual, is offering up "the world to create our own story," and "Happy space where the family enjoy together." We have, individually and together, hunted Easter eggs, brunch buffeted, park picnicked, film watched, weaned, climbed mountains, viewed flowers, bussed to a school field trip, dinner partied, conference attended, play dated and spent many a "refreshing afternoon mingling with the nature, and lots of something to enjoy."

In return, we continue to provide Seoulites their own chance "to meet unforgettable glorious moment" in the guise of lovely tall Brian - here being interviewed by school girls in Insadong, and cute blond babies - seen here on Namsan with a tour group. Also April is the season for "the world filled with sweet talking and love," and once again we see cute couples dressed alike, carrying each others handbags, and doing their best to squeal, giggle, and clown their ways into each others' hearts.

We have gone to many parks lately: Yongsan Family Park, Hangang River Park, Yeouido Park, Namsan Park etc. but Olympic Park "the most brilliant theme park in Korea" (according to the brochure, liberally quoted in this post), has been our family outing favourite. In addition to Olymipic venues, flags, flames, museums etc. the park also has a fortress, a lake, 2 playgrounds, a sculpture garden, a kid's cafe, an art gallery, and many walking and cycling paths, and food and baby facilities. We rented a four-wheeled bike complete with two front baby-seats, and explored happily for hours.
Look, it's the Shinsegae dessert hall.
Here is super-model-turned-party-planner Miggi Chi attending our baby playgroup with her camera man. She is being filmed for the Korean TV show Supermom. This is not an April Fool's day joke - this is my surreal life. I have always enjoyed hanging out with Party-culture-fashion-icons, we have much in common. I am also very eager to appear as much as possible in the Korean media. Indeed, I "will be the hero on passionate stage," and my chance encounters "with the citizens will bring [me] unforgettable memory."

Here are some flowers. "It's the world to build the monument in our heart - It's the world for the break." Happy Spring.

Make Gorgeously Your Life

2010-03-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

This March has not exactly gone linearly from lion to lamb. Instead we are treated the the whole menagerie at one time. This makes it hard to plan wardrobes, outings, and a myriad of other things that would help my days pass in a waft of splendid organization. Despite this, March has flown by with nary a moment to reflect - so I am stealing away this cold Sunday morning while the kids run amok, skipping naps and maybe meals, to spend some time with you.
In our first photo you will find the family at the Korean Folk Village in Gyeonggi-do. In this outdoor museum are 260 historical homes from the late Josean Period. You can watch a traditional wedding (complete with live Chicken in a bag that squirms around during the bowing), enjoy tight-rope acrobatics, and clap (if you are one) along with cartwheeling, tambourine-playing folk dancers. If you are so inclined you can stretch out on the punishment bench in front of government house and your friends can practice administering corporal punishment with various whips and heavy clubs. We enjoyed the handicraft-demonstrations. Jamie dyed some cloth along with a tangible-human-traditional-cultural-asset (the lady talking to Iris middle-right). Iris kicked a cow. Brian attempted threshing. I ate bulgogi. The babies were photographed by many strangers.
Photo number two depicts Iris and her new friend V. at music class and in front of their brothers' classroom (on Wednesdays Mommies can actually go inside now - it is very exciting). This picture serves as an introduction to my Spring schedule. On Mondays I now have a nanny. Iris and V. share her, leaving me one day to explore. So far we have had three Mondays: the first I hid in the office the whole time listening for tears, the second I snuck home and napped, but the third I actually went out as you will see in a moment. Tuesdays I have my maedup class, and I try to catch up on those three hours of paid work I should do weekly. Wednesday is Jamie's short day so, due to non-stop-snow we alternate house-playdates with some of his friends. Thursdays we have baby playgroup in the morning, and then I nap. Fridays the babies have music class and Jamie gets out early so there is no time for anything else. Fascinating no?

I also somehow manage to cram in other things: in picture three I had 18 moms and their babies (SIWA mom's group) over for lunch (potluck) and in picture four I went (with my supper club) to see our friend Lucia Kye, noted clarinetist, give a "house concert." We were seated on the floor directly behind the pianist, facing the audience. Clearly it was not enough to be the only four foreigners in the room, but we also had to be on stage. That is my friend Lucy top right. Although my legs kept going to sleep, we really enjoyed the concert. Lucy was amazing and it was the first time I have been out doing something that attracted actual Seoulites. It felt more like participating in real city-life rather than being a tourist.

Photo five was my Monday outing. I went to Myeong-dong, famed shopping district, to look about (I was actually looking for a new H&M, but although I found the billboard and pointed at it while squawking at some businessmen, I never got there). What impressed me, however, was the various layered life of Seoul. In the same streetscape you will find giant glass hotels and shopping malls, hand-drawn food or waste carts, tent-alley-street-cafes, and tiny crowded shops crammed into whatever open space is left. Travelling without baby and boy is very liberating and I had a brief taste of why some find the city so full of energy and adventure. My adventure was mostly having lunch with Brian. Baby-free, we managed floor-seated-table-cooking and an encounter with the Korean take on American donut chains (we didn't have garlic glazed). I like tables full of suit-clad-shoeless businessmen kneeling before steaming pots of egg, and the fact that Korean restaurants are not afraid to display their insect-repellent along with their carts of side-dishes. Seoul is still crammed with cute mascots, strange English slogans (why is everything a story - does that mean something different in Korean?), and enough coffee shops and bakeries to meet my weekly sugar and caffeine requirements with some to spare. My afternoon ended with a freak snowstorm and a mad taxi-dash to catch Jamie at school pick-up, but Monday comes every week.
In photo six you can see some rice cakes that a trio of upstairs neighbours dropped off at my door one morning. I think they were either apologizing for three months of home-renovation or telling me they had just moved in. I didn't know the proper gift-accepting etiquette, but I think grabbing for the cake with one hand while trying to balance a nearly-naked baby in need of a diaper change with the other was not correct. As you can also see, on my main street soon will be "comeing" "an Oak a wood bumer." I can hardly wait. I will enjoy it after a visit to the nearby "beer pup." Here are some coffee cups inviting us to make gorgeously our lives. This is good advice, though the seasonal change is making it difficult. Along with the continually changing weather, Spring also brings carcinogen-bearing yellow dust. Here are Iris and Brian in Itaewan during the worst "Asian dust" storm in a decade. It is the middle of the afternoon and we were wondering what the strange light was. Luckily, according to the headlines, I am happy here - so that's fine.

Photos seven and eight are Kid's Cafes here in Seoul. One is nearby (Monkey Banana) and more modest (Jamie was invited to a birthday party there). The other is in the new shopping mall Times Square and has many larger jumping apparatus (including a giant bouncy bear) and a train ride (where "kids go by themselveses"). Kids
Cafes are places that attract many Korean families on cold snowy Spring days. For a small fortune you can enjoy a "free" drink as you watch your little ones risk their necks and immune systems on various equipment which probably wouldn't pass Canadian safety standards. They are also very noisy and offer few places to tie up your baby. We will probably see very very many of these establishments over the next two and a half years.

That brings us to yesterday and our final photo. We tried to find a Museum of Modern Art just outside of Seoul in Ansan (Bravo Ansan!). It took us almost two hours to locate. Maps here are notoriously non-specific, and English-language road signage sporadic at best. For some reason city-signers were sure English speaking tourists would want to know where the juvenile detention center and the "drivers lice office" were, but not the newly built Art gallery. We finally made it and spent an hour exploring the small collection, admiring ourselves in a reflective eyeball, and trying to make out why only one kid was allowed in the children's play space at a time, and only if they produced a drawing of an airplane whilst in there. Jamie was confused by the photos of gun-wielding Lego men lying in pools of red paper blood, though it might help curb his mother-wearying enthusiasm for playing at pistolet. Iris, it seems, would rather run like a madwoman directly at artwork than be carried around having it explained to her. Instead Brian and I carried around cups of oddly flavored latte that encouraged us to make gorgeously our lives, and felt pleased that it was only snowing chogum, un petit peu, a very little bit. However, soon will come April's sweet (though dusty) showers that will drive away the March madness, and perhaps induce us to pilgrimages - but that will be another tale.

Thailand

2010-03-14T22:02:00.001-07:00

After Singapore, we headed to Thailand. We took the cheap route to Phuket, via Bangkok, which took most of the day, rather than the quick direct route, which would have taken an hour. Note for future reference: when travelling with small children, sometimes the cheapest choice is not the best one.

We didn't stay on the island of Phuket, but just up the coast in the Khao Lak area (one of the areas hardest hit by the tsunami). We stayed half the week at an enormous lavish resort (complete with resident pet baby elephant) and half the week at a small low-key beachside place that featured much shorter walks between the room, the pool, the restaurant, and the sea. The weather was if anything even hotter and sunnier than Singapore, although we did even get a spot of rain once.

Jamie and Iris were pretty much happy to play in the pool or in the sand. The Andaman Sea is known for its sunsets, and the evenings make a lovely contrast to the relentless insolation of the day. Every night is some sort of special theme at the restaurant. (And yes, food is very well-priced -- the resorts are more than the places on the street, but still cheap by any standards.) The guy with the guitar tried hard to come up with songs that both he and you knew. Actually, he knew almost all the words to "Mrs. Robinson" (phonetically, I think, which is that much more impressive), and a couple of lines (kind of) to "The Boxer."

This is the fancy resort (full of fancy people of course... next time, we need to think about dressing better, and maybe not throwing our food all over the floor at breakfast.) Jamie said, "Go away, baby elephant!!", although it turns out he says "go away" whenever he gets excited, so maybe he didn't mean to sound harsh. He really enjoyed the Penguin Club for kids (so-called because it was cool inside?) and probably would have stayed there as long as we let him. He didn't really do Thai kick boxing though; not quite big enough yet.

Later in the week, we did a number of excusions. This is one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Khao Lak, as it is nearer to some forests, national parks, and offshore islands. Elephant trekking (a low-speed activity) is de rigueur anywhere you go, and if you try a bit you can convince yourself the elephants don't have it too bad, although the sticks the mahouts carry do have sharp hooks on the end, rather than pom-poms like the ones at the zoo. I think it's for clearing dense vegetation! Don't worry, the snake around Jamie's neck has its mouth taped closed. And hey, we did skip the "monkey show."

Bamboo rafting goes right along with elephant riding, and it was actually just the right amount of fun for kids -- somewhat exciting without being dangerous, as the water is only inches deep at this time of year. The bridge at the waterfall we went to could use some repair, though.

The top activity in this region, however, by far, is diving/snorkelling around the Similan and Surin islands. We meant to go to the Similans, which are much closer, but due to scheduling constraints and other factors, we ended up going to Surin, which is about an hour farther away by van, although is said to be slightly better for snorkelling. It was a cloudy day, good for being on the water, although a bit windy and choppy at first, which led to about half our speedboat tour being sick. Lovely. But "peeking at fishies" was certainly worth it, at least for us adults. Jamie only went in the water once (with a lifejacket on), and is still a bit too small for the mask-and-snorkel thing. Iris stayed on board and was babysat by our friendly tour guide, to all appearances a retired ladyboy. The Surin islands are all a national park, and landfall is only permitted in one place, where they have extensive accomodation facilities of tents, huts, mess hall, etc. It might have been nicer if our shoes hadn't been back at the dock, but we soldiered on. The format of this tour meant there was more travelling than time in the water, but we were glad we did it, and will try to work in more coral reef exploration to future trips. I found myself dimly remembering that I spent a year and two summers, a couple of careers ago, working with coral scientists in a geology lab, and actually took a fourth-year geology course in the subject at the time.

We did a bit of walking in the rainforest along the coast. Keep in mind it's a billion degrees out.

Finally, the trip wrapped up with "one afternoon in Bangkok," inside a 12-hour layover at the airport. (After all, putting stickers on your face still leaves 11 hours and 55 minutes to kill.) Travelling into the city was neither the most time- nor cost-effective thing we did on our trip (probably the opposite), but it was still better than the alternative, sitting at the airport and not seeing Bangkok. Anyway, it was always our plan to go into the city, but you end up spending a lot of time in traffic and the tour guides that have the concession at the airport are really not good value for money. That said, the things we did see (Marble Temple, Standing Buddha) were great. It's just hard to be satisfied by driving past the outside of sites that one would really want to see. In the past, we've essentially only travelled in one mode (low-budget grad student), but now, as we learn to adapt to different realities in a number of dimensions simultaneously, their are new lessons to learn about what approaches work best, and the converse.

In the end, the whole outing was saved by a longboat tour (still overpriced though) through the canals of Bangkok (who knew that Bangkok even has canals?), which shows off an entirely different and fascinating view of the city, its built environment and how its people live, both rich and otherwise. This is definitely a must-do element of an city visit. (Ok, it might have helped had we done even the slightest bit of research prior to our arrival.)

With that, there were only four or five more hours to wile away at the airport before boarding the overnight return flight to Seoul, bringing our two-week long adventure to an end. There is no doubt it tested us in a few ways (to small kids, being away from the familiar comforts and routines of home is not necessarily "fun" or "relaxing," and travel will certainly reveal any gaping holes in your parenting skills), but the memories are all very positive, or at the least wry, in retrospect.

Finally, if you are interested, please don't forget to devote close attention to the pictures, moreso than to the text. They are far superior, if you click to get a full-size version.

Singapore

2010-03-14T21:28:00.001-07:00

Hello! Regardless of what this entry may say, today is March 24, and this is BCS writing. Since our trip to Singapore was now over one month ago, I am relying on notes to describe the pictures below (or wherever on the page they are, relative to this text. Yay, Blogger.)

We were there from Chinese New Year onward, so the city was actually quite quiet due to holiday business closures. It was nice for getting around. Of course the weather is incredibly hot and humid, compared to Seoul. We saw the very exciting Chinatown and Little India; not all that large, but much more active and real than we'd ever encountered before. Keeping in mind we've barely traveled anywhere.

This is the world's largest fountain. It didn't do quite as much as we were hoping, but the laser projection was nice. It's in one of the many many large shopping complexes. Iris' stroller finally wore out, and we bought a new one at Toys R Us while waiting for the fountain display, so that worked out well. Also, beforehand, you could walk around three times and touch the fountain water for good luck in the New Year.

This is the National Botanic Garden. We were only able to see about half of it, but the orchid garden is quite a highlight. You notice that so many things that would be indoors in Canada, are outdoors here. And also that everything in Singapore is "national," because the city is the nation.

We bought a lot of cheap clothes for the kids, some shirts and ties for me, and a Singapore Sling for Aki (bottom left). Aki broke her glasses, but eventually the optical stores re-opened and luckily she could get new frames. Actually, although the shopping is very extensive, it is not particularly inexpensive, at least not in the mainstream Western stores. Maybe it's because of their electricity bill, since they have the a/c on full blast and the doors wide open to the tropics at all times. It's hard to picture a less energy efficient activity.

We enjoyed eating cheap Indian food, Iris so much that she ate part of the spoon (yes, this is a parenting error). Since the remaining bit seemed pretty sharp, we decided to take her in for an X-ray. Apparently plastic dissolves in stomach acid, so nothing to fear. We were in and out of the ER inside 60 minutes, and out of pocket about $90 Cdn, including the exam and x-ray. Sir Raffles was the first colonial governor of Singapore (I think -- memory fading), hence the legendary Raffles Hotel, Raffles Shopping Center, Raffles Hospital, etc.

One of the main reasons we wanted to go to Singapore in the first place was for the zoos. I think Jamie and Iris liked riding around in their little wagon the best. (Pulling those things around turns out to be harder than it looks, though.) Actually seeing the orangutans climbing around in the free-range treetop habitat was very good. As with everywhere though, the heat and humidity made it hard to keep moving all day long.

The Bird Park is another major zoological attraction. Since we did it first, it made a really positive impression. Perhaps the most famous attraction, though, is the Night Safari, essentially a night zoo that you walk/ride through after dark, with very minimal lighting. Jamie didn't stay awake too long, but we want all around the whole thing. Some of the animals are just deer, but others like the flying foxes were remarkable and definitely a novelty, even those who have been to many zoos before. Not very conducive to photos, though.

We spent a week in Singapore, and didn't have trouble filling the time. If you had a larger shopping budget, you could do even more, but beyond that it's very useful as a jumping off point for all of SE Asia. I really liked the British colonial history, the architecture, the flora/vegetation, and above all the multicultural heritage, which is a deeply-rooted rather than recent phenomenon. For us, with little kids who like zoos and sometimes need hospitals, it was a destination we were happy to have chosen.

The IRIS conspiracy

2010-03-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

I think it's IRIS' doing!

I was watching the popular Korean Drama IRIS as I was planning my daughter's first birthday, and as the event grew greater and grander I realized that indeed "IRIS' influence has spread far." Although perhaps not a force of chaos and destruction like her literary namesake, she is a powerful agent here in Seoul. She can, for example, compel her shy and reclusive parents to hold a giant party in her honour; and draw over 60 people, including international business leaders, diplomats, and a foreign ambassador to come and celebrate her first year here among us. Just how broad is her reach? We just don't know yet.

First birthdays, dol or doljanchi, are very important here in Korea. The baby has passed the most dangerous period of her life, and now we can fully accept her into our community, offer our blessings and begin to think about her future. Since Iris has passed half of her life here in Seoul, we decided that we should embrace some of the traditions of her new homeland. We dressed the children in hanbok, hired a photographer and a caterer, and invited everyone we knew to our home to help us celebrate this important life-stage of our baby girl. Above you may see many of our guests enjoying the festivities; below are some of the preparations for the event.
The dol and doljabi table were created for us by my friend Sun, who helped me with many of the preparations. On the dol table (dol-sang) you will find the following: Cooked white rice and noodles for wealth and longevity respectively; three kinds of rice cakes: coloured for harmony, white for purity (and tidiness!), and red to ward off evil and bring luck; green herbs (tied with red and blue string) for vitality and longevity and prosperity of descendants; dried dates as an extra call for prosperous descendants; and fresh seasonal fruit and artificial flowers (Sun made ours out of modeling clay) for beauty and bounty. The dol table, laden with all this symbolism, is mostly a display piece and for sitting behind and being photographed (Iris was very good at this - she really liked her princess role). More fun, perhaps, is the doljabi table.
The doljabi is the highlight of a first birthday party. An assortment of items are laid out and the child picks one or two that are supposed to foretell her future talents and profession. Many families today include on their tables things like golf balls, microphones, judge's hammers etc., but we stuck (mostly) to traditional items. On Iris' doljabi table there were: Calligraphy brush, ink block, ink stick and book all representing scholarship and academic pursuits; embroidery thread, thimble and pincushion to convey dexterity and versatile talents; brass coins for wealth; a horse-tile for leadership and authority; cotton thread for health and longevity, and we threw in a stethoscope just in case. Iris selected the calligraphy brush first (artistic scholarship?) and the embroidery thread second. I guess she will need to be versatile if she follows her parents path of study - I was really pushing the horse tile. You can see the slide show recap below (at the beginning I am explaining the table items - please ignore my strange faces, It's a curse).
Before the event we had all the guests pick what they thought Iris would chose, and put their name in the corresponding party hat. Afterwards we drew names from the lucky hat for some small gifts. You can see the ballot-hats below. The white boxes contain thank-you gifts: towels with Iris' name embroidered on them. We were told this was traditional, but I'm still not sure what our lovely friends want with such things. If anyone desires one, tell me - we have lots.

I did, for a moment, consider making the food myself - but it didn't last. For the first time in my life (no wedding remember) I hired caterers (and servers!) and it is my new favorite thing. I found an ad for Indian restaurant chain Chakraa in an open copy of the Korea Herald that was sitting on my desk as I was sending emails looking for a caterer. Turns out they cater, (and very reasonably) so we were set. They came with food, and tables, and tableware, and labels, and men to serve, and deliver drinks and tidy up. Everyone enjoyed the meal, and we got to chat and eat and play with our friends. It's a great way to have a party.

In addition to the caterers, also "under the command of IRIS" was Mr. Lee, a photographer (dollsnap.com; click on baby and Iris if you want to see more). With the help of Sun, and a little English, he managed to take over 900 pictures of my smiley baby and her birthday party. He gave us around 200 prints of varying sizes, a small album, two mounted photos and the CD of all 900+ pics. If anyone is looking for a photographer here in Seoul - he is very good. It is strange to have us in photos that look like magazine ads, and he was much more creative with his shots and lighting than I was expecting. I was less self-conscious than I thought; Iris was her usual incredible Iris self; and only Jamie needs to work on the smiling-on-command that is so crucial to the photo-shoot. It was pretty fun though, and I think we might try to convince him to do some outdoor family shots in future years. In two videos below, you can see Mr. Lee's attempt to have the family do his favourite poses of "family walking" and "airplane baby." Clearly it isn't so easy for the non-Korean babies to walk in hanbok and fly through the air, though on dollsnap you can see Korean babies pulling these poses off with flair.

"What exactly is IRIS?"

"IRIS is preparing to terrorize Seoul"

"It makes us more certain that IRIS is on the move"

And so my baby girl turned one year old, and was duly celebrated, blessed and embraced. We have loved having her in our lives this past year, and are looking forward to sharing her smiles and spirit and joie de vivre with many more nations in the years to come.

"This mysterious organization called IRIS - the more we find out about [her], the more we can be certain that [her] influence spreads far . . . how broad is [her] reach? we just don't know yet"

picture perfect

2010-02-12T02:05:00.000-08:00

We are about 12 hours away from leaving on vacation, and instead of packing (no, haven't done it yet), I have decided to share some photos of the last few weeks.

Why look - here is the family - with a visitor to Seoul.

And Jamie and I also made the Korean media - here are the photos from a variety of Korean ent-news-media sources. We showed up to a children's dumpling-making experience after school one day, and Jamie and his friend Luke (almost the only children there) were greeted by at least a dozen film and video cameras and several very assertive women insisting that we SIT THERE; MORE SMILE and TRY MAKE DUMPLINGS. The boys held up very well, but were both trembling in their mother's arms before the dumplings finished steaming. Aren't foreigners funny? Apparently it is customary to eat mandu for solal (Lunar New Year) which is this coming Monday - and photos of cute foreign kids (namu keyowah) preparing this cuisine were popular enough to make it into at least 6 news magazines.

The big news of the last few weeks was Iris' first birthday. We hired a photographer for the occasion, so there will be a well-illustrated entry about it in due time, but here is a preview for anyone who like photos of cute foreign kids wearing traditional dress.

Occasionally, to broaden my horizons, Iris and I meet others for lunch - but look - here I am out for dinner with friends and there is not a baby to be seen! This may only be remarkable to me, since I think that this might be only the second time I have been out baby-free in a year. For the tourists in the audience, the restaurant was A Table, and the 7(.5)-course prix fix was well worth it. The lovely ladies are the moms of some of Jamie's classmates. We generally spend Wednesday afternoons together with a house full of kids - but this was nice too.

Family outings are still the order of the day, however, so last weekend we went to the Natural History Museum. Although a new museum, we were not spell-bound. Jamie enjoyed the dino-slide; Iris was happy with the round chairs; We ate hot dogs. I tried to photograph my daughter being eaten by a dinosaur, but my camera was pretty broken. The next day we bought a new camera; future pictures might indeed be perfect.

So parties, play dates, Prime Ministers, press junkets, and pachycephalosaurs predominate, but I still take weekly Korean culture classes - so here we are making Hanji Paper, and I also present my newly completed tea table and flower lamp. Iris has claimed the former, and Jamie the later, so my efforts are not unappreciated. My teacher, of course, remains unimpressed. Particularly after today when I tried to CHECK PLEASE that my lamp was working and managed not only to smash my light bulb but also short-circuit the socket, causing a partial power failure at the GVC. Perfect as always.

So now, off to pack. In two weeks we will return to Seoul with a whole new set of perfect pictures with which to enrich, entertain, and edify.

Are there toys at this Museum Daddy?

2010-01-18T00:35:00.000-08:00

Out with the Kids - In with the Kids:
We are now back to a routine of sorts - school, work, weekly craft classes (I am making a hanji tea table and repeatedly hear "no touchy" and "you - too much glue!"), occasional lunch or play dates and this week, very excitingly, a neighbourhood dinner party where grown-ups made merry (multi-lingually) while children played with a nanny. We must really learn the art of hiring evening wait staff and not hesitating to invite strangers over for late-night meals on weekdays. It's a different world. On the weekends we head out for family fun. At a restaurant a few weeks ago, while admiring our cute children, the waiter said "even though you have two babies - you are not afraid - you still take them out." Indeed out we do take them, but since we had record snowfalls (the most snow in 100 years - ever since they have been keeping records), we have been seeking indoor fun - indoor fun with a three-year-old-sensibility.
Here we are at Changyeongung Palace, built by King Sejong for his father's three Queens in 1484. Very little of the original still stands except for an audience hall from the first rebuilding in 1616, and a greenhouse built by the Japanese during the colonial period when they turned the palace to a pleasure park/zoo/garden in an effort to "diminish the stature and authority of the Korean royal family." We enjoyed the greenhouse and the scenic winter lake-walk, and wished, briefly, that the Colonial overlords were still running their outdoor skating rink and petting zoo. Mostly we are finding a great similarity between the palaces in Seoul, but this one shares a parking lot with the Science Museum, so how could we refuse? And here we are at the Railroad museum. This was a bit tricky to find as it is out of town in Bugok, Uiwang (the Seoul one is temporarily closed), but Brian persevered and we found ourselves, with many many of the under 5 set, paying our 90 cents to explore what was railway history as of 1981. There were trains to climb aboard, models to enjoy, and a very comprehensive collection of railroad artifacts - ticket punchers through the ages, signal flags, and "objects pertaining to railroad opening" including display cases of last spikes and scissors used for ribbon cutting. Very thorough are these curatorial staffs. The lady sitting on the train below top centre is a model, hired for the afternoon by a photography club. Since we arrived, all over Seoul we have seen groups of men of varying ages following around their high-heeled, long-haired, elegantly dressed young model as they snap her picture in front of various scenic vistas with a variety of light conditions. Hobbies are very important here.

This is the National Folk Museum of Korea. Consisting of three exhibit halls, two special exhibit spaces, a children's museum and an outdoor "street to the past" where you can enjoy 1960s Seoul, we didn't manage to see it all, but we enjoyed what we did see. We learned about village life and life cycle events, admired Lee Rheeza's designer hanbok (her bojagi hanbok bottom left and maedup-decorated hanbok top left), saw what Iris' first birthday party table should look like and told our children that if they really loved us they would spend several months camped on top of our graves once we died. Jamie and Iris enjoyed playing at the children's museum (based on a folk tale about the filial loyalty of blind Shimchong's daughter) but I'm not sure they learned the required lessons about indefatigably and reliability. There was a ball room though. afterwards we visited a bookstore specializing in English books about Korea (Seoul Selections/Hank's Book cafe) so now we have much reading material. Currently my Korean cultural education is coming from the mini-series IRIS (no really - spies, guns, a secret organization with my daughter's name), but soon I'm sure I will turn to text - I bought a graphic novel that promises to explain the Korean psyche so just you wait.

Speaking of Iris' birthday (her Tol), much of our time is spent currently planning it. Invitations, caterers, thank-you gifts, photographers, outfits - it's all very exciting. My lovely friend Sun is helping me try to pull off this important Korean passage. Last week she took me to a traditional market to buy the kids their very own Hanbok. (Hanbok alley was only one of the many alleys in the market - wrapping paper alley, bakeware alley, furry hat alley etc.) Here is Sun in street-food-alley where she introduced me to spicy rice cakes, pressed-fish-cake soup, and blood sausage with accompanying organ meat. I ate some of what was on offer, really enjoyed the heated benches, and was pleased to be able to share in some of this vibrant culture on non-foreigner terms.

Near us is the Seoul Arts Center. In addition to opera, theatre, dance and music halls, and museums of calligraphy and traditional music, it boasts a number of art galleries with rotating exhibits. We went to see a Matisse and Picasso show, but the lines were too long so instead we saw a very strange exhibit of reproductions of Renaissance frescoes, painstakingly repainted life-sized, and a giant exhibit of children's book illustrations. We ate at a tasty buffet with lots of fresh sushi and crab legs, and then drove up the mountain to gaze on snowy Seocho-gu and admire the mountain temple overlooking the Arts Center. Apparently there is free childcare at the SAC if you have performance tickets, so we might yet see some opera, but life is long and babies are short.

And finally, here is Seoul National Science Museum where we can learn about velocity, enjoy the magic mirror hall (there is a reverse mirror, and one that makes it look like you are following yourself down a hall), be a spaceman (like Yi So-yeon, the youngest woman in space), make a balloon-powered car, and discover the history of humankind's fascination with killing and eating the creatures of the wild (early man, top centre, crushes small mammal for breakfast). So, we've been finding lots of indoor outings, and fitting a few uniquely Korean experiences in and among the seeming universality of 3-year-old fun involving trains, pushing buttons, stomping snow and playing toys.

Snow days

2010-01-02T01:46:00.000-08:00

Next up on the neighbourhood challenge was Hongdae. Now you'd think a neighbourhood known for night clubs and indie-youth-culture was not for us, but it is supposed to be hip and artsy - and we have hips and like art so off we went. Indeed there is sort of a student vibe, but as it was winter and daytime we didn't see many of the young and free enjoying the food stalls, dessert stands and retro clothing stores. The Free and Hope art/craft market was not running and the ice-bar was less of a curiosity when we were already in snowsuits. We did notice many hat and boot stalls and many people wearing hats and boots (the young are favouring the large pom-pom and the furry suede these days), and Western-influenced consumer and dining options (we ate Mexican and considered the pink leather parka in Gangsta clothing). Mostly interesting, however, were the cafes designed to cater to the student set. There were DVD bangs - private rooms where you can watch movies and snog, Gaming bangs (play video games - maybe snog?) and princess cafes for the young female students with no-one to snog to have some "YOU TIME" and sip from china cups in pink floral comfort. Ann House, shown top (billboard on bottom left) is situated underneath videobang PLAY, for the complexly layered princesses. We left the university neighbourhood, like so many young women do, via wedding dress lane, and went to find some more family-friendly-fun.
So here is World Cup Park, where, much to our surprise, we found families doing their best to eek as much snow-day fun as possible out of what, to we Canadians, seemed to be a very faint dusting of snow indeed. There was a large tubing hill where families queued for hours to go down an almost snow-free slope holding onto one another. There were many daddies pulling their kids around a snowy field on improvised toboggans (I saw cardboard boxes, picnic blankets, plastic-wrapped couch cushions, car mats, and windshield sun shades). We looked at many snowmen (they seem to favour those with pointy hats - and use more of a sand-castle building technique since it wasn't packing snow) and we built a very tiny one of our own (right centre beside Brian and Jamie at the pecuter). It was cold; the road up the mountain for "spectacular views of the city" was closed; but we drank hot chocolate and Jamie had a bit of winter fun. There was very little traffic (the long line of cars at the bottom centre is the line to get into World Cup Stadium Home Plus, a grocery/department store owned by Tesco which is one of the most coveted grocery destinations in Seoul - they really like to line up to park at grocery stores here). We drove home quickly, spent some time at the local automatic car wash (they hand-dry your car, and two men open your doors at the end and vacuum the carpets beneath your feet - Jamie was quite surprised), ordered pizza (dishwasher is still kaput) and snuggled the young off to bed. Now we will spend Saturday night drinking tea, folding laundry, and watching American TV - take that you hip and artsy indie-clubbers!

All Imaginable Owls

2010-01-01T02:53:00.000-08:00

We decided to check out some of the Seoul neighbourhoods that we haven't visited yet. First on the agenda was Samcheong-dong, home to art galleries, museums and traditional Hanok homes.
Here we are having tea at the owl museum. Run by Mrs. Bae, proclaimed in her English hand-out as "crazy lady for owl," the museum houses her collection of 2,500 owl-related items "regarded as family treasure #1 at the time of marriage and house-moving." Admission included a hot drink and Jamie drew some owl pictures and gave one to Mrs. Bae for her collection. This neighbourhood also has a chicken museum (bottom left), but we save that for another day.
Look - it's ToyKino museum. Here you may find 200,000 character figures, mainly from the last 15 years (we felt quite old - our childhood was off the radar). There was, however, some CanCon with Don Cherry and Wayne Gretzky dolls (Cancon at the Owl museum was supplied by Mrs. Bae proudly showing us her photo album containing a snap of a young shirtless Canadian lad with a giant owl tattoo on his back). I also made it into the toy collection in my incarnation as Dr. Aki Ross from Final Fantasy. Top left you can see a young couple in their matching plaid padded hoodies exclaiming with glee over the Disney princess dolls. Top right is a restaurant billboard included because it recommends "Well-being" pasta and risotto. Everything in Seoul is promoted as being "well-being" these days: well-being walnuts, well-being beauty-care, well-being peach water, etc.
And here are the Hanok homes in Bukchon village. Hanok is traditional Korean architecture, made of wood, stone and earth. The homes are tightly packed together along narrow, steep, winding alleys ringed with mountains (the parked cars needed wheel-stoppers - see bottom left). It was very scenic in the new fallen snow, and we enjoyed the details of carved porches, elaborate hidden doors and papered windows. Jamie was cold and crying though, so perhaps a warmer-weather visit next time. The neighbourhood main street was full of coffee shops, European bistros, and jewellery stores and it is a popular place to stroll and shop for trendy urbanites in search of tradition, but it was a bit tricky for those of us with strollers and hungry babies to find a place to rest. Lucky there were perches for all imaginable owls, once you knew where to look.

63 Building

2009-12-28T02:25:00.000-08:00

Looking for something closer to home, and offering one-stop fun, we went a few km down the road to Korea's golden landmark, which for about a year after it was finished (1985) was the tallest building in Asia. Technically, it has 60 storeys above ground and 3 below, which is where some of the main attractions are. For about $27 Cdn per adult (kids under 4 free), you can go to the top floor observation deck, watch an Imax movie, and visit the aquarium. Plus free parking. (We skipped the wax museum.) The top also hosts travelling art exhibitions, and thus bills itself as the world's highest art gallery. The views are pretty good in all directions, and it makes a nice complement to Namsan Tower on the other side of the river. The Han River is crossed by something like 20 (actually more) bridges, which makes for one of the major aesthetic elements in the Seoul panorama; tall buildings and craggy hills in all directions round out the picture.

The aquarium was the kids' favourite, of course. It's not as large as the one across town at COEX, but kept us busy for the better part of two hours. Zoos and aquaria in Korea, while usually not alarming, do not have the rigid "pure science" ethic that the most serious institutions abroad do. There is generally an entertainment element that doesn't have much to do with wildlife conservation. (We've also noted a tendency to amp up the visitor experience by cramming enclosures full with as many animals as will fit. No more peering hopefully for the lone specimen in the back corner, as often happens in zoos at home.) Anyway, the main tank here at 63 Building features a nearly-continuous dancing mermaid show (video below), as well as some spunky floor performers (not shown) in fairy godmother and ballgown attire, whose thespian antics were sadly on lost on us. Yet another of those occasions where it would have been nice to have had really any idea as to what was going on.

In today's final installment, you'll hear me promising Jamie ice cream if he'll let a tiny fish nibble on his finger. (This "Dr. Fish" skin reinvigoration is a big spa thing here.) He consented, briefly; unfortunately, the creatures seemed little interested in his diminutive digit. That's my finger in the shot. I got a few bites. I really wanted that ice cream.

Icheon Ceramics Village

2009-12-27T05:32:00.000-08:00

Another in the series of day trips around Seoul. (Blogger dates an entry from when it's started, not when it's posted, which is why it looks like you're not seeing this until about five days later -- with this in mind, please scroll down to make sure you haven't missed any other new additions over the holiday season.) There are a number of smaller towns and villages just to the southeast which make up one of the historic heartlands of the Korean pottery industry. This goes back to the middle ages (in European time) and at one point Korea was second only to China in ceramics technology. There is a good, and free, introductory museum in Gwangju (not to be confused with the larger and better-known city of the same name farther south), and a number of artisans and production sites down the road in the villages around Icheon (not to be confused with Incheon, on the other side of Seoul, where the airport is, or Ichon, a neighbourhood in Seoul.)

We didn't actually see any potters or kilns in action, but looked around a bit and did some token shopping (at the generic store, nothing by a specific artisan. However, the store people did bring us little cups of tea on wooden saucers as we were looking around.) We might have stayed longer but it was starting to snow. As noted in a previous post, the return journey took 4.5 hours, though I read later in the paper that the traffic disaster that occured that afternoon was not to be considered normal or acceptable. The explanation had something to do with the fact that it started snowing a bit earlier than expected, which caused the usual response plan to collapse. (In the photo collage, you'll see someone shoveling with a large signboard -- don't forget that collages in all posts are clickable to view large versions.)

Anyway, this region is not very far away, and I'm sure we'll go back in better weather. I don't know that we really got into the thick of things on this first visit. The most famous spot, Haegang, is that of the founder of the reborn industry (like so many things here, there was a significant interruption due to the Japanese colonial period and then the Korean War), including a museum and working area. The pieces are rather pricey, but it's fun to look through the reject heap of broken shards.

Ganghwa Island

2009-12-23T21:21:00.000-08:00

Here's another popular and very worthwhile day trip from Seoul, to Ganghwa-do (Island), at the mouth of the Han river (immediately south of the DMZ), listed as two hours away, but drivable in one. It's a decent-sized place, of which you can do a lap in one day, but to see the many attractions you need more time. It's great because it offers a "royal sampler" of Korean history and culture: pre-historic dolmens, working fishing villages, ancient Buddhist temples, and 19th-century fortifications. Although not that distant from the mainland, the island was used as a strategic retreat on a couple of occasions in the last 700 years at times of foreign invasion (a recurring theme in Korean history). Its cannon also saw action, believe it or not, against US and French vessels in the late nineteenth century. (Don't worry, I didn't know this either.) Finally, it also apparently has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world (after the Bay of Fundy), but we had to leave the Tidal Flat Centre to be explored for another time. To note, the temple shown above (Jeondeungsa), while not an enormous complex, has some fantastic decorative elements and interiors, quite the equal of what we saw in Japan. (NB. to readers that the "swastika" is very old Buddhist symbol, often used as a icon to indicate temples here.)

We had lunch in a harbourside place in one of the larger fishing villages, watching the small vehicle ferry to the outer islands load and unload. The setting was not completely unlike that on one of BC's Gulf islands (one of the regular ones, not super-fancy). The waitress promptly spirited Jamie away and sat him down by the pass-through where the kitchen staff could admire him. They plied him with a free lunch and a bottle of Coke. We repatriated him to our table before too long, but at the end of it, the staff somehow got him to bow. Did he learn this at school? We hadn't seen it before and were impressed.

Harmonious City, Happy Suwon

2009-12-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

One of the first day trips we did outside the city was to Suwon, which is very nearby and just to the south of Seoul. It's about a million people in its own right; Korea's eighth-largest city, or so I've read. But this isn't wikipedia.

It's known for its old fortifications, designed and built in the late 18th century on "scientific" principles. The main attractions are recreations and reenactments of various events and activities, but these don't run in the winter. So our visit was mainly for reconnaisance, to go at a quieter time. In fact, we found a lot of the restaurants in town were closed on a Sunday, although the street markets were in full swing. There was a bit of snow in the air. It's a slight climb up to the old wall in places, but worth it for the view. When we go back, we'll ride the little train ("with teeth") to see more of the walls.

Korea has a fair allotment of ancient to moderately old structures, mostly dating to the Joseon era, which isn't all that specific a designation, as it covers over 500 years from 1392 to 1910. However, where structures haven't survived due to war and foreign occupation, the Korean government has been rapidly rebuilding. So at any given site, there may be some original buildings and some that have been reconstructed in the last few years. This can give a striking sameness to many of the palaces, etc, in terms of design, materials, building techniques and decoration. However, I suppose in due course these new buildings will age too, and the niceties of "authenticity" will begin to fade with time. After all, some of Canada's top historic attractions (Ste-Marie among the Hurons, Fortress of Louisbourg) are entirely modern reconstructions as well.

Would you, could you, in a car?

2009-12-23T21:12:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago, we finally got all the paperwork, insurance, plates, etc done for our car, and have thus been able to expand our horizons within and beyond Seoul. (By "we," I mean all the work was done by very helpful co-workers.) The vehicle is a 2000 Volvo S40, perhaps the only one of its kind in Korea, for all I know. It was purchased from a departing colleague who needed to get rid of it in a hurry, and it had the overwhelming virtue of already being parked in the garage at work. (This is one of these elevator-type loading systems where you drive your car in and then it gets whisked away. Fun for Jamie to watch.) It was first used in Ankara, so all the original service records are in Turkish.

So far we have replaced the battery and the tires (while shopping at Costco... "your time is valuable"), but the rubber on the windshield wipers still flaps semi-uselessly. They stock many sizes of wiper blades in Korea, but not the special ones for Volvo. So far I am on my fourth attempt to take it into to a dealer service centre for a proper inspection. This is mainly due to my scheduling challenges, and also to my overestimation of my ability to read Korean websites. (Somehow I managed to show up at the sales centre, not at the dealer's service location, nor at the other dealer's location, where the appointment had actually been made. And even that was with help.) Most recently, when I explained that it was an older vehicle, they asked if I would be bringing in my own oil.

I have learned that you need to get a ticket when you go on the toll highway, otherwise you will be in slight trouble when you leave. But I have not yet figured out which red lights the other drivers will stop at and which ones they will consider optional. So the New Jersey driving experience has been helpful, but not sufficient. There is also a knack to reading the road signs and traffic flow patterns, as there is in any new city/country. But of course, in other places, the signs are not in Korean. I think I might have figured out "heavy congestion ahead." Interestingly, while streets do have names, they are not much used, and are only occasionally shown on maps or signs. It's all done by landmarks.

This afternoon, a combination of the season's first snow and typical Sunday night traffic hit us coming home from our outing. It had taken about 1hr 15mins to get to this area, famous for ceramic production, maybe 40 km from Seoul. The trip home, non-stop, took 4hrs 30mins: no joke. From everything we've heard, this is not that unusual. In one or two places, we had to give up and change routes because the way was blocked by stationary vehicles. On the plus side, this finally gave the car stereo enough time to give us another chance to re-enter the anti-theft code, bringing the radio back to life (after I accidentally locked it, post-battery change). There was a very interesting traffic report stating nothing more than that conditions outside the city were very bad, and inside the city it was really no better. Apparently there are some downsides to not using street names.

We also had a chance to hear (for the first time, naturally) the countdown of the top 20 "hits" of 2009 on the way home. You know you're old when... but that's another story.

De-Militarized Zone

2009-12-23T21:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from a tour I went on to the nearby and famous DMZ earlier this month. It was a pretty clear day, but a bit chilly outside. (The lone North Korean guard showed no inclination to wander down to check out yet another busload of visitors.) I liked the model of the locality in the theatre at OP Dora. You also get to go down into a rather low tunnel the North Koreans tried to dig under the line, but no photos are allowed there.

It was interesting to see how the whole set-up at the Joint Security Area was meant to be a temporary arrangement, with just the basic huts for the UN and the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (which is now down to Sweden and Switzerland on a full-time basis, history having taken Poland and "Czechoslovakia" down a different path). Today, the Military Demarcation Line signs are rusted but other deterents are still being maintained.

Besides its notoriety as a relic of the locally-unfinished Cold War, the DMZ is famous these days for wildlife. It's true, there did seem to be plenty of birds around. Many visitors to Seoul are able to work a DMZ tour into their itinerary, and it's certainly worth a look, if you can arrange it.

String, Paper, Scissors

2009-12-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

Before I moved to Seoul, my Korean teacher, despairing of ever teaching me the language, set about trying to convey something of Korean culture. She gave me a gift: a hanji mirror embellished with maedup knotwork and housed in a bojagi silk bag - none of which I could identify at the time. She also presented me with many many free government publications about Korean Cultural Heritage that explained the "ample reasons" why Koreans take such pride in their handicrafts. Once I moved to Seoul, my local Global Village Centre was keen to advance my education on these matters. I have since, dutifully, taken classes in gluing paper, making tiny stitches on patchwork, and tying string into knots.

I am very bad at all of these things. They all require discipline and patience - and I haven't any. On one occasion my Hanji teacher ripped apart my lamp making clucking noises with her tongue and proceeded to use my work as the demonstration piece for the class, thus ensuring that she, and not I, did all the tricky bits. My Bojagi teacher suggested once that I try to sew stitches that were "smaller, closer together, neater and ... more even," and then just confined herself to comments like "you did your homework very ..." and "maybe ironing would make it more beautiful ?" My Maedup teacher - who mostly laughed at me and admired my baby (Iris always comes along to school with me as distraction) - was amazed when after an hour of instruction I finally held up a completed knot: "Oh wow," she would say breathlessly as if I was some sort of signing chimpanzee.

Despite being very unskilled, I really enjoy Korean crafting and have been spending my idle hours at home making bojagi hangings, knotted wristbands, and wondering which articles of my government-issued furniture would look best with paper glued on them. The image above shows some of my work as well as examples of what the stuff is really supposed to look like. (also a picture of Dasik tea cakes from a class that I took Jamie to so he could see Mommy's school and press some flavored rice powder into beautiful wooden molds). Thanks to the tender tutelage of my demanding instructors, I can now identify Korean craft, and recognize its worth. With greater appreciation for these handicrafts (Important Intangible Cultural Properties), comes greater desire: now I covet. Of course I should pay a small fortune for a silk bogagi wall-hanging - look it's perfectly finished on both sides - do you know how hard it is to make it come out like that? Why wouldn't I buy that tourist souvenir with a knotted tassel (IICP#22: maedupjang) - that's a chrysanthemum knot - they are very tricky. Now if only I could find a dragonfly knot or that male butterfly one and wow - do you see that ring-knot - that one turned my finger blue when I tried it at home. But surely you see that I must have those sheets of hand-laid paper (IICP#117: hanjijang) - it's so versatile - I could make dolls or walls or floors or screens or rope, or armor!

So far I have not succumbed to the urge to make major financial investments in the Korean handicraft markets, though I did convince (amazingly by using only hand-gestures) a knot-maker in a traditional clothing market to sell me, not a finished knot, but some of her supplies so that I could keep practicing at home (but not the hand-wrapped-silk-cord dyed with only natural pigment). I may figure out the difference between the life-knot and the death-knot yet - though as it stands I can only do 3 of the 33 traditional knots that I need to know. My fine-sewing will never amount to much I fear, but at least I now have a use for the four giant bins of fabric scraps I carted over here (but oh - of course I should instead buy that naturally-dyed, hand-woven silk or that traditional ramie cloth . . . . it would make it more beautiful). As for Hanji , I am taking another class in January and will be soon gluing Korean mulberry paper (longer and stronger than Japanese mulberry paper - it ventilates well, it isolates well and finally it is sheen and translucent - it will last a thousand years) onto my very own Tea Table or Little Chest of Drawers. Now, if only I could apply the "neatly and more even" principle to the rest of my life: today crafting - tomorrow the world!

Pali-Pali

2009-12-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Pali-Pali (quick-quick), is an expression used to convey the rapidly changing, fast pace of life, particularly for the company man, here in Korea. Same holds for the expat mom I guess. Today is the first day in over a month that I have nothing planned, and only one child to tend to. No parties, lunches, classes, school closures, sick babies, hospital visits, household maintenance workers, play-dates, haircuts, shopping excursions etc. So other than periodically stopping to fish something out of Iris' mouth, or fish Iris out of the wet shower stall, or maybe bake some fish, I have time (knock wood) to blog. But it will have to be quick-quick, so bear with me.
At the end of October we went to Japan for a short visit. Here are some photos (out of order as usual - thanks Blogger frustrating image interface)
Here we are in Nara, just outside Kyoto. Nara is known for beautiful shrines and temples, local hand crafts, and free-roaming sacred deer. Old ladies sell cookies especially to feed deer (although I saw many young school boys daring each other to eat them as a joke). We bought some, and consequently were rushed by these very eager messengers-of-the-gods, intent on eating, not only our senbei cookies, but also our paper bags, picnic lunch, back-pack straps, and the dangling toes of our baby. Don't know what they told the gods about us, but we had a few choice words about them.

Here is Kasuga Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine with over 3000 bronze and stone lanterns (we just missed the August festival where they were all lit at once). Our guidebook kept describing everything in the region as "atmospheric," but indeed the wooded paths surrounding the shrine lined with stone lanterns were compelling.

Here we are in Tokyo with our friends Tomomi, Mike and Takashi. We visited palace gardens, historic neighbourhoods, temples, aquariums, and shopping streets. We ate at many izakaya, took a boat trip, and learned how to use the trains. Best of all though was the chance to visit with our friends and see Jamie and Takashi running and playing together.

Oh look, here is Fushimi Inari shrine, where my father's house is, in Kyoto. Another "atmospheric," "evocative" and "magical" place. The paths though the bamboo forest are lined with 10,000 torii and as the light changes and the gates and paths glow orange, you feel a long way from Pali-Pali urban Seoul.

Here we are in and around Kyoto. We visited temples (many) and a palace, and gardens and neighbourhoods known for sights or shops or history. We visited family and friends of family. We took trains and taxis. I think it rained. Travelling with two tiny kids leaves little time for travelogues, and coming back to photos after 6+ weeks - well y'know. I really like Kyoto, everything is beautiful there - perfectly composed spaces, very picturesque - lovely food, tidy wrappings, efficient transportation. We will go back in a time with longer daylight, and have a more organized itinerary - it's only a few hours away after all.

Oops - back to Nara. Nara is home to Todaiji Temple. It houses the great Buddha statue, standing 30 metres tall and boasting other impressive stats like the fact that his hair is composed of 966 bronze balls. At the top of the photo you can see Jamie crawling through a pillar. The hole in the pillar is the size of the Buddha's nostril, and if you can fit through it you are guaranteed a place in heaven, or enlightenment, or something. There was a very long line of children waiting for their turn to crawl thorough the nostril. Some of the bigger ones had their friends yanking them though, but tiny Jamie was a shoo-in. The red-aproned fellow is Pindola, a wooden statue so well-worn because he is believed to heal pains if rubbed on the corresponding part of his body.

Here we are in and around Nara. It was very nice to have some family time since everyone has been and still is so busy. Pali-Pali doesn't do much for domestic bliss. But on this day the weather was fine, the leaves were changing, and we were all relaxed, well as relaxed as you can be if one of you is practically three-years-old.

This is the house, and its environs, to which I was carried as a newborn babe. There are only a few homes on the mountain of Fushimi Inari, and most, as you see, have been abandoned and are falling down. It's nice that my children had a chance to see the house while it is still occupied, and remains intact. Although life moves slower in a forested mountain shrine, time and change are unrelenting.

And, in November, we were back in Seoul. Here is sweet Iris. She had a fever last week-end. In Canada we learned that the eternal ER waits with fevered babies were not really designed to improve matters, so we dosed her with Tylenol and waited it out. She was still pretty sad on Wednesday, so we braved the Korean-language-barrier and took her to the International Clinic at our local hospital. There was much going back and around and through from interpreter to cashier to doctor to cashier to lab to interpreter to doctor to cashier to pharmacy to interpreter etc. We declined a chest x-ray and a "liquid therapy" IV drip, and waited through three applications of sterile bags and five hours before we had an acceptable sample for further tests. We were given much powdered medicine in tiny serving-sized plastic bags (bottom left) and told to return in two days. Friday we were back and a similar series of stops and starts revealed that Iris had an infection. We declined four days of hospitalization and more IV and instead we were given different medicine (top left) and told to return in a week for a sonogram. What have we learned? Very little. Iris is fine now, though finishing her course of antibiotics which means I have to mix various liquids and powders at each mealtime making me feel a bit like medieval apothecary. Korean hospitals are very orderly and thorough, with enough machines and tests and medicines to make my socialized-medicine-based-heart weep. We can't just randomly say no to half of their suggestions on principle, but translation is only offered in general terms "it is considered helpful," "some think it is needful," and doctors here aren't used to having to explain themselves least of all in another language. I'm sure on this occasion everything will be fine, and we will continue to explore our medical options. They love hospital stays here, so we are are spoilt for choice I guess.

Hey remember that bridge on Montmartre that they were building in September (photo top left)? Well here it is all done (Pali-Pali). It is supposed to look like a silk worm. There was an opening ceremony for which they repainted all the lamp-posts copper, but Jamie didn't want to climb the mountain. We can now walk very far from mountain-top to mountain-top enjoying local scenery. Provided, of course, that we don't bring a stroller and our three-year-old (who hates Pali-Pali when it involves walking) doesn't ever see a dog.

Here are some funny signs and photos of Insadong and Namdaemun markets. We aren't getting out and about nearly enough these days - but luckily three years offers much scope for exploration. We have taken possession of our car. We have mostly been stuck in traffic, lost in expensive parking garages, and searching for parts (so far it needs new wipers and a new battery), so it hasn't been the greatest boon, but we have faith that it will help with Pali-Pali somehow.

So that about wraps up the fall. There were persimmon trees (persimmons have found their way into curry, vegetable feta pasta, banana bread, mulled wine and baby food here at the homestead); there were woven tree-warmers; there were trips to the playground and endless walks up and down hill to school. We had our first snowfall on the weekend; the ondol-heated floors are warming our toes, and the weather is turning frosty. The Christmas trees are up, so here's hoping that things will slow down a little over the holiday season. Until then, think Pali-Pali (빨리빨리) and get a move on!

Yes Man

2009-10-23T04:13:00.000-07:00

In the Jim Carrey movie Yes Man (which we accidentally borrowed shortly after our arrival in Seoul), the lead character is forced to say Yes to every experience that comes his way. This is actually (though we hope not unduly influenced by Mr. Carrey) how we have been orchestrating our introduction to Seoul Life. Yes, I will take your paper-gluing craft class (and 3 more classes besides); Yes, I will go to your all-French coffee mornings (and meet you weekly to listen to you burble about your babies en francais); Yes, I will hire your housekeeper, I will teach English to your Kindergarten class (wait, I won't, but I will work for YOU for three hours a week if I can do it from home); Yes, I will have half the office over for Thanksgiving dinner; Yes, I will come to your house for coffee and yours for lunch, and yours for playtime and meet you at the public baths. Yes I will invite you and you and all of your husbands and children over to my house for a third birthday party; Yes I will host a baby shower for two women I only just met, and a third I know only by reputation. Yes, I will learn your language and eat your food and watch your movies and YES, of course I will bring my babies on a day-long-adventure digging ginseng in the demilitarized zone.

You may not realize this, but Paju-Gaesong ginseng has the power to fight off AH1N1 and to bring about peaceful reunification of North and South Korea. This was primarily demonstrated to us via taekwondo and B-boying, featuring dancers in Kim Jong-il masks, virus costumes, and ginseng suits. It was surprisingly entertaining. (Hopefully the collage above will expand to a large format if you click on it. That's a Finnish person holding Jamie's hand in the top right corner.)

When we (the tour group of foreigners) got to the festival, we were told there would be a parade to entertain us, and shown where to stand. Then, it became apparent that we were actually in the parade. After the performances, there was a slight delay before being bussed to ginseng field, as the musicians had to get there first to pipe us in. (But with traditional Korean instruments, no pipes.)
Believing there was ginseng enough for all, we disembarked leisurely, and were last to the field, which when we got there was a teeming mass of people wielding small garden implements in the rain-softened soil. Everyone had bags and bags of ginseng. I found a couple of broken root-ends, which I think weren't really dug up, but just discarded. But then the tour guide gave us a courtesy sack of ginseng to make us feel better. It's in our fridge (the kimchi fridge) awaiting inspiration.

After stopping off at the festival once more, the day was over and we set off for Seoul. Saturday evening traffic being what it is, what had been a 45-minute outward journey turned into a 2-hour trek back to the drop-off point. Luckily we had ginseng candy to eat on the bus.

Yes Man is especially apropos because in the film, one of the things Jim Carrey acquiesces to is learning Korean. Sadly, he has a great deal more success with the language than we. But at least

we're saying yes.

잘 먹겠습니다 - jal meokkesseumnida

2009-10-04T07:27:00.000-07:00

The title, I think, means "enjoy your meal," but could be translated as "eat as much as you like" or "get stuffed." We have been doing many forms of stuffing this last fortnight leading to Chuseok day (Korean thanksgiving). Here, for example, is Jamie with some deer at Seoul Forest Park. These deer, though not stuffed, are regularly stuffed full of whatever people choose to feed them. Feeding the animals anything that seems edible (popcorn, candy floss, sticks) seems to be a frequent occurrence at zoos around the city. Here, however, a nice couple gave Jamie a plastic glove and filled his palm with dried corn to feed to the deer. (That's his gloved hand at the bottom left) Bottom right is Jamie pointing to the photo-map of the deer "we already saw these ones and these ones but we still have to see this one."
We've been having some varied food experiences here now that we are trying to move beyond only going to restaurants with pictures and pointing. We had a steaming bowl of gelatinous beef organs in spicy broth that we had to leave largely uneaten the other day, and I made Brian buy me a big bowl of dukbokki (hot and spicy rice cake) that, it turns out, is not my favourite - but maybe it was just park-fast-food version that was the problem. I stuffed myself with crab juk (rice porridge) for my anniversary lunch, and yesterday we had some tasty BBQ pork flavored with miso sauce, sesame oil, garlic and green onions and wrapped in lettuce (sam-gyup-sal / 삼겹살) that was great once the server showed us how on earth we were supposed to prepare and eat it. We also enjoy buying random things in convenience stores and trying them out: red-bean Popsicles, Samgak gimbap 삼각김밥 with mystery stuffing (great value - 2/$1.50 and usually tasty), and strange drinks. Here is some melon milk and some tomato grapefruit juice (tomatoes are a fruit here - we had them on our waffles with whipped cream last week). The top picture is a ham sandwich we bought for Jamie, it was also stuffed with macaroni egg salad. He seemed to like it.

Seoul Forest, where we stuffed ourselves with the picnic food above, is one of the largest parks in the city. It has the deer as well as multiple playgrounds, picnic sites, playing fields and bike paths. Despite some no-bikes/no-dogs signage, many people rented and rode bikes with great enthusiasm. This is the location where the bicycle-riding scenes of the famous mini-series "Winter Sonata" were filmed. It is now a favorite location for "romantic couple story" or "together with sweetheart love dream" afternoons. Top centre you may see a young couple enjoying this wholesome past time.

After the park, we walked along the river to Tukseon Resort metro station. The river is spanned by many massive bridges that seem to do loops and turns just to prove that they can. Construction projects aplenty dot the riverbanks. There is a new climbing wall (and some climbing-wall-art to celebrate). There is a new walking trail with warnings by a cute cartoon construction man telling us not to follow his lead as he plunges to his death with a tear in his eye. They are also building a long white tube in mid-air (the panorama - see plan top right) for no apparent reason, but it will be done in time to "say bye-bye to 2009" and though yet half-built, currently houses a display of multi-media art. No wasting public space, even if it is a construction zone. The riverside is also home to many playgrounds, exercise equipment parks, and swan pedal boats. We like the fact that every time we venture out we find something new and unexpected to do. On our walk Jamie found this:

Yes, it is a giant bouncy-castle-fun-zone (in summer, a water-park). Jamie was amazing as he climbed and bounced and slid with abandon "I'm slidding!" - not in the least fazed by the big kids, great heights and uneven bouncy surfaces. I don't think I have ever seen him THAT happy before.
Chusok day (Saturday), we decided to take advantage of the relative quiet (many people go back to their hometowns for family activities) and take the kids to one of the many amusement parks in the Seoul area. This one is LotteWorld: "Children will be joyful and the whole family will be happy!" It is both an indoor and an out door amusement park. We were confined to rides that could be enjoyed by those under 100cm and under 36 months, but that was okay. Jamie found many trains, boats, balloons and cars to drive and stuffed himself with some "European style fast food." ("Today's the happy day! The family's eating out!")

It turns out that there is free babysitting so we could have gone on some of the grown-up rides: "Hold you hand together when riding with your sweetheart! Keep your composure!" Maybe next time we can "Share the fun of the night!" with the "trip of fantasy for you and your sweetheart" that is "the love-story of two!," but on this occasion it was the love-story of four. Note: We did not stuff ourselves with "NEW! Peanut Butter Sqid" as seen bottom centre - but we were tempted. We did have some "Mexican-style fry pastry" and very cheap beer though.

LotteWorld sells many funny hats and hair ribbons. Visitors to the park took to these accessories with enthusiasm. Bottom centre you can see some sweethearts dressed identically. Couple shirts (or matching ensembles for the whole family) are very popular here ("a cute way to show others the way they feel about each other.") There are shops that cater to just this fashion desire. I once saw a very elderly woman wearing a teal and green floral blouse accompanied by her aged spouse wearing the same blouse accented with a tie in the same fabric. Sadly I have not yet mastered the ability to photograph complete strangers since I am afraid they will tell me to get stuffed.

LotteWorld is also home to a folk museum and a miniature village. 2000 stuffed dolls in over 40 dioramas all hand-crafted with tiny accessories. I thought it was very fun - Jamie wanted to ride more trains.

We took home some souvenirs. We tried out the sticker booth, also fun once the young staffer pushed all the buttons for us and helped us design our final products. And look - it's a bee with Iris' face! She did get stuffed!

Last weekend was Brian's birthday -and yes there was stuffing involved. We raided the high-end department store (Shinsegae) food section and bought marinated fish, specialty flavored rice, meat skewers, sushi, BBQ ribs, etc. Everything was wrapped with great care - the sushi, for example, came in a metallic cooler bag with ice packs. But what took the cake (and we had plenty) was that the boxed chocolate dessert came with a serving knife, and inside the handle were matches and a a striking surface.

It was also our anniversary (now we've been married as long as we lived together) and moving day - yes, our stuff finally arrived by sea and our cavernous home is stuffed (well, not really - we still have much room and many empty drawers). We liked the three giant crates labelled Canadian Embassy. It made us feel important. When we first got here the information line - 114 - thought our home number was the Canadian Embassy and I fielded many calls in Korean asking for Embassy services - I did not ever say get stuffed, but it was a bit of a trial in my first 24 hours here to have the phone ringing off the hook with wrong numbers. Once again we were impressed with the ability and efficiency of the Korean moving company. Four people in a little over four hours carried in and unpacked all my things leaving nothing behind them but several tonnes of nicely shelved books and well-hidden ill-advised Costco bulk purchases. Only one item was damaged (bye-bye little red wagon), and my birth-certificate seems to have vanished, but it went well and then we all had pizza (here it comes with packets of sweet pickles - Jamie was very pleased).

We also went to Seoul Grand Park on birthday weekend. We skipped the amusement park, the rose garden and the contemporary art gallery, and instead rode the Elephant tram to the zoo (the tram was Jamie's favourite part). Apparently it is the 10th largest zoo in the world, and indeed we did not have time to visit the whole place. We were slightly surprised at the rampant animal feeding by visitors and the tendency to stuff many animals into the same enclosure (I think I saw 9 beavers huddled together eating lettuce - see bottom left), but the animals were surprisingly active, and I got to touch a lemur's toe and see an anteater having a bath. We drank some iced coffee, ordered and abandoned a strawberry slushie, and took a very scary cable car back to the gates.

Now, to reward your patience, here is a video of a snake. Zoos in Korea are to please the people, not to cater to the animals it seems. The people are pleased, and the snake can get stuffed (which he might do once he expires from all that handling). Eat well.

Villiage Idiot

2009-09-24T00:52:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's hormones, maybe it's just being forced to sit still for 20 minutes, but there is something about nursing a baby that calms the spirit. When I began this post I was all ready to list the many many ways that I have appeared ridiculous to both my Korean and French neighbours, but now, having sent a slightly damp boy to his room and silenced a teething girl with milk, I am feeling better. I will focus on the cake in my cup, and not the cold dregs of congealing pre-sweetened instant coffee. I was told, upon moving to this neighbourhood, that I was lucky to have landed here. It's just like a village - everyone knows each other! In theory - this could be good, there always being someone to help you out, to give you advice etc. In practice, as I wend my usual chaotic, frazzled, disorganized way up and down the hills in my neighbourhood leaving cell phones, sand shovels and transit cards in my wake, It occurs to me that there are downsides to the visibility of village life. With my bright red stroller, my two blue-eyed babies, my uneven fashion sense, and my inability to communicate in either of the two languages spoken here - I became quickly known: "Oh - you're the Canadian" or "yes, we've heard about you." As I ran full out pushing a crying baby all the way from the subway to the school in order to catch pick-up time, at least 10 people called out encouragement as I sailed by. When, unable to use my door opener, I tore down the stairs and ran entirely around my building holding both children in my arms so I could let in a maintenance person who I wasn't expecting and whose purpose eluded me, many people bowed and said what I gather were helpful things. When my daughter threw up on me at the same time that my son peed all over his shoes and the non-absorbent ground of the local playground, I drew understanding nods from Korean and French mothers alike. So I may be developing a reputation as the village idiot, but at least they are nice to idiots here. People are always helping me strap and unstrap my baby in her carrier, they put me in taxis and give the driver instructions, they translate in stores and carry my shopping, stroller, or baby around the aisles. They invite me to their homes for coffee (not always instant) and suggest ways that I could make my life easier. So I get through the week - and then Brian is home and we can leave the village and appear ridiculous to the cityfolk.
Here we are, for example, at Gyeongbokgung (Palace). There are many palaces in Seoul; other than a couple of gates these are almost the only remainders of the layered history that preceded this current modern metropolis. Sole old Seoul. The palaces are good places to visit with children since they have wide-open courtyards, and often gardens, lawns or other green space to play in. This is one of the larger palaces and contains a folk museum and a palace museum (which we didn't visit on this occasion - but we will).
Iris, as usual, was a big hit. Here she is being surrounded by a group of tourists who found her more photo-worthy than the Queen Dowager's administrative picnic grounds or whatever. Their tour guide apologized to me since one of the ladies did stroller off with Iris, but when the group turned the corner and saw Jamie, they were at it again.
Speaking of Iris, if I am the village idiot, she is becoming the village mascot. At least three times a week I go to the Global Village Center ("life and convenience support for alien resident - Enjoy Seoul to the Full!"). There I can take cultural and language classes and learn practical information about local life. Photographers are present at all event to document the strange foreign women who know so little, and as Iris is present at all events as well - she is much photographed and appears on their web photopages frequently. Sadly she didn't have much to say for the radio interview, but the woman with the microphone held it up to her every time she gurgled. Generally the very friendly staff at the Global Center carry Iris about while I am gluing paper or learning to read, and the other day one of them sent me photos that she had taken of her time with Iris. Also here are three shots from the GVC webpages of my Hanji project, me gluing cardboard, and me receiving my own English translation of a French presentation about buses, mail, and garbage. Iris is chewing on the pen of my seatmate. In my Hanji class, the teacher spends her time either doing my project for me, carrying my baby, or practicing her English with me. None of these activities help my 8 French-speaking classmates learn the craft. In my Korean class my teacher is either dangling her earrings in front of my baby, holding my baby, or listening to my baby try to pronounce compound vowels. My 4 French-speaking classmates seem to have dropped out and we might hold the class at my teacher's house now so the baby will have more room to play.
Here is my village as seen from Montmartre (no really - I live in a French themepark). I dragged Jamie up this mountain with promises of playgrounds only to find more exercise equipment. Luckily one apparatus enabled you to hang upside down by your ankles, and Jamie found the sight of Mommy dangling arms swinging wildly as she tried to right herself very very funny (as did the four elderly Korean gentlemen, the baseball playing boy, and the small mean dog watching nearby). The middle photo is, I think, a magpie. They are large and very numerous around these parts. Two the left and right of the bird is a building project that will "achieve the connection of disconnected" green space. It will join two mountain tops. The sign is in French, English and Korean - just like the real Montmartre. The bridge is probably finished by now - they work very quickly in Korea.
Here is Brian's place of work where he goes everyday while we remain at home making fools of ourselves.
It is beside a tree, owned (and elaborately supported) by the people of Canada. It takes Brian about 50 minutes to get from home to work. The children and I can do in in an hour and a half. The staff is very very nice, and whenever I loiter about the door making a spectacle of myself, they invite me in and offer to call Brian. One of them translated by phone for me when I was locked out of my house. Sometime they send me things - like vacuums. They periodically drop by my apartment to count objects, and today they arranged for a group of 4 Korean men (two in ties, two in coveralls) to spend an hour and a half in my home flushing my toilets. Apparently they are all okay.
Ottawa (and London) residents will be pleased to see that we have a giant spider in Seoul too. Jamie was very happy that we had brought it along from our "old house in Ottawa CANADA." We have not only Maman here, but also bebe it seems. This is the Leeum Samsung museum of Art. Three buildings designed by three different architects. Here you may find the cream-of-the-crop of traditional Korean, and contemporary art as well as a children's learning space (group-bookings exclusively it seems). It used to be by appointment only, but as of a few months ago all of us may visit anytime we want. I was very happy to have found myself here in rooms full of familiar faces that neither see me, nor notice that I appear ridiculous. Though modern art is not always my cup of fur, it may well be my cup of cake.

The beaten track

2009-09-14T04:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we're new here - so we're still trying out the Ten Top Tourist Trips (or Traps) around Seoul. The Visitors Bureau is promoting Seoul as "a Clean and Attractive Global City," (not as catchy as our home-gu mission statement: "World Best City! World Happiest City!") so their Top Ten doesn't get us down and dirty, but here's some stuff we've done so far (in reverse chronological order due to uploading quirks):Here we are at Namsangol Hanok Villiage. For FREE you can visit 5 furnished traditional houses and learn about crafts, costumes, games, and food and folkways. We enjoyed the purpose-designed baskets like the one on the left just for eggs. Brian learned to roll a hoop and do a bouncy teeter-totter jumping sort of thing, and I got to pose with some fuzzy Traditional Koreans. According to the guide book I would meet people designated as "Seoul Tangible Cultural Property" who would assist me to "enhance understanding of the daily life of the past." These were probably not them.

Trouble is that the village was very hard to find. We thought it was on the top of the mountain - it was at the bottom. There were many finger posts, some in Korean, some in Braille, but only about a third pointed the way to the village, and the directions and distances were pretty random. We saw many things on the way; some nice purple berries, a time capsule designed to be opened 400 years after sealing, a big village complex we thought might be the museum, but was merely a performance space, and many many steep stairways to descend carrying a stroller.

The reason it was a long way down, is because we were a long way up. We started our descent at the top of N Seoul Tower. Panoramic views of the city remind you of just how big Seoul really is. A combination of walking, climbing and cable car got us here, but it turns out the walking and climbing could have been replaced by shuttle bus and inclined railway. We saw more this way though. As they said in Olde Korea "Salted and dried knifefish is good to eat and cheap in price."

Mt. Namsan also has a pleasure ground where you may enjoy sky sculptures, royal guard antics, "unforgettable moment in life" restaurants, souvenir-stands selling angry ethnic baby dolls, and a place where you can leave a lock. We don't know why. I guess when the mullet leaps, the goby leaps too.

Here is Iris, "a springwind to everybody." She is my ticket in, or the red pepper sauce on my lettuce-wrapped rice, the watermelon on my eggplant vine or something. When we crashed (sort of) a BBQ in an upscale neighbourhood teeming with the sailing, shopping, horsey set, although I couldn't speak about the last time I chartered a private yacht for my family vacation, Iris was a hit. She was carried and coddled by the beautiful people and grabbed handfuls of their hair and jewels and got away with it (well, not right out the door and down the mountain, but you know what I mean.) Waitresses hold her while I eat; shop-keepers carry her about while I buy pastries. I can talk to people about Iris, people will forgive my trespasses if I am carrying Iris. People will help me because of Iris. When the batteries on my door-lock went dead and I was locked out of my house with no money/cell phone/ ability to speak Korean or know who my landlord was or what my husband's phone number was - It required only one Iris smile and a driver I found in the parking lot came (with cell phone and Korean language skills) to help me find a way back through my own front door. With a heart like fine brocade, she enjoys everything and everyone, and even when our tourist ways are riddled with potholes and detours - she still makes them fun. Though small, say the Olde Koreans, pepper is hot. Here is one of those 'detours' in the back lanes of Itaewon, where you can get candy, beer, and Ladie's as well as Indian curry, hand-made big and tall suits (Brian was like pine-nut gruel to the street-hawking tailors), and English-language used books. It is very hilly and the winding narrow old streets often open to surprising vistas of new "Clean & Attractive, Global" Seoul down below.

Here is a bridge leading from Global Seoul back home to Seocho (World Happiest City!). Dancing Rainbow Fountain, complete with Disney soundtrack and coloured lights at night, makes our walk home even more spectacular. That's a yellow flood line tracker in the middle right - can't wait for monsoon season! We found a playground on our side of this bridge, so off the beaten track can have some advantages.

Drying peppers, pepper plants, market peppers everywhere we look. There are many sayings about peppers; black pepper is hotter than red pepper, small pepper is hotter than large peppers. Some pepper-maxims involve dogs, sorcerers or daughters-in-law. Some do not. Tiny Jamie, for example, is light enough to swing on a pepper plant and ride on a boat made from a pinenut shell. Keys to Korea (for when your keypad goes blank): bring a baby and understand hot peppers.

Here we are at Children's Grand Park - FREE and on our subway line. The educational aids and activities were all in Korean and it took me about an hour to get there after picking Jamie up from school, but the animals, playgrounds, fountains and shady walking paths were a welcome Wednesday break.

Also they had tiny and big pottys in the cubicles, and many private air-conditioned comfy-couched nursing rooms. For a giant city, Seoul seems to have many child-friendly green spaces - easily accessible and cost-efficient. Both on and off the beaten track we are slowly collecting for our own Top Ten, and even if, as fish out of water, we can't join the seance - we can still watch the sorceress dance and eat the feasting cake. We can paint chrysanthemums on our straw shoes? I'm sure this would make more sense if I actually learned Korean, though according to Olde Korea, "anywhere you live is your native country."

Le choc culturel

2009-09-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

Phonetically France, in Korean, is "puh-ran-suh," or prance. Jamie started school at the P-rance hak-yo, the Lycee Francais de Seoul last week, and I have been seeing a new Korea of prancing French women ever since. Some of you are familiar with the very uneasy relationship I have had with the French language ever since I moved to Ottawa and discovered the limitations that my failure to speak French placed on my employment prospects and hopes for monetary gain. Apparently I have decided to compound this by coming all the way to Asia and perversely setting myself and my children up in the one neighbourhood where the only other Westerners hail from France.
This has some advantages; I am surrounded by French pastry shops and have good access to wine and soft cheeses. There are also disadvantages. For example, I live very near a Global Village Centre, designed to help we non-Koreans learn our way around banking, bill-payment, transportation, garbage routes etc. I went to their introduction to new foreigners, only to find it was three hours of lengthy explanations (including bus and walking tours) all in French. I understood very little, despite the fact that I had been provided with my own young Korean girl who kneeled beside me and offered whispered translations from French to English. She held my bag and stroller during the bus and walking portion of the introduction, but I can't really say for certain where I went or what I was supposed to have learned there. I was presented with a very large binder full of important Seoul information, all in French, and I think that my Korean classes that starts next week (as well as my traditional Korean paper crafts class) will be held in French as well.
I have trouble following the parent meetings at Jamie's school (luckily his teacher speaks English to me) and the mothers I see in my morning and afternoon visits to the school merely nod politely at me as they burble to each other about potentially useful things like how strange the principal is, where to find the best housekeeper/nanny combo, and how they manage to be 8 months pregnant and still show up to drop their children off every morning with perfect hair, makeup, and high-heeled-silk-blouse posture. I have tried to make contact with these prancing women. Perhaps pointing out, in broken French, the size and quantity of the earthworms in the gutter, wasn't the right way to begin. Perhaps nursing my crying baby on the steps of their gated garden home as they were introducing their upcoming social events (tennis picnic, champagne brunch, fashion tour, horseback riding spa day?) might not have won me any prance-points. But I have tried to go on their walking tours, I have tried to enter into a shared discussion about the difficulty of moving with kids, sending your first-born off to his first day of school, or learning Korean.
During my twice daily excursions to drop-off and pick up Jamie, I tend to speak to the other two or three English-speaking women who have also decided for various reasons to put their tiny children in an all-French school, and we talk about how we don't know French, while the prance women gaze at us from the corners of their eyes and wonder how we manage to mother two children and still show up to drop our eldest at school looking like we had lost a fight with an angry troll. I wouldn't have thought that my culture shock would come from being surrounded by wealthy French women rather than the fact I now live here in Korea, but c'est la vie I suppose. For Jamie, the culture shock is not so much the French, but the school. Five days a week (half days on Wednesdays) off he goes, stuffed bunny in his school bag, to a world away from his mommy and his baby sister. I don't really know what he does in that world - he plays with a stroller, his frog-teacher (I think she brought in a frog that day) put his slippers in a basket, he used the big boy potty one or five times, he eats egg sprinkles for souper, Mister Xavier (his English teacher) may have sung a song and the words were blah lal la blah like that. Did he watch a show about a turtle? Did he run on the beds at nap-time? Did he read a picture book with a little girl whose name was Cece? He says very little about it, and very little he says makes sense. But off he goes every morning through the gate and out he comes every afternoon wearing the same clothes he went in with. His teacher reports that he is calm, and quiet and doesn't yet join the group, but he doesn't cry and comes when she calls. I guess that's good for now.
He has 177 school days in the year, and has finished 6 already. I cross them off on his calender and try to bear it - but it is very hard for me to be without my tiny boy. He sleeps by himself all though the night, he uses the potty on his own, he tidies up all his toys when he is done with them, and he goes off every day to a world without me. He still won't walk up and down the hills, but he happily lists all the things that "when I am bigger I can do that." I am glad he is getting bigger, and that he is bravely facing all the new challenges in his life, but his mommy might not be ready to be away from him yet. I bring him snacks for the walk home after school; I ignore "don't kiss me mommy" and give him many hugs; I try to arrange fun things for his Wednesday half-days. (Last week the kids and I went to Children's Grand Park for the walks, fountains, playgrounds and free zoo - Jamie "loves penguins, they have no teeth"); I try to remember that this is good for him, and that I get to devote more time to Iris, but I spent almost three years with Jamie by my side and I am not fully prepared to face this new world without him. However, it's important not to lose both the crabs and the crabbing bag, as they said in olde Korea, so Aza Aza Fighting!

Two Weeks In

2009-08-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

Yes fellow travellers, we have lived here for two weeks. So, what have I learned? I can shop for food once I locate the grocery store in the underground warren that is its home; I can get in and out of the many gates to my home if I remember my cheat sheet for the number codes; I can sort garbage now that I know the food waste is actually for animal feed and thus can not include tea bags and coffee filters. I can do laundry up to the point where it needs to emerge from the machine dry; I can use almost half of my heating-up implements for cooking, I can work the television but still can't understand what is on. I have a 50% success rate of taking a shower without flooding the bathroom; I have managed to use the intercom to unlock the door about 20% of the time; I have only set off a house alarm once, and it wasn't my house. I have taken cabs and subways but not buses; I have entered a shop alone and made a purchase, but not a restaurant. I have had a number of conversations of all sorts with many people, but they have all been in English. I have tried both Korean and French, but have failed to be understood. I have mastered gesturing and embarrassed smiles.
Last week I managed to procure a neighbourhood map from the community service centre, many glossy books and instruction sheets from the foreigner centre, and photos for foreigner cards. I had one neighbourhood tour, signed up for weekly Korean classes, went to a dinner party, and secured one job offer to teach pre-schoolers English full-time. This last transpired when the babies and I crashed a nursery because we heard English children's voices. I gave the director my contact info, and following what I suppose was a phone interview where she had me admit that it was highly unlikely that I would become a Christian, she tried to hire me for an October start-date. I turned her down, since Iris is still very small, but once she grows it might be nice to try teaching the under 10s for a spell.
And now here are some photos:

Here is the street leading to our subway station. It seems to be pretty complete if you can make out the signs. We have many bakeries selling sort-of French pastries. Our first attempt at buying a chocolatine ended in bean-paste filling and tears, but we did have a cream puff we enjoyed. In the bottom left are two inflatable white people modelling underpants. I have seen these two around Seoul, mostly in underpants, once having the dead skin eaten off their feet by "Dr. Fish."

Here are the children doing their best to make their own fun with no toys at all. They had some Duplo a neighbour lent them, a turquoise quilt that Jamie calls "the sea," a bumbo chair which became a car, some grocery boxes as a train, an egg-carton caterpillar and wooden spoons that served as paddles, drumsticks, and crutches. Our air shipment, consisting almost entirely of toys, arrived on Friday - so now it is only the parents who must make their own fun.

Here is the subway. Seoul Metro is very easy to use and quiet, clean, and civilized despite the large population. There are cheerful cartoons that remind you of dangers and teach you how to behave politely. Whenever I get on with children in tow I am given seats, but possibly only so the grandmas can have closer contact with the babies for further prodding, clucking and gift-giving. Yesterday Jamie scored an adhesive coat-hook with a picture of a puppy and some seafood crisps, and Iris had her photo taken twice.

Here is Dongdaemun fashion market. This section seemed to be entirely fabrics and accessories - a fun-box haven. Those who know me can imagine my delight at seeing stores of nothing but buttons or feathers and having a department store with floor descriptions that read "Fabric . Stuff."

Beneath the market streets is a valley-river walkway from a recovered underground stream that had formerly been paved over. Seoulites were spending quality family time here frolicking and sitting and eating picnic foods entertained by a river-wide PA-system and many waterfalls and fountains. Jamie met a tiny dog the size of a gerbil, and Iris had unlimited access to my hair as she rode around in the Ergo since Jamie wouldn't leave the newly air-shipped umbrella stroller.

We all must put our garbage in special bags. Our household ones can be purchased at convenience stores so they say. They do not contain much, and don't fit in my garbage cans, and the instructions for what constitutes garbage are generally in Korean. Most things are recycled. Here is an old woman pushing cardboard recycling and her male counterpart with his motorized conveyance. Top left is the cardboard recycling depot in Insadong market.

Here is my favorite escalator warning about the risks of heeled shoes. Here are some heeled shoes that are for sale at the bottom of the escalator in my subway station. Here is a lovely young lady wearing said dangerous footwear while at the Seoul aquarium.

Here are the kidlets at the Seoul aquarium. There was a nice glass tunnel that allowed Sharks to swim over your head, and Jamie enjoyed the moving sidewalk. Iris enjoyed pulling my hair and chewing on the straps of her Ergo since Jamie couldn't be convinced to let Iris have a turn in the umbrella stroller.

Here is Insadong market. Many Korean crafts and traditional goods as well as antiques and bookstalls are here. Picturesque back alleys full of old-style restaurants and hourly parades of robed performers coupled with street-food vendors and as-seen-on-TV candy makers add to the festive atmosphere. Here I could buy shoes to let me practice for my bare-foot mountain walks.

Here is Jamie sampling some Korean fare: noodles, sugar strand candy, temple food. He enjoys the many dishes that come to the table and sitting on the floor. He claims he loves spicy lettuce and seaweed and rice, but really only seems to eat the pickles. Iris likes to squirm around on the floor when we are eating - luckily it's pretty clean since everyone removes their shoes before entering the restaurant. We keep ordering the same thing (by accident) however, so today we actually did go to McDonalds to have a bulgogi burger instead.

Here is sweet Iris. She is growing her top two teeth and is very good at squirming around, if not exactly crawling yet. She is loved and admired wherever we go and is constantly having her hands and feet stroked and small clucking noises made at her. Yesterday, when she was finally permitted by her brother to have a turn in the umbrella stroller, this old woman in pink pants came over and strolled away with her for a private chat. Iris is enjoying all the attention so far, and luckily she has Jamie to tell her mother "That lady is strollering Iris away."

At First Glance

2009-08-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

So here is a brief (and fuzzy) tour of some of the sites we have discovered in our first weekend here in Seoul.
Here are Jamie and Brian walking up the very steep mountain path at the end of our street. There are many trees and pleasant trails, and at the very summit - yes, it's exercise equipment.
Here are some ajummas exercising in their masks, visors, and patterned leisure pants in the inappropriately named "Grandmother Rest Area."

Here is the Grandfather Rest Area where the old fellows may pick flowers or lift barbells, however they prefer to relax.
Here is one of the barefoot walking trails, complete with diagram of how and why it will invigorate you - I only made it four steps before my shoes went back on. Pain more that relaxation I'd say.

Here we are at our closest shopping: Kim's Club. It is in the bottom of a department store (New Core) and seems to have many things we need. At 12:00 the place filled up with hundreds of young ladies wearing short shirts and white leggings who positioned themselves at the end of every aisle and began encouraging shoppers to sample and buy their particular products. We did pretty well for our first organized grocery shop, but no joy finding frozen vegetables and the corn-on-the-cob we bought proved, once husked, to be white and hard as a rock. We have no idea what it could be for, but it was certainly not food.

Here are some of the well-dressed Seoulites we saw on our palace excursion.

This, by contrast, is how Brian and I were attired. Oh well.

Here is our very extensive underground market where we can remedy our sartorial missteps.

There is English everywhere. Here, for example, beside the "Bagle" store, is a place to buy "Sandwich & Drik," "Fou your happiness."

I am very happy that our Kim's Club has a Beard Papa cream puff outlet and that there is rotating sushi in every department store food court.

Here is some department store food court food in case you were wondering: bibimbop, pork cutlet, and tofu stew set menu for two.
The two department stores nearest us have playrooms on the kid's clothing floor so Jamie sampled them both. There are also mother-and-baby rooms where I can nurse, feed, change, and nap Iris in comfort and pastel privacy with soothing piped-in music. This is Iris in the baby seat in the bathroom stall, included to show that indeed, this city is very child-friendly. Iris caused quite a stir in the Ladies I must say. I know very little Korean, but I am quickly learning "oh so pretty" "So cute" "so fat" and "what a healthy boy." I tried to say she was a girl which caused the women I was speaking to to wiggle an imaginary penis in front of herself and nod. Clearly I must practice describing my children.

2009-08-22T04:55:00.000-07:00

Our sixth day in Seoul. We were advised to get out and see the city on our first weekend; we went to Deoksugung, which is the palace nearest my work.

It was not as unbelievably hot and humid as the last few days have been, but we had a number of drinks from the vending machine nonetheless. It turns out that J. likes fruit pop. A lot. The crushed pear beverage is 800 won (less than 75 cents).

We also had lunch at the 11th floor food court of Lotte department store. There are about six Korean restaurants, each specializing in a different type of food. We went to the tofu one.

In Korea, what have we noticed so far? Many things we might have been concerned about (old stereotypes) have yet to materialize. For me, I find it funny to see so many Western fast food chains here. These almost remind one of New Jersey or New York.

But the reality is that Westerners are quite few and far between. English is very little used. So we definitely feel that we are in a different place. And it is true that the kids are a hit wherever they go.

it shall be inventoried, and every particle and utensil labelled to my will

2009-07-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

There are currently 750 items on my household inventory. I have travelled through life thinking of myself as a person who does not acquire possessions - rather I collect experiences, ideas, memories and perhaps even wisdom. Now, after two weeks of counting everything I own, it appears that I do acquire possessions. I have, for example, 28 pairs of socks, 10 winter hats, 71 photo albums and at least 8 enormous bins of craft supplies, fabric scraps and costumes. My personal list includes items labelled "Xena action figures," "Japanese draw-string bags," "box of rocks and shells," "unmade dolls," "Dragon puppet show," and disturbingly, item 723 on the inventory: "17 binders, 2 boxes Aki's unfinished thesis notes." All of these items, with the exception of perhaps the Xena dolls and the rocks, I have decided that I can't live without for the next three years.
Brian, for his part, has invested his identity and leisure dreams in 391 books that he will be shipping to our new home (he consented to leave behind 330), and 196 old academic journals that I can't pry away from him. His personal inventory includes a bongo drum, a bin of lego, and at least 6 boxes I have labelled "personal papers" and am too afraid to open. Most of his own belongings, however are included in the approximately $8000 worth of clothing he has acquired during his working life. This figure interested me, as it was at least 3K more than my own clothing inventory (mostly socks), and over 5K more than Jamie's. My tiny baby daughter, however, not yet 6 months old, has a closet to rival her father's and owns a whopping $6000 worth of clothing. She will wear these items over the next three years, and so far her loving mother has only bought about $20 worth of this enviable wardrobe (thanks friends and family), but the numbers are sobering none-the-less. Her clothes cost twice as much as the children's toys, and almost thrice as much as their books. I anticipate teenage girldom with dread.
Back when I was a historian, I worked extensively with inventories and wills trying to imagine a life from a list of goods and chattels. It was important to me which items were considered significant enough to list, what details significant enough to provide, and how written documents attempted to bequeath stories along with property to particular heirs. If my adult life can be read into these 750 inventory items, would I be satisfied with the interpretation? Can a self-declared non-consumer be understood through her possessions? Experiences, ideas, memories and wisdom have no "replacement value" and are non-insurable, but perhaps I should just be more creative with my notes fields. I should, like Olivia, provide a "divers schedule" of my very being, with "every particle and utensil labelled to my will," supplying both monetary, and personal values. But maybe it's enough to know that I have 28 pairs of socks.

1000 words; No picture

2009-06-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

Step One: Passport Photos
Sounds easy, I know - but remember about the 4-month-old and the 30-month old. So, you recall the rules: neutral facial expression (no smiling, mouth closed), face and shoulders centered in the photo, eyes open, nothing breaking-up white, flat background (e.g. chairs, parent’s or child’s hands etc). Recall also that Iris doesn't sit up yet and Jamie doesn't really follow directions.

The girl:
I wish had the outtakes, but you will just have to imagine. I was given a small ripped white pillowcase told to wear it over one arm and position my floppy baby up in front of it directly facing the camera and somehow managing not to have my hand, arms, shirt, or hair visible. The baby was told not to smile and look directly at the lens, eyes wide open, and NOT to suck on her fingers. (oh and no crying) The resulting photos depict me holding Iris like a puppet with left hand, the backdrop draped over my right arm and the rest of me bending sideways as much as possible, head tilted far to the right, looking very worried that I was about to drop my baby face-down on her neutral expression. She took it very well, a natural the camera-guy said, but needless to say quite a great many things were visible in background, including the marks on the tiny white ripped pillowcase. Next Brian tried a variety of contortions involving pieces of printer paper taped to his body and the chair as he tried to hold his daughter with invisible hands. Eventually he held Iris' hands together behind her back to prevent them from entering her mouth, I held up the appallingly inadequate pillowcase, and Brian shot her in the air in front of it and snap - there we were. Baby girl still serene and happy. Good baby.

The boy:
Much much harder. For a two-and-a-half-year-old, sitting still and staring expressionless (mouth closed) at a stranger holding a camera is a Herculean task. The room was soooooo interesting. Aren't you supposed to smile for cameras? What does neutral mean? Serious face? No teeth? Eyes open? The inability to keep eyes open in photos is a genetic propensity in Brian's family that our child seems to have inherited, but I didn't really know that slack-jawed mouth-hanging-open was his relaxed face. We couldn't make him look at the camera. We held all sorts of things up, saying: "look at mommy," "look at the nice man," "look at the picture book," "look - what on earth does Daddy have over there?" We couldn't make him open his eyes or close his mouth and our repeated demands and escalating threats and promises caused him, of course, to screw his eyes shut and open his mouth as wide as possible. Over and over and over and over again we tried to render our lovely, vibrant son adequately expressionless and neutral and still and controlled and he behaved worse and worse, writhing and moaning "no more photos, don't don't do that" all the while trying to keep his eyes closed and his mouth open. After attempt #382 camera-guy sent us away claiming an upcoming appointment. Our one possibly successful shot came while Brian was on one side holding his hands down on the sides of the booster chair and I had just manually closed his mouth. Even after cropping, however, the chair was visible in the background so it may be rejected. Apparently "Passport Canada recognizes the difficulty in obtaining a neutral expression of a newborn and will allow for some tolerance in this regard." Do they realize that pre-schoolers are much much less neutral?

Us:

Nothing much - we've done it before. When they insist on "no glare" I wonder if they count glaring at non-compliant toddlers. We were tired, and man are we ever old. Did I mention we are tired. Too tired to brush hair or shave for photo day apparently.

Tips?

Not really. Drink lots of beer? Practice deep-breathing? Bring a bumbo chair for babies and your own white cloth backdrops. Have toddlers practice making passport faces in the mirror ahead of time. Get it right on the first go to avoid increasing hysteria. Bring a puppet that somehow provokes a neutral but attentive response in your young. Have a professional photographer do it and photoshop out everything that does not look like a passport photo.

So step one on our way to Seoul maybe taken (although photos will likely be retaken).

Only a million miles to go before we sleep.

Survival Korean

2009-05-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

I have now finished about 14 hours of Korean and sadly I am still stumbling over flashcards depicting such important items as teddybears, hair ribbons, and crayons. Part of this is because my only contact with the language (Korean cinema aside) is when I am actually in class, but most of it is because I am very bad at languages (as evidenced by my inability to speak the previous 5 I have studied) and this one is really really hard.
Although I am not learning much Korean, I am learning some other things. First of all, it seems that after 2.5 years of stay-at-home-momitude I still have career hang-ups. My classmate, a lovely young woman, is a capable, ambitious, and well-put-together (Read 7-feet-tall, impeccably dressed, personal-trainer-trained tri-weekly, power-bar-eating, huge-office-with panoramic-view-having, multilingual etc.). Short, frumpy, mommy-brained, frazzled after a day with the kidlets, leaky-breasted, "if I don't have second dinner soon I will die" me gets along with her surprisingly well, probably because Korean is really really hard and we are currently in the same boat with the teddy-bear flashcards. There is a problem, however, with the curriculum. Since this is "survival Korean" we learn the things our teacher thinks we will need to know to get by. I learn vocabulary for school, hospitals, playgrounds and baby-talk for hugs and kisses, mommy and daddy. She learns words like power, rich, red wine, and honorific forms of address. When we were practicing introductions, she got a long sentence about her job title etc. and I was told "Aki-shi, you can say you are a housewife." Oddly, I was so troubled by this difference that I stumbled quite a bit over the declaration, and learned that I could just say I am a wife-u, and they will all understand. It seems that I am still not comfortable with the fact that over the next three years (like the last almost-three) I will be primarily known as Jamie's ah-ma or Brian's wife-u.
The compensation, I suppose, will lie in the second thing that my teacher is trying to convey. Namely that everything in Korea is better. According to my songsangnim Korea is paradise, but the apples are better and the snakes won't bite. Whenever a flashcard appears, watermelon say or grapes, we learn that it will be better in Korea. Yes, the watermelon will cost us over $12, but it will be sweeter and juicier because the water in Korea is so pure. The grapes - they are so good, and the wine - very good wine in Korea, not many people drink it, but very good quality. Korea is a shopping paradise - yes, things maybe a bit more money, but it will be worth it - the service impeccable, the wrapping sensational, the quality unsurpassed. Cars? better. Baby food? healthier. Ice-skating? everyone is doing it. We had a flashcard for bows and arrows: "Is archery popular in Korea?" I asked. "well, not really." Aha! I thought. "But," teacher continued "we always win all the medals in competition." My classmate asked about the availability of brown rice. "Oh, everywhere, everyone is eating more grains for health; barley, wild rice, now it's hard to find white rice in Korea." Yeah, right. Can I find good coffee in Korea, of course and the tea houses are sensational. Do they recycle in Seoul, yes, they are very strict about garbage, everything is recycled. Are there mosquitoes in Korea. No, no, well, not like here. They are very small and they don't bite. I am beginning to suspect slight exaggeration (no, really), but it's entertaining to try and trip her up (apparently dog meat is very tender and delicious and they are special dogs raised only for eating). At any rate, conversations about the utopia that is Seoul distracts sonsangnim from trying to teach me more of that language, which although perfect in every way is really really hard.

pieces of a hole

2009-05-11T00:37:00.000-07:00

A year ago my family gathered together to celebrate my grandfather's 90th birthday; half a year later, we lost him. A number of circumstances like the imminent arrival of my second child and the lack of a funeral prevented me from properly mourning him. Now, as I prepare to move across the world without many of the blocks I have used to construct my life, this is my first farewell. I loved this man. The only father I knew, I looked to him for guidance and instruction, solidity and stability. He was always there sitting on a worn armchair in the home I grew up in as I travelled from place to place making my uncertain way through life.
My memory builds him from the ground up; worn black slippers, orange socks, brown polyester pants from an earlier incarnation, now slightly too large and held up with blue and grey button-down suspenders, a white linen pocket hanky used to make jumping mice or blow noses large or small, layers of shirts: white undershirts, red corduroy collared shirts, knitted green wool vests, a horrible Christmas sweater, a gift from my smaller self and worn religiously despite the jarring colours, those thick glasses, those peaked caps.
I remember him too, as a physical presence; his warmth as I curl up beside him as a small child to laugh at Charlie Brown or listen to a story about 'Rusnell's pasture,' the feeling of his arm over my shoulder as he stands and looks at his garden, at a logpile, or out the window to catch a glimpse of the lake; the light in his eye and his animated smile as he recounts a childhood memory about a train or a farm; as he recalls a particularly good meal at a grand hotel or an out-of-the-way local secret on one of his travels; or weaves a long story about his working life and the good men who showed him kindness along the way.
I invoke him through activities; high tea in a historic setting, a long country drive to look at cows and search for wrought-iron or a good hunk of err-ope, a morning in a bird-blind listening to nature, an afternoon on the balcony watching a thunderstorm, a pre-dinner chore involving perching precariously on a ladder with hands full of some sort of muck, the thwack of spitting wood, the creak of the wheel-barrow up that long hill, the precision of seeds sorted in an egg-carton, an evening in the arm-chair under the reading-light, up into the wee hours finishing a good novel.
He taught by example, and the lessons remain: give due credit, acknowledge the influence of your past in forming your present; take adventures where they come however large or small and be sure to enjoy them; leave early in the morning, bring a pillow; do a thing well and beautifully and with all your focus whatever it may be; embrace life and the world, it is an amazing place and deserves our attention; watch things - ants building, mercury spilling, the wind in treetops; read widely, value education, chase knowledge; act to solve problems, if it's broken - just fix it, build your own solutions from things you have at home; shore up scraps against a crisis; treat yourself to the finer things now and again, drink tea from china.
Grandpa was a good, kind, and intelligent man and aways encouraged, respected, cherished and loved me. We had many adventures together over the 34 years I was privileged to know him, and I miss him almost every day.

Locally grown

2009-05-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

Ottawa was a hard adjustment for people who love food, but over the last three years we have found a few things to savour. Mother's Day breakfast involved Aubrey's double-smoked bacon, Sconewitch savory scones and Canadian favorites of five-year-old cheddar scrambled eggs and maple syrup doused raspberry pancakes. Our locally produced brunch to mark a local celebratory day was followed by taking our locally made children to the locally cherished tulip festival. This outing reminded us of things we won't miss about Ottawa, particularly the frigid May days marring Mother's Day moments and the dismal selection of après-tulip nourishment.

My children gifted me variously with an accident-free day of underpants-wearing, and a giant explosion while riverside nursing that involved a complete wardrobe change for daughter and partial costume modification for mom (maternal wardrobe change came later after post-tummy-time spit-up). Note: I am sadly preoccupied with bodily excretions lately between potty-training, nursing, and newborn life, but that's a topic for another time.

The family is now all napping and as I listen to the familiar sounds of birds chirping, the dryer spinning and the calls of children riding trikes on the windy street of my lovely green neighbourhood I realise that though I might not miss Ottawa, being local offers a peace and security that I will surely regret.

A blog a day keeps the phonecalls away

2009-05-09T17:43:00.001-07:00

As we prepare to prepare to leave for three years in Korea, it seemed prudent to set up a means of sharing our experiences with friends and family back in Canada. I have also been musing about memory and time and finding that no matter how hard we try, we can not sear moments into our consciousness without some recollection aids. We hope this blog will meet both goals.