Cultural Immersion

It’s official! We have integrated into Korean society. Well, not exactly, but we have moved into our apartment. The top pictures are taken from our windows, back side and front side. The buildings here a skinny so you get a two sided apartment. We just got internet access so that's why I've been silent for so long. The apartment is modest by American standards; probably about 1200 square feet max. (I’m not the best judge of size.) There is a washer but no dryer and no place to put one should I wish to purchase. There is a clothes dryer rack that pulls down from the ceiling on the enclosed balcony. So just another opportunity to be environmentally friendly! Although the massive amounts of fabric softener I’ve been using probably cancel out the lack of a dryer’s electricity consumption. The washer is of course labeled in Korean, though there are some pictures to indicate which is water temp and load size, so I just kind of push buttons till I think it’s right. The microwave is the same way, as is the refrigerator. The hot water heater is controlled by a box on our bedroom wall...

...the same box controls the heating system which is simply hot water pumped through pipes in the floor. It is called ondol and we've had the chance to use it the past few nights and it is very effective. So if you want to take a shower in the AM you must set your alarm about 10 minutes earlier than you want to get up to turn the hot water heater on so you will have hot water. Another eco friendly option! Fortunately the agent we rented through was kind enough to come by after we moved in and show us all these things or I don’t think we would have ever figured out the hot water thing. We also have to pay our bills through her since we can’t read them. She did show us what they look like so we’ll know what to look for. There are only 2 so that simplifies things. And we can at least read the amount. Fortunately I feel that she’s pretty honest so maybe we won’t get ripped off!

There are no closets in most Korean homes. Some of the newer ones have begun to build them. There are some armoire type things here for our use, so that’s good, but they’re not very large...

 

...so I must either downsize (not likely!) of figure something else out. Since we won’t have the rest of our belongings for about another month it’s not a major problem right now, but I guess in a month it will be so I’m trying to figure things out. Fortunately we left a good bit of our furniture in storage, especially all the large pieces, but I still think it’s going to be a bit of a squeeze with everything. The apartment came fully furnished so we get to use these things until our belongings arrive, which is very convenient and much better than sitting and eating on the floor or sleeping on an air mattress.

I must mention the shower before I go. It’s just there, a showerhead coming out of the wall, no separation from the rest of the (tiny) room and just flows along the floor down through the drain under the sink. It’s apparently a pretty normal set up, although like the closets they are making newer homes more western style.

So it’s a little different than our life experience, but not bad once you get used to it. It’s only about a 15 minute walk to my husband's office and the mini PX, commissary, and post bus stop, and that’s pushing a stroller at a leisurely pace. (We made it in 9 minutes the other day in order to catch the bus, though my legs were severely protesting as it is mostly uphill the way there!) And taxis hang out just down the way from our apartment so it’s not hard to get one of those if we need it. There’s a little 7-11 type store at the drive entrance where they sell milk and diapers and a few other every day necessities and a nice playground right outside our apartment entrance. So it’s a convenient place to live.

Just an interesting note: they have not built a single family dwelling in Korea since at least 1994. Almost all the population lives in cities; of that half of them (24 million) live in the greater Seoul agglomeration which is a collection of cities that kind of fall on top of each other. The population density of South Korea is 480 people per square kilometer (about .6 miles).

Paper or Plastic?

I keep having to remind myself I'm not on vacation; we will be here for two years. I have to tell myself that because I want to buy everything new I see. Here in Waegwan they don't have malls, they have shop lined streets and alleys and byways. It's really fascinating and exciting to me. I have been told that they do have their own version of our "Mcmalls" but I haven't seen one yet. We have also been to what was basically a farmers market that included just as many stalls of seafood as produce. I didn't know what most of it was. I've also found various shop that sell handmade pottery, handmade dolls, some handmade traditional Korean clothes, and handmade wooden furniture. Anything handmade is my weakness. But the hard part about shopping (other than saying no) is that it is basically a cash only system. Being American my idea of paying with cash is swiping my debit card. At most of the shops this is not an option. And ATMs aren't ubiquitous here. So when you withdraw cash, you have to make sure you get enough to pay for everything. I mean rent, utilities, groceries, everything. It's very strange to take out that much cash at once. Especially when $1 = 1170 won. (The rate changes daily.) So $100 is like 117,000 won. So you go to the ATM and withdraw $1,000 to pay bills and you've got roughly 1,170,000 won. (The ATM on post lets you withdraw is US $ or won.) You can see how looking at so many extra zeros can make you a bit nervous about which button to push.

Eating at the restaurants is even more exciting, largely because being illiterate in Korean you really never know what you're going to get. We've been to a couple that were fantastic. They had great food and even better decor. One was like stepping into an English rose garden tea party. Our 4 year was fascinated. Heck, I was fascinated. It had a menu for 'foreigners' which of course we are but I thought the huge label on the front stating that was hilarious. It was an Italian place. I had seafood risotto, Korean style. The seafood was squid, tentacles, tiny mussels, and tiny shrimp. It was delicious!

The other did not have a 'foreigners' menu but did, thank goodness, have plenty of pictures on the menu so we just pointed. It was a plate full of kebabs and I have no idea what any of it was but it was all fantastic. These two restaurants actually let us pay with some USDs because we didn't have enough won, and as I said you can't just run to the corner ATM; it's not there. So trying to figure out how much of each currency we should give them was a bit puzzling. Also, do you tip? Is that an American thing? We still don't know, so if you do please tell me! (BTW, we have been doing it just in case!)

I'll leave you with this quote that happily applies to my husband and I:

"We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops." Henny Youngman

Life in the Fast Lane

Driving in Korea is what I imagine driving in LA would be like in the midst of Armageddon. And it's really not that they're bad drivers, it's just that there are so many drivers on narrow roads with the same destination. We did not bring any vehicles with us and had planned on buying what they call a 'hooptie' to use here. A hooptie is a car that has been bought and resold soldier to soldier until all aesthetics are gone and it is functional at best. They usually sell for $1000 or less. But after being here and seeing the road congestion and the ready availability of public transport (taxi, bus, train) and the ease of walking I think we've decided to just wing it; go green if you will. I love the idea of being able to walk to what I need and the environmental and health aspects are a big plus for me as well. And to be completely honest the fun of driving wore off for me at about age 18. At this point in my life driving is a necessary evil, and driving in congested traffic is like a moral test of patience and verbal restraint. Granted I have not actually driven myself here; my experience is from riding in taxis and buses and trying to cross the street. But after my experience with those, I am just as happy letting other people escort me for nominal fees. And the army has free shuttle buses between all the camps in country, it's just a matter of getting from one route to the other.

The traffic laws and signs are pretty much the same as in the US but with different interpretations for the drivers here. For instance, red light means hurry up and get through the intersection before the other traffic moves, and when it does, be sure to dodge them as you clear the intersection. Oh yeah, the red light always stays on, even when the green light comes on to indicate 'go'. What is that? And if you need to change lanes, you just gas it and go. It's so crowded you can't wait for an opening, you must make your own. And pedestrians, beware of motorcycles! Sidewalks are their roads too. If the traffic light is red they hop on the sidewalk, if the crosswalk is full they swerve out into the street. The only law here regarding motorcycles is that they are not allowed on the highways.

We live in Waegwan, which is not a large city so it's not too bad here. Obviously the bigger the city the worse the traffic. And I also want to note that the drivers are generally very courteous, it's just as I said there are so many people trying to get to the same place. But instead of checking the tread on our Goodyears we will be testing the traction on our Adidas.

American in Waegwan

We made it to Camp Carroll, in southern South Korea. Not a big place, tiny actually. As I mentioned before, they had lost our luggage, meaning I had to go shopping (boo-hoo ;) and that we did not have the playpen for our youngest. The hotel on the camp did not have cribs as they don't usually get families here, so we had to borrow a suitcase for her to sleep in as she would not go to sleep in our bed. After 3 days we did get our luggage and all's well.

My husband had to start to work right away and I was left in the hotel. Not the most exciting place to spend time with a toddler and preschooler. Like I said, this is not a family camp so no playground here. So into the stroller for wee one and suck it up and walk for the older. (Did I mention we don't have a car?) And off we went, into Waegwan. The area just outside the camp gate caters to and is very used to Americans, so most of the shopkeepers speak fairly good English. So my first venture out wasn't too intimidating. I even managed to find us an apartment on my own, something I was rather proud of. (We're currently still waiting on approval from the Army's housing department.)

I'll pause here to describe how the Korean women are with my children. When we're walking down the street they all smile and wave and point and talk and of course I have no idea what they're saying but I get the impression it's along the lines of how cute etc. Then when we stop in a shop they just kind of take the place of nanny/grama and they are genuinely helpful and caring. It's awesome! I don't have to do a thing but look around the shop and the kids are entertained, often fed with snacks. When I was apartment hunting the owners of the apartments would come pick us up in their car (car seat usage is not stressed here...) and the woman would hold my oldest's hand and help her up steps and play with both kids while I'm looking around. I could go on and on about how great this is for me. And of course I still keep an eye on the girls but I feel genuinely safe with this. It's such a relief to not have to say every 45 seconds "come back over here" or "quit touching that"!

So first time out by myself, not bad. Honestly we didn't go very far but it was still exciting to be out in Korea alone.

Coming up, I'll address the topic of driving in Korea!

The New Kid

View from our room in the Dragon Hill Lodge.

my first view of Seoul

After 27 hours of travel we finally made it to South Korea. With a 17 month old and 4 year old it was no small feat to arrive with our sanity, however we did lose our luggage on the way. But somehow sleep deprivation makes things like clean clothes not so important. So, after another 3 hours we finally get to the hotel and collapse into bed. Oh wait, I forgot the part where my husband had to go straight into a briefing and I was literally left on the curb with my kids. Fortunately the hotel (Dragon Hill Lodge) was just across the street; unfortunately I couldn't check into the room without him and had to hang out in the lobby. After 7 years of being an army wife you learn that usually when you want/need your husband the most you have to give him up to Uncle Sam and figure things out on your own. Eventually we made it into the suite where I could have easily slipped into a semi-comatose state for about 24 hours. However, small children have trouble understanding how to adjust to changing 15 time zones. So sleep was fitful and broken. Thank God hotels put coffee 'en suite'. The next day was a blur of snatches of sleep, mugs of coffee, and trying to find the right person to protest to about being evicted from my hotel room at noon when the bus to take us down to Camp Carroll didn't leave till 6:30. So I was allowed to stay in the room till 4, then had to hang out at the hotel playground for the rest of the time. But I was able to have dinner with my husband that night. So we get on the bus; uneventful trip. We arrived at Camp Carroll around 10 PM. I was once again left on the curb, except this time the hotel was at a location unknown to me. At this point I was so tired I just wanted to sit down and cry, and truthfully I almost did. I mean really, who is in charge of planning these things? So I waited with my children and eventually did make it to the next hotel, which is where I sit now venturing into the blogging world.

To be totally honest, all of the above is like some shadow show I remember watching on television once upon a time. I mean, I know it happened, but I was basically a stumbling zombie during all this. I can't believe I didn't lose my children or my mind in this process, although I did come dangerously close to losing my temper and composure.