BIRTHDAYS, BANANAS, FREEZING, and ADVENTURES GALORE

Birthdays

Happy Birthday in Korea! Birthdays are a little different here. First of all, the minute you are born, you are one year old. The time you are growing inside mommy is part of your life. Then, on New Year's Day, January 1, everyone turns a year older...not on the day they were born. So if a baby is born in November, he is one. Then on January 1, he turns 2. So a two month old baby is 2! The confusing thing is if someone asks how old you are, the person might reply, "In Korean years or American?" Depending on the month you were born, there can be a two year difference.

Bananas

This "Banana Case" is a great invention! It's perfect for Peter Rabbit, who probably never heard of a banana. It should have been sponsored by Curious George.

Freezing

It has been very cold - this morning was the coldest so far at 14 degrees Fahrenheit. (We're thinking of our MTC friends who went to Mongolia!)

ADVENTURES

Bokcheon Museum

 In 1981, someone was digging around on a hill within walking distance from where we live. They found some interesting items that looked old...really old. Calling in the expert archaeologists and spending lots of time and money, they decided to move the current residents off the property and begin researching a valuable historical site! They found a large group of tombs from the Gaya Dynasty (5th Century). 

All the tombs discovered so far are on a rolling hill (looks like a golf course). They are marked in rectangles with hedges. Forty have been excavated so far, and there are many more remaining, but most of them are under houses.


Many of the tombs were not robbed or disturbed in any way, so there have been over 2,000 artifacts uncovered. 

 Inside the museum were displays on the different types of tombs. 


 This step pyramid style is reminiscent of South and Central American tombs.

Aerial View of tombs

Armor completely covering man and body of horse

Armor for head, chest, and back

Armor for Horse's Head

We couldn't resist the photo op.

Here we are pretending to be warriors from the Gaya Dynasty.

The best part of the day: seeing a cute baby girl.

NEXT ADVENTURE: NAMPO-GONG


Nampo is a huge shopping area, decorated for Christmas. There are live "shows", singers and dancers on stage, and tons of restaurants and shops. It was crowded with a "fun" Christmas atmosphere. There is also a huge underground shopping "mall" adjacent to the subway. The shopping goes on and on forever. It is the best display of lights in the city, and people just keep coming.

Out to dinner for our anniversary - out the window behind us is the ocean...

with ships and the bridge all lit up.

(hard to see through the glare)

FEAR, FUN AND FOOD

January 14, 2016

Fear, Fun, and Food

FEAR OR FUN?  

Kim Jong Il is usually such a fun guy...we're not sure why he pretended to be testing a Hydrogen Bomb in North Korea last week. Seismographs all over the world reported an earthquake in North Korea, but other sources claimed the possibility of nuclear provocation.

No matter where you are politically, this photo is sure to make you smile:

The North Korean leader having lunch with Dennis Rodman

Kim Jong Il touring a catfish hatchery

SPEAKING OF CATFISH, MORE ON FOOD:

 I counted 21 different types of rice at Costco. 

These four elders decided to have eight large orders of McDonald's fries for dinner (2 orders each, eaten with chopsticks).

No explanation required. No leftovers.

The Haagen Dazs chocolate pint was a birthday present for me!
$10.00 or 10,000 won per pint.
Worth it.

Now, for the "Gastronomie extraordinaire", 

Beondegi - silk worm larvae cooked

(three definitions from "foodie" websites see below)

1. Overall, if you want an authentic, true taste and understanding of Korean culture eating beondegi is the only way to go. Plus, eating bugs is cool  ...

2. Boiled silkworm pupae

3. Posts about beondegi. ..."The smell is enough to make you retch but it is nothing compared to the taste."

Bryan and I were walking down the street enjoying the Christmas season when we saw this big pot and I said, "Do you think that is the famous beondegi we've heard so much about? The answer was yes! In case you can't find enough silk worm pupae around to cook, don't worry, you can buy beondegi canned!

RANDOM:

There is no other way to categorize the following photos.

We noticed this little "garage" every morning walking to work. Does someone live there? One day when we went by, a man was working inside, repairing shoes, sewing, and fixing things.

Buddhist monks going for their walk in the courtyard. Some temples also have female monks. Occasionally we see monks walking around town.

This "drinking fountain" is a hose that squirts into this rock. As you can see, there are cups hanging from a rope so that you can just dip the cup into the hole in the rock and get a drink!

A few pics from two weeks ago:

CHRISTMAS DINNER WITH THE ELDERS - FOLLOWED BY:

the traditional White Elephant Gift Exchange!!

American food makes the Elders happy...Vicki says it's not healthy. How can she say that about cheesy potatoes and white rolls? (Notice our favorite wall, with all of your letters, pictures, and cards decorating our humble apartment.)

Elder Park contemplates the gift he brought wrapped in pink toilet paper.

 I wasn't kidding about no wrapping paper or ribbon. 

 SUSPENSE!

Red and green cozy socks - I found these in a closet in our apartment - probably belonging to the mission couple from 1995.

"One size fits most" made us all laugh, because Elder Dobbins wears a size 13 shoe.

Does this look like a potato chip?

No, it is actually a shoe horn. Extra small.

White Elephants never disappoint!

I LOVED getting this gift - one shoe tree. The missionaries said it had been in their apartment for years, no one knew the rightful owner. Lucky me!

Next Post:

THREE FUN OUTINGS (coming up)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

January 8, 2016

FUNNY THINGS

Happy New Year is a time for a little humor, so here are some "funny things":

When we inspect apartments, one of the questions is, "Do you have a table"? The answer is yes! This is a normal sized table for an apartment. The legs are about 5 inches and it sits on the floor. Happy eating!

ADVERTISING

One of the common ways businesses advertise is: a man drives by on a motorcycle or scooter and throws little business cards on the sidewalk. After the wind blows them around and people step on them, someone just might pick one up!

Another great way to advertise is to put a piece of paper on a wall along the sidewalk somewhere. After a while, they are ripped off and thousands of pieces of tape are on the wall until covered up by the next advertisement.

If you want to sell something, just put up some poles, a few tarps, and bungee cords; hang a few lights if necessary, and you have your own "market". One of the most popular items for sale is:

CABBAGE!

CABBAGE

AND MORE CABBAGE!

This cute lady is selling cabbage, of course, red hot chilis to spice up the cabbage, and gigantic white radishes (upper left corner).

The last really funny story of the day also has to do with food. When Koreans go to Costco, they might order something from the prepared food stand: they have bulgogi beef burgers, chicken bakes, hot dogs, and pizza. They also have the usual condiment stand with chopped onions, mustard, ketchup, and relish. The Koreans get a paper plate and load up on a pile of chopped onions and then squirt mustard over them. They sit and eat it like a meal or a snack. We asked the missionaries, "Why?" They answered, "They love free food!" Bryan bought lunch for four of the Elders one day when he ran into them at Costco. He ordered a hot dog and it came with a packet of sweet relish, which Bryan didn't use. When they were all finished, the Korean elder said, "You don't want the relish? I'll take it!", and then ate it up!