made in china

The shipyard was pretty much closed down last week due to the Chuseok holiday, so most of the employees of the project chose to take a break and go somewhere. Ken and I went to Shenzhen, China with another couple (Norman and Brenda) and a single man (Martin).


The actual reason for the trip was to play golf - alot of golf. And the other actual reason for the trip was to go shopping - alot of shopping.
I wonder if you can guess which 3 people played golf and which 2 people went shopping!


We actually stayed at a place outside of Shenzhen called Mission Hills Golf Resort. Ken and Martin had heard great compliments of the place from another golfer. There are 216 holes of golf. There are even lighted courses that can be played at night. I apologize to everyone that would like to know more on the golf courses, but this is MY blog. I went shopping, not golfing!!!

After a harried trip to the Busan airport (it was foggy and there was a huge traffic jam) early Wednesday morning, we arrived at the Hong Kong airport around noon. We had a driver scheduled to pick us up at the airport. It took everyone some time to figure out how to fit 3 sets of golf clubs, luggage and 5 people into the van but we were soon on our way to Shenzhen. After a drive through Hong Kong, immigration and Shenzhen, we finally made it to our destination.
The guys were so excited that they decided to fit 9 holes of golf in before dark and the girls were so excited that they decided to fit a couple hours of shopping before they got too tired. (I guess you have guessed who golfed and who shopped!!) Brenda and I were a little disappointed about how long the taxi ride was back and forth to Shenzhen (45 minutes to 1 hour each way) but that didn't stop us from going in each day. I think that we had read that it was 20 miles away but I guess we didn't count on the unbelievable traffic.

I need to comment on Shenzhen and the traffic at this point. Shenzhen was quite different from Shanghai and Hong Kong. It definitely wasn't as cosmopolitan or pretty. Alot of the goods come from the Shenzhen area, so it is supposedly less expensive to shop here than Hong Kong and Shanghai. A couple of times we were traveling after dark in the cab and I could see some of the building that looked like warehouses with the lights on. I had visions of all these Chinese workers making so many of the products we use daily that say "Made in China". When you see things like this, it really makes you realize how different our everyday lives are and how very, very fortunate we are. Pause for thought.

Well, we think the Korean traffic rules are bad - they have nothing on the Chinese. Sometimes I would just sit in the back seat and close my eyes. It wasn't that the taxis went real fast - they couldn't due to the snarl of traffic. It was mainly the lack of any road rules, even on the freeway. If you had a three laned road, there wouldn't be just three vehicles lined up in each lane. Oh no, you could have 3 cars, one big truck, one SUV and maybe a couple of bicycles. Or you could have one bus, 2 small cars, one big truck and a motorcyle. Or you could have 4 cars, one bus and maybe someone walking in the road. I hope you get the idea. Here is a picture of someone just walking around the traffic. And everyone just honks at each other all the time.

Back to the important business of shopping. After reading up on the internet, Brenda and I first decided to go to Louha shopping center. After going there, we ended up shopping there for 2 more days. It was a huge place with 5 floors of endless stalls of everything from tailors and fabric to handbags, shoes, Chinese objects, clothing and jewelry. Of course, they had tons of knock-offs. You would sometimes be in a shop and they would hustle to put everything away in bags because they heard someone was coming. You could get knock-offs of everything, even Hello Kitty items. I guess if you can knock-off Chanel, Hello Kitty is a breeze.

They also had tea shops that sold a myriad of loose tea








and also hard blocks of tea.













We were also invited to sample some of the tea - the picture is of Brenda sampling some jasmine tea.












We managed to fit in Kentucky Fried Chicken one day
and a Ramen noodle restaurant that I think is a chain. We had some tasty Japanese fried rice and dumplings there.




The last day, wanting to try a new area, Brenda and I head to Dongmen market area. This area had alot of open air shopping but you could also go into some of the buildings and they would have several floors of shops. There were also street vendors selling food of all sorts. People would just be lining the streets eating bowls of noodles and other things on sticks that I wasn't too sure what they were. I wanted to take a picture of something someone was eating on a stick that looked like a fried scorpion but I didn't want to be rude. So instead I settled for these small birds that looked like they were fried whole and then skewered through the head. If we had more time, I would have liked to observe someone digging into that....or maybe not.
The first building we headed into was 8 floors. The bottom five floors were filled with stalls that were decorated quite trendy considering where they were located. I am sure that this was "the place" for the young girls to shop. There were manequins everywhere that were dressed in clothing and funky wigs. There were also endless "salons" that did makeup, nails and hair. Sometimes they even spilled out into the hallway.
We were constantly asked if we wanted a manicure and they would show you their brightly painted and jeweled acrylic nails. I passed.

We also found another building that had Chinese handiwork and souvenirs. You could purchase carvings, jade, paintings, incense, etc. But one of my favorite finds was the last place we went. The bottom floor had different shops that housed art supplies and paintings. I found a wonderful one that will look great in our house in Mineral Wells.


The next floor was the musical instrument floor.
There were drums, violins and a type of stringed instrument that they were actually playing in the shop. It reminded me of the instrument I have seen in Korea, but the music was much more pretty.



The top floor had an assortment of shops selling dried items. I say items because I don't really know what they were used for. I am guessing that they might be used in some medicinal capacity or something. There were mushrooms, dried lizards of some kind
and some legs of an animal (maybe a deer or something).




It was a nice end to the day because we felt we saw some of the "real" places, not just the regular tourist spots. Unlike other places, we saw no westerners.


After another discussion on fitting 3 sets of golf clubs, luggage and 5 peoples into the van,
we headed back Sunday morning to the Hong Kong airport to Seoul to Busan and then the drive home to Okpo.


Ken had to make a last trip to Burger King in the Hong Kong airport to celebrate the wonderful time we had.

flowers, fruit, friends and Chuseok

We have another Korean holiday coming up next week. Chuseok (everyone seems to pronounce it chew sock, so I guess that is correct)is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Apparently in ancient times, they worshipped and held festivals under the full moon. Presently, this holiday is a "thanksgiving" of sorts where they visit ancestral grave sites and observe the rites of clearing the grave site and offering food and drink to their ancestors.

Anyway, it also seems to be another occasion to give gifts. This week, we have received kiwis, oranges, cakes and wine from different Korean businesses such as the agent and the management company that we rent from.


I have a book called CultureShock! It discusses various customs and cultural differences, as well as everyday living in Korea. I have pretty much read it all but I still look up things I can't remember from time to time. I know that the Korean people feel that good business relationships are built upon strong personal relationships. One Korean man explained to Ken and I one time that the friends he made when he was younger are his friends for life. And they spend alot of time, money and effort on these friendships because sometimes these relationships are a key factor to their success in business. Anyway, I looked up the passage on gift giving in the workplace and it stated that not only do the gifts show respect and appreciation, but they also serve in getting someone to think more kindly of you. It went on to say that that these gifts are commonly given during important Korean holidays and that if you receive such a gift, it is important that you reciprocate. I wonder if Ken knows that. Better check.

Speaking of gifts, I received a few of my own yesterday. I had a morning coffee for the women and wives of the project at our apartment. I had been wanting to do this for some time and finally got around to setting a date and sending invitations. It was nice because not only the wives attended, but the four women that work in the office (one works for the company, the other three were hired to work on site here) were able to come. By the way, look at the beautiful orchid they brought me.
I also received more flowers and fruit. It happened to be a box of grapes and I cleaned and put some out. I then learned something new - they don't eat the skins of the grapes. They put the grape in their mouth and then spit out the skin and seeds. You are left with a plate of grape skins that they say are too sour to eat.

Anyway, I think that the coffee (or tea party, as some called it) was a success. I plan on doing it again sometime. We all are different ages, nationalities and with different backgrounds and interests, but we are all here for the same reason. So if we can make a few more friends along the way, so much the better.

oh, my goodness......i'm famous!

The other afternoon I went strolling around Okpo. I usually will get out in the afternoon when it is cooler but I really haven't done that since I have returned since it has been so warm. After all the rain we have been having, it was nice to walk around town.

While walking, I met up with two friends of mine and we went into a little shop that sells Korean chests, pottery and souvenirs. As we entered the store, 2 other expatriate women were leaving. One of them turned to me and said, "I think I have met you before." I didn't recognize her and we both started to try to figure out where she might have met me. All the sudden she exclaimed, "You're Kim in Korea!" I immediately became very flustered and somewhat embarressed. It turns out that she moved here 2 months ago from Brazil. She had gone online to try to get some information on Okpo and came across my blog. I was trying to remember what pictures of myself I had posted when she said, "you are in it too!", to one of my friends. Then I realized that she was referring to one of the photos on a recent blog about our visit to the Geoje Art Center. I then had to explain everything to my friends, who aren't as up-to-date as me on the blogworld. (I am just being facetious, of course.)

I started all of this for myself and family members, but it was sort of flattering to meet someone that took time to read my blog. I am sure I will come across her again on the streets of Okpo. It was really nice to meet her and she let me take her picture............!

kim's grill (or is it mr. kim's grill?)

Since coming to Korea, I have had to shift my way of cooking somewhat. I don't necessarily mean the kind of food (however, that has changed drastically) but the way I prepare food. I do have a gas cook top and an extremely small oven (with only one small rack that a 9x13 inch pan can hardly fit on). But coming from Texas, we used the outside gas grill year round. Alot of times I would just put some chicken, burgers, pork chops, etc. on the grill and then just round out the meal with salad or vegetables and potatoes or rice. Of course, sometimes on the weekends we would get fancier and Ken would grill fish or steaks, but I usually did it myself during the week. After selling the house and living with Bailey temporarily, I had discovered the George Foreman grill. It was a small one, so I usually had to cook the meat in increments but I liked cooking with it nonetheless.

While in Korea, Ken and I have been on the lookout for one here but to no avail. We do have a small outside charcoal grill but it is not as convenient or quick as a gas grill. Last week we were scanning the channels for something to watch on TV and somehow stopped on one of the channels that was advertising a "George Foreman type grill" - but I think it was Mr. Kim or Mr. Park or Mr. Lee selling it instead of George! Like in the U.S.,you will find shopping channels on TV, which is where we found this. Most of them concentrate on food or cooking. Have a gander at some of them.

Anyway,we quickly wrote the phone number down and Ken asked the secretary at the office to call and order us one. It wasn't too bad for here ($45) and it arrived the other day. We were thrilled and I will be trying it out tonight. I'll let you know how it goes. You probably wonder why we just didn't bring one from the states. Well, the electricity is different here and we would need a transformer to convert a U.S. plug to run anything with a heating element. We do have a transformer but it is a small one to run a mixer, etc. I bought my blow dryer here.

More on scanning the TV channels...! We have some sort of cable and satellite TV here. After awhile you get to know which stations will have English speaking shows on them, but that doesn't mean they will always be in English or what time they will be on. We have 2 channels that usually have movies on them but lately we have noticed Desperate Housewives on one of them (I think it is a season or two behind). We also have a couple of channels were you can chance upon shows such as CSI, Prison Break, House, Ripley's Believe it or Not or Numbers. There is a BBC channel that sometimes has funny British shows and we do watch alot of Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. There is also a "chick channel" (Ken never usually watches it) that you might catch Bravo shows such as Project Runway, Next Top Model, Ambush Makeover, etc. Luckily for Ken, there are several channels with sports. Sometimes you can catch American baseball and almost always golf but it is commentated in Korean. They especially like the LPGA because there are alot of top women golfers that are Korean. Of course, there is CNN and BBC News. The problem with TV here is that you never know when things will start. When you come to a channel, there will be something in Korean at the bottom of the screen with a time frame on it (for example, 7:50-8:40). You may watch an entire program with no commercials or sometimes there might be a couple. Mainly the commercials are before or after the program, so it is hard to judge when something will begin or end. Their commercials are usually very short but numerous. Hope you enjoy some of them!! (By the way, I didn't tape these but I have seen all of these on TV. This person was able to video them better than me.)

Now if Ken and I could only agree on the remote control! He will start to look for something to watch and stop on a channel and watch it for awhile regardless how long ago it started. In other words, he will stop to watch something that has already been on for an hour. I think we should quickly go though all the channels to see what is on and what time it starts. Then we should decide what to watch. What do you think??

korean brush painting #3

I am still taking painting class every Friday morning with Mr. Park. It is one of my favorite things I do while here in Okpo. I spent most of the spring doing the 4 seasons - everyone does some of the same pictures at first and these are some of them.

I enjoyed doing them but they really aren't, as a group, one of my best I think. The two pictured are winter and summer.

Since I have been back I have completed "kimchi pots in the snow" and am now working on some pine trees in the snow.






I also have been taking a bead class since I returned. It really isn't too much of "my thing" but it actually has been sort of fun. And I have met several new people while taking the class.

Just a sampling of my new handiwork....!

That reminds me, here is a picture of the beautiful jewelry box that was given to me by the shipyard.

friday night in jangsuengpo

I realize I am behind on posting but I seem to have been busier than normal. Hopefully I can get back on my regular schedule and get some of my thoughts down on paper (or computer)!

Ken and I had a pleasant surprise on Friday night. The company that leases our apartment to us gave us some tickets to the Geoje Island Art Center, which is located in the town south of us called Jansuengpo. We weren't quite sure what we were going to see but we knew it had something to do with music and dancing. When we arrived, we saw a few other people we knew and were able to sit together to watch the performance. The theater was fairly full with mainly Koreans.

It began with 6 men and women sitting on the stage with various instruments. The women were dressed in beautiful traditional Korean dress. There was one woman playing a wooden flute and four others playing stringed instruments. I looked some of the instruments up and found that one of them was called a guhmoongo.
It is larger than it looks in the picture (maybe 3 or 4 feet) and was played either with a bow, a stick or by plucking with fingers. The other stringed instrument was a haegum, which was played rather like a cello except for the fact that it was quite a bit smaller, more like a violin.
The music itself was not the most pleasant sounding I have heard. I could not imagine how they were keeping time. They could have made a huge mistake and we would have never known the difference. Ken later said he was worried that the whole presentation would be this, but I thought it was entertaining to watch the musicians.

During the presentation, there were 2 different dance numbers. One was with fans - I actually found a picture on the internet that looks like the dress they wore.
There also was a lady that came out onto the stage with much acclaim who talked and sang. It became obvious that she was telling a story of some sort. What surprised me was the audience. They would shout out words and sometimes sing along. Even though we didn't understand, it was fun to watch.

However, the most amazing part of the show were the 5 Korean drummers. They first sat on the stage playing various drums and percussion instruments. They were absolutely wonderful. I couldn't believe how long they could keep it up and stay in rhythm with each other. Talking about it doesn't do it justice. After a short break - there was some more music and dance - they came back out from the back of the theater. They marched down the aisles with some very interesting hats on. When they got on the stage, the purpose of the hats became apparent. I also found a picture of one of them that is exactly how these men were dressed.

The long ribbon twirled around and every which way while they danced and played these amazing drums. Dependent on how they moved their head, the ribbon would follow along. It was truly astonishing, especially since they were energetically dancing and playing the drums at the same time. Hopefully we will have another chance to see this while we are in Korea.


When it was over, they all went outside and you were able to take pictures.



What a great experience!

much ado over fruit

I think that I have mentioned T.Y. in the past. He is the agent that Ken's company uses. Agents are helpful in foreign countries because they help set up apartments, custom clearance, etc. T.Y. (I usually don't like to use people's names in the blog that I don't know well but since we just use his initials I think it is hopefully okay) is very nice. He arranges transportation to and from the airport. He has arranged and played golf with Ken numerous times and we have also gone out to eat in Busan with his wife and partner (getting out of Okpo for the weekend Feb. 26, 2007). It was he that greeted me with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers at the airport when I first arrived (here we are Jan, 12, 2007).

Anyway, a couple of days after we returned this time, the doorbell rang and it was the driver that had patiently brought us home from the airport with a wonderful basket of fruit. I have been wanting to comment more on the food here and I guess this is a great time to talk about the fresh fruit. First and foremost, like most everything else here, it is not inexpensive. They have the usual oranges, bananas, and apples. You can sometimes find lemons but I haven't seen limes yet. They do have kiwi and pineapple. I have seen and eaten cantaloupe but haven't purchased due to the price. This past weekend, Ken and I paid $8.00 for half of a SMALL watermelon...luckily it was wonderful. I have had Asian pears in the U.S. and love them. I was hoping that they would be plentiful and cheap here. Plentiful yes, cheap no. If you haven't had one, buy one and try it. To me, it is a cross between a crisp apple and a pear. I personally love them and eat them at every buffet we go to. It just hit me that I haven't seen strawberries at the grocery store but I have eaten them numerous times at dinners....I will have to let you know more on that. I have noticed lately that purple/black grapes are plentiful at the grocery stores right now. The basket had some in it and they were absolutely wonderful. By the way, the fruit on the right is an Asian pear.


The only thing I wasn't sure of was this....
I noticed at Tesco they were also labeled yellow melon. They were okay but kind of tasteless. They probably have another name that I don't know. The fruit on the right is a peach. It is larger and whiter than the peaches back home.

Back to the original storyline...! I sent a thank you note to T.Y. for the fruit.

Today Ken received an email as follows:
Ken,
I was impressed much by your kind letter today and could not imagine you gave me such a letter because it was beyond our normal customs. By the way, I'm very happy to have such a letter from a man who support me all the time.
Thanks and Regards,
T.Y.

To which Ken responded:
T.Y.,
The thanks goes to my wife, Kim. She wrote the card because she enjoyed the fruit very much and wanted to show her gratitude.
Regards,
Ken

To which T.Y. responded:
Ken,
That is more honourble for me. Please tell my pleasure to Mrs. Kim Adcock.
Thanks and Regards,
T.Y.

I love being in a country where a fruit basket and a thank you note have such importance.

feels like one hundred

Current Conditions (as of 1:00 PM)
Today's forecast °F | °C
Mostly Cloudy90°F
Feels like: 100°F
Barometer: 29.7 in
Dewpoint: 75°
Humidity: 63%
Visibility: 6 miles
Wind: 10 mph SW
Sunrise: 5:50 AM
Sunset: 7:06 PM
UV Index: 9 Very High Observed at Pusan / Kimhae International Airport.

It is so very hot. I don't know why I expected otherwise - and it really isn't that different than Houston. I guess I am just used to swimming pools and air conditioned malls during this time of the year. Everyone I know seems to try to just get out in the morning and hole up in their apartments in the afternoon. I tried to ask the lady that cleans our apartment when it would get cooler. From what I understood, she said that from 8/8 to 9/9 is hot and then it would get cooler. I am going to hold her to that - on September 10th, I want to walk out of my apartment and feel cool air on my face.

At least I don't work in the shipyard. Ken took me for a tour (in the air conditioned car) on Sunday afternoon. He wanted to show me all the different parts of the drillship that now actually look like a ship. It really is amazing. All the parts are made and then put together. I don't have a mind that works that way to figure out how things are made. So I am in awe of those who do. Anyway, there is alot of concrete in the shipyard so you know it must get hot. There are also many huge hangars that probably don't have alot of ventilation. Ken said that whenever the temperature reaches 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit), the men get an extra 30 minutes for lunch.

We do have air conditioning in our apartment that works very well. The brand name is Daewoo Carrier - I know they have Carrier air conditioners in the U.S. There are actually 2 built in wall units upstairs and a wall unit downstairs that plays a little tune when turned on and off. ( I am sorry - I have tried several times to download a little video of this and have failed for some reason. Maybe I will be able to figure it out at a later date....I will let you know.)

clap your hands

So sorry that I didn't say goodbye in June! But it was such a whirlwind time prior to going back to Texas. We visited Hong Kong and Singapore, we came home for a couple of days and then I headed for Houston. More on all of that later because today I just want to enjoy being back in Okpo. Not that I didn't have an absolutely great time in Texas - but it is nice getting back to your own little "spot" in the world, albeit Okpo, South Korea for the time being.

We actually got here late Tuesday night, but jet lag has gotten the best of me the past few days. I do think that I am better today though. At least Ken had work to keep him busy this week. In fact, they had the keel laying ceremony for the first drillship this week. And he had a golf outing with some of the shipyard and company men today. It is so hot and humid here (but actually not that different from Houston). I hope it is cooler for the men today - he went to the Muju Golf Resort. It has skiing there in the winter, so he will be at a higher altitude and thus cooler. Maybe.

I, however, headed out at 9 a.m. to the neighboring town of Gohyeon to hit a favorite "dollar store" and the Tesco grocery store. I needed some more clothes hangers at the dollar store but I didn't seem to come back with any. I did come home with this cute jar. It is larger than it looks(probably 24" tall) and will look great back home somewhere.
I guess I will schlep it back in my backpack on the airplane in December!

Tesco seemed the same. Being a Saturday morning, it was quite busy. I don't think I have mentioned this before but - what is so interesting in my grocery cart? Walking down the aisles, not one or two, but numerous people seem to be enthralled in what I am buying. Being that I am in Korea, it really isn't too much different than what they have in their carts. Maybe it is the three bottles of Coke Zero (they don't have 2 liter bottles - it is 1.5 liter). Otherwise, I don't have a clue. They even had their exercise break while I was there, except the song was more like "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands" instead of the "Hokey Pokey".


Even though I didn't clap my hands, I was happy today.

umbrellas are not just for rain

Thursday was Buddha's birthday and Ken only worked a little in the morning. We packed a lunch and headed to the south part of Geoje Island. We didn't really have a plan - just to get in the car and see where it took us. One of our stops was Hakdong Pebble Beach. As the name implies, it is not a typical sandy beach. It is completely covered with smooth stones. It is said that if you walk on it barefooted, the stones are supposed to increase your circulation and energy. Since my toe is still tender I chose not to do that this time, but maybe some other time. We have been there before, but decided to get out of the car for a breather and walk along the sea wall. It was a gorgeous day and really quite warm.
Alot of Koreans were out and I was struck by all the women with their sun umbrellas. The women here seem to be very diligent in their efforts to keep their faces out of the sun. They also wear alot of visors that have larger than average bills on them. And they use umbrellas for the sun - I caught a picture of some brightly colored umbrellas for sale on the street of Okpo last week.

P.S....
I am sure that the women on the beach wouldn't be pleased to know that Ken and I went to another beach on Saturday to deliberately get some sun.

not really about korea

This post isn't really about Korea.

It is about me.

I have discovered a world I didn't know was out there until recently. My mother introduced me to this world. She will probably cry when she reads this, but she has made me cry (with sweet tears!) with some of the pictures, cards and emails she has sent me. She is so talented in so many ways, including using the computer. She had a scanner, a digital camera and anything electronic way long before me. And she taught herself all of this. I have always been impressed with that. By the way, please look at some of her wonderful pictures on Flickr.

Anyway, she showed me the world of blogs. I knew about blogs, but I didn't know THE WORLD OF BLOGS. There is everything out there. And most importantly to me, people out there like me. People that like to make things, that like pretty things, that see pretty things in ordinary things, that like to make pretty things, I could go on and on. If you haven't already, check out some of my favorite blogs I visit. In fact, check frequently, because I add more every time I log on. These are talented and creative people that live every day to the fullest with their love of all things beautiful. I know I am gushing but this really comes from my heart. My husband works for a company that builds unbelievably mechanically engineered machines because he is an engineer. I respect that fully, but my heart and mind function a totally different way. I can walk into a shop or a home and just melt because it makes me happy. I can see some fabric and just imagine how it would look on a chair or a pillow. I could go on and on but I don't want to bore everyone with my thoughts, loves and wishes.

Actually, I wrote this blog because a friend of mine in Korea tagged me. I have read many blogs in which people are tagged and participated in swaps. I was really intrigued by it all. Finally I was tagged. Nicole tagged me. You are supposed to write 8 random things about yourself and then "tag" 8 more people to do the same. Kind of like a chain letter. The only problem is - I don't know many people that have blogs. I read alot, but I don't converse with them alot (except for Becky, who Nicole already tagged).

So I guess I will write the 8 random things about myself anyway. Anyone that reads this is free to pass it on from me....what fun! Here are the rules....
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves
2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules
3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Eight random things about me MEME
1. I wanted to teach handicapped children when I was in high school. However, I started out college as an art major and I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

2. My absolute favorite flower is a peony but I absolutely love the smell of chrysanthemums.

3. I played the flute and piccolo in the band in junior high.

4. I do not have a middle name nor is my name Kimberly, just Kim.

5. I once won $1000.00 at a convenience store in Las Vegas.

6. I have a fear of heights.

7. I am constantly starting projects but never finishing them.

8. My husband and I had our first date on March 1, 1980 and our wedding on December 27, 1980.

There you go - me in a nutshell.

keeping busy in korea

Okpo is a small town and sometimes it is difficult finding something to do. Of course, I have the usual coffees, painting class, playing mahjong, etc. But alot of the errands, duties and stresses of life I had in Texas are just not here. Admittedly, there are different ones, but they all just don't seem as urgent. Maybe it is being in Okpo or just the time of my life, but things are more simple now. I take time to read more books, cook meals, and paint. With that being said, some days can be downright boring. You walk the streets alone or with friends, share a cup of coffee and analyze everything on every shelf at the little discount shops. I never thought I would be so enthralled by children's erasers or hair bows, kitchen utensils or key chains.

Yesterday was not one of those days.

I went to mahjong at the foreigner's club. I don't know if I have talked about it before, but a group of us from painting class decided to start playing on Tuesday mornings. Only one of us knew how to play, but she has taught the rest of us. It is quite addicting and once or twice we have played all day. There are 4-6 of us that play fairly regularly. Sometimes we have more, sometimes less. Alot of times, we stay for lunch and play after lunch. Yesterday was once such day and I played until 2:30 or so.

When I went home the cleaning lady was still there and 5 men putting ceiling fans up in the living room and bedroom. A few weeks ago, Ken was asked if there was anything that needed repairing and such. He made a list of things for us and for the other 2 families that live here that work for his company. On a whim, he wrote down ceiling fans. These buildings are at least 30 years old and I understand some of them are in quite disrepair. I think that the management company has had difficulty renting and retaining renters, so they are trying to work with us. In fact, one of the other ladies is getting a door like mine. At the same time, there were people in the little backyard weeding. There was a flurry of activity for some time.

After everyone had left, it was around 5:30 and I started to cook some meat for tacos. I walked into the living room to turn on the TV. The remote control was on top of the TV and I accidentally knocked it off behind the TV. The TV stand is very heavy, so I had to stretch to reach it. I couldn't get to it, so I stood up to go to the kitchen to get something to grab it with. Somehow, as I stood up and started walking, I stubbed my toe. Of course it hurt. I just had on socks and when I looked down, I realized something was not right in my left sock. It took me a minute to do it, but I finally took my sock off and saw that my little toe was definitely not where it was supposed to be. It wasn't hurting too bad, so I decided it was dislocated. I hobbled down three doors to Nicole's house. I asked her very nicely if she could put my toe back into place. Looking back, that wasn't the best of ideas but it didn't really hurt. She wasn't too keen on the idea. Then, Jackie walked up from several other doors and refused also. Looking at a toe that was at a 45 degree angle from the other toes had just horrified them. By now, my toe was becoming alot redder than the others and starting to hurt. So I went home and called Ken.

We went down the street to a clinic called Fatima (I don't know why) but it also says Foreigner's Clinic on the outside. It was recommended by several other people - the physician speaks English. Being a nurse, it was quite the experience for me. I also want to interject that it isn't unusual to see people walking down the street with hospital pajamas on. I guess they are allowed out sometimes. When we checked in, all they needed was my Foreigner's Resident Card. No questions about drug allergies, past illnesses, and no vital signs. I guess they save that for people that really need that. Then I sat down to wait. It wasn't long before I went into the Dr.'s office and told him what was wrong. I was then sent across the hall to X-ray. No lead apron - I guess they decided I was too old to have children. Then the Dr. came back in to tell me it was broken and he was going to reduce the fracture. Essentially that means to put the toe back where it was by manipulating it. With 2 people holding onto my leg and the Dr. pulling, he finally did it after 2 excruciating tries. I think that in the U.S. you might get a local anesthetic or something for pain. They rex-rayed it and pronounced it in place. I was then taken across the hall to a room that contained around 6 cots. No sheets or paper on them, just the vinyl. They put me on one cot, then decided to switch me to another one that a man was lying on with an IV. They got him up and told me to lie down. No cleaning in between us. I hope he wasn't contagious. All of the beds were full with a variety of things - people with IV's, sutures, cast removal, wound care, etc. I was thankful I didn't need any of that because it wasn't the cleanest place in the world. And despite the Foreigner's Clinic sign on the front, Ken and I were the only foreigners I could see. My X-rays were on a view box for everyone to see - it was quite obvious it was broken at the joint where the toe meets the foot. After taping my toes, wrapping my foot in ace bandages and applying a splint and boot to walk in, I was ready to go. All that for only approximately $130.00. Pretty good deal for an emergency room/clinic visit. And for an exciting day in Okpo.

making it to the top

Since Korea has so many mountains, it is no wonder that a huge activity for everyone is mountain climbing. Not the kind of climbing where you scale sheer rock and rappel down (though I am sure some do), but trekking through the woods to the top of a mountain. Alot of the trails are marked and are organized . In fact, we have one just behind our apartment. Ken and I attempted it when we first got here. I should say that only I attempted it because Ken could have definitely gone to the top. I really haven't tried it again but I had been looking for an "easier" one to scale. The Koreans take all of this quite seriously and are usually dressed for it with the proper attire and walking stick.


Ken's office signed up for a hike on April 28th. The itinerary stated that there was to be a 1.8 kilometer walk up and a 1.6 kilometer walk down Mt. Daeguemsan , an area known for its azaleas. The walk was sponsored by the shipyard safety department to commemorate international labor organziation's official international safety day (I didn't write that - I copied it from an article written by the shipyard!). By reading the article, I also learned that about 30 shipyard employees and 153 clients and their families participated. So there were a far amount of us. We all met in front of the Admiral Hotel in Okpo and boarded 4 or 5 large buses to take us. After 20 minutes or so, we arrived to the hiking trail. I was all ready and began walking upwards. The first stretch was one of the hardest for me - my calves were on fire after awhile. As we progressed (or should I say some of us progressed) up the mountain, my position in the pack became further back each minute. Ken was doing great, I would tell him to go on whenever he started talking to someone he knew. However, he waited for me here and there. Sure, I was huffing and puffing a bit, but the main problem were my legs and then, lower back. I guess I should have stretched alittle before hitting the slope up. I finally made it to the landing, along with a few other people (mainly people with small children that had to stop for them). By then, we were lining up for a group picture.
Ken said that the picture showed everyone celebrating me getting to the top. Real funny. There were a couple of speeches about safety, including one from Ken. He did a really good job of it. There was a smaller trail that went up even further. I elected to just enjoy the view from where I was, luckily, I wasn't the only one. However, Brenda took some great pictures from the top.



Have I mentioned she is a good ten years younger than me???



The trip down wasn't too bad. The problem though with going down is that it plays havoc on your knees. Ken was hurting a bit by the time we got to the bottom. The buses were waiting for us to take us to another area by Hak-Som beach. There were tables set up and a buffet waiting for us.


I like how the article put it - " The lunch menu consisted of pig on a spit with a variety of fresh salads and cool refreshments to quench the thirst after a brisk morning walk."

Yep, that sums it up for me.



Note - I wrote most of this draft a week or so ago. I was waiting for some of the pictures Brenda took before I posted it. You will be happy to know that last Thursday morning, I went up the mountain behind us with two other women. It was rough but I will say I might even do it again this week!

paper in pusan

I have been meaning to comment on my trip to Busan a week or two ago. On the spur of the moment, I woke up and decided I wanted to go for the day. Since I wanted to catch the 9 a.m. ferry, I didn't want to call anyone that early to see if they wanted to go. Alone, I was on the early ferry, but I was determined to go that day.

My target was the Busanjin Mart. A friend of mine had told me about it. (She actually is from Sugar Land! Small world.) Anyway, she told me it was the fabric market. Anyone that knows me well knows that I just love fabric. I don't sew, but I love the colors and textures and putting them together in my home. Well, this place was just wonderful. It was several floors. The basement had a variety of things - dishes, housewares and buttons. The main floor was fabric. Alot of it was the silk fabric they use for Hanbok outfits. Each booth had displays of their work. It really was beautiful. As I walked through the endless aisles of silk, I realized that most of the women around my age were were very friendly - smiling and saying hello - like they appreciated that I enjoyed looking at their wares. The top floors were mainly ready made clothing. It was a bit warm that day, so I didn't linger too long there.

However, one of the main reasons I wanted to talk about my day trip was to talk about the subways in Busan. After a rocky start the first time, I have been able to get to about anywhere I want so far in Busan. In the past, I have observed the usual things - people asleep (that somehow know when to wake up for their stop), helpful people that come up to you to ask if you need help, etc.

This time was different, with a few new sights to see. When I went down into the subway to catch it, the train had just left. So I sat down on one of the few benches to wait. A man was standing nearby with one of those picture badge ID's around his neck. In a minute, a man walked down the steps using a cane. He sat down on the bench next to me. The man with the badge walked up to the elderly man and began talking to him. After conversing, the man with the badge took something out of a black case he had. The next thing I knew, he was sticking needles into the man's neck right below his earlobes. He was doing acupuncture in the subway! After he was finished, he had the man walk around without his cane. Right about then, a little lady with a cane came and sat down next to me. He proceeded with the same routine, except she also got some in the palms of her hands. I was mesmerized but for some dumb reason, I got onto the train that had just arrived. I regret not waiting for the next train to see what happened. And who knows what he could have done for me? I could have been ten years younger and ten pounds lighter. Maybe I will come across him again and this time I will stay.

The other two things I want to comment on are interesting, but not nearly as exciting. I saw a machine (like a coke or candy machine) that dispensed paperback books. What a good idea for a subway. Since I don't come from the land of subways, this may be commonplace for some. Most of the titles looked Korean but one of them had Oprah on the front. For only 2,000 won ($2 US dollars). By the way, she is on TV here - more on all that later.

The last thing I want to comment on really isn't new to me. I had seen it before in Busan and that is the shopping underground. I am not talking about a stall or two that sells magazines and cold drinks. I am talking about antiques, clothes galore, shoes, jewelry, pottery, sporting goods....I could go on. I got to the ferry a little bit early. So I went back down to the subway to look around. I came across a wonderful little shop that sold paper goods. Not stationery, but boxes, lanterns and the such. There is beautiful paper here - hanji . There were actually two women in the shop taking a lesson on cutting the beautiful paper and making cutouts for some project. I was jealous, it looked so fun.

Maybe I will exchange my fabric passion for a paper one.

may day in jinju

We headed out last Saturday morning for Jinju. A friend had told me about the "castle" there and it sounded like a nice excursion for the day. It only took us about 1 1/2 hours to get there. It was a beautiful drive through the mountains and the city was on a pretty river with people paddle boating. I say "castle" because it is called such but it is really a fortress that was heavily used in the 1500's during the Japanese Invasion.The grounds were exquisite with pavilions,
temples (I just love all the colors and detailed painting on the temples here),

and a museum. It was a beautiful day for strolling the grounds. Alot of Koreans were quite friendly. We are used to children saying hello to us but we also had various adults "talking" to us. Which is quite nice when you are definitely the minority.

After Ken asked a young girl at the museum where McDonald's was, we headed there for lunch. Remember the rule - whenever there is a McDonald's in a foreign town, you HAVE to eat there! Just kidding. Afterwards, we wandered up a street opposite the fortress that was lined with rock statuary, some of it huge. There were Buddhas of course, lanterns, urns, etc. We also happened upon a wonderful shop that had alot of wooden furniture and doors. Ken and I thought how great it would be to buy one of the doors and put it in our (future) house in the U.S. Something to think about. I eventually will buy a lantern or something. I also saw some large carvings of figures I was interested in but that shop was closed. We will return to visit more of Jinju.