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.

my new back door

As part of my "ongoing series" about my apartment/row house, I definitely wanted to show everyone my new back door. There isn't much light in our downstairs in the afternoon due to the fact that we get morning sun in the back and afternoon in the front. We really do not have any substantial windows in the front, especially downstairs. The powder room and storeroom face the front. The kitchen also faces the front but has a room in front of it that has the dryer and hot water heater in it (which most apartments do here). There is a window in the kitchen but it opens out to that area (that has windows also but they are frosted). Anyway, in the back downstairs we have two huge windows with a door in the middle. The door is wood that opens outwards and we have a screen door inside of it that opens inwards. Go figure. Anyway, Ken asks the manager if we could possibly switch out the screen door for a glass storm door. This turned out to be quite the ongoing process of the month.

I had two separate groups of three come over to contemplate all of this. The last time, a young girl named A (I don't want to include names of people that don't know I am writing on the Internet about them) came with the repairmen. Let me say that I have met her before and that she is delightful. She speaks some English and is so cute. Ken and I saw her on the street one day and talked to her. She is a young girl probably not much older than Bailey that said she lives in a dormitory in the town next to us. Ken was so taken with her that he said he would find her a husband! She seemed to like this idea. Anyway, after much discussion, they decided that it was not feasible to put in a storm door. So they asked if it would be okay if they just put glass in the upper part of the door. I just wanted a bit more light at any cost, so I said okay.

A couple of weeks later, they came and took the wooden door off in the morning. Four men returned in the late afternoon with the door. A square section had been cut out of the door but there was no glass. They waited a little while and the glass appeared. I guess it was too large, so they took it away to recut it. By the time it returned, Ken was home. They kind of taped it in place and then came back the next day to put some moulding around it. It was all quite the adventure of my day.

The reason I wanted to tell this story is because we thought it quite humorous. Why didn't they just finish the door in it's entirety in the shop where they cut it? I want to say though that I don't think this is just a "Korean" thing. I am sure that in the U.S. and anywhere else in the world, this would have been done the same way by someone. Maybe there is a reason. Maybe not. I am just glad that I have my new door, whatever the construction. It really makes a difference and I am happy with it.