Family

My mom will be here this weekend!!  She flies in on Saturday, and we'll have a whole week to play and explore Seoul.  I'm definitely excited to spend some time with her.  I'm really happy to be here in Korea, but being so far from family is a big downside.  Next week will be good.

Speaking of family, I got to finally meet a few members of the other side of the family last weekend.  Mike's cousin Kyoungmin arrived from the U.S. for her Army in-processing, and over the weekend she met up with her two sisters and their families who live in the Seoul area.  Mike and I had lunch with everyone Saturday, and spent the afternoon visiting.  The "Unnies" (big sisters) are awesome!  I'm really looking forward to getting to know them more.  They're all so sweet but they definitely have some grit in them.  Kyoungmin recently completed Basic Training and specialty schooling in her job, and was the honor grad, no less.  She's going to be stationed at the same post as Mike, and hopefully her husband and baby daughter can join her before too long.  It was good to see her again, and also good to meet the Seoul part of the family.  Jihyun Unnie is very artistic and makes beautiful beaded jewelry--I've been wearing a pair of earrings she made for over a year, and she gave me a bracelet this weekend--I told her I want lessons!  Maybe I can trade for a few nights of babysitting her almost-two-year-old son so she and her husband Martin can have a date-night.  Kyoung-ah Unnie lives in Suwon, south of Seoul, but drove up with her two lovely middle-school-age daughters.  (I hear they do a pretty great rendition of a popular K-pop song, but they declined to perform for us.  Maybe next time.)  Everyone was so kind and welcoming--I really did feel like family.  Not an experience familiar to many Americans here, I imagine.  What a blessing!

Just a Quick Hello

It is a GORGEOUS day here in Seoul!  Yesterday was Chusok holiday--kind of like the Korean Thanksgiving--and fittingly, the weather was truly chilly for the first time since I've been here.  I was actually wishing I had worn a jacket walking in to work this morning, but the afternoon was amazingly clear and sunny and just beautiful.  And I actually got to see the sun, even though it was a work day!  I had a short shift today (eight hours instead of twelve)--it felt like I was skipping class when I left this afternoon.

Quick grocery stop at the commissary, then I came home to a (mostly) clean ah-pah-tu, because my wonderful husband spent the afternoon yesterday cleaning and putting things away while I was at work.  How in the world did I get so lucky, to have a husband who's this awesome?  (I like to joke that it's because I prayed for his future wife before we were ever dating, but that's a story for another day.)

I think I'm going to go wandering in one of the shopping districts in Seoul--I can't let this glorious weather, or this glorious free time, go to waste!

Saturday

Whew--busy couple of weeks.  Mike and I both worked night shift, but at different times, and work has been a little more busy for me these days.  It's all good, though.  Mike was able to come down to Seoul for the weekend, and since our weekends actually match (not a common occurrence, with Mike's training exercises and my shift work), we get to spend three glorious days together.

We slept in a bit this morning, then went to the gym at the ah-pah-tu.  It's pretty convenient, and really not a bad facility.

Some of the equipment makes me laugh though:

 

These may look like harmless hoola-hoops, but they're weighted and textured on the inside.  Ow!



 





Ah-h-h-h-h-h-h  the booty-jiggler



We finished up our workout by running up the stairs--33 flights.  Or, let me be honest, Mike ran up the stairs, and I ran/jogged/stopped for a minute to gasp for air/trudged up another couple flights/felt like crying/put on a burst of speed and made it up one more floor/almost died.  But I made it up.  We cleaned up, and set out for an afternoon of exploring.

 

First stop was Changdeok-gung, one of the Chosun Dynasty-era palaces in Seoul.  Frommers gave us some bad gouge, though, and we didn't get there in time for the English tour.  I was all up for taking the Korean tour and making my long-suffering husband translate, but he begged off, and took me to the close-by shopping distract of Insadong.  Frommers is right about this place--it is in fact "filled with art galleries, ceramics stores, and traditional handicraft shops."  My kind of place!  Did I mention my husband is long-suffering?

This was one of the markets within the market.  Fun!

We spent about three hours at the market, and only made it about halfway down the street.  (I wonder how long into our marriage it will be before my sweet husband stops indulging me by letting me go into every store that catches my fancy.)  I thoroughly enjoyed browsing.  And we both enjoyed some street food--we sampled some red bean custard mini-pancakes, cinnamon honey iced tea, and spun sugar almond candies.  So yummy!

Our finds from the day (guess who did most of the shopping!)

Italian for dinner, from one of the restaurants downstairs in our ah-pa-tu building.  Then desserts to take home--cream "bahng" (bread) for Mike, and chocolate souffle for me.  Served on our new china, with muscato in our new crystal.  So nice!

Ahhhh, what a great day.

More on Traffic

My Jeep is here!  I wasn't able to take it home today--I got to the vehicle processing center too late to finish all of the required inspections and paperwork.  But it felt pretty good just to sit in the jeep and turn it on, and I should be able to finish the process shortly.  I have a Korean driver's licence, which is kind of scary because I showed up to the transportation office thinking I would be getting some kind of instruction or training, learned the appointment was actually to take the driver's test, and only had ten minutes to study off of some printouts an Army Private let me borrow while we waited.  Turns out the safety brief was AFTER we'd passed the test (and I'm still not sure how I actually passed).  It was pretty scary, the safety brief.  But then, traffic here in South Korea is scary, so I guess that makes sense.

A little Google research revealed that in 1996, automobile accidents killed approximately 1.2 deaths per 100 vehicle miles in Sweden, 1.7 in the U.S., 2.5 in Germany, and 38.5 in South Korea.  More recent data puts South Korea deaths per 100,000 vehicles at almost twice that of the U.S.  The Department of State has this to say about driving in South Korea:

"The ROK's roads are well paved, traffic lights are functional, and most drivers comply with basic traffic laws.  However, the Republic of Korea has a significantly higher traffic fatality rate than does the United States.  Causes of accidents include excessive speed, frequent lane changes without signaling, running red lights, aggressive bus drivers, and weaving motorcyclists.  You should be aware that motorcyclists sometimes drive on the sidewalks, and drivers of all types of vehicles do not always yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks."

That sounds about right.  To add a bit to Mike's description, I'll share a couple of incidents we witnessed on our drive up to Dongducheon yesterday.  First, we encountered the "five lanes suddenly melt down to three lanes" phenomenon, and Mike had to cut off a Hyundai Genesis to not be run off the road.  Thankfully a '97 Hyundai Sonata (a ddong cha, for those of you who speak Korean) will get the right of way over a Genesis almost every time.  We made it onto the freeway, and drove along without incident for a while, until we hit a stop light.  We came to a stop, along with 2 other lanes of traffic, and sat there while a motorcycle buzzed between lanes and scooted through the intersection, and through the red light, just ahead of the cars turning into that lane.  A few intersections later, we were sitting at a red light when another car drove around us on the shoulder in order to run the red light.  And finally, we were almost to the base in Dongducheon when we were stopped, yet again, at a stoplight, and a public bus pulled out of the bus lane, in front of our lane, and--no kidding--halfway through the intersection, inching forward until it was almost completely through the intersection when the light turned green.  Of course, I prefer these kinds of crazy driving maneuvers to some others because they don't make my position in traffic any less safe.  That is, until I'm driving the vehicle that's turning left on a left turn arrow while the motorcycle or car or public bus is running the red light...

Hello From Mike

Hello family and friends.  I was really excited when Jean Anne brought up the idea of writing a blog.  We’ve both experienced a lot since our wedding in March and feel this is a great way to keep everyone in the loop.  WARNING: I am awful at keeping up with these kinds of things (as some of you well know), but thankfully I have a wife who is very disciplined and consistent. 

The idea of writing a blog is fascinating, since it gives me a venue to write about everything and anything… but first I’ll start with my job in Korea.  I am currently serving as the Assistant Operations Officer for 1-72 Armor Battalion.  I’m mostly in charge of making orders and plans for our battalion’s training events.  I am slotted to take over Charlie Company as their company commander in October (which I’m awfully excited about).  My living situation is not too bad… I reside in a one bedroom apartment/barrack/dorm on base in Camp Casey.  Although the amenities are few, it has all the necessities.  I’ve been trying to get involved in the community, but for some reason all of my current activities revolve around sports.  I entered a 1-72 AR Battalion soccer team into the Camp Casey intramural league and it’s been so much fun.  (As many of my friends and family know, soccer has been a huge part of my life since a very early age.)  Our team is currently 4-1 (we should be 5-0 but we gave a game away) and looking very strong.  We have a great mix of players, including soldiers who played in college to a non-commissioned officer (NCO) who played in the Haiti National team youth program to couple Korean nationals who are unbelievable (all units have Korean Augmentees to the US Army--KATUSA-- who are Korean Army soldiers who work directly with and for US Army units).  I have also started playing more golf.  We have a soldier in our unit who gives free golf lessons on Saturdays.  He’s a former professional golfer who played on the Canadian and Nike pro tours, and spent many years as a golf instructor at some of the most prestigious country clubs in the country.  He volunteers his time every weekend to instruct both kids and adults (who does that?!).  I also started playing tennis again, which is pretty fun. There is another soldier in our unit who was once ranked #700 in the world.  He attended the Bollettieri Academy in Florida with Andre Agassi, and is the without a doubt the best tennis player I’ve ever been around, so it’s been good to pick up pointers here and there.  

We were fortunate to get an incredible living situation in Seoul.  Jean Anne has been pretty reserved about explaining our Ah-pah-tu, but it’s AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It’s really unbelievable.  My wife is amazing, as she could live pretty much anywhere and truly be content and happy… but as for me, having lived in numerous locations the past several years, I love the amenities here haha.  We have a fitness center as well as a golf driving range (I’ll be sure to attach photos later on), the location is unbelievable, and there are countless restaurants within a block radius.  It’s definitely the nicest apartment I’ve ever lived in.  We’re so excited for family and friends to visit… Mrs. Babin is visiting in October (which I’m thrilled about!), and we hope we get many more visitors during our time here (although I should probably talk it over with Jean Anne before I invite the 1-72 AR soccer team over, haha).

I love food.  I REALLY LOVE FOOD.  And although the Korean food in Los Angeles is quite extraordinary, the food here has been spectacular.  Couple observations:  1. It seems that spicy food is spicier here than in the states… case in point: Kimchi here is sometimes potent enough to burn lips.  2. No matter what cuisine you eat, there’s always pickled something.  It reminds me of my dad’s utmost insistence on having kimchi every time we ate spaghetti at home.  3. There is a lack of western steakhouses.  I’m not talking about Outback or anything like that… I’m talking about USDA prime dry-aged meat that is cooked in ridiculous heat to a perfect medium rare.  Although I do feel like the trend is catching on here… we recently ate at a steakhouse that was on par with couple of the steakhouses I’ve been to in Los Angeles and New York… the only issue: its mucho expensive (meat import tax?!).  But my wife spoils me from time to time.  4. Kalbi (Korean marinated beef) is EXPENSIVE.  Or at least relative to pork.  You can eat Sam-gyub-sal (Korean bacon/pork belly) pretty cheap, but Kalbi cost adds up.   5. No one will ever come close to my grandmother’s and gomo’s naengmyun, but a few places here do it pretty darn well.  For those of you who don’t’ know, naengmyun is a cold North Korean noodle dish that is quite fantastic.  Other food notes: street food is pretty awesome.  We’ve been to several open air flea markets including Namdaemun Market and the food’s been incredible.  I definitely need to start taking pictures of the food and posting them.  We’re actually going to a French restaurant in Itaewon tomorrow and I’ll be sure to take pictures.  Charcuterie is my favorite food… nothing beats pates, terrines, and salami (ok maybe steak, sushi and Korean BBQ). 

Next topic:  I could write a whole chapter on driving in Korea.  I’ve driven from Camp Casey to Camp Yongsan twice… and both times I thought I was going to get into a serious car accident.  YES, the drivers are JUST as crazy as people say.  I initially thought, “how bad could it really be?”  But I have been proven wrong COUNTLESS times.  The traffic is pretty crazy, and the number of lanes will just decrease with no notice.  I’ll be driving in a three lane roadway and then all of a sudden it becomes two, and everyone is fighting for position to get into those lanes.  Insanity.  However, the ONE SINGLE DIFFERENCE that has stood out to me is this one simple fact--and I believe it explains everything—in America, drivers are emotional and cranky, but if push comes to shove they will yield, even if only at the last second.  In Korea, THE DRIVERS DO NOT CARE IF YOU DIE!  I’m serious… they can care less if their unyielding tendencies cause your death.  So in light of that fact, everything pretty much makes sense.  I didn’t bring my car over but bought a “hooptie” for a thousand dollars.  In Korea, there is a huge advantage in driving a sub-standard car (especially if its sub-standard compared to the guy in the next lane).  Let me explain:  during those times when you have to barge your way in and cut people off in order to survive, it gives one piece of mind and extreme advantage when you don’t care if your car gets dinged up.  I tend to notice that my ’97 Hyundai Sonata with 193,000 kilometers on it will ALWAYS get the right of way to any high performing German feat of engineering.  HOWEVER, during my most recent trip from Camp Casey to Seoul I was praying with the utmost fervency that I would be spared any jarring run-ins with my fellow drivers.  I wasn’t so worried about my car… that was irrelevant… I was worried about the wedding presents I was transporting, especially the CHINA!  “Oh Lord, you can take this car, but please spare the china!”

Sorry this post is so long… but here’s couple more random notes to finish it off.  I love sports documentaries.  When We Were Kings is my favorite of all time but I’m fascinated with anything that chronicles competition in this manner.  I think the 30 for 30 ESPN series is incredible as well as HBOs Hard Knocks.  I also think random documentaries, like The King of Kong, that capture the eccentricities and competitive fire of random people are SO fascinating.  Next in line of this genre:  Pulling John.  SO INTERESTING!  I was spell-bound for 90 minutes.  I was on the edge of my seat and SO fascinated by the world of competitive arm wrestling.  If you think I’m crazy, youtube “John Brzenk” and you’ll thank me later.  Fantasy Football season is also starting.  I’m a big proponent of the Auction Draft.  For those of you who have never done it, I highly recommend it.  I could probably write a whole blog post on fantasy football so I’ll refrain, but I’m really excited about this NFL season.

I think that’s it for now… I probably won’t write for another month or so haha, so I had to get it all out of my system.  Jean Anne and I want to thank all of our family and friends who constantly keep us in their prayers.  We love and miss you all (especially all of my cute cousins!).  

Qualified, and a Lot to Learn

I had my watch officer board today, and can happily report that I am now a qualified watch officer.  As to whether or not I’m actually qualified, well, I expect to do a lot of learning on the job.  I have my first watch by myself tomorrow—say a prayer for me if you think about it.  And if you don’t think about it tomorrow, the next day will be just fine and much appreciated, since I’m going from swing shift to a 12-hour night shift.  I’m enjoying the work, and looking forward to becoming as much of a Korea expert as I can in the next two years.

In other news, I received my “unaccompanied baggage” shipment today.  Most of my household goods (all of the furniture from the Sandy Eggo condo, etc.) are still in transit, but I was able to send a few things in a faster shipment-- mostly clothes, sheets, kitchen stuff, and a few books, including my Korean study stuff.  I've been waiting on this!  I feel like I'm not progressing as fast as I want to, or as fast as I did when I was in China.  Granted, in China I was much more immersed in the language—here I use  English at work, on base, and with Mike.  I guess at one time my Chinese was as bad as my Korean is now, and I haven't forgotten how much work it was to get my Chinese where it is now (marginal and deteriorating, haha), but I’m still a little frustrated with my slow progress.  I need to find a tutor who can meet me on my housewife days in Dongducheon.