A Whirlwind Visit

This is going to be a long one, if you're brave you may even venture through the pictures on Picasa. Maybe grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee. Maybe a light snack. Don't say I didn't warn you. We will start with the arrival of the brother. He (Joseph, Joe for short) got here on the 14th and while the day was seemingly uneventful, it was a day of kimchi trying and spicy ramyeon noodle eating. Joe didn't like the kimchi, but I still attest that it was not very good kimchi to start with. I didn't even like it and I'm pretty keen on the stuff. On Saturday we filled out day with Namdaemun Market and Noryangjin Fish Market. The day turned rainy so we spent the rest of the day at COEX. I have been to Namdaemun before, but I didn't buy anything. This time I bought some things for my family and also started my Christmas shopping. We went relatively early in the morning so the market wasn't too crowded. We also opted to not eat there, which would have probably been a good idea, but at 10am we weren't ready for kimchi or various pork stews.

After we left Namdaemun we took the bus to Noryangjin Fish Market. While we had a hard time finding it at first, Joe came through and suggest we walk over the bridge. Genius idea. Noryangjin sits right beside 63 Building so we had a nice view (amid the haze and rain of the day) of that as well. The fish market is unlike anything I have ever been too. The only one I have been to is Pike Place in Seattle. Noryangjin is cluster after cluster of live fish, crabs, and octopus. Slabs of tuna are ready to be purchased and one can even buy a shark or a smiling sting ray. Plenty of unidentifiable sea creatures are on offer as well. Pick what you want and they pack it in a styrofoam box. You can even watch as they remove the scales and gut your purchase. Blood runs on the floor and while that may seem disgusting, it is also pretty cool.
After we went to Noryangjin, we came home and Joe had his first kimbap. He enjoyed that and I think it may have been his favorite food of the trip (besides something coming up a little later). The day had turned rainy and gross so we decided to finish our exploring at COEX. Later in the evening we joined Loren, Dani and Woon Ha in Itaewon.

Sunday was dubbed Palace Day. We got up early (again) and started at Changdeok Palace with a guided tour. The only way to see this palace is with a guided tour and it is supposed to be one of the better palaces to visit while in Seoul. It was very nice and the day was perfect as well. The palace itself was like many of the others I have visited, but the addition of a blue tiled building and some more intimate housing quarters was a nice move from ordinary. Also, the gardens were nicely framed by the multitude of fiery trees. I might go back in spring to see the ponds filled with lotus blossoms. However, not being one for guided tours, we ducked out early and headed to Insadong. Insadong is where you can find Korean relics and replicas of those relics and also satisfy about any kind of Korean food craving you might have. It is supposed to be more of a traditional neighborhood and the Starbucks sign was written in Hangul to reflect that. We explored Insadong for awhile, but we were getting hungry. We headed to a place I had been before and had some delicious dolsop bibimbap (hot pot rice mixture). After lunch we also had Red Mango and then headed to Gyeongbok Palace. We were able to arrive at Gyeongbok right before changing of the guard started and it was pretty cool to see that as well. All in all, it was a great day. Tons of walking, but a great way to spend a sunny Sunday.

Monday morning I had to work so I wasn't able to go with Joe anywhere. However, he took Monday off and rested and played with his new silver Nintendo DS. He almost surpassed me on Mario. Almost. He also made me dinner that night. It was incredibly awesome to come home to a prepared meal. I don't get that living alone unless I eat leftovers. Not quite the same thing. Tuesday was a work day for me as well, but Joe found his way to Techno Mart and bought an iPod nano. Not the new version, but he really likes the older model and honestly, I do too. Although the new ones are so pretty. On Wednesday Joe checked out the aquarium at COEX and he said it was pretty cool. Apparently they have a lot of different sharks and he was able to identify most of them. I've never been to the aquarium so that's something I'll have to take a gander at eventually. On Thursday he went to the Korean War Museum and had a great time as well. He loves history and all that jazz so the museum was a perfect choice for him. I kind of wish he had a blog to talk about his vacation so I could see it through his eyes too. Friday Joe came to school with me and sat in on all of my classes. I think he had fun.

Friday was also Joe's 19th birthday so we decided to go to N Seoul Tower to check out the night view of Seoul. We had a little difficulty finding the cable car place at the beginning, but once again Joe prevailed and found our way (I'm not usually bad with figuring things out, but this past week I was off my game.) The cable car ride was awesome and the view was incredible. The bathroom even has a view! We spent about 2 hours there walking around and enjoying the view. We headed to Itaewon after N Seoul Tower for dinner and drinks. It was 10pm by the time we actually got to Itaewon and we were looking to have to Thai food. I knew of a great place, but they were closing for the evening when we got there. Then we went to Hard Rock Cafe and they weren't serving food so we settled for Outback Steakhouse. I had a delicious plate of pasta primavera and a sub par strawberry margarita. It ended up being a tiring night, but we were able to catch the bus home so we didn't have to pay for a cab.

Saturday we woke up late and decided to ax a trip to the Suwon Folk Village. Instead, we explored Olympic Park and World Cup Stadium. Olympic Park is so nice and a few weeks ago it was even more gorgeous as the leaves were changing. A lot of the leaves had dropped and the grass was brown, but thankfully there is more to Olympic Park than trees and grass. The flame burns under the peace gate and the flag plaza was pretty cool. We grabbed a quick snack and warm drink at Starbucks and took the long subway ride to World Cup Stadium. Joe was more enamored by the stadium than I was, but I still found it pretty cool. They had a museum there and everything. We got to go inside of the stadium and though the playing field was roped off, Joe managed to get a foot on the playing field. After World Cup we went back to Techno Mart so Joe could buy a digital camera and I was in search of an iPod Touch. We found a few at Techno Mart, but since we have to stop at COEX on the way home we went to a# and I got a 16GB iPod Touch. I am in love with it and I'm so happy I finally bought an iPod. I now have the internet in my pocket. It's a beautiful thing.

Saturday night was Joe's last night here so we decided to have a nice dinner. Joe had wanted to try blowfish since before he came and I was not to crazy about the idea. However since Joe really wanted to try it I inquired about a place to eat from Daniel at Seoul Eats. He recommended a place in Gangnam, which thankfully is close. We couldn't find the place, but after walking around a bit we found another place. Blowfish were happily swimming in the nicest fish tanks I've ever seen. We decided this would be an adequate place to cheat death. For the first time at a restaurant in Seoul, nobody spoke English. It was ok though, I was able to communicate (minimally) and I was able to read the Korean menu. We had our own little room, just the two of us and our table of food and ondol floors. We decided on Blowfish Sashimi (복 사시미). I wasn't going to try any, but I caved. I made Joe try it first and I decided that if he didn't die I too would try some. I've never had sashimi before, but I'm really excited to try more in the near future. Anyway, the blowfish was delicious and the service at the restaurant was impeccable. Lots of banchan (side dishes) and we got blowfish soup, blowfish juk (porridge) and a desert of Asian pear. It was a fantastic dinner. Joe and I even felt a little numbness in our mouths and quite possible the arms. However, it could have been in our heads. Either way, dinner was amazing and a great way to spend the last evening together.




Joe left on Sunday and we had to get up really early to catch the bus to Incheon. We hung out at the airport before he went through security and then I took the AREX to Gimpo to catch the subway. A very convenient and cheap way to get from the airport to the subway. I'll be traveling that way when I leave for Japan next month. I'm glad Joe came to visit and we had a great time. I only wish my whole family could have come, but Joe came bearing gifts. I got some macaroni and cheese (yes, the blue box, Kraft kind), Mrs. Grass' chicken soup and Stride gum. My favorite thing from home was the quilt my mom surprised me with. She made it and it is absolutely gorgeous. I'm incredibly lucky to have such a talented mother.

Coming Soon...

It's been a week, but my brother is here now and we have A LOT of exploring to do so I'm sure there will be a slew of updates this week.

Fun Conversations Today

My conversation while getting kimbap today...

Me: Hello. Chamchi kimbap please.
Annette(kimbap guru): Hello. Ok. Are you democracy? (meaning democrat)
Me: Yes
A: Congratulations!
M: Thank you. I am extremely happy!!

One of my students while reading...
North America is covered with ridiculous trees. (It said deciduous, but ridiculous could work. Haha, it was funny.)

Obama!

I have never been so proud to be an American. I couldn't be happier with the progress we have already achieved. It's going to be a long road, but I feel much better with Barack Obama at the helm. His acceptance speech was incredible. I don't have much to compare it with, within the scope of history, but it made me cry and it made me happy to realize that finally, someone wants America to be by the people, for the people. I do feel like we need to get back the the values and ideals on which our country was founded. It's not about parties or reputations, it's about making America a better place. Its about making sure people have a home they can pay for, a job they can earn a decent living with and its about freedom of speech and acceptance. Its about providing health care to those who need it and an education to those who want one. Its about equality. Although we took 221 years to elect someone who didn't fit the mold, 8 years to see the mistakes and desire change, it took one night to make America a place I am proud to call my home. Although I am overseas, I am looking forward to eventually coming home. I can't say I'd feel the same way if the results were different. I wouldn't be looking for a place to live outside of America, because you can't really escape America. That can be good and bad. My passport proudly announces that I am an American and today, I proudly announced it. For the first time.

Some of my favorite parts of the acceptance speech (from npr.org)
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."

"...from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this earth. This is your victory."

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even one term, but America — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you: We as a people will get there."

"This victory alone is not the change we seek — it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you."

"In this country, we rise or fall as one nation — as one people."

"And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight, we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope."

"For that is the true genius of America — that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow."

"This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can."

Something good I read somewhere else, don't remember where: "Rosa sat so Martin could walk, Martin walked so Obama could run, Obama is running so our children can fly."