If we seem to be preoccupied with food...there's a reason. Once again today at lunch, we had a replay of the old, "Give it to Mikey" commertial. Only in this case, it was, "What do you think it is?" "I don't know, you try it". No, you try it!" Whatever it is, Doug has named it, Spring Sidewalk Soup". I think I mentioned the other day that we've seen women now, gathering green "stuff" that's sprouted along the sidewalks or in any green area. Yesterday and today, we're quite certain that some of the aforementioned "green stuff" found its way into our soup at lunch. Wednesday it was mixed with spinach, today we suspected seaweed but no, it was something else - a dark, large-leafed mystery green. In any case today's soup was accompanied by various side dishes along with a main entree of rice and a slab of cold cooked fish. But....we persevere.
As a side note- ( Doug is making me say this) those who know me, know I NEVER eat at McDonalds - ever. I'm just not crazy about their hamburgers. Sadly enough, this afternoon I could be found searching the internet for McDonalds in Daejeon.
Then, in keeping with our food theme... As you know, I've been very enthusiastic about this new "Loose Weight Fast Diet", and it seems to be working quite well. Then tonight, on one of our sojourns into the "Dinkytown" area next to Chungnam U, I may have met my "Waterloo". There, in plain site, and a mere mile or so from our dorm - Italian Gelato. ( For those of you not familiar with gelato, it's Italian icecream and it's the best dessert I can think of. )When I was in Italy, I had at least two a day. This is not a good omen for someone who is determined to loose weight! Hopefully, "Korean gelato" will have few similarities to what I'm expecting. Depending on how you look at it and based on recent experience, that's a very real possibility.
Last night we ventured out and went to see Alice in Wonderland. The theater was on the seventh floor of a building - very modern - very nice. We loved the movie. But what I really wanted to talk about was our cab ride. I haven't mentioned it yet, but most of the cabs and cars we've ridden in have been equipped with small TVs on the dashboard. The traffic here, while not Italy, is congested and we're not certain there are any speed limits. Drivers dart in and out of any space they can find. At times, I close my eyes - it's better that way. Meanwhile, it's clear by their laughter, our drivers are paying attention to something other than the road. Our only comfort, we see few dented or scratched vehicles. We're hoping this is a possive sign.
And finally, tonight's English class went much smoother than Tuesday's. Tonight's class had obviously been in touch with Tuesday's class - they knew exactly what we were going to do. But for whatever reason, this group was more comforable with taking risks and trying out their English skills. We had a really good time. We suspect that one of the students is an "exotic" dancer. At least when we asked about hobbies, that's what we think she was trying to say . That definition seemed to be reinforced when the boys in the class encouraged her to give a demonstration. Life is an adventure here in Korea.
PS If you're following - Wednesday's bathroom selection was, The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
"Maybe At 2:00 This Afternoon."
For days now, Doug has been asking when his computer is going to be reconfigured so he could use it. And for days, he has heard the following,"Maybe at 2:00 this afternoon". Finally yesterday, "2:00" came and his computer was reconfigured - sort of. In any case, it's working better and Doug thinks he can work around whatever glitches still remain.
Yesterday we recieved our lists of names and times for our English classes. Everything was in Korean, of course, so our first class tonight will be another adventure. We've split the group and will end up with 14 to 15 in each class - (we think). We teach twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:30. We were told students that signed up range from freshman to grad studsents so it's had to know what we're dealing with in terms of language aquisition. In any case, we're excited about the challenge and will forge ahead with whatever circumstances we find.
I arrived at Doug's office today and was greeted by several new additions to the decore. Last week he was given an electric tea pot and two lovely celadon tea cups. Today, his office sported a wastepaper basket, a box of kleenex and a telephone that isn't working at present.. One is reminded of the tortoise and the hare - slow and steady.... Then we headed to lunch where I got very excited about something on our tray. To my way of thinking, it had all the markings of a boiled potato - comfort food to be sure.. So confident was I, that I took one of my chopsticks, broke the "potato" in half, stabbed the piece forcefully and put it in my mouth. A lesson learned - look before you leap. No potato, rather a large chunk of cooked white radish smothered in red pepper paste. Oh well...
Finally, we had our first "English " class tonight. Fourteen university students, and after an enthusiastic, "Hello", no one said a word!!! (At least not initially.) Obviously we're approaching this experience in a much different way than what they're used to. This will be a challenge!
Yesterday we recieved our lists of names and times for our English classes. Everything was in Korean, of course, so our first class tonight will be another adventure. We've split the group and will end up with 14 to 15 in each class - (we think). We teach twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:30. We were told students that signed up range from freshman to grad studsents so it's had to know what we're dealing with in terms of language aquisition. In any case, we're excited about the challenge and will forge ahead with whatever circumstances we find.
I arrived at Doug's office today and was greeted by several new additions to the decore. Last week he was given an electric tea pot and two lovely celadon tea cups. Today, his office sported a wastepaper basket, a box of kleenex and a telephone that isn't working at present.. One is reminded of the tortoise and the hare - slow and steady.... Then we headed to lunch where I got very excited about something on our tray. To my way of thinking, it had all the markings of a boiled potato - comfort food to be sure.. So confident was I, that I took one of my chopsticks, broke the "potato" in half, stabbed the piece forcefully and put it in my mouth. A lesson learned - look before you leap. No potato, rather a large chunk of cooked white radish smothered in red pepper paste. Oh well...
Finally, we had our first "English " class tonight. Fourteen university students, and after an enthusiastic, "Hello", no one said a word!!! (At least not initially.) Obviously we're approaching this experience in a much different way than what they're used to. This will be a challenge!
Monday, March 22, 2010
And to Accompany Your Efforts...
One of my favorites: The building Doug works in has recently been remodled. Bathrooms for instance, are state of the art. When you enter- lights immediately come on, and as Doug recently experienced, as you prepare to sit down...music. The first time, Doug sat down - it was the 1812 Overture. (I love that one.)Yesterday, The Can-Can. Today, The Flight of the Bumblebee! And tomorrow... We'll keep you informed..
Yesterday, a sunny day accompanied by South Dakota winds. We spent most of the day meandering up and down the streets around campus. Similar to what you'd find in Dinkytown, we discovered endless restaurants, bars , small grocery stores, coffee shops, bakeries, and various other shops. Our final stop - Baskin Robbins! On the expensive side, we probably won't be frequenting BR often, but it was a nice change from our usual fare.
This morning Doug headed off to his "office" and I met with Jeune Shin to make plans for future trips across the country. After our typical "mystery" lunch, I then spent the afternoon doing wash, nothing interesting but neccessary. Doug reports that heat is at the minimum in his building, so I expect he'll be arriving soon to warm up!
Yesterday, a sunny day accompanied by South Dakota winds. We spent most of the day meandering up and down the streets around campus. Similar to what you'd find in Dinkytown, we discovered endless restaurants, bars , small grocery stores, coffee shops, bakeries, and various other shops. Our final stop - Baskin Robbins! On the expensive side, we probably won't be frequenting BR often, but it was a nice change from our usual fare.
This morning Doug headed off to his "office" and I met with Jeune Shin to make plans for future trips across the country. After our typical "mystery" lunch, I then spent the afternoon doing wash, nothing interesting but neccessary. Doug reports that heat is at the minimum in his building, so I expect he'll be arriving soon to warm up!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Skinny Diet Club - Market Day
Mary's favorite billboard.
A 1000 kinds of kimchi.
More Kimchi and other things?
Looking for a hoof or a tail?
Here you find everything but the Moo.
Lots of seafood and seaweed.
Lots of fruits and vegetables.
Various beans
Clothes, shoes, and lots more
Mushrooms and green peppers.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Anniversary Meals
Anniversary meal private eating room at Hotel Riviera.
Salads for Mary's meal of cashew chicken.
Mary picking up peanut with chopsticks.
Cashew chicken
Doug's spaghetti meal (with a Korean twist).
We celebrated our anniversary over a two day span. One day in Korea and the next day for at home. We treated each other to a peanut butter on French bread supper with fresh peach juice.
Asian bread and vegetables.
Mary slurping noodles the Korean way.
Market Day
This morning, under a hazy sky with balmy winds, we jumped on bus 101 and headed across town to the old open market. What a sight!. Blocks, and blocks, and blocks.... of small stands displaying and selling anything and everything from cow tails, to stingrays, to huge white radishes, shoes, and clothing, beautiful handcarved chests, and everything in a pig but the "oink"! The fascinating thing about the market is the care and attentione each seller gives to how their wares are displayed. If, for instance, you've got shrimp to sell, they're not just thrown into a basket- they're arranged in a pattern in that basket.. Seaweed of varying types and colors, all displayed in such a way that you're almost convinced it will taste as good as it looks.
When it began to rain, we headed down into the "underground city". Once again, blocks and blocks and blocks of shops located under the streets of Daejeon. Thousands of people, hundreds of shops - cell phones stores, shoe shops, jewelry stores, tailors, clothing stores - endless blocks! Finally, we headed back up to the surface and landed at a McDonalds! Despite the fact that it's against my better judgement to eat at McDonalds when in a foreign country, the lure of something familiar drew us in. Given the cost of food here, eating their was cheaper than eating anywhere else. So, along with a swarm of uniformed high school students who were taking their lunch break, we ate double cheese burgers, french fries and cokes!!! I'd like to feel a littler bit guilty, but so far I have nothing but good memories.
Finally. we hopped back on bus 101 and headed for Emart - a large store similar to Target or Walmart. We came with a list, butter being one of the items we were seeking. Two plastic drinking glasses, a pound of butter, 3 asian pears, a bag of apples, a clump of green grapes, 4 bananas, 2 liters of skim milk, a "nine pack" of peach yogurt, handlotion, and an Emart green bag later, we hailed a taxi and headed home - exhausted, and $60.00 poorer.
Something you may find interesting - in a store like Emart, there are dozens and dozens of sales people standing in, and at the ends of every isle, calling out to attract your attention. We had FOUR girls descend on us within seconds as we approached the lotion isle! One wonders how the store makes any money. Labor costs must be miniscule.
When it began to rain, we headed down into the "underground city". Once again, blocks and blocks and blocks of shops located under the streets of Daejeon. Thousands of people, hundreds of shops - cell phones stores, shoe shops, jewelry stores, tailors, clothing stores - endless blocks! Finally, we headed back up to the surface and landed at a McDonalds! Despite the fact that it's against my better judgement to eat at McDonalds when in a foreign country, the lure of something familiar drew us in. Given the cost of food here, eating their was cheaper than eating anywhere else. So, along with a swarm of uniformed high school students who were taking their lunch break, we ate double cheese burgers, french fries and cokes!!! I'd like to feel a littler bit guilty, but so far I have nothing but good memories.
Finally. we hopped back on bus 101 and headed for Emart - a large store similar to Target or Walmart. We came with a list, butter being one of the items we were seeking. Two plastic drinking glasses, a pound of butter, 3 asian pears, a bag of apples, a clump of green grapes, 4 bananas, 2 liters of skim milk, a "nine pack" of peach yogurt, handlotion, and an Emart green bag later, we hailed a taxi and headed home - exhausted, and $60.00 poorer.
Something you may find interesting - in a store like Emart, there are dozens and dozens of sales people standing in, and at the ends of every isle, calling out to attract your attention. We had FOUR girls descend on us within seconds as we approached the lotion isle! One wonders how the store makes any money. Labor costs must be miniscule.
CNU Gives Us A True South Dakota Welcome
This is where we stayed last time at CNU.
Our apartment is straight ahead in the center high rise.
CNU Winter Scene.
Walk to Doug's Office. Up hill both ways.
Is it spring yet?
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