Thursday, November 22, 2012

A brief recap of my week


Today is Thursday. So recap of the week that I haven't wrote about at all. Last Thursday I learned to play mahjong then wandered around some shopping street which were all lined with boutiques. Lots of wandering and was quite enjoyable. Then Friday the only thing I accomplished was going grocery shopping. Saturday I tidied the house and did some laundry (yay clean clothes!), then Tara and Michael got here. Sunday we lazed around the house so they could have some jet lag recovery time.

Now Monday is when we started actually doing interesting things. Tara and I took a taxi to Ulsan Grand Park. Which just for future reference you need to ask the local, only Korean speaking, taxi driver to take you to ok-dong. We wandered around the park in search of the Ulsan museum which was supposed to be by the east gate. Of course with all the maps and signs in korean and no translate app we were really just wandering hoping we run into it. W didn't but we did see that there was a butterfly pavilion and some giant trampoline things and rope web jungle gym thing (the last two were only for elementary school aged children. Dang.). The best thing we found was a coffee vending machine. You put in 500 wan (50 cense) and get a tiny little cup of rather delicious hot latte. It was amazing! Lunch however was not so amazing. We left the park and randomly chose a restaurant that was advertising Vietnamese spring rolls. Assuming that that was a good shot for being vegetarian friendly we sat down. We were wrong. It was a classic Korean barbecue with rice paper to make you own meat spring rolls. Trying to be true adventurers we guessed and ordered a noodle bowl, asking for no meat. Turns out it was sea food. With eyes. Well the shrimp had eyes. Which totally killed it for me and made me a bit jumpy.  So when I stuck my metal chop sticks back into the bowl and they scraped along something I may or may not of totally let out a small scream. That basically ended lunch. We walked down the road for a while then found a bus that would take us to the right place and took a bus home.

Tuesday Tara and I went and had coffee with the expat wives. Lots of people and very enjoyable socializing. Then we went shopping and spent the rest of the day wandering around the amazing maze of street that are referred to as old down town. It was a long day of shopping then we rounded it all off by sprinting after a bus and trying to beat it to the next bus stop. Lost to the bus but the next one came only five minuets later. So the run was unnecessary.  Rounded off the whole day by going to Zumba class.

Wednesday we hung out in the morning waiting for the dish washer repair guy and  cleaning ladies to show up. They never did so we went to the Hyundai department store and bought the groceries we couldn't find at home plus. Then we came home and did some baking. Michael came home around six and informed us the dishwasher guy had canceled and that we needed to go to Costco. So we did. And spent lots of money which was a bit surprising because I really didn't think we needed any more food. Costco is a dangerous place apparently.

Now today. Tara and I caught a bus to down town and played mahjong again. Then hitched a ride back to the foreigners compound with the yoga instructed and did yoga. Then came home to do more baking. We made avocado bruschetta and fruit smoothies for lunch. Rather amazing. Now hanging out until the pies are baked then we are going out to get coffee. Woo!

Michael is hosting a thanksgiving dinner tomorrow so we are working on making anything possible in advance. He has a very very small oven.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012


I have a place in the community of expat wives. Well they have willingly and happily invited and included me in any thing they do that I would like to join with. It started with a hike that Katie (a 26 year old wife of an engineer of some kind from Huston who hangs out with me while on these wife trips) invited me to join the night of Michael's party where I meet a handful of the women who then invited me to go on the flik (foreigners living in Korea) ladies trip to gyeongju folk craft market. So that is what I did on Monday.

Gyeongju folk craft market is north of Ulsan and up a bit more in the hills (as far as I could tell but no real promises on that) where people hand make and sell traditional Korean crafts, like pottery, wood crafts and metal things. I mainly found pottery which was fine with me because it was amazing pottery. And a lot of it... So we spent about two hours exploring and shopping and admiring then got back on the bus to go to lunch.

Lunch was at the Hilton hotel (I think) buffet where they served a variety of "traditional" Korean food and western food. Oh joy more guessing what the heck I am eating! But it was actually very good. Everything was labeled in english so less guessing than normal and there really was a good variety. I tried kimchi pies (little round flattish pancake things that I guess are made of kimchi), some root of some kind and Vietnamese spring rolls which had pineapple in them (which was just weird. I love veggie spring rolls but the pineapple was weird.).  My favorite dish was labeled bean curd and veggies which was in a sauce that was slightly sweet but salty no idea how else to describe it. To my surprise when I got back to my seat and was actually picking through things to eat them it also has squid in it. And by squid I mean little inch in diameter squid tentacle rounds. It was totally delicious. The fact that there were obviously tentacles in it and it looked a tiny bit like I was eating a colony of happy baby squid playing in a broccoli forest was the only thing that stopped me getting a bigger second helping. My imagination really doesn't help me some times. It did have bean curd in it though so the label wasn't lying!

That was on Monday then on Tuesday I went to the yoga class they have at the foreigners compound at noon, then dropped off Michael's dry cleaning and bought some bread (well actually I bought bread, tofu, milk and alcoholic cider which I though was an odd combination of groceries...) and went home for a few hours. Than ulviya picked me up and drove me to her house where she feed me dinner with her family (which was traditional Russian because her house maid wanted me to try it and it would be way better hand made. In was so good. Like little tiny meatballs wrapped in dough then boiled like ravioli served with onions and home made yogurt with garlic. The best thing was actually the eggplant which was fried then had mayonnaise and lots of garlic on it. I know it sounds gross but it was really tasty. Needless to say after that dinner vampires didn't stand a chance around me.) Then ulviya and I went to Zumba which I have gone to twice now. Once last Thursday and then again yesterday. Yesterday there was only four of us and I was the only one who wasn't Russian. I don't think I had ever meet someone who spoke Russian before and now I am the deprived one for only speaking one language. Which everyone just nods and says your American when they find out. That's a very weird feeling. I really should start another language. Maybe I will have them teach me some Russian. Not that that will help with the Korean taxi drivers but it would be cool!
Now that brings us to today. Nothing is happening. I am staying home and I have cleaned out the fridge, put away my clothes, done some laundry, talked to my family and just relaxed. Tomorrow I am going to learn to play mahjong with some of the wives again and then explore around where they live a little bit. Tara and Michael get here on Saturday. I am very excited but I will honestly kinda miss having the house to my self. No more midnight private dance parties. Just have to have mid afternoon for two dance parties. Hope your excited Tara! Can't wait to see you.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Shopping


So in the past couple of days I have done a bit of lazing, a bit of exploring, and a bit of meeting new people. But right now I am going to talk about shopping. Expensive coats, hundreds of shoes, and bling covered refrigerators. Michael and I went down to old down town a week ago Sunday and went to the new James Bond then wandered around the shops. Old down town is several blocks of covered sidewalks that is full of shops. Obviously it also has a movie theater, a mulit level theater that had the most comfortable seats I have found in a movie theater! Totally enjoyed the new James Bond. Which I saw five days before it was released in the USA. Then we went shoe shopping! So old down town has a ton of shops. And they have shops entirely full of shoes, like hundreds of shoes all out and stacked on top of each other in a total fail at displaying them. So that totally satisfied my shoe shopping need. Didn't buy anything but found some awesome shoes! And my shoe size is 235 ish here. Woo!
Ok so there is shoes. So now shopping. I went to a department store and shopped around for the fun of it the other day. It is a five level store that was a bit interesting because it was literally a department store because you bought things from each individual section. It is getting to be Christmas time! There was a Christmas tree and everything. So I found about ten coats that I loved for me (about passed out at the price tag! You know if I had $500 laying around I would so have a coat right now.) and then got totally lost in a rather amazing mens section (so many suits! I greatly appreciate the fact that in Korea they have mens clothing that is rather awesome as well. Found so many snazzy jackets and shoes.) and then there was children's clothes (I have no idea who can afford to spend over $100 on a singular baby's coat but they were super adorable! It's a really good thing I didn't have money or any babies that I know to buy things for.) It took me several hours to explore the whole store. My camera and I had a great time shopping and wishing we had lots more money to spend. Sigh oh to have lots and lots of money to throw around. I just love fashion.
Now bling covered refrigerators. Yeah I'm not really sure why... But! There are so many bling cover refrigerator. I have never seen a bling refrigerator in the USA. All of them are boring and utilitarian. You know black, silver, white with a couple fancy options but no! These have stripes or flowers and Swarovski crystals and fancy doors that only open to a little compartment and random ones that have like four doors that I have no idea what they even go to. Like all of them! You have to look a bit to find one with no extra bling. Even the chest freezers! I got funny looks because I spent like twenty minuets wandering through the appliance section. It was kinda awesome.
I really do love to shop. And so that is what I have been doing! Not much buying (just a pair of socks and a pair of wool winter classy gloves. They are kind awesome just saying. So I bought them.) Until next time!

Saturday, November 3, 2012

I really should learn some Korean


Today I learned the struggle of a language barrier, not knowing my address, and curvy roads. To start, I caught a taxi and went to Ulsan beach which has a walk way along it and a hike through a pine forest all along the coast. So I went there and drank a juice at 'Holly's Coffee' then hiked the trail. Which was beautiful. All pine trees and along the coast. You could see a view all along the city and out to the ocean. It was cool outside, smelled fresh and I was in nature. And I got to practice being Korean and take self portraits which everyone does every where. Normally it actually two people who want to both be in the picture. And they take them everywhere! Like Costco where I saw a couple take a picture (you know camera held out at arms length and just hope you get both in the picture). That one confused me. Who wants to show off being together at Costco. "Oh look this is me and my boyfriend shopping for mass amounts of food." That'll be hung on the wall. But! Hiking alone an knowing that picture with people in them are the pictures that I keep mp and like most I am working on the self portrait.

Then I walked back to the main road and caught a taxi. Of course I have no idea what taxi edict is and I speak zero Korean. So I got totally confused when I got in the parked taxi and he said something and laughed at me. Ya that started the confusion. Then I gave him the card that has my address on it and he said "oh ocean city ya." So I sat back and chilled out trying to figure out what the stores around us where selling. Then he stops outside a building and say "ocean city." Shit... It's a building I have never seen in my life. Now at this moment I don't have a cell phone, I defiantly don't know any street names and these roads are so of the most confusing roads I've seen. "No." I said to the driver. The look on his face was sort of priceless. Then there was some loud talking in Korean where he looked at me and gestured to the building and then said some more Korean. Did I mention that I don't speak any Korean? So the he started calling people and yelling at them in Korean. Apparently no one knows where I live! He started driving around and kept pulling over to call more people. Then the Sea Side restaurant (right down the street from the apartment)  saved the day! I saw it and started kind of yelling at the driver to turn and with a lot of gesturing and repeating on my part he got it and turned. Then with even more gesturing and trying to get him to just stop we got the the apartment. Only double the cab fare than what it cost to get out in the first place but hey I'm back! With just a little lost trust in cab drivers and really confused my he didn't use the GPS that was on his dash but home.

That was all today. Yesterday we had a party/get together at Michael's where I got to meet some of the people he works with and they got to see his house. So that went down smashingly well. It is really good to meet some more people and finally start to get a little bit of a network. Hopefully Michael will bring the phone I get to use while I'm over here home with him today then when he leaves Monday I will have access to people and not be totally alone for two weeks. Which would be dandy but I do like myself and find that I am great company so I could just find more adventures to go on and it would all be good! Now I am going to put off washing the dishes even longer by taking a bath and finishing my book. Man I have a delicious life.