Seoul, South Korea

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We have had an amazing few months settling in. Seoul is a fantastic city that is growing and modernizing even before our eyes. The technology here is amazing - there is GPS navigation on every cell phone and every person on the subway has a mini portable tv playing the latest shows and movies. The food is very healthy, but also very spicy, as we learned all too well on our first few attempts! We can now eat without guzzling water after every bite and consider this a huge achievement. Some of our favorite dishes are bibimbap, which is rice mixed with vegetables and smothered in a spicy sauce, and traditional Korean barbecue, which is pork and beef that you cook at your own table. We also love kimchi, the famous spicy cabbage served at every meal.

The people here are refreshingly kind, respectful and honest. At some bars, bottled beer is arranged in a giant tub of ice, and payment is based upon the honor system. Often, store owners put merchandise on the street in front of their shop and leave it unattended. We love how people bow to each other rather than shaking hands and pour drinks for each other during dinner (you are never supposed to pour your own). We have already adopted several customs, such as taking your shoes off at the door, eating family style, and our favorite - not tipping!!

We lucked out with the area we live in, Kangnam. It's the most posh part of town and has tons of restaurants, shops and bars. We scored a fantastic loft style apartment that is large by Asian standards. We live on the thirteenth floor and our far wall has windows from top to bottom, giving us a great view of the city. We also have a spectacular view from the helicopter pad on our roof. In our basement, there are six restaurants, a convenience store, a hair salon, an office supply store and a dry cleaner. It's about a ten minute walk to our school and a ten minute walk in the other direction to the heart of Kangnam. We are also close to two different subway lines so we are able to get around easily.

One of the best parts about moving here is that my dear friend and college roommate, Moka, is studying in Seoul at Yonsei University. Being half-Korean, she wanted to get her Master's Degree in Korean studies. It's great to have a friend in this big city, especially one who is studying the Korean language! She turned 30 on Halloween and it was great to be able to spend it with her.

In November, Todd's friend Aki flew over from Japan to spend a few days with us. We took him to traditional Korean barbecue and out to dance clubs, which are his favorite. We also introduced him to our friends Mr. and Mrs. Lee, who own a bar and an interior design company in our neighborhood and have become very good friends of ours. Since he loves shopping and the prices here are cheaper than in Japan, we're sure he'll be back.

This month we are getting ready for Christmas and hopefully a trip to Hong Kong for New Year's. Right now we are waitlisted since we found out we would have a four day weekend very last minute. The biggest news lately is that we booked a trip to Vietnam for February. We will be spending five days traveling through Saigon and the beaches along the eastern coast. We're so excited!!!

Happy Holidays to you all! We miss and love you.

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Comments

[anonymous]

coool nice blog.

[carson Payne]

I think the word is--vicarious. New sights, sounds and smells everyday. The pictures reveal alot but, no doubt, leave the palpable up to one's imagination. Way to make this a reality. You have room for me out there? Is Todd's English improving?