Typical Saturday, Flowery Tuesday

Last Saturday I woke Kyle up with my agenda: errands! Who doesn't love errands? Well, Kyle for one. And me, for two.

Checking his list on the Costco escalator

Turns out, it was a good thing we got it all done Saturday, because we had a surprise snow storm Sunday that brought the city to a virtual standstill. See how smart I am?

Can't avoid the camera forever!

I think Kyle doesn't like these outings because he knows that I will point the camera at him. A lot.  (I must admit, that it was lovely to stay inside Sunday and enjoy the storm).

Lunch at Baby Guinness in Itaewon 

Riding the 1111 (bus) to the subway for our Saturday night out

Flower class was fun, as usual. No carnations, no complaints!

Roses, pussy willows and some other stuff

Working...


:)sbc

Nicole, Dorie, Karin, Haesook, Yoko

Baby C & BBC (say that five times fast!)

Today Baby C and I had a glucose test (yuck) and Kyle joined us for our final "overseas" vaccines. I turned 24 weeks yesterday...four more weeks until the third trimester, can you believe it?

Pretty quiet around here...it's good to see that I am not the only one with too much time on my hands!  Just another reason to love the BBC.

Off to ice skate with some friends and their kids (not me, I am just joining for the fun and the pictures).

:)sbc

Confucianism & Stuff

Korean language class is moving right along. The instructor is called Won Shin and is very nice and giggles just like my friend Jen Profit Geer.  Adorable.

Won Shin pointing to vowels

I can spell my name in Korean and sound out some words. Just last week, I was able to decipher the title of a movie I was scouting, "Chronicles of Narnia." I changed the channel with pride.

Fellow students

I am also a recent recipient of my Cross Cultural Training certificate. It was a day-long training that, among other things, explained why Koreans think of us they way they do and vice versa. The reason, you ask? Short answer: Confucianism. Another blog, another time.

Highlight of the training? Actually, the thing that sticks out in my mind the most is sad. Used to be, when they sold dog meat at the markets,  they would post a picture of the dog next to the product.  Before they killed the dog, they would beat the dog. The angrier the dog looked in the photo, the more "stamina" the meat had to benefit male sex drive, and the higher the price. Sick. On so many levels.

Our instructor Unwha is Korean by birth, raised in the US and Panama, graduate of Pepperdine and Seoul National Universities, married in her late 30's and is seven years older than her husband. She has no children and doesn't plan to have any. She owns her own business and rescues dogs from shelters in her spare time. As you might imagine, she is an anomaly in traditional, male dominated, Korean culture. I liked her immediately.

Thinking...

And thinking...

I was thinking...






Have you been curious about what I have been up to in flower arranging class? I bet!

Last week, I was forced to use carnations, red ones at that, for an arrangement. I do not like carnations.

My flowers striking a pose at Karin's

Weekly class photo
(Standing L to R: Dorie, Nicole; Seated L to R: Karin, Susan Haesook, me)

This week was much better, I like the looks of it, and appreciate the color it brings to the house.

Almost done

Susan and Dorie comparing notes

My favorite is still the arrangement I made for Kyle's birthday.

Happy birthday to you

:) sbc

Two Words: CARE PACKAGE

One thing that I have learned living half a world away...

Is that nothing...

Well, almost nothing...

Beats the excitement...

Of getting a package from home...

L to R: cookies, dressing, risotto, couscous, soup, surge protector, flashcards, recipes, seeds for garden, vitamins, UGG boot spray, bathing suit for Bali, more cookies and a baby blanket!

(Feel free to let me know if you need our address ;-) hehehe)


Thanks, Dad and Mom!

:)sbc

Wildcard Sunday

Logging onto my mac this morning, I was greeted by a google chat message from my longtime friend Keith Platte, "Are you watching the playoffs?"

Thanks, Keith, for giving us a great start to our Sunday--live, American, wildcard playoff football! We enjoyed the last quarter of the Saints/Seahawks and prepped for our morning/afternoon out while checking in with the Colts/Jets game.

First stop in Itaewon: coffee--just in time to see the vendors parade out to their stations with their (mostly fake) trendy wares. It was about noon, early for Koreans and especially early for Itaewon.

We have Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf almost to ourselves

Preparing for iphone scrabble showdown (we are addicted)

Rolling the carts to the main drag

We realized we could still catch the end of the Colts/Jets game and headed to Sam Ryan's, a sportsbar in the alley that houses many, many, many westerner bars. Inside were not just westerners, but Americans, glued to the TV cheering and drinking in their jerseys and/or colors. Sold!

American boys and their football

Sam Ryan's

We found a seat and watched the last quarter. I don't know what was more enjoyable: the excitement of the game (wow, kickers) or walking into the bar and feeling immediately transported to the US. Fun!

Sam Ryan's

After the game, we grabbed a nice lunch and stopped again for coffee (Kyle doesn't drink it during the week, so he loads up on the weekends). Now the city is awake!

Now a bustling Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

:)sbc

And, We're Walking...

Baby C and I had our monthly prenatal appointment today.

Ultrasound Take 1:  No dice.  Just as he/she did two times in the States at Beaumont Fetal Imaging, Baby C wore his/her "stubborn hat" and would not give us a good look at their heart.  Last time they were breech, this time they were "spine up" and the spine was casting a shadow on the heart.

So, we walked. And drank juice. And walked some more. And waited.

Walking...

Waiting...

                              

                                              Lobby

Ultrasound Take #2: No dice. Shadows. But, we did get a thumbs up.

Thumbs up!

So, we walked. And drank water. And did the stairs. And walked some more. And waited.

Round two, been here before

Scenes from the walk

Checking in with work (and waiting)

Playing with the timer on our new camera (blur is a mystery)

Kyle was embarrassed of his hyper wife (too much juice)

Ultrasound Take #3: Dr. Kwon came up (the ultrasound suite is separate from the suite where we see our doc) to "see the baby's heart for herself."   At first the fact that the doc was conducting the ultrasound made me nervous, but then I realized we had been there for three hours and were approaching the lunch break. Everything in Korea stops around lunch. Serious business, lunchtime.  No joke, she was completing our ultrasound so she/everyone could go to lunch.

In the first minutes, she sighed, "The baby is not cooperating." Then she said, "Are you learning the gender? I know what it is!"

Pause.

Kyle and I said, "No, we're going to wait."

Pause. Dr. Kwon just smiled and told us to let her know if we changed our mind.

A few minutes later, Dr. Kwon exclaimed, "There we go!" She got what she needed and the heart looked good and she thanked us for being so patient while they worked to get the very important (ten) angles of the heart. Whew!

Stubborn but cute Baby C

Kyle was off to work, while Baby C and I caught a cab to EMart (think Meijer). They have a pharmacy and I needed my prenatal vitamins (read: fresh out, took my last one last night).

I asked the driver to go to Dongdaemun. I got dropped of in Namdaemun. That's what we call a language barrier.

I knew I was in the wrong place, and kind of assumed that the cab driver wanted the smelly American (we smell like red meat, they say) out of the cab. I got out, figuring I would find my way to the subway. I knew where I was, it just wasn't my destination of choice.

I crossed the street and saw Tiffany & Company. This cab driver was smarter than I thought! I went into the T &Co inside the lovely eight story mall. I discovered the basement housed Korea's version of Whole Foods! I was in Heaven. I found honey. I found skim milk. I found wheat bread.

Ooooh! 

Aaaah!

Yum

Actually, I stole the bread--on accident. I put it in my cart and when I checked out, the lady spoke in Korean and gestured and pointed like, "Oh, you pay for that over there at the posh, well-lit bakery area." She then put them in my plastic bag and taped it shut (these peeps and their tape). Maybe she thought I already paid?

So pretty

I walked to the posh, well-lit bakery counter and pulled out my bread and tried to hand the fella some money. He ignored my money, put my bread in a beautiful paper bag, rebagged my other groceries in another paper bag and thanked me in English. I walked out with my stolen bread. That's what we call a language barrier.

Back outside, I used my iphone to locate a pharmacy. When the blue dot (me) was on top of the red dot (pharmacy), I looked around and saw the pharmacy! No english spoken at this one, so I opened my coat and rubbed my belly and said, "Vitamin." We located my brand and home I went!

:)sbc

Stateside for the Holidays: Week Three

Amanda and Rebecca hosted the G4G girls (friends and former co-workers from our time with the Granholm Administration) at a shower for Baby C and me. Great gifts, great food, great friends--thanks, ladies! Sophie and Sage went to Rebecca's with my Mom and me, while Kyle stayed home and babysat for Sami—even he was impressed with his babysitting!

Sami, Sage & Sophie

Kyle was offered a promotion! As of January 1, he is the Contoller and Managing Director of GM-Daewoo. We are excited about the opportunities the position brings (yay for our household shipment!) and are determined to put a positive spin on our commitment to stay in Seoul for two additional years (the wise words of Denis Miller come to mind, “Life is Tough. Wear a Cup.”)  No, seriously, it wasn’t an easy decision, don’t get me wrong. It is the longest and most complicated pro-and-con list either Kyle or I have ever compiled. I miss things more and am more determined to make our time here worthwhile.  We’ll make it work and I believe it will all be just fine. Different, but good. Congrats, Kyle!

Christmas Eve was wonderful. Sophie, Sage, Kyle and I went to church early to save seats. While I reserved an entire pew, Kyle snuck over to Biggby with the girls for some holiday hot chocolate. No wonder they love him so. 

Sage

Sophie

Yum!

I cried at “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and went ahead and cried again during Silent Night. I tried not to look at my mother, but that didn’t help. It’s just going to go ahead and happen. Every year.

All in a row

We all loved the much-anticipated-annual-Bupp-calendar from Beepa, and my sisters and mom enjoyed their handmade napkin rings (a little project that Dorie and I worked on in our maedup class). The girls even got all dressed up in their Hanbok on Christmas morning!

Sami, Sage & Sophie

After a great dinner at Carlos and Kim’s, we opened gift after gift from “Sandra Claus.” Later, over dessert, we expanded the party to include aunts, uncles and cousins. I lost at pool, but the padded butt panties were a hit!

Lexi & Kim preparing dinner

"Sandra Claus" with Claire

Sandy

Kendall with Claire

Carlos & Kim entertaining at their bar

Megan was a good sport

Butt panties!

Sophie

The morning before we left, Kyle and I said our goodbyes to Sophie, Sage and Sami. Even Kyle thought we might get out of there with “dry eyes” until Sophie said, “Wait!” 

She ran upstairs and came back with a book. “Will you read this to your baby since I won’t be there?” I nodded, already unable to speak. I silently cried as she flipped through the book and looked up to see Hadi and Jess also crying. We were a mess. Good times. Sophie, Sophie, Sophie—you are something else.

We reluctantly packed and had a farewell dinner that evening with our parents. Goodbyes are no fun, but dinner was really enjoyable.

Phil, Kyle & "Sandra Claus"

Beepa, Shelby & Gram

The flight back was without upgrade, but at least it wasn’t delayed (our flight originates at LGA which was recovering from a storm and shutdown). Pete and his “camp counselor” were waiting for us at home complete with an updated disc of Pete’s “vacation photos.”

Our holiday visit was needed, wonderful, busy and too short. I didn’t get to see all the people I miss so much as much as I wanted to, but I have to remind myself it was better than not being able to visit at all. I find myself looking forward very much to the summer when we’ll visit again, but try to temper that excitement by focusing on Seoul. I am continuing with a list of all the things there are to discover here (January: Korean War Museum and Picasso exhibit at the National Museum), especially before the arrival of Baby C in May.

Happy new year!

:)sbc