Windy and Rainy!

Yes, this is the weather report.  It's been super windy and rainy the last few days.  Apparently, based on the weather reports, we are getting unseasonably cold weather here...in fact, record colds.  Yippie.  I'm so glad I brought my winter coat...it has definitely come in handy.

Yesterday at my first class, several of the students came to school wearing hanboks (pronounced han bow...the K is silent).  They were so adorable, and the traditional costumes are very colorful, even some different styles for the boys.  I got out my camera to take a picture...got one pic and the battery died!  :(  I was so sad about that because a little girl arrived in the cutest little pink hanbok...with a little pink flower in her hair that matched.  They were all adorable.  I'm not sure what the occasion was, because the class teacher doesn't speak/understand English, so when I asked her if there was a special occasion, there was no reply.  Oh well.

I also heard some sad news yesterday.  Michelle, the adoptee from Houston-area who found her birth family back in September, and has been living and teaching in Seoul since January, got the news that her birth father was killed in a car accident yesterday.  That's so sad for her to have just found her family and birth parents, and now, lost her father in this tragedy.  She has been able to spend time with her family and her sisters, so that is really good. 

Today I'm doing my laundry, then I'll hang it to dry...hopefully it will be dry by tomorrow (no dryer).  I am also meeting a friend of Angela's who wants to practice her English.  She teaches Korean at the army base here in Seoul...knows a little English, but has very little opportunity to practice it.  She is going to try to teach my old brain some Korean, and I'll help her practice her English.  She lives about a block away in an apartment building, so it's an easy walk.  It seems like a good use of my free mornings on Tuesday and Thursday.  This afternoon I tutor, and then this evening, I'm going to attend a Korean play.  Angela gave me two tickets to this play.  Jokingly, I asked her if there were subtitles...obviously not, but she said she thinks I'll be able to figure out some of what is going on just by how it is acted.  It's in a small theater, about 120 seats.  She said when she attended the matinee last week, it was full of seniors.  LOL  Kate, the adoptee from Florida (who is freezing lately), will go with me.  That should be fun.  So...my day is full.

On the way to tutoring, I usually try to go see something new.  Last Tuesday, before it started pouring rain, I wanted to find Dosan Park.  It's close to where I tutor, so I headed that way.  On the way there, I discovered this beautiful garden.  It's the outdoor area for what looks like a really expensive restaurant.  There was a greeter in the driveway, valet parking, and the smells wafting out of the kitchen made my mouth water.  The garden was beautifully manicured, I couldn't help but take some pictures for you to enjoy!  Dosan Park, by the way, is dedicated to the "founder of Korea's educational system."  It's a small but really beautiful park with nice walking paths, some exercise equipment, statues, a small museum with pictures of Mr. Dosan's travels and achievements.  Very little of it was translated though.

I added this picture for the benefit of my readers (lol).  Angela and Mathias received it as a gift after they bought some things.  When she opened the box to show me, it gave me the shivers (yuck)!  These are dried anchovies used for making soup stock.  Thankfully, they are used in amounts small enough that I do not taste them in the stock, otherwise, I'd have to take a pass on the soup too.  It's a custom that if you give a gift, no matter how small, a gift or token is often reciprocated.  I guess this also holds true to when you make a large purchase...sort of like an added bonus, or like on TV, "but wait, there's more!" 

More to come...

How Korean Am I?

Because I'm taking it easy today, just hanging around the house and trying to feel better, I decided to add this additional blog.

I've always joked with my mom that I must not really be Korean because I don't like fish...my house mom agrees with my mom.  LOL  Although, Angela did also add that because I am from Wonju and that is not near the coast, perhaps my birth family never got and/or liked fish, so maybe that's why I don't like fish. 

Yesterday, when I was out for a walk with Suhyuhn, she said to me, "You look like a Korean." To which I replied, "I am a Korean."  "But you don't speak Korean," she said.  It's a common reaction of mine to think that when I see Americans strolling down the sidewalk, of course they should also be able to see me, because I too am American.  Ahhh, but then I realize that I blend in with everyone else around me.  Conversely, when we go into a shop and start talking English to the Korean shopkeepers, they are always surprised that we don't speak Korean...more than hello, thank you, and how much is that.

So, how Korean am I?  I am proud to say that I am a Korean American, with the rich heritage and culture of each country.  It's just taken me a little longer to find out about my Korean heritage, and I am thoroughly enjoying it.  It's so interesting to learn about how Korean people think, what they are taught, the traditions.  I'm getting to see their art, architecture, both sides of the tracks (so to speak), hear their music, learn about their values, their fads and fashion.  Angela and Mathias are a wonderful fountain of information, and I will always be grateful for the care and hospitality they have shown me.  I would wholeheartedly recommend a trip of this sort to any adoptee wanting to learn more about the country of their birth.

Myeong-dong

After an early morning tutoring and walk through the park with Suhyuhn, I met a friend in  Myeong-dong.  We stopped for lunch and I was able to get japchae (yay!).  It's sweet potato noodles (they are nearly clear), with vegetables and topped with sesame seeds.  The noodles are cooked with some seasonings, and it's very tasty.  Of course it came with the usual sides, including one side of apples with what appeared to be mayonnaise all over them.  I tasted only one of those (bleah).  The tofu with the hot sauce is always tasty, and of course there are at least two kinds of kimchi, and there was a green onion pancake (chan).

Myeong-dong is another area with lots of shopping, although I haven't really found an area without lots of shopping.  We wandered through the streets mostly window shopping.  At one cosmetics store, there were women standing out front waving samples and trying to get people to come in to shop.  My mistake was to act like I was interested in their sample.  They grabbed my arm and started pulling me into their store.  And they also started dragging my friend into the store.  It was the most aggressive street marketing I've ever seen...kinda crazy.  I've learned my lesson...just ignore them.

There is also a beautiful cathedral in that area.  There was a wedding going on and there were lots of people milling around.  I learned from Angela and Mathias that many people get married there, including them and their son.  It was built in the 1800s in the Gothic style and is surrounded with beautiful gardens.  It's situated on top of a hill, so it's no wonder it's a popular wedding place.

My friend, who met her birth family when she was here last year, was going to meet her sisters later in the afternoon.  On the way back home I really started feeling tired and sniffley...I could feel a cold coming on.  At dinner, I told Angela and Mathias I was getting a cold, and they proceeded to give me homeopathic cold remedies, decongestants, and even offered to make me grog (lemon juice, honey and whiskey...hot).  I've been taking extra Vitamin C, drinking lots of water, and I think I'll take it easy today.

Happy Sunday!

So that's what porridge tastes like!

Here's a picture of Suhyuhn (pronounced Sue Yun), the little girl I'm tutoring several times a week.  She is so cute and getting more comfortable with me regarding talking.  She has a number of fairy tales written in Korean, and she reads them and then tells me the story in English.  It's working out well.  Sorry about the one being so blurry...we were in the car on the way to drop her off at taekwando (obviously).  We play word games and I have her practicing her numbers, because they are very different from Korean numbers.  She and many of the children in Korea seem overschooled.  She goes to school, has an English tutor, an art/drawing tutor, takes piano lessons, and takes taekwando.  She barely has any time to be a little girl.

So, yesterday after my tutoring ended about 5:30 pm, Suhyuhn's grandmother asked if wanted a ride to a different bus stop.  OK...that's fine.  Then she said, I'm going to a store, do you want to go with me?  OK...sure.  Her husband is the head of a busy and big group of hospitals.  He travels a lot and was in Tokoyo on Friday.  I think she was a little lonely.  So, we went to a huge mall that also is the location of the exhibition center in Seoul.  The mall goes on for what seems like miles and has every kind of store you can possibly image.  There are also tons of restaurants.   Clothes sizes are a little different here.  Shoes are often sized in sizes like 235, 240, 250, 255 (not sure what this is...centimeters?  millimeters?), dress sizes are sometimes 01, 02, 03, 04, inseams are in centimeters so, 65, 66, 70, 71.  So, it seems such a hassle to have to try on everything thing.  AND, there are a ton of little tiny sizes (to accommodate all the little people).

We also stopped for dinner at a Korean buffet.  On the left there is some kimchi soup (tasty), and rice paste/black sesame porridge (tastes like they toasted the sesames...but VERY bland), on the plate it's mostly sides, one piece of tofu with hot sauce on it, some of those yummy glass noodles (with hot sauce),  bulgogi (very good), and what looks like purple rice.  It's white rice with a black bean cooked in (for good health), but the black bean turns the rice purple.  The salad on the right was more like cole slaw with chopped cabbage and the dressing on top (mind you this was a very small serving), was a crazy pinkish purplish concoction.  Suhyuhn's grandma said it was strawberry.  It tasted a little like thousand island but sweeter.  Not bad, just strange.  The meal was finished with a beverage that is supp0osed to be a digestiv...tasted like tea with cinnamon and was served with crushed ice.  It was good...unusual.  I declined the whole cooked fish...yuck, and the seafood pancakes (they looked scary).

As I was leaving I saw a Bennigans--now that's a hometown name I recognize.  Only, here's a picture of their food, unlike the food at any Bennigans I've ever been.  The same for chains like Outback Steakhouse.  Even McDonalds has Bulgogi Burgers, Shrimp Burgers...lots of fun stuff here.

Have a great rest of your weekend.

More New People

Two more adoptees arrived on Wednesday and I got to meet them on Thursday night.  They are both really sweet, and they're excited about being in Korea and participating in the Holt Homecoming Program.  What a great opportunity for all of us, to experience our homeland and have a chance to give back.  One of the ladies found out that she will be meeting her birth mother on Tuesday!  Wow...what powerful news.  Although I don't have much hope that I'll be able to find my birth parents, I imagined for a moment that it was me getting that news...and what a flood of emotions it would be for me.  What would I ask her?  What would I say?  What would she say?  Well, maybe someday that will happen, but probably not anytime in the near future.

The longer I am in Korea, the more I am thankful I live in the United States.  There are so many things we just take for granted, like:  hot water available whenever you want it, good drinking water everywhere, pedestrian safety laws, smoking bans in public places, clothes dryers, just to name a few.  Our country has its faults, to be sure, but it's a great country and it has so many good things going for it. Sometimes we just need to take a moment to say thanks.

No classes this Friday because the school where I teach has a picnic today.  Poor little kids are going to be freezing, as it's only 44 degrees at 9 am.  Brrrrr!  The sun is out, so maybe it will warm up (I hope).  I do have tutoring today and tomorrow.  So my schedule is filling up.  In fact, all of us here are filling our schedules up so quickly, that it's tough to find a free day where we can go visit Holt's Ilsan Center.

Next Tuesday, Holt is going to have a Farewell/Welcome Dinner for all the participants in the Homecoming Program.  It will be nice to meeting everyone.  I've met several of the other folks, but some have just been too busy!  A few of the people will be going home after their teaching stint, some will be extending their stay longer on their own.  Although I won't be extending my stay, I could see what a temptation it would be to stay longer, learn Korean, find a job that would provide housing and your expenses would be minimal, so you could save or pay off bills, travel around Asia.  John, don't worry, I'm coming home. 

Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

That's a lot of talking!

Another Wednesday is over and my throat is tired from all that talking!  Three classes to start the day.  Then a subway ride four stops away, and I'm off to the second school and six classes.  Today's lunch was curry rice (curry gravy with carrots and onions, over rice), soup with tofu and some greens in it...very tasty, yellow radishes, pickled and very crunchy, kimchee, and a small bottle of liquid yogurt, juicy fruit flavor.  Once the children are done eating, they take their trays to a table, scrape any extra food into one bowl, put the silverware in another bowl, and then stack their trays and bowls.  The next stop before they leave their cafeteria is to get water (mul).  There is a small cooler with metal cups, juice glass size, stacked up, and there is a water dispenser next to the cooler with the cups.  Once your take your drink, the cups are then deposited through a round hole below the table holding the cooler.  Unlike anything I've ever seen before...but it seems to work.  Six classes (20 minutes each), and then a 10-minute walk to the after school day care.  These kids are older and a lot of fun.  There were three girls today (one more than usual), and 9 boys.  The boys are all noisy and rowdy like little boys are...and they tend to intimidate the shy girls.  But they play together well and are fun to teach.  Below are some more pictures of my little cuties.

I've started craving American foods...pizza, ham, tacos, etc.  It's hard to find GOOD foods that we're used to.  Not that I'm unhappy with Korean foods, but there's just nothing like the taste of home.  Still haven't been able to find good japchae...I'm on a quest for that...it's on my list.

Two more girls from the states arrive today to join the Holt Homecoming Program.  One girl is from Washington DC area (Liz), one from Florida (Kate).  It will be the first trip home for Liz and the second trip for Kate.  I think they will both be studying Korean at a university while they are here.  It's great to have more English-speakers here, although we're finding more and more, as teaching English is a popular job for expats.  I think we will go as a group to Holt's Ilsan Center, where Molly Holt lives (Bertha and Harry Holt's daughter), and a number of handicapped orphans.  It's also the burial place for Bertha and Harry Holt, the couple who had the vision to start orphanages many years ago.  I am grateful to them for the work they created.

Is it Spring Yet? (not, "are we there yet," but almost)

It's the middle of April and last week I had to wear my winter coat because it was in the 30s and windy...brrr.  I'm ready for warmer weather.  It's been in the 70s at home and I'm so jealous.  So, today was in the mid-50s, and I went out for a hike near my homestay.  There is a small "mountain" (san) here and I went to the top.  But, yesterday, I got some new shoes, and the short socks I was wearing today didn't stay up while I was walking, so I got a big blister on my heel (waah waah).  Anyway, here's a picture of my cute new shoes, and the view from the top of the san du jour (there's probably something very wrong about combining Korean with French).

At the top there were several small areas where there was exercise equipment, yes on top of the mountain.  There was even one area that had a clock (in a plastic bag) and a mirror.  I've seen many park areas that have these setups, it's very unusual for the US, but apparently quite normal for Korea.  There were also these totem poles at the top.  I always associated totem poles with American Indians, but it appears that many different cultures have them, and mostly for the same reasons, to drive away evil spirits.  I just think they're cute. 

After my short trek, I stopped for a cappuccino and a strawberry pastry the the "backerie."  The strawberries here are really delicious, with a lot of flavor.  Angela said they are mostly grown in green houses, but are very flavorful, nonetheless.  The restaurants always give you a small pitcher of not cream, but liquid sugar.  I have not seen Equal or artificial sweetener anywhere.  Then, there are all the other interesting pastries like pastries with broccoli, pastries with hot dogs, pastries with all sorts of strange ingredients. 

Tomorrow beings a new week of classes and challenges.  I'm doing my best to teach English to non-English speakers.  It's definitely not as easy as you think it might be.  And squirmy, short attention-span, non-English speakers, to boot. 

I got to meet Angela and Matthias' son this evening.  He is a resident in training to be a dermatologist and very pleasant.  I think he's 32.  He and his wife stayed for dinner.  Peter (his Christian name) lived in Canada for one year and speaks pretty good English, so we had a nice conversation.  His wife, Anna, is very shy and doesn't like to try her English, but she does understand some of what I say and ask. 

I am learning new Korean words each day.  Today I was able finally get the question "How much."  It's ol ma yeyo  or olmasumnika (more polite).  Also learned nori = song, like a children's song.  and nor e (pronounced nor aye), as in norebang (karaoke...very popular in Korea).  Korean is getting easier for me to learn...the sounds aren't so foreign to me anymore.  It's still a really hard language for me to grasp though. 

I will continue to report my progress.  Have a good week, folks.

Scrapbook Stuff

I've been going here and there, getting ticket stubs, receipts, brochures, maps, etc.  I'm getting quite a collection of scrapbook stuff.  All mementos of a once in a lifetime trip for me.  But some of my most precious mementos will be the intangible ones.  The ones that I will hold and relive in my heart and mind.  Indeed, some of our most precious possessions are the dear memories we have of friends and loved ones who are no longer with us, first words or funny things our children did when they were young, and the list goes on. 

picture of some of my little cuties eating lunch.  this is the place where i get to eat lunch with them.

Last week another adoptee arrived (from Washington DC area).  She has been to Korea before, but she will be staying five months this time, teaching English in the same program as me, and also studying Korean at one of the local universities.  We had chatted on line before we both came and have been sharing information along the way.  She has been staying at the guest house, like I did.  So I've met her now twice for dinner...because it's very quiet and a little lonely at the guest house all alone for hours upon end.  We both have a sweet tooth.  Here's a picture of our latest dessert adventure.

 Today, we met and went to the Spring Cherry Blossom Festival.  The blossoms are a little late this year because it's been so cold.  It's been in the 30s in the mornings and at night, and the wind is really cold.  During the day it has been warming to mid- to upper-50, sometimes into the 60s.  We definitely would be happier with a little warmer weather.  The festival was taking place in Namsan (san, meaning mountain) where Seoul Tower is located.  It's a beautiful, windey path up to the top of the mountain. We even saw a number of blind people out for a walk.  The yellow dividing line in the middle of the path has bumps on it that helps guide them.  There were cherry blossoms, forsythia, beautiful flower beds, a rippling stream...it was a beautiful spring day.  At the top there is a wall with thousands of padlocks, each bearing some sort of love note.  Not sure the significance, but it seems to have caught on, so much so that the gift shop now sells padlocks.  

At the top of Namsan there is a tower with an observation deck and it also serves as a big antenna from which at least one radio station broadcasts.  There is a restaurant or two at the top.   The top of the mountain was also used as a signal mountain, where lights would be lit to warn of approaching danger.  It was so interesting and in good shape still.  There were also several sculptures suspended above the plaza at Seoul Tower that looks like someone is flying.  They are really incredible.  I probably would not have even noticed, had someone not pointed them out.

So, I continue my scrapbooking...an e-scrapbook of my trip to Korea.  Enjoy!

Wild Wednesdays

No, this is not some special at a bar nearby.  This is my description of my schedule on Wednesdays.  In total, I had 10 classes today.  For the first I arrived a few minutes early, so I sat with the four year olds while they ate breakfast.  They were served a bowl of rice that looked creamy, and included some little bits of carrot and onion.  The teacher offered me some, so I accepted.   It was flavored with a little bit of soy and maybe some sesame oil.  Very tasty.  One little girl was especially sad that she was there.  She was all teary, red eyed.  I fed her some of her breakfast...so at least she wouldn't have a hungry tummy.  The children were excited to have someone new in their class.  They were all running up to me and talking in Korean.  I just nodded and said yes.  There were lots of hand motions and puzzled looks when I didn't give the expected response.

My second place offered to feed me lunch if I could arrive a little earlier than my start of 12:30.  I got there at 12:18.  They had soup with broad, fat noodles, pieces of onion (?), and pieces of potato, a side of cooked greens (not sure what they were, they were skinny and looked like chives, but didn't taste completely like chives), a yummy Korean pork with peppers (very tasty---masita), rice (of course aka bap) and kimchee style radishes, cut in small pieces.  Many of the children were given forks (poku) instead of chopsticks.  That's probably a good idea, or there would be food everywhere.  It was a really nice lunch and saved me a few thousand won!  I had six classes of preschool children, 20 minutes per class.  All the classes except one were VERY well behaved.  They all enjoyed the book I brought and I gave them Hello Kitty stickers for class participation (very popular).  I also gave animal crackers (to practice please and thank you).  The teachers again do not speak English.

The last place will be my biggest challenge.  The kids are after school kids...older, and there are several extremely bright kids...and several that don't know nearly as much English.  My challenge will be to find something to engage all of them, encourage participation, and challenge them.  I had three volunteers today that understand some English, and in turn, help explain in Korean to the children.  They are a HUGE help.  The teacher of this class does not speak English at all!  They're a fun bunch though.  The mini-Tootsie pops were a hit!

This whole experience, so far, has been so unique.  Nothing in my life has been anything like it.  I've traveled to other countries and enjoyed the richness of their culture and society and heritage.  But nothing compares to the depth and breadth of my experiences in Korea.  I will cherish these memories and experiences forever.

My first school day was pretty exciting.  I got to the Hapjeong Day Care at 10:00 am.  I have three classes, 4, 5 and 6 year olds.  I leave at noon.  None of the teachers there speak English...or in extremely limited amounts.  They stayed in the rooms while I read to the children and while we did songs.  They only interjected when the children started getting unruly.  The 4 and 5 year olds were fine with learning basic phonics, but the older kids already know their ABCs and need something more advanced.

Then, I get back on the subway and go to Ewah Women's University stop, walk down to a church that houses the Sinamoo After School Program from 3:00-4:30.  The teacher I am replacing, Thomas, also a Korean adoptee, was there and actually taught the class for me, so I could take notes and observe what he was doing.  Then we spent some time talking about where I should go with the class.  He has a very dynamic teaching style...completely unlike my style.  But hopefully, I'll be able to help the children learn. 

So, on Monday, because I had a little time between classes, I decided to time myself and see if I would be able to make the Wednesday schedule which will add a 12:30-2:30 school stop, with six classes of 20 minutes each!  Yikes.  I got a little turned around on Monday, so I hope I will be able to navigate it without  issue tomorrow.

I'm basically off (no teaching) on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  My house mom suggested that her grand niece, Suhyuhn, could use some practice speaking English.  She is a really bright 9-year old.  Takes music, tae kwon do, drawing (draws very well), and attends private school where they are taught English.  Her parents (both doctors) would like her to practice speaking English, as she is shy about her English, so she doesn't want to use it.  I guess the mom doesn't speak English, but her halmoni (grandma) does (who also happens to be Angela's sister).  (Did you figure out the connection?)  So, I will be working with Suhyung on T, Th, and every other Saturday from 3-5 (so much for my free days). 

Anyway, she lives in a completely different part of town.  I must take a train about six stops, transfer, and then take a different train another four stops.  It was easy to find and right across the street from the "Galleria Mall."  It's an unusual mall, in that it is all super designer names and brands (Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, Manolo Blahnik, etc.).  I've never seen such a collection under one roof.

Food of the Day is manduguk.  Mandu is essentially like a Chinese pot sticker.  Guk is soup.  The mandu I had the other evening was "king mandu" so it was the size of my fist...very large.  We were served four each...no way I could eat them all.  The filling was a mixture of tofu and vegetables and maybe some pork.  It was really tasty.  Add a little kimchee to the broth for heat and flavor, and voila!  (Not sure what the Koreans would say to that.)  I look forward to trying other mandu, as they are not always served in soup.  Sadly, I forgot to take pictures.

If you have Facebook, you have already seen this picture, but if not, I will tell you about it.  I made a little pitstop the other day, and in the public restroom I opened the stall door and found this!  I wasn't sure what to do, other than snap a picture in wonder, and laugh about the little device installed on the divider that provide the "water" sound.  I think it is totally hilarious.  It wasn't until I left the stall that I saw on the front of the door is not only an occupied/vacant sight, but also a drawing of the "squat pot" or a regular toilet.  I'll be more aware next time, for sure.

I've now met so many Korean adoptees and other Korean Americans.  It's really awesome. It's been great talking about our lives and experiences.  There are several other ladies arriving from the US very soon with whom I have been in contact via Facebook.  I am looking forward to meeting them in person.  We all have this unique connection, and it's great to be around people who have "been there, done that" kind of.  We all have had some very similar experiences and questions, and it's liberating (it's late so that's the best word my tired brain could drum up) to know we're not the only ones.

Costco in Corea

 

This is the Chongychong River.  it used to be under ground covered by a roadway.  The last mayor of the town apparently opened it up again. 

 

 This is the food for the day.  Made of honey, they work it until it is stringy (like cotton candy), and then roll chopped nuts in the middle.
They call it "old man's beard" because it's white and looks like an old man's beard.

I know how to spell Korea...but with a C is an accepted alternative spelling  Not sure why.  Anyway, Angela and I went to Costco on Saturday.  As in the States, that is a big no-no.  Huge lines, family outings with kids everywhere, it was a zoo.  It was really interesting to see the prices of foods we're used to.  Also, all the imported items must have Korean writing and descriptions...so many of the American foods have labels slapped on in Korean.  I would guess that many of the items I normally buy at Costco in California, were at least double in price.  They get a lot of imported Australian meat, some US meat, and also some Korean meat.  Angela explained that Korean beef isn't very good.  But Australian and US beef is VERY expensive.  There were only two kinds of lettuce from which to choose.  Limited selections of some other items, but in the spice aisle, gallon-sized cans of red pepper paste (for making kimchi, and everything else).  I took a picture on my phone, but I'm having problems transferring them.  Maybe another day.  I also picked up treats for my school kids.  Wonder how long they will last.

There was a free screening of a documentary on the women that were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army.  It was called "63 Years On."  If you have a chance to view it, I would highly recommend it.  The Japanese army kidnapped young women and held them in what was essentially brothels for the service of their soldiers. The women and girls were taken from all over Asia, including Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, and more.  They interviewed a women from the Netherlands who was living in Java at the time.  She too was taken.  It is estimated that somewhere between 50,000-200,000 women and young girls were put to service as "comfort women."  They were raped, tortured, made to do hard labor without food, beaten.  The documentary actually interviewed five of the survivors.  They have amazing and heartbreaking stories.  There is a resident for some of the survivors (www.houseofsharing.org), as many of them were rejected by their families when they returned.  Although, many of the women have passed away, I think they said about 10-12 still live there.

Tomorrow I begin my teaching.  I'm a little anxious about it, since I'm not trained as a teacher, and it will be my first day at two of the places.  I hope things go well.  My house mom also asked if I could tutor her niece three days a week.  These kids are dedicated to long hours of learning!  Wow.

Full Circle

Yesterday, my homestay mom, Angela drove me to Wonju, the city of my birth.  It was definitely on my list of must do's while in Korea.  It's a little bit more than an hour by car.  Angela is in her late 60s and didn't learn to drive until she was in her 40s.  She explained that she was in a couple of taxi accidents when she was young and was traumatized by that.  I thought the road was wide and well marked along the way.  There were even English translations of most of the Korean signs.  Angela liked to take more than one lane at a time...yikes!  She asked me if I thought I was a safe driver.  I told her yes, but she might get a different answer if she asked someone else.  She then asked me if I thought she was a safe driver.  I told her that I thought she was a safe driver.  She said she drives slowly...I said she drives like my mom (speed wise, only, my mom doesn't straddle the lanes).  I'm happy to take the subway for the remainder of my stay in Korea.  lol

super rest stop

 live music at the rest stop

On the way to Wonju we stopped at what I can only describe as a super rest stop.  This area's parking lot was incredibly full...people everywhere.  It looks like a strip mall with restaurants, small gift shops, large restrooms with many stalls (yay...no waiting), even people selling stuff out of their truck.  It was amazing.  The gas station is at the far end of the rest area.  It almost seems like it was added as an afterthought.  We did have to stop for gas, and they pump for you (how novel).  Angela brought some snacks with her and tea (made from some tree root, but "good for health").  I tried it.  It tasted like tree root tea.  Well, it was actually not that bad and the taste kind of grew on me.  In fact, she offered me some more later, and I accepted.  She also gave me a piece of pork sausage wrapped in cellophane...it looked like a tootsie roll.  It was good.  I tried my first (and probably my last) piece of dried ginseng...it is also a root and good for health.  I'm not so sure I want to be that healthy.  

 Mt. Chiakasan

Back on the road again, and I couldn't help but notice how poor the air quality was.  There are mountains in the distance and they were barely distinguishable.  Angela explained that yellow sand from Mongolia China blows through the air.  It is sometimes so heavy that it settles on the cars and people are warned to wear face masks.  In fact, I saw a number of cyclists, all who wore face masks.  They sell face masks that are made of a colorful, stretchy fabric and fit over your face, or can be worn as a headband, or just around your neck to keep your neck warm.  

We stopped for lunch and Angela ordered pork (she knows I'm not a big fan of fish).  She explained that the pork is boiled, so that there is no fat left, and all the spices in the water are absorbed by the meat.  It was really very tasty.  John, you would have loved it because it was a fatty piece of meat.  To eat the pork, you put it on a lettuce leaf, with some onions and red sauce.  It's messy, but delicious.  She also ordered soup with homemade noodles.  She told me that all soup stock is made with dried anchovies and vegetables.  The fish flavor wasn't noticeable, and the soup was delicious.  They float small pieces of nori and white sesame seeds on top before they serve it.  It was a pretty dish.  But, eating the noodles with chopsticks is a talent I've not quite mastered.  I used my spoon, instead.

 hospital building on the university campus

house, now a museum

YWCA

We got to Wonju and my first impression was that it was a big, modern city now.  There was road construction and many new apartments being built.  Angela's son went to medical school in Wonju, so she took me to his campus, as there are several older buildings there.  She said that the hospital on the campus used to be run by missionaries.  The building has been renovated, so it looked newer.  The other older buildings I saw were the YWCA, which currently houses a daycare; and a large, obviously older house, that is now a museum at the university.


As I stood on the campus and looked over the view of the city, I felt very emotional thinking about how I'd actually been in this city many years ago.  I thought about my birth mother and the difficult choices she had to make.  I thought about a young Johnny, full of anticipation, riding with the two missionaries to pickup a tiny baby. I was surprised at how much the city looked like where I live now.  The hills look like the hills of Sonoma county.  There are rivers in both cities.  I felt a connection to the city, and a peace that I'd come full circle.  It's hard to explain the swirl of emotions, but mostly of gratitude.  I'm so thankful for my parents for adopting me and for giving me such wonderful opportunities.  I'm thankful for my birth mom for bringing me into the world a healthy baby.  I'm so thankful for John's selflessness to let me leave him minding the shop alone for three months.  I'm thankful for all the wonderful friends and family I have and for the awesome moral support I get from them.  And, I'm so happy that I was able to make this trip.