Um, people are staring...

So, I have to laugh out loud about this, because it's just such an experience... Anyone who knows me knows I run - I'm ridiculously vocal about it - and I've written here before about my new running path along the Sincheon. But this post isn't really about running, but what happens to me every night when I run.

Staring is a common practice in Korea - it's not socially awkward or frowned upon, and native born Koreans gaze with reckless abandon at foreigners. I'm not going to lie, but that's one reason I dyed my hair red here - to stand out a bit more...a blonde friend of mine gets free stuff all the time because people are so in awe of the  color of her locks.

And by "gaze" I mean looking up and down, pointing, following with the head as one passes by on the street. I mean, it's really funny, as well as being a bit uncomfortable. But I never get stared down in public like I do when I run. I mean, it's like they've never seen curves before!

Tonight was particularly laughable, which is why I'm writing. I had one guy who looked like he was actually walking across the path toward me. I got several thumbs-ups tonight; one man, walking with friends, started pointing vigorously, then gave me the thumbs up sign - not sure if that's because I was running well or because I was wearing running knickers. Lot's of men wave. And twice now I've had a little old wrinkly man clap for me when I run into the tunnel that leads back to my apartment complex.

It's all enough to give me a complex!!! But I'm laughing about it, and waving back. It's just all kind of hilarious. 

My couch smells funny after its 2 month trip across the Pacific...

That will be my one and only complaint about the whole weekend that was moving in (part 2) for me! It's just that I'm sitting here on it while I type this. :)

As I told just about everyone I emailed this week, multiple times, my HHG (that's Army for household goods) arrived on Friday! I, sadly, don't have too many pictures of the procedure of actually moving my stuff in. It started with me meeting the movers outside (in the frigid windy-ness of a 40 degree day...not complaining, just a little bit of back-story in explaining the pic above). There were three large crates with "Ms. Kristina Kelly...Destination: Taegu" stamped on the outside. Pretty cool in a very official kind of way, but also AMAZING in that all my stuff fit into these three tall wooden boxes. So, I approved that the crates belonged to me and that they appeared not to have been already opened. Then the men sent me back upstairs to my 15th floor apartment. 

Then the fun began. The man in the pic above is actually one of the movers, standing OUTSIDE one of my windows. They removed the window frames/glass and the screens to stand out on my little gravel ledge and man the boxes that were LIFTED to my apartment window. I kid you not. They have this amazing raising platform/pallet on which they hoist stuff up and in. No elevators required! I've seen it in-process in my complex, but figured someone was moving in a piano (yes, that is where my head went)! But I wasn't able to get back downstairs to take a pic of my move/this crazy contraption because my movers kept me BUSY! They ran boxes in from the window, calling out the numbers taped on each carton, while I checked off the inventory list...and while we ALL unpacked (even Furgie "helped")! 

Now, the movers' version of unpacking is a bit different from an owner's version...

...but again, NOT complaining, because they also hauled away all the boxes (and there were 107 of them, to be precise) to a recycling center, saving me a bijillion trips downstairs! 

I checked the inventory at the end of the morning - it all took only 2.5 hours - and signed off on the total of 1.5 TONS of my stuff (3,205 lbs...), I am a little ashamed to say. I looked all around me and, honestly, felt a little weird. I mean, here's all my stuff - some I've had with me since college and DC, some acquired because of/during my marriage, some very recently for my short-lived "transition" place - now here in a home where I've been without for over a month. And by without, I mean a bed, a pillow to sit on in an empty living room, plastic dishes and utensils, a smattering of work clothes that I've overworked into different combinations, and instant coffee (and, ok, my new 42" TV and blue-ray player, but only 1 DVD to watch!). :) I guess I was just a little shocked to a) go from sparse to a full house in 2 hours, and b) see all my Chicago belongings here on a new continent. But it IS wonderful to have little bits of "home" here in all my newness. Crazy, and good...which I guess IS my life these days:) 

So, while there are still pictures to be hung, laundry to do, and re-organizing multiple times, all the boxes are gone, everything's unpacked, and, I suppose, I'm home! At least for another year and change:) 

Come visit! 

Furgie says hi!

Seriously, I cannot say enough how much she loves radiant flooring...

Strange, but true

In my apartment, there is a small speaker box that I just noticed this morning. I figured it was hooked into the smoke alarm system. But tonight, I found out what it was really for - it's an intercom! Yes, my building will, apparently, make community-wide announcements, just like in college or movies about communism.

I received my first message tonight, complete with ethereal chiming to announce the announcement. Of course, not understanding Hangul, I have no idea if there will be a fire drill or they're turning off the hot water or a tornado is approaching. But I'm taking it all in stride. And whatever it be, it can't compare to the momentary terror of having a strange ding-dong then voice-over come through my walls.

:)  

What better way to end a Saturday night...

...than with a modeling competition!

Seriously, I have no idea what this was about - one of the serious drawbacks of being unable to speak or understand the language is that I can neither infer from conversation or announcements nor ask what the hell is going on at any given time - but it was entertaining at least! Michell and I left a movie to happen upon some sort of competition, I think, although I didn't see any judges or any real skills on display...just some randoms standing around in tuxes and banners. Oh, Daegu...

Subway Tour!

One of the great things about being affiliated with the military in a foreign country is that they not only encourage you to get out and see things, they acclimate and offer tours for you to get out at relatively little cost. BONUS:) If you've ever studied abroad, you know what I'm talking about; these are just better because you can do them whenever you want, not just on the first weekend you arrive!

Yesterday, I took advantage of the Subway Tour. Now, Daegu's subway doesn't really require that much of a tour, being only two lines - the Green and the Red. Coming from Chicago, it's just not that complicated to navigate. Also, all signs are in English as well as Hangul, and all announcements on trains are also in English, after the Korean, so if you pay attention, you're good to go.

Daegu Metropolitan Transit - kind of laughably simple:) ...until it's not!

concert stage and decorative mosaic in underground station

What IS tricky is understanding your way through buying tickets - do you want a daily - and if you do, do you want a card or tokens? or do you want a multi-ride Toppass (I kid you not) that you add money to and ride for months? and how do you get one from a machine when it doesn't speak English? or where do you find the person that may or may not speak English to purchase a card in the middle of the extensive shopping malls and concert stages (again, I kid you not) that make up the underground labyrinth that is a Korean subway station?

Sauteeing beetles (look closely!)

After the 20 minutes it took to navigate a tour group of 15 through that process (I got the multi-use card, of course!), the rest of the day was spent sightseeing the most popular subway stops - Banwoldang (the middle), near Woobangland, which is a big playground for adults and kids; Seomun Market which has EVERYTHING: textiles, pots, spices, clothing, dried-cooked/cooking-fresh-even live animals (for eating...I had to avoid the bunny and puppy cages...couldn't take it...DID get pics of the sauteed beetles, even tho agima selling them tried to stop me!), and myriad others. Its incredible, and I will def go back; and Downtown (not sure which station it is...oops!) for lunch and shopping.

Entrance to WoobangLand

Pheasant, anyone?

The nicest agachi selling spices - wanted to see the pic I took and gave me thumbs up approval...as did the agima sitting across from him who ALSO had to see the pic! 

I thought I'd finally found the desserts - then I looked closer! No sweets, all seafood!

So pretty, so organic, so local

All in all, a great day, and a good way to meet people and feel confused as a group in a safe environment;) Thanks again, DOD, for making the transition to independence a bit easier than doing everything on my own! 

Hmmm....

I love the USAG Daegu Facebook page for short, little, non-panic-inducing tidbits like this: 


 "All installations can expect a greater security presence, additional random checks of personnel and vehicles. Individuals are encouraged to plan for delays. These exercises improve security readiness, are regularly scheduled and not related to current events."


It can be so random to work on an installation:) 

After-Effects of the Earthquake/Tsunami

I know, I know, I really shouldn't complain seeing as I still have my home, my work, my friends, coworkers, and my life, and Daegu was not inexplicably washed away by a giant uprising of sea level or dessimated by a sudden shift in the earth. But STILL...my life HAS been affected.

Apparently, the earthquake dislodged/upset some cables way below the sea, and our communications have been temporarily disrupted. Something to do with bandwidth and the Army not wanting us all to use too much of it on superfluousness (or is it superfluosity? whatever...). Hence, I am left at work without Facebook, without Google, without health care management sites, without CalorieKing.com, without Runner's World or Sparkpeople or CNN, Chicago Tribune, Bank of America, etc etc etc...it's a long and sad list. At least until 1700, when I can go home and FINALLY get some work done! I personally think the Army is using the disaster as an excuse to crack down on crazy internet usage. I mean, we DID just have an email before the disaster telling us that people were accessing Skype and YouTube when they weren't supposed to be. Now, all that is gone...but also some useful sites like research journals and APA and library access and all those incredibly easy and world-accessible things I use every day to actually DO my job. I don't think they realize that they have somewhat cut me off at the knees...as well as hampered my ability to update my status several times a day;)

Thank God for smart phones!! 


AND, just to make up for this post, HERE is a link where you can donate to The Red Cross' Japan aid efforts! 

First Pic Up!

Good message...and feels appropriate:) 

(Thanks for the inspiration, Catherine!)

Please Tell Me I Don't Need To Worry About That...

These were the exact words I asked my Admin today, in reference to air-raid sirens going off. I was half way between the post office and my office on base when they started. I looked around and didn't see any ominous flashes of light, but I have to admit I was none too calmed by the sudden presence of air craft humming rapidly approaching. No one else seemed to be bothered, anxious, or even moving particularly fast, however, so I kept it cool...on the outside. I even asked the question rather neutrally, all the while thinking, "Here we go! Holy S#$%!" 

My Admin - Ms. Yim, a youngish-looking (but then again, Korean women of really any age except 80-plus look youngish...until they go all frail and hunched and wrinkly like SNAP!) mother of 40-something - just laughed casually (like they do when they're either nervous or cautious or embarrassed or something's actually funny...its really the go-to response) and shook her head, saying not to worry...it seems that Daegu does this every 15th of the month, round about 1400, just to test the emergency response system. So all is well and calm was maintained.

Funny, I really don't remember this happening in February...

Agima!

I have an Agima, it is official - "Agima" is Korean for something akin to "little old lady" or "little helper lady" or "little mother" or something like that. Not sure I'm spelling it right, so looking up the translation is a bit tricky. But she polishes my floors like no tomorrow - I walked into a beautiful if furniture-poor (STILL no HHG!!) home last nite, with the sweet smell of Windex Multi-Surface and Scrubbing Bubbles wafting through the air. The woman folded my laundry, dusted the insides of my cabinets, rinsed out my coffee pot, swept up Furgie's business, and even took out all the trash...which is a complicated task, since they are SOO into recycling here (they even recycle food waste, which I've never experienced). She is definitely a once-every-other-Monday keeper! 

Trains, Subways and Automobiles (aka, Taxis)

Oh, my, Osan - where have you been all my life?!?

I was totally wrong, by the way, when I said Osan was a port city:) Ha ha, its totes landlocked! And you won't find much (if anything) about Osan in the guidebooks, and I'm not sure why. Well, maybe there isn't anything really to see - no museums, no beautiful gardens, no temples...its not even really that pretty. But Osan is a place where you can refine your skills in one-on-one (not collective!) bargaining, or give yourself a day of retail therapy that you will never forget.

It takes time and some resources to get to this little shopper's heaven, but it's worth it. The KTX, the slow train, then a subway, then a taxi will get you there. You step out onto golden-paved streets (well, there is a plaque with the name of the market on it) with specialty wares to meet your every heart's desire. Designer jeans, trendy coats, leather jackets, shoes galore, mink blankets, furs, specialty tailors, furniture, for-real designer purses, and even some oddities...all at prices way way way below prices marked. (Sure, you can buy things at full price, but you'd be a fool! Walk out of that store and into the next, and you'll find the same thing 50% or more below that.)

Why would you need this?

Not a real Converse??

Good advice

For my part, I contributed to the local economy enough to help keep it going for another month...at least. It was fabulous. If you decide to come visit me, we will definitely go and splurge.

Gamsa hamnida, Osan, for such a great day:)

My appliances sing to me

As I sit here and sip coffee on a Sunday morning, checking email and checking chores off my To Do list (laundry, dishes, boring household stuff), I am struck by two things:
1. How so NOT different Sunday mornings feel here vs. back home

2. The subtle differences, when they are present, such as...my appliances sing to me:) Instead of a buzzer or a click or a ding, my washing machine turns on with a little tune, and plays a bit of classical music (in a very midi way, of course) when the cycle is done. My dishwasher also alerts me with a little tune both as it's about to start, and when it's finished. If there is something amiss - the door isn't shut all the way, the setting is wrong, etc. - there is no noisy buzz or beep, but instead a sweet little tuneful something to say, "Attention here, please, as you need to tend to something that is not right."

This is one of the things about daily life in Korea that makes me smile. And I'm certainly glad I've moved from the noisome buzz to the tuneful plea in terms of machine attention-grabbing. I can only imagine how startling it would be to go in the opposite direction! 

All is ok over here!

Just wanted to send a quick note to say that I am, indeed, ok over here. I know the images and the news on the recent earthquakes and tsunamis are terrifying and incredible, but all is well here in the Land of the Morning Calm. In fact, as I've now told my cousin and my parents, I wouldn't know anything was going on if I didn't watch US News programs! (The Today Show is on here at 9p every day!)

To understand how I can possible not be affected by all the craziness, I offer an illustration of the Pacific Rim of Fire:

As you can see, Korea lies outside of it, and that is where all the craziness is occurring right now.

I'm sure there will be humanitarian aid efforts going on over here, and I'm actually going to look into those. I'll keep you posted about the after effects. But again, I am safe, we've had no geological events go on in the last 48 hours, and I'll let you know if anything changes:)

And I just found out yesterday that my household goods arrived in port in Osan on the Korean peninsula, so my material things are also safe. Hoorah!

Well, I'm off to manage whatever anxiety I do have on the current situation, etc. with a little retail therapy. Will take pics of the port city of Osan and will post soon!

Thanks for the emails and concern! MISS YOU all:)

Wandering...

Decided to go for a wander today to see how far I live from downtown...not a bad 30-minute walk:) Thought I'd share a bit of it with you! 

Downtown Daegu: Shopping Central

Typical side street in Daegu

Daegu Rock Formation #2

First Time Massagey

Ok, let me start by explaining that the term "massagey" is not meant to be derogatory. Its a trend here that I'm noticing that native Koreans do typically add an e/ey sound to the ends of English words when they speak - so words such as "like" turn out "likey". Its one of those strange (strangey?) stereotypes that ring true.

Now, on to the adventure - its been a whirlwind of settling in, adjusting to a new time zone, a new job, let alone trying to make new friends. So this weekend was a good opportunity to practice some good self-care:) My hair color adventure turned out well (pics to come, I promise, but I'm not good at self-portraits!), so Chell and I decided to head to Salon World for an evening massage.

One of the awesome things about Korea is that you CAN get a massage at 8p - and have it be an actual, real, reputable massage! But the experience is different, of course! Chell and I walk in and are handed locker keys and a choice of matching neon shorts/tshirts to walk around the spa. We declined those, unfortunately, as you'll see later. We proceed to the locker room, which even at this hour has a smattering of very naked  and very casually walking about Korean women of all shapes and sizes. We try to ignore them. We are led into a room and given random men's basketball shorts and (eventually!!) robes, and served tea in heart-shaped cups. This is our first indication that we will be having a couple's massage(y)! And indeed, post-tea, we are led to side-by-side massage tables. We look at each other, shrug our shoulders and hope for the best.

Now, I have had a number of massages in my day, and I have to admit that this was one of the best for working out knots! That does not mean it was the most relaxing of massages ever, however. The good thing is that I was able to block out Chell and her therapist...the bad part was I found the ability to do that by focusing on breathing through the pain of my massage experience. That woman moved my arms and legs at angles I did not think possible - limbs and digits were pulled, ligaments and muscles were stretched, there was jerking and beating and flailing. I almost had to call it when my woman straddled me and I realized those were her KNEES rapidly pounding my back. But, I breathed through it all. There were definitely moments when I thought "Oh God, I know this is ancient technique but I hope it's safe!"

Afterwards, I felt like jelly, and that was good. Next time, however, I am heading home to go to bed afterwards, and not out for duck-in-leaf and drinks at Starducks (I kid you not), then a giant cupcake...that was not a good way to celebrate the detoxification process inherent in a massage. But it WAS fun!

And all that being said, I will definitely go back, especially during marathon training!! I'm actually thinking of making it a regular bi-weekly occurrence, as I really do feel better in terms of movement. So when you come visit, put aside about $55 for an hour-long massagey, because I will be more than happy to take you!

Please join us for an evening at home...

Welcome to Unida Apartments, Building 103, Unit 1501. We like to enjoy quiet nights lounging on the radiant heat floors (Furgie especially loves them!), watching TV, catching up on emails and blog writing.

There is sadly not much to blog about these days. We did discover a download that allows us to live stream from some websites (hulu, pandora) that we thought were denied us who live OCONUS (Outside the Continental US)...it works most of the time. But we've been busy working/focusing on the job and hiding in the built-in furniture, so we haven't had a chance to do too much exploring. We'll get back to it as soon as we can - likely this weekend!

In the meantime, we have begun to plan our first trip home: OCTOBER!!! That's the first month we can apply to fly home by jumping on a standby jet. Not sure if Furgie will make it back this time, but we'll make every effort. Kristina HAS to run the Chicago Marathon, and then see plenty of loved ones. We're already very excited.

Until the next adventure,
Us

PS. If anyone is watching Charlie Sheen these days (and who can miss him...we can't even get away from him here!) - no one I'm treating is that...well, that much of anything!!