Annyeonghaseyo!

Annyeonghaseyo - common greeting word in Hangul, meaning "hello", "good afternoon", and so on.

Just thought I'd do a quick post & show some older pictures I've taken so far in Korea that I don't think many of you have seen yet.  The "Lunar New Year" is coming up for the Koreans, which is a pretty big holiday here.  If you didn't already know, the Lunar New Year is really big with the Chinese culture but is celebrated all across the Asian culture.  It usually just means the family sweeps the house (literally) of all ill-fortune..making way for good luck.  Koreans & I think actually a lot of Asians are huge into "luck".  They even almost all own lucky dogs..this is what they look like.  Don't be fooled by their cute looks..they are not friendly.

I was standing at the bus stop the other day and a Korean man was next to me and said in all seriousness, "READY TO WIPE THE DEVIL RIGHT OUT YOUR HOUSE?"  Come to find out..that is what the Lunar New Year means also.  Too funny.

A really popular thing to do here in Korea is golf.  They put driving ranges anywhere they can..and that means off of buildings!  But since it is cold a majority of the year here, they actually have indoor golfing..known as Screen Golfing.  It is really neat.  They even have the sounds of chirping birds, the wind, all that.  It is about as real as it gets.  It is only like 20,000 W, which depending on the day and currency is about $18.  My favorite thing is the automatic ball setter..you hit a button and it swings the ball around and puts it on the tee for you!  Mike is pretty bad at golf but this shot makes him look good :)

 

Fishing is a big job and importance here.  One of the neatest things here is visiting fish markets.  I know what you're thinking..ew that would smell..and..it does!  However, it is really neat seeing how one of the biggest industries works here.  If you want to sit and dine..you pick anything you want in any tank, pay their price, and they will cook it up for you just how you like it and season it too.  We didn't actually eat it that day but Mike wants to eventually.  I'm not huge on seafood so we will see.  Take a look at how huge those crabs are!!!

Well, that is about it for now.  I don't want to post too many things & run out..even though I don't think that would happen :)  Hope everyone is doing great and has an awesome Wednesday!  Miss you...

A quiet weekend...

We definitely had a lazy weekend.  Thought I would post a few pictures of this weekend and some funny/interesting things about living in Korea.  Right now it is snowing like crazy outside, supposed to get around 3 inches but it is really coming down hard!  The snow is pretty but the next morning it isn't when it all turns into black ice and I have fallen too many times so far this year, ha.

Mike thought it would be a great idea to shovel snow...while it was snowing.  About 25 minutes later the snow started picking up more and looked like he never shoveled.  I give him an A for effort :)

One of the more funny yet annoying things about living in Korea is the outlet changes as well as the voltage changes.  Most of our voltages in the states is 110, in Korea it is 220.  In other words, every time we need to plug something into the "wall"..we plug it into one of these.  Yes, you read right..if you need to blow dry your HAIR..you plug it into this 1800s era monster.  That goes for the dryer, microwave, coffee pot (which Mike hates ;) ), and pretty much everything else under the sun.  I have grew to laugh about it and kind of wonder what it will be like once we go back to the states and don't have to use one.  Interesting huh?

My little wolf loves to play in the snow..notice Danny is never pictured :)

Have a great Sunday!  Love you guys

Trip to Nansam Mountain aka Seoul Tower...

Seoul tower is a huge attraction here in Korea.  It is located at the top of a mountain overlooking Seoul in every direction.  After taking a cable car to the top of the mountain, you arrive at an area below the tower entrance.  The "N" stands for Nansam Mountatin, which is what Koreans refer to Seoul tower as since it is located on the mountain.  In front of Seoul tower is an old "look-out" with built in weapons (not now of course) was used during the Korean war to spot the North Korean enemies.

From this point in the tower, we are exactly that distance away from North Korea's capital.  But, as far as distance goes between countries, we are only about 25 miles away.  So glad we have such nice neighbors :)

After the tower we ate at the Korean restaurant located inside of the top of the tower called Hancook.  It was...alright.  I'm not the biggest fan of Korean food so I am never "wowed".  Mike is the more adventurous of the two.  Anyone want to take a guess at what this is?  Pickled Jellyfish salad.  Mike said the texture was crunchy...I think I will pass!

At the base of the tower, Koreans buy or bring a lock of their own and write a message to their future husband/wife, or whatever their situation may be.  The lock stands for everlasting love and they throw away the key, symbolizing their heart is "locked".  It was crazy how many locks were there, this is just a small snapshot of the love locks.

Young koreans in school seem to always be doing a school project on international topics, mostly people.  These group of high school boys spotted us (because it is clear we stick out like 2 sore thumbs) and wanted our picture.  In the U.S. we say "cheese" when we smile and as we were posing, the boy to my left says "SAY KIMCHI!"  One of the highlights to my day :)  Mike teases and says I blend in with Koreans...not funny.

Hope everyone has a great day!

The First of Many...

Hello!  I am a little new to the 'Blog World' so bare with me a bit till I get the hang of it.  I started thinking about designing a blog a while ago from my good friend, ScrapbookPatty.  We met at Fort Bragg and I couldn't ask for a better friend & partner in crime in this crazy Army life.  I mainly wanted to start a blog to share with family and friends our daily experiences and memories we have here in South Korea and throughout our time in the military. Check in daily (hopefully) for some new pictures and new stories! Enjoy :o)