Well, the end is finally here, hard to believe that we have already been gone 7 months. I'm not sure where time has gone. I don't think I can write a good enough summary of our trip or put into words how we feel about everything. For me, it's a bit bitter sweet. I want to come home, but at the same time, I could have stayed away for another couple of months.
I can't tell you what my favorite country was, what my favorite memory was because honestly, there is too many to pick from. And I don't think I can really explain to anyone how much this trip has made an impact on us. We are coming home with some amazing memories and experiences and with a new outlook on how we want to live our lives.
We have so many great things to look forward to once we are back and we know that the next couple of years will be some sort of new adventure for us. I think Arnold and I both needed to shake things up in our lives and this trip is just what we needed. We were both just going through the motions of each day while we were in Calgary, but not really enjoying ourselves. We have new things to look forward to now and new opportunities for work. Who knows, maybe we will be back in Seoul soon to teach a little English - haha (but I would seriously consider it - I can hear my mom yelling at me for that comment). So you haven't heard the last from us Lee's.
Okay, I better stop before I start rambling and get all emotional (nevermind, it's too late) haha.. But thank you so much to everyone who read our blog and put up with all of my bad grammar. I'm not going to lie, blogging is a hard job and it wasn't easy for me, but I'm glad I did it and I hope that everyone enjoyed the stories from our trip. It's been one heck of a journey. We feel pretty lucky to have done this and had the chance to do it as a team. I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend 7 months with away from home.
A lot of people have asked about pictures. When I get back to Canada and have a bit of time, I will definitely sort something out. I will either post them on here or create a link for flickr and send it out to anyone that is interested. We have thousands of photos, so it could take some time haha.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone when we are back, so give us a call or send us an email.
Lots and lots of love
Melissa and Arnold
We are still swinging life away ...
PS. I have that "I'm coming home" song stuck in my head now. LOL
Monday, September 5, 2011
Random bits...
So this post really has no rhyme or reason, but just some things I have thought about lately that I didn't get around to posting.
There are these amazing workout stations all throughout Seoul. It's a great theory and it's nice to see the older folks using them, but they are a bit useless. Believe me, I tried using them before haha.
K-Pop is pretty much the best entertainment around. If you ever need a good laugh, just google a K-pop video and you will feel so much better in a second.
I'm scared to go home because I haven't really had to cook, clean or do my own laundry in 7 months. And now I'm going to have to do all of those things again haha.
Drinking on a Monday night in Seoul is no big thing - actually, it seems like it's the norm. And if you can't stand or walk to the taxi area, it is A-OK to pass out where you are. haha I love seeing the drunk people stumbling around.
Expect to hear older Korean women burping as you walk down the street.
Expect the same older Korean women to push you out of their way - actually, a lady grabbed the back of my shorts to pull me out of her way haha.
Perms are huge here - I wonder what my stylist would say if I asked her to perm my hair? haha, I have seriously thought about it.
Korean news is probably the best - they are big on re-enactments and they blur the faces of people they interview and give them funny voices. I really enjoy it.
Suicide rates are very, very high in Korea. Which is a very scary, but real problem here. As I said before, there is so much pressure on the people here to be a certain way that I think it drives people to feel like there is no way out. Very shocking to here about - we just read in the paper today that everyday in Korea, 42 people commit suicide.
Okay, that is all I can think about for now... one more post and I think that should take care of the blog and our trip. Sigh... stay tuned.
Love Melissa and Arnold
There are these amazing workout stations all throughout Seoul. It's a great theory and it's nice to see the older folks using them, but they are a bit useless. Believe me, I tried using them before haha.
K-Pop is pretty much the best entertainment around. If you ever need a good laugh, just google a K-pop video and you will feel so much better in a second.
I'm scared to go home because I haven't really had to cook, clean or do my own laundry in 7 months. And now I'm going to have to do all of those things again haha.
Drinking on a Monday night in Seoul is no big thing - actually, it seems like it's the norm. And if you can't stand or walk to the taxi area, it is A-OK to pass out where you are. haha I love seeing the drunk people stumbling around.
Expect to hear older Korean women burping as you walk down the street.
Expect the same older Korean women to push you out of their way - actually, a lady grabbed the back of my shorts to pull me out of her way haha.
Perms are huge here - I wonder what my stylist would say if I asked her to perm my hair? haha, I have seriously thought about it.
Korean news is probably the best - they are big on re-enactments and they blur the faces of people they interview and give them funny voices. I really enjoy it.
Suicide rates are very, very high in Korea. Which is a very scary, but real problem here. As I said before, there is so much pressure on the people here to be a certain way that I think it drives people to feel like there is no way out. Very shocking to here about - we just read in the paper today that everyday in Korea, 42 people commit suicide.
Okay, that is all I can think about for now... one more post and I think that should take care of the blog and our trip. Sigh... stay tuned.
Love Melissa and Arnold
A bit of luck...
I know that I am probably going to jinx us now and I am knocking on every piece of wood in sight, but Arnold and I had some really good luck on this trip. Now, don't get me wrong, we also did some pretty dumb things that we probably shouldn't have, but overall our trip has been pretty smooth.
We must have taken close to 30 flights on this trip and not once did we lose a bag - see, now that I say that I am going to be cursed going forward and or our bags won't show up in Calgary haha. We didn't lose our passports, we didn't get pick pocketed and didn't really get into any bad situations. Considering some of the places we went to, things could have been different. But because I'm such a baby, I was pretty paranoid and very cautious.
Some how we made all of our flight connections - even though it was a close call in some cases. And lastly, man, did we have amazing weather throughout the whole 7 months. Not even joking, I think we saw rain at the most, 12 times, throughout our trip. We really lucked out in that department. If it did rain, we were already at home (well not home, but our hotel) and it didn't cause any problems.
Even though we did some rather silly things, we had one heck of a trip and so many good memories to bring back with us. I don't think it could have been better for us. And now our parents can breathe a sigh of relief once we touch down on Canadian soil haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Knock on some wood for me for a little good luck for us ;)
We must have taken close to 30 flights on this trip and not once did we lose a bag - see, now that I say that I am going to be cursed going forward and or our bags won't show up in Calgary haha. We didn't lose our passports, we didn't get pick pocketed and didn't really get into any bad situations. Considering some of the places we went to, things could have been different. But because I'm such a baby, I was pretty paranoid and very cautious.
Some how we made all of our flight connections - even though it was a close call in some cases. And lastly, man, did we have amazing weather throughout the whole 7 months. Not even joking, I think we saw rain at the most, 12 times, throughout our trip. We really lucked out in that department. If it did rain, we were already at home (well not home, but our hotel) and it didn't cause any problems.
Even though we did some rather silly things, we had one heck of a trip and so many good memories to bring back with us. I don't think it could have been better for us. And now our parents can breathe a sigh of relief once we touch down on Canadian soil haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Knock on some wood for me for a little good luck for us ;)
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Scooter Rides
This post is just for Agri.. haha
Agri has a scooter that he uses to get around the city. Since he drives everywhere, he knows the city so well. He kept promising us scooter rides (just like the carnival haha) so that we could see more of the city. Well last night was finally my turn for the long waited scooter ride.
It was really cool seeing a couple new areas of the city and to be able to connect all of the areas that we had been in together. It made it seem like Seoul was smaller then it seems. But that really isn't the point of this post. I have a much better story about the scooter ride haha.
I have come to realize that I'm a chicken sh*t. I'm scared of my own shadow. Last time I was on the back of a scooter, I told Arnold he couldn't go faster then 40km/hr. Well it's not like I could tell Agri the same thing and or is it possible to go that slow in a city. Every little bump on the street that we hit feels big when you are on a small, fast moving bike. The traffic seems way too close to you and that you are in danger of being hit (even though you aren't). My brother in law is a bit of a madman out there on his bike.
Anyway, he wanted to take me for a tour of the campus of one of those big Sky Universities so I could see what they are like. Being a Sunday night, there wasn't any traffic around campus. And well Agri is easily distracted by fields and flood lights. He's like a dog when a dog sees a squirrel - just loses all focus. We pass by a field lit up with flood lights and he can't take his eyes off everyone playing sports. Meanwhile I'm looking ahead and realize that there is a speed bump coming up and we aren't slowing down. I grab Agri's arm and say "Agri, speedbump" but it's too late. We hit that bump at a good speed and I go flying. I actually jumped out of my seat on the bike, thankfully, I was able to grab onto the bike. Honestly, I couldn't stop laughing. I think if anyone was around to see that they would have died laughing. Two white people flying over a speed bump. It was really funny or maybe so just in my mind. But I am still laughing about it. I think that will be my last scooter ride in a while.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Agri has a scooter that he uses to get around the city. Since he drives everywhere, he knows the city so well. He kept promising us scooter rides (just like the carnival haha) so that we could see more of the city. Well last night was finally my turn for the long waited scooter ride.
It was really cool seeing a couple new areas of the city and to be able to connect all of the areas that we had been in together. It made it seem like Seoul was smaller then it seems. But that really isn't the point of this post. I have a much better story about the scooter ride haha.
I have come to realize that I'm a chicken sh*t. I'm scared of my own shadow. Last time I was on the back of a scooter, I told Arnold he couldn't go faster then 40km/hr. Well it's not like I could tell Agri the same thing and or is it possible to go that slow in a city. Every little bump on the street that we hit feels big when you are on a small, fast moving bike. The traffic seems way too close to you and that you are in danger of being hit (even though you aren't). My brother in law is a bit of a madman out there on his bike.
Anyway, he wanted to take me for a tour of the campus of one of those big Sky Universities so I could see what they are like. Being a Sunday night, there wasn't any traffic around campus. And well Agri is easily distracted by fields and flood lights. He's like a dog when a dog sees a squirrel - just loses all focus. We pass by a field lit up with flood lights and he can't take his eyes off everyone playing sports. Meanwhile I'm looking ahead and realize that there is a speed bump coming up and we aren't slowing down. I grab Agri's arm and say "Agri, speedbump" but it's too late. We hit that bump at a good speed and I go flying. I actually jumped out of my seat on the bike, thankfully, I was able to grab onto the bike. Honestly, I couldn't stop laughing. I think if anyone was around to see that they would have died laughing. Two white people flying over a speed bump. It was really funny or maybe so just in my mind. But I am still laughing about it. I think that will be my last scooter ride in a while.
Love Melissa and Arnold
These hard working Koreans...
I think everything in Korea is a big competition. Who can have a better this, a better that. It seems like they are always trying to one up themselves and be better then the next person. And I don't say this in a negative way, more so just stating facts. They are born to be the best and they only want to be the best. Now I'm not talking about being the best looking, having the most designer bags etc etc. I'm talking about how they approach the things they do in their life, their hobbies.
If you are going to get into biking here (like a typical peddle bike you see in Canada) well then you get all the gear and you go all out. If you are interested in running, then you get the best of the best and work hard at it. Everything is intense and they only want to be the best they can be at it. Even their buildings have to be the biggest and best haha. They have the "worlds largest department store". They are building the worlds 5th biggest tower. Koreans go all out, every shift.
The biggest thing in Korea though, is the "National Exam". Everyone wants to go to one of the three Sky Universities. If you can get into one of these three universities, then you are set for life. So everything in life leading up to that exam is all about preparing for it. Kids at the age of 5, yes 5 year olds are being prepped for an exam they will take when they turn 18 (or whatever age they take it at). Studying for this exam becomes a full time job. The amount of pressure on these kids is out of this world. Definitely not the same as in North America. Their whole world is around this exam and these schools.
A bit of an eye opener for Arnold and I. We feel like such slackers haha, okay, or maybe I feel like that.
Love Melissa and Arnold
If you are going to get into biking here (like a typical peddle bike you see in Canada) well then you get all the gear and you go all out. If you are interested in running, then you get the best of the best and work hard at it. Everything is intense and they only want to be the best they can be at it. Even their buildings have to be the biggest and best haha. They have the "worlds largest department store". They are building the worlds 5th biggest tower. Koreans go all out, every shift.
The biggest thing in Korea though, is the "National Exam". Everyone wants to go to one of the three Sky Universities. If you can get into one of these three universities, then you are set for life. So everything in life leading up to that exam is all about preparing for it. Kids at the age of 5, yes 5 year olds are being prepped for an exam they will take when they turn 18 (or whatever age they take it at). Studying for this exam becomes a full time job. The amount of pressure on these kids is out of this world. Definitely not the same as in North America. Their whole world is around this exam and these schools.
A bit of an eye opener for Arnold and I. We feel like such slackers haha, okay, or maybe I feel like that.
Love Melissa and Arnold
4D Movie...
is the only way I want to watch movies from now on.
Shelley and Agri took us to see a 4D movie because they said that we needed to experience this. So we bought tickets to see Planet of the Apes in 4D. It was soo much fun, if you ever have a chance to watch a movie in 4D you HAVE to go.
So every row has only four seats and when you sit down you have to keep your feet on the ledge below. It's like a little shelf for your feet. They tell you not to move your feet from it once the show begins (I don't know what you would do if you had to pee haha). Throughout the movie, those seats move. So you are moving all over the place, getting bumped around and yep, punched in the butt haha. We saw an action movie so there was a lot of action going on with the seats. There is wind, bubbles, smells and water. When the apes would start running, you would get wind gusts, from either right behind you in your seat or else in front of you. When someone sneezed, umm, it felt like someone sneezed on you haha. At one point, something also grabbed our ankle haha.
Honestly, it was hilarious. When the movie first started we couldn't stop laughing because of all of the stuff going on around us. The end of the movie is pretty action packed, so it felt like we were on a ride haha. It was pretty funny watching everyone around us too. See what their reaction was. I really hope that they bring 4D movies to Calgary because it was a blast.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. A girl at the movie was wearing one of those neck pillows you see people on the plane wearing. We of course had a good laugh about it. Who brings a neck pillow to the movie? haha, but then we said that maybe she brought it for neck support for all the action from the seats haha
Shelley and Agri took us to see a 4D movie because they said that we needed to experience this. So we bought tickets to see Planet of the Apes in 4D. It was soo much fun, if you ever have a chance to watch a movie in 4D you HAVE to go.
So every row has only four seats and when you sit down you have to keep your feet on the ledge below. It's like a little shelf for your feet. They tell you not to move your feet from it once the show begins (I don't know what you would do if you had to pee haha). Throughout the movie, those seats move. So you are moving all over the place, getting bumped around and yep, punched in the butt haha. We saw an action movie so there was a lot of action going on with the seats. There is wind, bubbles, smells and water. When the apes would start running, you would get wind gusts, from either right behind you in your seat or else in front of you. When someone sneezed, umm, it felt like someone sneezed on you haha. At one point, something also grabbed our ankle haha.
Honestly, it was hilarious. When the movie first started we couldn't stop laughing because of all of the stuff going on around us. The end of the movie is pretty action packed, so it felt like we were on a ride haha. It was pretty funny watching everyone around us too. See what their reaction was. I really hope that they bring 4D movies to Calgary because it was a blast.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. A girl at the movie was wearing one of those neck pillows you see people on the plane wearing. We of course had a good laugh about it. Who brings a neck pillow to the movie? haha, but then we said that maybe she brought it for neck support for all the action from the seats haha
Coffee, Face products and shopping...
The amount of coffee shops in Korea is pretty insane. Koreans LOVE their coffee haha. Just in one corner near the place we are staying there are about 5 coffee shops. FIVE!! And only on one corner. Everywhere you look, you will see a couple of them. And no, not the big Starbucks chain, but lots of independent shops. Don't get me wrong, they have loads of the chains here, but just as many independent shops as well. And these places are always busy - we have gone in at 9pm for a chai and the coffee shops are packed. Like who is drinking that much coffee at 9-10pm at night. Don't they sleep? LOL. I swear that there is over a million coffee shops in this city haha
The big thing here is face cream shops. I think that those shops are trying to out number the coffee shops. It's like they are competing against each other to see who can have more stores. When you walk down the street, it seems like every other shop is a beauty product store haha. And once again, they are always busy. I have never seen so many places advertising skin whitening creams in my life. But lets face it, Asians (and Korean in particular) have some of the best skin around. Flawless. So it's hard not to get sucked into what they are buying because it's obviously working for the Koreans. My sister in law has been so helpful in getting me addicted to products sold here. I will blame her when I max out my visa on beauty products haha. She even introduced me to facials. So now I want to get a facial every two weeks haha. Once again, Korea is the place to be if you want any good advice or procedures for skin. Amazing.
Shopping, shopping, and more shopping. Next time I come to Seoul, it will be with an empty suitcase. Everywhere you turn, there is some sort of clothing store. I think Korea might be the best place I have been to for shopping. It is amazing here. I could honestly spend weeks upon weeks here shopping. Everything fits so well and is very trendy (but beware, if you have big boobs, Korea is not the place for you haha). They have these malls here that are 6 floors high, all full of little boutiques. Every area of the city is full of independent boutiques and it seems like Koreans are always shopping. Luxury brand items are out of the question though. Any high end designer name is very, very expensive in Asia. They are almost double the price you would pay in North America. So now I know why they flock overseas to buy name brands. Ooh and I also did a little shopping in the "worlds biggest department store". Now that "department store" was impressive haha. (I didn't buy anything, but I wanted to say that I went there haha).
Love Melissa and Arnold
The big thing here is face cream shops. I think that those shops are trying to out number the coffee shops. It's like they are competing against each other to see who can have more stores. When you walk down the street, it seems like every other shop is a beauty product store haha. And once again, they are always busy. I have never seen so many places advertising skin whitening creams in my life. But lets face it, Asians (and Korean in particular) have some of the best skin around. Flawless. So it's hard not to get sucked into what they are buying because it's obviously working for the Koreans. My sister in law has been so helpful in getting me addicted to products sold here. I will blame her when I max out my visa on beauty products haha. She even introduced me to facials. So now I want to get a facial every two weeks haha. Once again, Korea is the place to be if you want any good advice or procedures for skin. Amazing.
Shopping, shopping, and more shopping. Next time I come to Seoul, it will be with an empty suitcase. Everywhere you turn, there is some sort of clothing store. I think Korea might be the best place I have been to for shopping. It is amazing here. I could honestly spend weeks upon weeks here shopping. Everything fits so well and is very trendy (but beware, if you have big boobs, Korea is not the place for you haha). They have these malls here that are 6 floors high, all full of little boutiques. Every area of the city is full of independent boutiques and it seems like Koreans are always shopping. Luxury brand items are out of the question though. Any high end designer name is very, very expensive in Asia. They are almost double the price you would pay in North America. So now I know why they flock overseas to buy name brands. Ooh and I also did a little shopping in the "worlds biggest department store". Now that "department store" was impressive haha. (I didn't buy anything, but I wanted to say that I went there haha).
Love Melissa and Arnold
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Aemilia update
Sort of forgot to update everyone on my new little project. There really hasn't been a lot to talk about because we haven't really been able to do a lot from overseas. But we have picked a logo, websites are being worked out and I will have my first shipment of goods in October (if everything goes as planned).
Anyway, I just wanted to post a picture of the logo. Lemme know your thoughts. I hope you like it. The team that designed it did an amazing job and really captured everything perfectly. Exactly what I had envisioned.
Love Melissa
Anyway, I just wanted to post a picture of the logo. Lemme know your thoughts. I hope you like it. The team that designed it did an amazing job and really captured everything perfectly. Exactly what I had envisioned.
Love Melissa
Updates, updates, updates
Sorry for slacking on the blog, but we have been having far too much fun in Korea and I have been rather lazy. But I finally sat down and posted some new stories for you.
We were actually supposed to leave today and head home, but we moved our flight to Tuesday. Extending our trip for as long as possible, hard to leave, but getting excited to head home. If it wasn't for our dog, I think we could have easily have stayed away much longer. But I guess we have to come back one of these days LOL.
Anyway, lots more posts coming in the next couple of hours. Including an Aemilia update - woohoo haha. Pretty crazy that 7 months has zoomed by like that and we are heading home in 48 hours. Sob.
Also, please excuse all of my bad grammar and spelling mistakes, I have been rushing to get things posted. Hope all is well.
Love Melissa and Arnold
We were actually supposed to leave today and head home, but we moved our flight to Tuesday. Extending our trip for as long as possible, hard to leave, but getting excited to head home. If it wasn't for our dog, I think we could have easily have stayed away much longer. But I guess we have to come back one of these days LOL.
Anyway, lots more posts coming in the next couple of hours. Including an Aemilia update - woohoo haha. Pretty crazy that 7 months has zoomed by like that and we are heading home in 48 hours. Sob.
Also, please excuse all of my bad grammar and spelling mistakes, I have been rushing to get things posted. Hope all is well.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Rolling out the Red Carpet...
One of the reasons for us coming to Korea, was so I could finally meet the rest of Arnold's family. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was pretty nervous. I was the first "white" person to be married into the family, so they were curious about me. Shelley's husband, Agri (who is also "white") has met all of the family here in Korea - so it was like he had already broke them in. The only problem with that, is that they thought I could eat as much as he could. LOL
His family seriously rolled out the red carpet for me. It was such an honor to be a guest at their house and for them to welcome me to the family with such big hearts. I honestly, felt so privileged to be apart of the family. (Yep, I married into the best family ever. haha)
The first Friday we were in Seoul, we were invited for dinner at his Aunt and Uncles house (who I have met before in Canada and Thailand). I think they must have spent all day preparing food for all of us because I have never seen that much food before. (This is where I ate all of the Kimchi haha). The following week we were off to meet his family living in Daegu. Arnold's one cousin took time off from his job so he could show us around Daegu and Busan (he even drove us there from Seoul). When we got to Arnold's aunt's house, the first thing she did was made us eat (even though it was 10pm at night LOL). The next day when we got up, she made us this HUGE breakfast - honestly, she must have been up for 2 hours cooking all of this food for us. It was pretty incredible. Korean's are a lot like Italians - they always want you to eat, eat, eat. The next morning, breakfast was the same. This incredible spread of food prepared for us. They even got Arnold a birthday cake because we were at their house the day of his birthday.
Then we were off to Daejeon to meet another cousin and have lunch all together. Once again, the red carpet was rolled out. His cousin made us FRESH sushi and sashimi. I, of course, don't eat seafood, but had to give it a try because of all the hard work they put into preparing this meal for us (and I actually didn't mind small bites of the raw fish - it was really good). I have pictures - you would be amazed with the amount of sushi they made for everyone. Once again, more incredible food and more incredible hospitality.
I am in love with his family. They are such sweet people and I wish I had more time to spend with them. Sometimes, it's a bit tough with the language because I can't tell them how grateful I am, but we get by. I can only hope to give them the same level of hospitality if they ever come visit us in Canada.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. I couldn't do kimchi in the morning - I was okay with rice and soup, but couldn't do the kimchi first thing LOL.
His family seriously rolled out the red carpet for me. It was such an honor to be a guest at their house and for them to welcome me to the family with such big hearts. I honestly, felt so privileged to be apart of the family. (Yep, I married into the best family ever. haha)
The first Friday we were in Seoul, we were invited for dinner at his Aunt and Uncles house (who I have met before in Canada and Thailand). I think they must have spent all day preparing food for all of us because I have never seen that much food before. (This is where I ate all of the Kimchi haha). The following week we were off to meet his family living in Daegu. Arnold's one cousin took time off from his job so he could show us around Daegu and Busan (he even drove us there from Seoul). When we got to Arnold's aunt's house, the first thing she did was made us eat (even though it was 10pm at night LOL). The next day when we got up, she made us this HUGE breakfast - honestly, she must have been up for 2 hours cooking all of this food for us. It was pretty incredible. Korean's are a lot like Italians - they always want you to eat, eat, eat. The next morning, breakfast was the same. This incredible spread of food prepared for us. They even got Arnold a birthday cake because we were at their house the day of his birthday.
Then we were off to Daejeon to meet another cousin and have lunch all together. Once again, the red carpet was rolled out. His cousin made us FRESH sushi and sashimi. I, of course, don't eat seafood, but had to give it a try because of all the hard work they put into preparing this meal for us (and I actually didn't mind small bites of the raw fish - it was really good). I have pictures - you would be amazed with the amount of sushi they made for everyone. Once again, more incredible food and more incredible hospitality.
I am in love with his family. They are such sweet people and I wish I had more time to spend with them. Sometimes, it's a bit tough with the language because I can't tell them how grateful I am, but we get by. I can only hope to give them the same level of hospitality if they ever come visit us in Canada.
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. I couldn't do kimchi in the morning - I was okay with rice and soup, but couldn't do the kimchi first thing LOL.
Food
I love Korean food. Every Sunday when we are home, we head over to Arnold's parents house for a family dinner and eat Korean food. (My mother-in-law (MIL) is an amazing cook BTW- so I consider myself lucky). I have had a lot of exposure to Korean food over the past 5 years and really enjoy it.
Arnold was worried about me and Korea - I didn't do well in China with the food or smells, so he was scared that I wasn't going to like Korea. But Korean food is sooo much better then Chinese food. The only problem with the food here, is that I like Arnold's moms cooking better haha (no, no, I'm not saying this for brownie points). I am used to the way she cooks Korean food, so it tastes a bit different here. She can't get some of the same spices, noodles etc, so her style is a bit more Western fusion, but I love her style. Plus the food here is sooooo hot - they put spice on everything haha. Even in western food - it's sooo spicy. But don't get me wrong, the food here is so good, I'm just spoiled, that's all haha.
Kimchi is a staple here (it's served with every meal - yep, even breakfast). I think you either like it or hate it and I actually really like it. I love my MIL's Kimchi, but her sisters Kimchi is hands down, the best Kimchi I have EVER tasted. I don't know what she does, but it's good. They were all laughing at me because I ate the whole bowl of Kimchi when we went over to their house for dinner. (I think it's weird for them to see white people diving into Kimchi like that)
Arnold is loving it here because he was dying for Korean food while we were away and I have been enjoying the street Kimbap. I think my fav part about going out to eat here though, is all of the plastic food displays. Plastic food displays have taken over Korea. It's awesome and actually really helpful because you can see what you are going to order and if it looks like something you want. Since I can't read Korean, it has been very helpful for me. But it's everywhere - even at the bakery and at coffee shops.
And despite threats from Arnold, I have been able to enjoy a traditional western breakfast while we are here.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Arnold was worried about me and Korea - I didn't do well in China with the food or smells, so he was scared that I wasn't going to like Korea. But Korean food is sooo much better then Chinese food. The only problem with the food here, is that I like Arnold's moms cooking better haha (no, no, I'm not saying this for brownie points). I am used to the way she cooks Korean food, so it tastes a bit different here. She can't get some of the same spices, noodles etc, so her style is a bit more Western fusion, but I love her style. Plus the food here is sooooo hot - they put spice on everything haha. Even in western food - it's sooo spicy. But don't get me wrong, the food here is so good, I'm just spoiled, that's all haha.
Kimchi is a staple here (it's served with every meal - yep, even breakfast). I think you either like it or hate it and I actually really like it. I love my MIL's Kimchi, but her sisters Kimchi is hands down, the best Kimchi I have EVER tasted. I don't know what she does, but it's good. They were all laughing at me because I ate the whole bowl of Kimchi when we went over to their house for dinner. (I think it's weird for them to see white people diving into Kimchi like that)
Arnold is loving it here because he was dying for Korean food while we were away and I have been enjoying the street Kimbap. I think my fav part about going out to eat here though, is all of the plastic food displays. Plastic food displays have taken over Korea. It's awesome and actually really helpful because you can see what you are going to order and if it looks like something you want. Since I can't read Korean, it has been very helpful for me. But it's everywhere - even at the bakery and at coffee shops.
And despite threats from Arnold, I have been able to enjoy a traditional western breakfast while we are here.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Vanity
Korean people are sooo VAIN. And now, not all Korean people are vain, but a large majority are. It is so strange. It is not abnormal to see a girl looking at herself in a mirror for the whole duration of her subway ride. To see girls stop at windows to look at themselves. To use their phones as mirrors. Any reflective surface and they come to a dead stop and look at themselves. Not just a glance as they walk past, but a full on stop haha.
We have heard that the amount of plastic surgery that happens here is insane. Women getting their eye lids done so they have bigger eyes. Women getting their nose done so they have more of a "white" person nose. There are ads all over the subway for plastic surgery and the before and after pictures that they post are dramatic. They mess with their jaws and chins - they don't even look like the same person. And even men are vain. They get surgery to look younger too. They have a better skin program then me haha - toners, lotions, masks.
I know, I know. North American women can be just as bad and get lots of surgeries as well. But it's different here. People care sooo much about their looks. How you look is everything here. They do not leave the house looking less then perfect - which isn't a bad thing, but it's different. (maybe I could learn from people here haha, because sometimes I look like a mess). But when you see 6 girls in a coffee shop staring at themselves in a mirror for 5 minutes, you have to shake your head.
Now, I'm not saying this to be mean, because I love Korean people, but there is definitely some problems here with how people think about beauty. Just talk to my sister and brother in law who live here and they will tell you all about it. They see it everyday. But the plus side - if I ever want to get work done, I know where I am coming hahahah...
Love Melissa and Arnold
We have heard that the amount of plastic surgery that happens here is insane. Women getting their eye lids done so they have bigger eyes. Women getting their nose done so they have more of a "white" person nose. There are ads all over the subway for plastic surgery and the before and after pictures that they post are dramatic. They mess with their jaws and chins - they don't even look like the same person. And even men are vain. They get surgery to look younger too. They have a better skin program then me haha - toners, lotions, masks.
I know, I know. North American women can be just as bad and get lots of surgeries as well. But it's different here. People care sooo much about their looks. How you look is everything here. They do not leave the house looking less then perfect - which isn't a bad thing, but it's different. (maybe I could learn from people here haha, because sometimes I look like a mess). But when you see 6 girls in a coffee shop staring at themselves in a mirror for 5 minutes, you have to shake your head.
Now, I'm not saying this to be mean, because I love Korean people, but there is definitely some problems here with how people think about beauty. Just talk to my sister and brother in law who live here and they will tell you all about it. They see it everyday. But the plus side - if I ever want to get work done, I know where I am coming hahahah...
Love Melissa and Arnold
Subway in Seoul
The subway here is super impressive. I think, that there is something like 7 million people using the subway daily. Also, don't quote me on this, but I think Agri had told us that the totally length of all the lines is something around 150kms. So it's massive.
We mostly use the subway at non peak hours, but even when we do go at rush hour, it is not as packed as Beijing. You generally always have a bit of room and if we are on a packed train, it's only for one stop. Sometimes you do have to push a bit to get off, especially if the door is on the far side, but other then that, it's a breeze. Everything is in English and pretty straight forward.
BUT, the best part about the subway is people watching haha. Sometimes I wish I could just stay on the subway to watch people because it is that good. Korean's are very hard working (I will get to that part in a bit) and so of course, they are always tired. And when they are tired, they sleep on the train. Now, I know, it's normal to get a little shut eye on the way home, people do it all over the world. But in Korea, it's okay to sleep on the shoulder of the person beside you haha. People start falling asleep and eventually gravity kicks in and their head is near the person next to them. When it happens, that person doesn't really know what to do, so they sort of let them stay like that (even though they don't know the person doing it haha). It's a really fun watching - I like seeing what people will do and how they handle it. I always wonder how they know when it's their stop if they are sleeping all of the time.
So if you are ever in Seoul, take the subway and pay attention haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
We mostly use the subway at non peak hours, but even when we do go at rush hour, it is not as packed as Beijing. You generally always have a bit of room and if we are on a packed train, it's only for one stop. Sometimes you do have to push a bit to get off, especially if the door is on the far side, but other then that, it's a breeze. Everything is in English and pretty straight forward.
BUT, the best part about the subway is people watching haha. Sometimes I wish I could just stay on the subway to watch people because it is that good. Korean's are very hard working (I will get to that part in a bit) and so of course, they are always tired. And when they are tired, they sleep on the train. Now, I know, it's normal to get a little shut eye on the way home, people do it all over the world. But in Korea, it's okay to sleep on the shoulder of the person beside you haha. People start falling asleep and eventually gravity kicks in and their head is near the person next to them. When it happens, that person doesn't really know what to do, so they sort of let them stay like that (even though they don't know the person doing it haha). It's a really fun watching - I like seeing what people will do and how they handle it. I always wonder how they know when it's their stop if they are sleeping all of the time.
So if you are ever in Seoul, take the subway and pay attention haha.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Teaching English...
The second day we were in Seoul, I was asking Agri (Shelley's husband) about teaching English here. Okay, more like I was peppering him with a million questions about teaching here. I just wanted to know how it worked, how he got his jobs and the system. I guess my million questions seemed to trigger something because before long he had talked me into teaching a class for him. HA HA yep, I agreed to teach English to little Korean kids.
Agri was heading to some meetings with Arnold and instead of asking someone else to fill in for him for the day, he thought it would be better if I went in his place. Just to see how it would be and if I liked it. He arranged for another teacher from the school to take me there and show me around. So on Monday afternoon, I was off to teach English to 5 year olds for two hours.
I was soo nervous, but it was a lot of fun. The kids are sooo cute and spoke really good English. Thankfully I had a co-teacher there so she did all the hard parts (like telling the kids to listen haha). My class was really small - I had 8 kids that day and I think they liked me. At first, they were all very shy and I think scared of me, but they warmed up by the end. The best part about the teaching gig, was that I got paid to do it. LOL I can now say that I have had an income this year ;) I took their picture at the end of class and told them all to say "Kimchi" haha.
Pretty awesome experience and definitely something I never thought I would be doing here in a million years. But who knows, maybe we move to Seoul now so I can teach English haha... wink wink.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Agri was heading to some meetings with Arnold and instead of asking someone else to fill in for him for the day, he thought it would be better if I went in his place. Just to see how it would be and if I liked it. He arranged for another teacher from the school to take me there and show me around. So on Monday afternoon, I was off to teach English to 5 year olds for two hours.
I was soo nervous, but it was a lot of fun. The kids are sooo cute and spoke really good English. Thankfully I had a co-teacher there so she did all the hard parts (like telling the kids to listen haha). My class was really small - I had 8 kids that day and I think they liked me. At first, they were all very shy and I think scared of me, but they warmed up by the end. The best part about the teaching gig, was that I got paid to do it. LOL I can now say that I have had an income this year ;) I took their picture at the end of class and told them all to say "Kimchi" haha.
Pretty awesome experience and definitely something I never thought I would be doing here in a million years. But who knows, maybe we move to Seoul now so I can teach English haha... wink wink.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Seoul of Asia...
Okay, I have been slacking BIG TIME since we got to Seoul, but I have some good stories coming.
The last stop on our trip was Korea. A chance for me to learn more about Arnold's culture and finally meet some family members I haven't had a chance to meet. I was excited and nervous about coming to Seoul. Excited because I knew it would be a lot of fun, but nervous to meet his family for the first time and not be able to speak any Korean.
We arrived in Seoul on August 18th and have been staying with at my sister-in-laws place. So yes, we have totally taken over their place for the past couple of weeks and made ourselves at home LOL. We feel pretty lucky to be able to stay in Seoul for an extended period of time and have the best city tour guides at our finger tips haha. They know SO much about Seoul and how to get around. Seoul has been nothing short of amazing. It is definitely one of my top 5 cities in the world.
Probably THE best thing about this city is what I saw within 3 hours of getting here. After we left the airport we took the bus to Shelley's house. We were there for about 20 minutes before we decided to take the short walk to get TACOS!!! (OMG, BEST tacos ever haha- but maybe I say that because I haven't had Mexican food forever and it tasted so good). The walk to the Taco place is about 5 minutes and as we are walking we see an older Korean man PASSED out in the middle of the street HA HA. Now, it wasn't a main road, but a road none the less. I had heard about these Korean men that do that, but didn't believe it still happened. Well, it does and it's soo funny. He just had too much to drink and needed a time out. The drinking culture here is very funny.
But I have lots and lots of stories coming...
Love Melissa and Arnold
The last stop on our trip was Korea. A chance for me to learn more about Arnold's culture and finally meet some family members I haven't had a chance to meet. I was excited and nervous about coming to Seoul. Excited because I knew it would be a lot of fun, but nervous to meet his family for the first time and not be able to speak any Korean.
We arrived in Seoul on August 18th and have been staying with at my sister-in-laws place. So yes, we have totally taken over their place for the past couple of weeks and made ourselves at home LOL. We feel pretty lucky to be able to stay in Seoul for an extended period of time and have the best city tour guides at our finger tips haha. They know SO much about Seoul and how to get around. Seoul has been nothing short of amazing. It is definitely one of my top 5 cities in the world.
Probably THE best thing about this city is what I saw within 3 hours of getting here. After we left the airport we took the bus to Shelley's house. We were there for about 20 minutes before we decided to take the short walk to get TACOS!!! (OMG, BEST tacos ever haha- but maybe I say that because I haven't had Mexican food forever and it tasted so good). The walk to the Taco place is about 5 minutes and as we are walking we see an older Korean man PASSED out in the middle of the street HA HA. Now, it wasn't a main road, but a road none the less. I had heard about these Korean men that do that, but didn't believe it still happened. Well, it does and it's soo funny. He just had too much to drink and needed a time out. The drinking culture here is very funny.
But I have lots and lots of stories coming...
Love Melissa and Arnold
Most bizzare thing I have seen...
Occurred while we were heading into the forbiden city. Honestly, I am still laughing at how amazing some people are and the things people will do.
So we are heading into the forbiden city and it is busy, but everything seems to always move pretty well considering the amount of people there are. As we are walking, I see this lady (and there are about 4 adults and one small child), pull the pants down on her daughter in order for her to pee, RIGHT there in the middle of this massive square with hundreds of people. So there is this young girl squatting in the middle of a very busy tourist attraction and just peeing all over the sidewalk. I could not believe that she would make (or allow) her daughter to pee right then and there in front of everyone like that. It still amazes me and I'm actually surprised they didn't get in trouble for that. Just crazy to me. haha
Also, a couple last tidbits from Beijing. Security everywhere!! Everyone that uses the subway has to have their bag screened by an X-Ray machine. Considering the volume of people, you never have to wait very long. Super efficient.
And the men like to pull their shirts up to their nipples when they are hot. So you see a bunch of Chinese men with their shirts hiked up, showing off their belly. A move that Arnold really enjoys.
Okay, here come the posts about Korea.
Love Melissa and Arnold
So we are heading into the forbiden city and it is busy, but everything seems to always move pretty well considering the amount of people there are. As we are walking, I see this lady (and there are about 4 adults and one small child), pull the pants down on her daughter in order for her to pee, RIGHT there in the middle of this massive square with hundreds of people. So there is this young girl squatting in the middle of a very busy tourist attraction and just peeing all over the sidewalk. I could not believe that she would make (or allow) her daughter to pee right then and there in front of everyone like that. It still amazes me and I'm actually surprised they didn't get in trouble for that. Just crazy to me. haha
Also, a couple last tidbits from Beijing. Security everywhere!! Everyone that uses the subway has to have their bag screened by an X-Ray machine. Considering the volume of people, you never have to wait very long. Super efficient.
And the men like to pull their shirts up to their nipples when they are hot. So you see a bunch of Chinese men with their shirts hiked up, showing off their belly. A move that Arnold really enjoys.
Okay, here come the posts about Korea.
Love Melissa and Arnold
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