Asian Flower Design 2/23/09

As you can probably see from the numerous photos attached today...I really enjoyed my flower class this week! The "Asian Fusion" Centerpiece with the Orchids was the focus of the lesson...and I just loved it. You can adapt this style for a variety of table sizes/shapes...I chose Round/Oval design. The long/thin arrangement was actually from last week with additional 'tweaking' but the instructor when she arrived. She also gave great feedback and made the two smaller arrangements look much better. It is amazing to watch her take a leaf and use it for 'camo' for hiding varied lengths of stems etc. We used some wire to make the wooden vines behave a bit...:-) She stayed extra time today...and as she was slipping off her slippers at the door (I recently purchased 4 pairs of 'almost' Burberry slippers for less than 2 dollars a pair)....she said "Nicole, we have the same hobby...flowers!" I really hope I can bring this 'Asian flare' back to the US for my future flower designs!

Christmas in Korea 2008 II

I have wanted to post some of these Korean Christmas photos for some time...so thought a little medley would be nice! These were taken through December 2008. The escalator photo was taken at the Underground Bus Terminal shopping area...not sure if there are rules for taking strollers on escalators! :-) The other photos were taken in various subways and shopping area. I am standing on a highway overpass walkway...the traffic is heading in the direction of our apartment. Although you are unable to see in this photo...in the distance is a large bridge that goes over the Han River...the bus stop right before that bridge is where I get off and walk through Hannam-dong to our place. Seoul was really 'decked out' for Christmas...more to come...:-)

Macau 1/09

Here is a nice 'street shot' of the central area of Macau. Lights were everywhere for the Lunar New Year celebration going on. You can see Chris in the bottom left-hand corner checking out a famous "Egg Tart" stand (we were scouting it out for the next morning). As you can see from the photo..lots of people/activity throughout our stay in Macau. We took the fast boat from Hong Kong to Macau (about 2 hours I think). For about 10 extra dollars you were upgraded to a premium seat that included a little duck breast/pasta, front of the boat and a little quicker exit (although it was a madhouse...the extra 10.00 was well worth it!) When we arrived in Macao we were met with rows of buses from the various Casinos (Wynn, MGM, Grand Lisboa, etc.) We found our line for the shuttle to our hotel (Sofitel)...we weren't there for gambling...more for the Portuguese cuisine and architecture. When we arrived at the hotel, we were met with a 'wall of smoke' . We have decided that almost every citizen and visitor must have been a chain-smoker in Macao..wow! (Marlboro appeared to be the 'smoke' of choice!) I became friendly with the concierge at the hotel while Chris checked us in. Turned out here roommate was Korean...so we said a 'few' things in that language...then had a good chuckle. We exited the smoke-filled lobby to our room. When we entered the room...we found that someone had taken a little 'rest' on the bed and sipped some bottled water. The bell hop got really excited...called our new 'buddy' in the lobby and shuffled us out quickly. Too bad we had a 'Goldilocks' situation...it was a great room and view. :-) No non-smoking rooms were available (shocking, I know)....so we checked our luggage and decided to browse around the town. We happened upon a Chinese Government Store...which had been recommended to us as a pretty reliable place to purchase items...less room for less than ethical business practices....:-) Chris found a little piece of jade and a little dangle jade with knotting similar to the Korean 'Maedup'...the next thing you know we were whisked to the 2nd floor and entered into a drawing for prizes. We appeared to have 20 entries and these 2 very nice Chinese gals started rubbing our 'entries' with a coin...then jumping up and down as we supposedly were winning prizes! We ended up walking out of their with so many little 'prizes' that we could hardly carry them! None of the prizes were really expensive but really fun...like...eraser sets in the shape of Ramen noodles, tea, drawing sets, little drums, and all types of Chinese bric-a-brac! We did purchase some really great tea...and have found it to be some of the best we have ever tasted. They even went through a mini-tea ceremony with us and I found it quite similar to the Vietnamese Tea Ceremony from a previous blog.

After dragging our 'winnings' back to the hotel, we ventured out for some authentic Portugese food...and we really found it in a place not mentioned in the 'Lonely Planet' reference guide. (Chris said we should send a note to Lonely Planet and let them know about this place.) They served the best mussels followed by a curry chicken that was awesome. After dinner we checked out what appeared to be their 'town square'...lots of firecrackers, lights, displays...and smiles! I will post additional photos.

Asian Flower Class 2/9/09

The attached photo is from a recent flower design class. The instructor referred to this style as "Oriental Centerpiece" and is best for a round or oval dining table. The next undertaking will be the centerpiece for a square/rectangle shape...so the container will be long and narrow. I believe the flowers (if I took proper notes) are: Spirea, Alstromeria, Tulip and Rohora. You begin from the centerpoint of your foam or container and focus on proper angles in 3 corners initially. The white flower is to resemble snow. At the end of the class the instructor pulled me aside and said "You really seem to enjoy learning about flowers"......and I do!

King Crab!

We loved this picture of the King Crab giving either a sideways 'peace' like the Koreans often do...or a 'NaNu NaNu' from Mork & Mindy! :-) We found this very nice/clean market near the World Cup Stadium (yes, they played the World Cup there several years ago...great facility). These King Crabs were huge and almost exiting the tank on their own. They were not the Alaskan variety...but from Russian waters. Fish were flopping around everywhere and we only saw one pigeon nibbling on some grains that were for sale...yikes! The stall owner came out from behind the table....armed with cherry tomatoes...and started pelting the pigeon....then he saw us smiling...rushed over and have us a big bag of little tomatoes...they were delicious!

We were on that side of town because I was interviewing for a kindergarten position....they are looking for native English speakers to teach in a fun/practical/introduction type of way...English, Leggo activities, music, art and swimming! Lunch is provided...'as long as you don't mind Korean' they said. I said - no problem...:-) I will begin 1 day per week...and may increase if things go well. It's a brand new facility and program...I believe they are trying to introduce English in a manner that is fun and with less direct memorization. This experience should be rich with potential blog stories....:-) The head of the program thought that my Korean will improve a lot...just being/interacting with the children...I hope so!

Christmas in February! :-)

Well, the world can rise up and breathe a sigh of relief...about half of my photos from my memory card were able to be downloaded...so...here comes Christmas! :-) I have used my computer/camera issues probably as an excuse for not posting some memorable stories.

I have attached a few Christmas floral arrangements-my first attempts without the watchful (and helpful) eye of my instructor. It's a start! :-) My goal was to have fresh arrangements in the apartment...for that fresh green/garland aroma! The one with the roses was a gift for one of my favorite pals Joanna. There will more photos forthcoming of our super Christmas Dinner...British style!

The other photos are of our very first 'Korean' Christmas tree. Chris did a mail-order from work...with the help of one of the nice Korean ladies. All I can say is...the pictures do NOT do it justice...it was a piece of work! :-) The ornament in my hand was an auto-inflatable...similar to shaking a hot pack or ice pack and breaking it to release the heat/cold! (We wondered what condition they will be in next year!). The best part...very jazzy lights with more choices in timing and sequence than I have ever seen! The kicker to the day...after some hasty decorating, Chris plugged in the beauty and it blew him across the room with a loud "Pop!" Luckily, he survived and we had quite the Christmas tree! :-) For some reason they included two sets of lights in the box.....interesting...:-)

Back in the saddle....

There have been so many 'Red Letter Days' lately...I just wish I could remember the details a bit better! :-) I do believe that the little experiences are usually the most note-worthy. An example would be walking into Itaewon with Chris last weekend and hearing Gordon Lightfoot (Wreck of the Edmund Fitz) blaring from a speaker cocked in a little second floor shoe shop....or being at the gym and thinking the music sounds 'familiar'....but not exactly like you remember..."I was made for loving you" by KISS...same music but with Korean words...actually it sounded pretty close...even in a different language! Today I walked into town with the goal of exchanging 100,000KWon into Hong Kong Dollars. I had heard this little shop near the KFC had the BEST exchange rate around so I gave it a try. I knew I was going to have some challenges when I asked what the exchange rate currently was. The lady behind the bullet-proof glass ignored me initially...then I sweetly asked again...she yelled "Go to the Bank!" in clear English...then she resumed her money counting. By this time a small line had formed behind me...a really nice Korean guy (probably around 30) looked at me...I pointed to my money and said "Hong Kong Dollar?" ...the fellow told her in Korean to tell me the exchange rate and to exchange my money. At least I 'think' that is what he said...because she punched in the rate on her calculator...showed me...I nodded in acceptance...she handed me the cash. Poor guy probably wanted to get the line moving...:-) That is one really nice thing about Korea...strangers will assist you if you appear confused/unsure/in some type of distress.....I believe they truly want to help you....or at least get the line moving again! :-)

Tomorrow we are heading to Hong Kong! I am almost packed and really looking forward to it. We will be there for the Lunar New Year or 'Loonie New Year' as some people refer to it. I told Chris we might fit in just perfectly for this holiday! :-) Although things may be a bit slower on the actual holiday (Jan. 26) I do believe there will be an evening parade (I keep imagining one of those Dragons going down the street with men standing underneath moving it down the road...and LOTS of sparklers)....:-) We keep hearing of places we must try out...I'm especially looking forward to the Dimsum! With my new camera...I hope to catch some great pictures. On a sidenote...my computer is having a mini-war between my previous camera software (Kodak) and my new software (Canon)....so far Kodak is winning...so I am limited with my picture posts today...don't worry...I WILL get it fixed! The picture attached to this entry was taken over Thanksgiving while we were visiting Chris' family. The visit we had in MI/KY was really action-packed but so much fun. I may have mentioned in my previous entry that our Internal Medicine Doc said we won the prize for 'longest distance traveled to see the doctor'...:-) Maybe it's all of the Korean food and Kimchi.....good reports all around from our medical team!:-)

Now that January has arrived people have gradually made their way back from their holidays to Seoul. (Of course many are leaving again for Lunar/Loonie) This also means the SIWA classes start back up.....tours...etc. Also attended an AWC meeting where the new Commander of the US forces in Korea spoke about volunteer opportunities...how we can support our military and their families. Hopefully I will post an update from this meeting soon! Sounds promising. I did re-start the Asian Flower Design class...we had one class this past Monday and it was GREAT! I did get some photos and will post once my camera is cooperating! BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) also started back after a Christmas break. It has been great re-connecting with my small group....we are studying Moses. It really is a great study and I truly believe joining has been a positive factor in my adjustment to life in Asia....along with making some really good friends both in BSF and outside this group. I told someone just the other day that my outlook and ability to see people as someone else trying to find their way...has improved so much...I am really trying to make the most of my time here...and soak in this opportunity to explore and learn! Also, several people has asked how my neck is doing...well, thanks to God and a wonderful PT here in Korea I continue to become more active and pleased with my progress. It's amazing how God sends just the right people into your life...at just the right time...and that's how I feel about the friends I have met here in Seoul....I don't want it to end quite yet...I feel there is more to do! And I must give a lot of credit to Chris...he is a go-getter and really researches the markets, travel spots, cultural experiences...even with his super-busy schedule! This was evidenced most recently with our picture on the front page of the JoongAng Daily Newspaper on January 20th!(I was curious why that little fellow with a ladder and camera followed us around the Seoul Folk Flea Market around Christmas!) I have included the published photo from the newspaper in this post! (If only I had worn a little mascara!) Another big 'thank you' to Bev(aka Eagle Eye) for alerting us! :-)

I will sign-off for now....Happy Lunar New Year everyone!!! :-)