Happy 6th Birthday Boys!

The day of their birthday arrived and it was a HOT one.  I swear, it must have been the hottest day yet.  We had debated whether to not send the boys to school or send them (last year, they played hookie and we went to the pool), but decided to send them for a short day. It was a wise decision since there was so much to do that day. I spent the morning cleaning and baking cakes while Dahin played in the kiddie pool downstairs. After the boys returned home from school they helped mommy decorate a little.  They were very excited about their party.  We were expecting about 8 kids, although it had begun as a 'you can each invite one friend' deal.  The news soon spread around and the boys were randomly inviting their little play buddies.

Jack picked up some pizza from Costco--two cheese and one bulgogi--and I made Koolaid.  Ronan and Oliver got some twizzlers from Grandfather and Bubbie and Ronan used them to make a candy bouquet in the middle of the table.  I made salad and cut some vegetables, but only the grownups ate those (go figure).

Bulgogi is a Korean meat dish--marinated beef that is grilled slowly.  Since this is Korea, Costco carries a bulgogi pizza in addition to the cheese and everything varieties.  I was able to sit briefly and talk with a couple of the moms who came to the party. 

Naturally, after a few cups of Koolaid, the kids were a bit, shall we say hyper?  So, to chill things out before cake time, Jack put in a dinosaur dvd for the kids and some clay that they could play with.

Oliver had specifically asked for a strawberry cake with real strawberries, but the problem is that, while we have some strawberry mix and frosting that a friend kindly brought back for us from the US, we had no strawberries.  Korea is not like California, or other parts of the US, where all kinds of fruit are available at all times.  I found some frozen strawberries at Emart and, while the texture was less than desired (I guess I should have just cut them up frozen and plopped them on the cake at the last minute instead of defrosting them), they worked okay for the demands of a 6 year-old (although he did complain about the texture ['they're mushy'] so I told him to suck it up and deal with the out-of-season option).  We picked up balloons, plates and cups, and a couple of number candles at Emart as well.  The boys insisted on number 7 candles instead of number 6.  They said, "But we're 7 here and our friends will all make fun of us if our cakes have a 6 on them."  Damn Korean age.

The party was hectic, but a blast.  I had flashbacks to my days of waiting tables, except this was way more intense.  Scoop out ice cream for three kids, and the first kid wants more, etc.  I think they had a lot of fun.  After cake and presents, Jack and one of the moms took the kids outside to work off all that sugar.  The boys got a whole bunch of great gifts like legos, books, pokeman cards, a lightup 3D viewer thingy.  I had to kick the moms out because they were helping clean up and I was all into sitting for a while and then cleaning up.  It was really nice of them to jump up and start washing dishes, though.  Like that we had kids over who live where we live so departing for home was no biggie and easy. Well, Until Next Year! Happy Birthday!

Birthday Party

I made two cakes for the boys so that they could each have their own cake.  As you can see in the video above, Ronan blew his candle out during the birthday song, but all went well.  I had the kids sing it one more time in the video below since I couldn't see much with the lights out!  The table cloths were already pulled by cake time since--surprise!--juice had been spilled all over the place during pizza time.  The kids all seemed to have a great time.

Birthday Morning

The boys started their morning by opening the present from Bubbie and Grandfather.  They got Nashville t-shirts, a dvd, a cute card, and boatloads of candy (thanks for that, by the way).  They were very excited. Ronan, especially, was into the card.  He kept moving his head back and forth to watch the little soccer player on the front move--you know, it was a whatchamacallit image--moves when you move...what is that? Here they are thanking Bubbie and Grandfather.  I had to coach them a little since now they're more comfortable  in Korean than English.

Postscript

I have to write a postscript to the previous post because our Bubbie was not happy to hear about a certain little twosome's insensitivity to sick mommy.  So, before Aunt Paige and the aunties, komos, and imos out there think the same, I have to point out that, by the end of day 2 and certainly by day 3, the kids were all on board and helped a lot.  Dahin had been at her grandma's and the boys left on Saturday evening so I could get some peace.  On Sunday, Ronan put up with miming mommy and was the first to get dressed for bed and yelled at Oliver saying, " We have to heeelp mommeeee 'cause she's siiiiick."  All I did was point at the clock and his room, and he took the lead. He does that very well.  Dahin offered to make me tea and do my nails, but I was not up to either at that point.   She made sure her brothers brushed their teeth, asked me if I needed ice,  and checked in on me several times.  Oliver just tends to pick up on subtle social cues quicker than his siblings, and I might add most kids his age.  He's really sensitive, but has a naughty streak, which is why he's nicknamed 'evil boy' (behind his back and between parents, and all in good fun, however).  ; - )   Good news, I am way, way better.  Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Sick Days of Summer

Over the past two weeks the kids have been sick one by one.  Luckily, they've taken turns instead of getting sick in tandem, which would have been a mess.  Their doctor said they just had 'throat colds,' but when it was  my turn (usually happens, despite washing everything the kids touch), I knew it was not a 'throat cold.'  I woke up in pain Friday morning and a quick visit to the doctor resulted in a diagnosis of strep throat.  He prescribed some Korean version of amoxicillan for me. Isn't amoxicillan the stuff you give to kids for ear infections?  I'm thinking an adult-sized portion of meds is appropriate for someone my age. But, then again I am not a doctor and don't know meds that well.  Well, day one passed; still in pain.  Day two comes; still in pain and nauseous and not able to eat a thing.  Oh, and grumpy; really, really grumpy.  Day three comes; in even worse pain and vomiting after everything I attempt to eat (which was not much but some yogurt, cereal, honey tea, and watermelon).  And, getting grumpier.  This morning came, and I made a beeline back to the doctor.  He seemed perplexed I was still hurting, but said the meds need to be taken for 7 days.  That's when I went into 'let me tell you how much I know about strep and I am not stupid' mode.  I told him that while, yes, I am aware that you must take antibiotics for a prescribed period of time, even after you feel better, I have had strep several times as a child and an adult, and usually after 1 day, at worst 2 days on antibiotics, you start to feel a lot better.  I was getting nothing but worse and tired of being in pain and not being able to eat (despite being really freaking hungry).  After convincing him I deserved a closer look (initially I thought I had an ear infection since my ear was in total pain), he took another look at my throat and said 'aigu'  (Korean for 'oh my gosh,' or 'oh goodness,' or in this case 'yuck') and said, "The antibiotics I prescribed don't seem to be working."  Ya think?  Yay, some affirmation.  Then he said "Gosaeng haeseoyo," which basically means 'I'm sorry you had to suffer' (in this context, at least), and Jack and I made our way to the pharmacy at street level where the pharmacist was aghast that I was still sick and in pain.  She gave me some stuff to gargle and lozenges to go with the new antibiotics that are so strong I only have to take them once in a twenty-four hour period.  And, halleluja!  They worked!   I'm still not 100%, but I can eat a bit with only minor difficulty and I felt well enough this afternoon to mop the floors (with frequent breaks) and sanitize every single surface in our home with antibacterial spray after cleaning with apple vinegar and water.  I'm determined no one else gets sick.  I do suspect, however, that our poor kids suffered with strep with out us realizing it.  Note to self: switch pediatricians.

Oliver seemed very concerned that I was sick.  On Saturday, he made me toast and juice and brought it to my room.  I drank the juice, but the toast was just not working for me.  I hid it under some tissue and told him it was very good when he came in to see if I had eaten the breakfast he had prepared.  I know for sure he is glad that mommy is now actually speaking and not miming things like 'get out of here' or 'go ask your dad.'  Honestly, he displayed the most empathy of our three kids.  My bed-ridden self seemed to cramp somebody's style as in: "When are you going to get betterrrr so we can go to the poool?"  Or, my inability to stand for more than ten seconds really inconvenienced another who implied that I was not up to my service standards when deman asking:  "Can't you just cut me some fruit?"  Good thing Jack was pretty quick at interceding on the latter before I went all Cujo on a certain someone's little butt, and good thing the deliverer of the former plea  was at halmoni's house so I could just hand the phone off to Jack.    That, however, was just at the beginning.  By day 3 of not being able to talk or eat, all the kids got the message that mommy was really sick.  Oliver drew the picture above.  It shows him crying  and it says "I want to go out and play,"  which either means he wanted me to go outside and play with him or that I actually wanted to go outside and play (he doesn't yet realize grownups are over playing outside in 100 degree heat with 100 percent humidity).  On the right the drawing shows me sick in bed and above me it says, "I love you."

Me and My Students

I've been teaching a special summer workshop at HUFS, Hanguk University of Foreign Studies. Students come from all over the world and Korea to take part in the 5-week program.  It is a lot of fun, and the students this year are really great.  I just finished my 2.5-week portion of the class, and a colleague of mine will teach the next section.  I brought in some students from Seoul National to play instruments and different musical genres for the students, and I played a bit for the students as well.  On Wednesday night, we went to a concert at the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts.  It was a special performance of a Korean traditional wedding, with musical accompaniment.  The music included arrangements of traditional pieces as well as new compositions.  It was very well done, and the students really seemed to enjoy it.  Add to that, the weather was so nice.  When we exited the concert, the concert organizers gave us all rice cakes (traditionally given at weddings and birthdays, among other special occasions), and we walked under a clear moonlit sky to a great galguksu place where I treated them to a late dinner (none of the students had time to grab a bite before the concert).  Galguksu is noodle soup, make with hand-made wheat flour noodles and a clear broth.  We also ordered some mandu (dumplings), but the Muslim students from Kazakhstan could not partake because they don't eat pork.  We had a great conversation about the concert and Korean food, and I think it was a good bonding experience for the students. The students come from many different places, and my students came from (top photo, standing left to right)  Kazakhstan, Netherlands (of Vietnamese heritage), Sweden, and two Korean students; (seated, from left to right) Kazakhstan, Russia, (me), and Kazakhstan. We were a bit sad to part last night, but I'll see them in a couple of weeks for the program's closing ceremony at the University.  A student texted me last night thanking me for the great evening and for the great class.  Love it when students feel like going to class is worth their while and (gasp!) fun.   I had fun, too.

Dog Days of Summer

We just passed chobok, the first of the three hottest days-boknal- of the year by the lunar calendar. On Korea's hot summer days traditionally people eat things like samgyetang (a soup made by boiling a young hen stuffed with garlic, ginseng, dates, and rice) and boshintang (dog stew--yes, it's for real; calling it 'boshintang' don't hide what it is, people). I won't comment much on the latter, except to say that people either really don't know or lie when they say there are special dogs raised for that, like chickens or pigs are raised for eating. A friend of mine had her husky stolen out of her yard and she has a suspicion as to why.  A relatively recent news report revealed that people putting dogs up for adoption with a 'hospital' or 'shelter' (one sicko actually put an ad in the paper saying that he was offering to take dogs that people could no longer care for themselves and find them new homes) are unaware that some of these places are selling the dogs to dog 'farms' or dog brokers who then sell the dogs to boshintang restaurants. 
Link to the report:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGU1t_V_VrI

Going past that one and onto a less controversial topic... for a good video tutorial on making samgyetang, you can go to this video (link to the online recipe also at that site):
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNHthPsujZA
On chobok, we saw that at local chicken places the lines were literally around the block.  Campus eateries, as well, served samgyetang, or some form of chicken soup, for lunch and dinner.  Jack likes to eat at the cafeteria across from where we live because it's good and cheap--literally five of us ate for a little over 12 bucks.  On chobok, he had the brilliant idea that we could eat there and not have to wait in line forever. That day, they served chicken soup, and it was good.

Jack's sister Eunsil enjoys the wholesome cafeteria grub.

Dahin and her cousin rebel and eat curry rice--bad girls, bad!  : - )

Ronan has been really ill the past two days (although today he is better).  So, I boiled a whole chicken in a pot full of water with whole garlic cloves.  Once it boiled for an hour, I drained the broth and put it back in the pot and deboned the chicken. I returned the chicken minus the bones to the pot full of broth and added some fresh garlic cloves along with quarted new potatoes and boiled it for 30 more minutes.  After the initial cooking, I refrigerated the soup in the pot.  Overnight, the fat from the soup rose to the top and hardened, making it really easy to spoon it out. I don't add salt in the large pot that is put in the fridge after eating and then re-heated because adding salt makes the food spoil sooner than it should.  I just add salt to individual bowls as we eat.  We've been eating chicken soup and rice for two days now and I really think it's helped poor Ronan feel better.  Last night, he didn't have to sleep with his 'ice dolly' (an ice pack wrapped in a towel he snuggled with the first night his fever spiked).  Today he's talking, making abundant messes with paper and glue, and not letting mommy work on anything (something I could do while he napped yesterday),  so I am guessing he is almost back to normal, which is a very good thing.

Road Trip, Part2

After riding on the gondola on Mt. Taebaek and snacking on ddeokbokki, we returned to the condo and parted ways.  Aunt Eunyoung, Komobu, and cousin Jeongeun had to return to Seoul that day and the rest of us charged on to Sokcho along the Eastern coast of Korea.  Along the way, we just had to stop at the 38th parallel rest stop, which provided us with plenty of herbal tea, food-poison potential snacks (returned a couple that tasted funny), and our first view of the ocean. We were tempted to just stay there and play, but pushed on another 30 minutes to our destination.  Glad we did as the beaches in Sokcho are way better.

We've visited Sokcho as a family a total of three times now--once when I was away in Japan during the winter break Jack and his mom and the kids with their cousin Jae spend a day or two there (didn't get the photos, however). I really like Sokcho because it has many different beaches, temples, mountains, raw fish eateries--the works. We stopped off at Nakseon beach around 3 pm so that we could play and play and play until sunset. This is the first time I've visited Nakseon Beach and I liked it. The weasther wasn't perfect, but hot and the cool waters of the East Sea (Sea of Japan, if you are Japanese) felt so refreshing. Aunt Eunsil rented a tube for us to play with and, after purchasing a couple of towels (woops, forgot to bring beach towels) and eating some sugary snacks, we were set for some water play.

One must always mark one's territory upon beach arrival by writing one's name in the sand.  Ronan beat everyone else to it.  Cousin Jenny decided to just do it simple and left a few hand prints before diving into the water. The sun came out a bit, which made the day seem perfect for beach play.

Lots and lots of seaweed.  The boys had a blast collecting it and Aunt Eunsil kept yelling "Ew, just throw it back boys!" I think they enjoyed grossing her out.

One of Jack's experiments of the day included seeing if one's body could really be washed to shore upon drowning.  The other one was whether or not the tube could go over the shark barrier.  Yeah, ok.

Oliver and Ronan preferred to just splash around in the water and jump waves.  Attempts to get them into the water resulted in some kicking, screaming "put me back!," and serious clinging.  Below, Ronan gets his puppy on as he digs, and digs, and digs as fast as he can before a wave comes up.  Oliver joined him in puppydom a little later.  They looked so cute digging up sand.

What's more fun than splashing your sister with cool, salty water as she attempts to depart the beach on a tube with her cousin.  It got a little ugly and resulted in me shoving the girls' float further in to end the squabbling (mosty from Dahin's side). That did not last long, however.

Ronan jumps a wave as Dahin and Jenny crash to shore.  The waves were pretty good--not too big, but not too small.  Not much of an undertow, so it was a very pleasant afternoon playing in ocean waters.

Showered up and ready to head to the market for some hoe (raw fish), the boys and Jack watch tv as they wait for the girls.  When we got to the market, we discovered they were closed for a one week period, right during the time we were in Sokcho.  We decided to head off to another market place by the ocean, but it was so crowded (cars were in line for at least 1/4 a mile outside the market place) and getting late that we opted for a restaurant by the ocean. Word to the wise:  don't ever do this.  Raw fish that we choose ourselves in the market will only cost you about 50,000 won (fifty bucks) max, most of the time way less than that.  It's a really hectic, informal atmosphere, but cool.  This restaurant totally ripped us off.  But, with Oliver attempted to fall asleep and dinner time really heading to bedtime, we just decided on the easier option.  Next time, we'll hit the markets way earlier to avoid the crowds.

One thing that is absolutely necessary when visiting Sokcho:  fireworks!  We bought a few sparklers and some roman candles.  It gets rather smoky on the beach, but the kids love it. The end of a great day!

The next morning we woke up and headed to a hot springs for nice long baths in natural spring water at a well-known hot springs resort.  After our baths, we ate a healthy breakfast of soon dubu--soft tofu--and plenty of healthy side dishes.

Another road trip fundamental: hodu gwaja (literally means walnut snack)--walnut shaped bread filled with little pieces of walnut, pine nuts, and red bean paste.  Many other people feel the same way about this road trip favorite; had to wait in line for over 20 minutes to get a box of the warm snacks. Perfect with coffee!  Above, Aunt Eunsil and Oliver bond over some tasty hodu gwaja.

Public Service Announcement

Dahin demonstrates how to properly command your dog in both Korean and English with her 'puppy' Podu the Pug.  Transcript:
"Hello, this is my pug, Podu.   I'm going to show you how to train your dog.  Okay. 
Shake.
Mal [speak]. (Ronan: "Meong!")
Jaba [catch/fetch].
Oh, good boy!  Meogeo[eat]."

Intermission

While you wait for the next installment of 'Road Trip,' the boys will entertain you with a little song and dance.

Road Trip, Part1

Jack's oldest sister and our niece is in town from Australia for the summer and we decided we should take a big family road trip at least once during her stay. On Friday I had to attend some event in the country with fellow faculty until after lunchtime, but Jack drove there with the boys around 3 pm to pick me up and take us on to meet the other family members in Taebaek, a town on the Taebaek mountain range.  Dahin had taken a train that morning with her cousins and aunts, so they had already played in the condo's swimming pool for hours before we arrived in time for a great beef barbecue dinner.

I just had to eat the raw beef delicacy--only trust it if it is served in the countryside because you know it is fresh.  Would never, ever do this in Seoul. Yum!

I think Jack and his sister Eunsil look just alike.  His sister is the oldest of the five kids, and she's about 12 years older than Jack.

After dinner, we headed to watch a water show in the local lake.  The castel facade built around the park was all lit up and looked very beautiful, despite the obvious tacky factor.  The light show was actually pretty freaky, with plenty of accompying death metal and strange new age music. Jack's sister Eunyeong said it would have been better with some classic music.  I couldn't agree more.  Ronan, in particular, was freaked out.  He started crying in the middle of the show and Dahin had to comfort him.  Poor guy.

The condo where we stayed was very, very nice.  It was perhaps the cleanest, most modern condo I've ever stayed at in Korea.  Would have loved to have just spent a few days there playing in the water park and hiking.  But, alas, when with Jack, one must move from point to point pretty rapidly.  Maybe next time we'll just stay put and relax for a day or two.

After a good night's sleep, the kids woke up early and we had a wonderful breakfast of kimchi jigae and side dishes that Aunt Eunyoung prepared.  Condo's are great because you can just cook your meals there and not have to spend too much on food while vacationing.

After breakfast, most of us rode the Gondola to the top of the mountain (ski lifts are for winter).  Jack and Eunsil wimped out and said the Gondola would be too 'scary.'  Oh my God.  I thought I was a scaredy cat.  Seriously people; it moved so slow and was about as dangerous as taking a walk on a sidewalk in Seoul (mildly dangerous, but chances are you will not die or come close to having an accident). So, Aunt Eunyoung, Komobu, the kids and I headed to the top without the wining weanies : - ) and had some fun doing it.

Ronan takes the opportunity to snuggle with his favorite cousin Jeongeun (apparently he's her favorite, too).

We had a good time riding up to the top and snapping pictures. Then, we stopped at the little snack shack 'starry starry high' (for real) and had fun excluding the wimps who refused to ride to the top over two great bowls of ddeokbokki and some pajeon (pancake with veggies)--yum! They were definitely jealous when we reported on our snack later.

On the way back, Oliver and Ronan were putting their camera faces on.  It might be years before I can take a 'normal' picture.

We could see the condo where we stayed from the gondola.  In winter this place must be hopping with skiers.  Although we weren't there during the winter skiiing season, the kids could not resist snapping some photos with the winter placards and mascotts.  Wish we could have stayed longer so that the kids could have gone tubing and done some other fun activities in that spot.  But, as mentioned above, the caravan must keep moving.