Spring!!

Spring is finally here!  We took the kids and a friend to Namsan this weekend (after a failed attempt to make it to the zoo at Seoul Grand Park because there were so many cars it looked like the Bay Bridge at 8:30 am on a Monday).  We bought some kimbap and drinks and had a little picnic before heading to the National Theater to park and walk the run/walk trail.The benches were warmed by the sun and felt really great to lay on.  If I hadn't had the kids with me, I'd probably have taken a nap.

Note the sign below is in English.  I didn't see any signs in Korean about keeping your dog on a leash.  Gotta watch those nasty foreigners--all just itching to ruin the place.  Seriously, I think this sign is up because you see a lot more non-Koreans out walking big dogs than you do Koreans.  Although, that day, most people had their dogs on leashes, except a couple of Korean dog owners.  Hmmm.  Need to put that sign in Korean, too, people.Oliver and Ronan love forsythia blossoms.  They learned all about them at school and love too throw them in the air and watch them fall to the ground, spinning like a helicopter.  Here, Oliver poses with his beloved 개나리 (kenari).This was pretty cool.  I stood there for a while snapping pictures before I realized this was a 'grass sculpture.'  A woman behind me said, "Oh, it's a woman," and thought she was talking about me.  But, before I could yell at her for being rude : - ) I noticed the sculpture.  It is, indeed, in the shape of a sleeping woman.Oliver and Dahin check on Dahin's neo-puppy on her cellphone on the steps of the National Theater.At the entrance to the walking path--notice who is tired (hint: he's on the right side--little buggar).And,victory!  Yes--Ronan won the "carry me" battle, first by having Dahin carry him, and then me.A water break at the spring.Oliver rests at the archery pavillion.  This pavillion has been around for centuries.  The target was so far from the archers; really impressive.Ronan finds some cherry blossom leaves.  The boys, especially, like to collect them and then throw them in the air.  The walk that day was beautiful because, as we were walking, the blossoms were falling all around us.

Exhibit A (well, the only exhibit I have):  An Italian Greyhound, off her leash.  Lizzie was a very sweet dog and very friendly--so friendly she was chasing after everything she saw move and wagging her tale.  Very cute.  But LEASH people!!  Owner was not a 'foreigner,' although the Korean man's English was quite good.I love this path.  It goes 3.5 kilometers one way.  I ran both ways about 2 weeks ago and it was so wonderful.  The hills killed me (although, you can see that in most spots it is relatively flat).  But, after running on a running machine all winter, this was the perfect challenge.  I hope to make it out there again soon before the weather gets too hot.  Below, you can see Namsan peeking through the trees.  Beautiful views!Ronan was washing his face in the stream.  Passersby thought this was cute.  Oliver threw up some cherry blossoms and yelled, "엄마, 사랑해!"  (I love you, Mommy!).  Very sweet (made up for the public grooming by his brother).

Ronan explores the mediation/massage path.  You're supposed to remove your shoes and walk on the path--ouch.  Ronan made up a new style of getting through the course--works for me!

Strawberry Farm Forever

The boys went to a strawberry farm on a school trip last Thursday. They picked strawberries to bring home, and then picked more to make strawberry jam. They came home with two containers full of very juicy and sweet berries as well as two jars of strawberry jam. The best stuff on toast in the morning! That day, Dahin stayed home sick and I stayed home with her. It was nice being able to make sure she napped, took her meds, and drank lots of liquids. Also, I had my first experience driving her to the doctor, parking, seeing the doctor, going to the pharmacy, and driving us home without scratching the car or getting into an accident. Believe me, that's an accomplishment in Korea. I felt very empowered afterwards. Poor girl was sick for a few days--missed the class picnic on Saturday as well as a scheduled playdate. : - ( She's totally recovered now. It was also great that day being able to, for once, greet the boys as they got off the bus from school.

Miss VP!

Congratulations to little Miss Dahin on being elected Vice President of her 3rd Grade Class! Woo-hoo! (see, she's already preparing for her "I am not a crook" speech; always be prepared).

Oliver dons a tie, Ronan discovers buffet, and Dahin is a lady

Our niece had her first birthday party at a buffet here in Seoul and it was a momentous occasion for all.  Oliver actually agreed to wear a tie for the first time EVER, although he wore a jacket over his shirt and tie the entire time and refused to show his dandy duds to those gathered.  Ronan ate, and ate, and ate.  I was afraid the poor boy would explode.  Now, his eyes sparkle when he hears the word 'buffet,' or any word that rhymes with it.  We were so very proud of Dahin, who behaved like a young lady in every way.  Not only did she brave a hair bow for the occasion (a rarity, indeed), but she helped her brothers out at the buffet and 'yes ma'amed' and 'yes sir'd' to those gathered. She did such a great job, proving, once again, what a great kid she is.  And, I must add, little Miss M's b-day bash gave Jack and I a chance to semi-dress-up.  I actually wore a dress and Jack wore a button-down shirt, with jeans.  Despite the latter, I think we looked good!

Oliver gets new hat, for 'spring'

I knitted Oliver a new hat out of Scottish wool just after the spring snowfall.  Good timing!  I think he liked the stripes--he's into stripes.  In retrospect, I wished I had used merino, despite it's price tag. I find merino wool to be so soft compared to other forms of wool and more comfortable for the wearer (because it's so soft and also stretches better than other forms of wool), especially for those with sensitive skin, like my little Oliver.   But, I got this wool on sale at the end of the winter season, so wanted to use it for some hats for the kids.  It's actually pretty good and comparatively soft.  I used a larger gauge circular needle to get a more chunky look.  Oliver picked the colors, designed the pattern on the hat, and insisted on a multi-colored pom-pom--good choice!

Spring Highlights, take 1

So, now that Japan has been posted, I am now playing a crazy game of catch-up.  I wanted to just say, 'forget it, who cares?' but the obsessive-compulsive wanna-be in me just couldn't let go.  So, before I move on to semi-real time, here are some highlights from spring.  Yes, I said 'spring.'  On March 22, 2010, we received almost a foot of snow in the capital.  Yee-haw!  I went to lecture--no snow.  Emerged from lecture--a massive, never-ending curtain of snow falling on the already-deep precipitation.  So, naturally, this incident is post-worthy, even out of time.  I snapped some photos outside of the College of Music and from my office window.

 

Japan! part 1

Here are some images from our time in Tokyo.  My first night there was a birthday night, so we went out to dinner and the students surprised me with a donut cake and gifts.  The students and faculty performed at the Tokyo University of the Arts, so it was a great chance to see Tokyo, learn about Japanese music as well as share Korean music, and meet up with and old friend (Hiroko from my Korean class days at Indiana U.)  We stayed in Shinjuku, and did brave the subway/train system once.  Tokyo is an incredibly crowded and busy city. Some highlights include eating at a sushi boat restaurant that was literally in the shape of a boat--you could fish for your own dinner, but still had to pay for it (at least give a discount, people).  Still, quite an unfair fight for the fish as I don't think it was that challenging to catch one, despite the fact that several people stood there for  what seemed like hours waiting for a catch. I also enjoyed visiting Tokyo University of the Arts.  The faculty was very nice and took us on a tour of the school.  We got to sit in on a koto and shamisen lesson and got to hear some great music.  I am very jealous of their gamelan --they have two--one from Bali and one from Java. What we'd give too have just one!  I shared a room with Yi Ji-Young and took some photos of her playing her kayagum.  It was such a great opportunity to see how these traveling performances work behind the scenes and to also strengthen connections with a university overseas.

Yi Ji Young and I actually shared the same birthday this year.  She follows the lunar calendar and I follow the solar.  This year, our birthday dates collided.  It was fun to share a birthday!

 Blogger has updated its blog applications I suppose to make things easier.  I find it more difficult to post, so not sure if it has actually made anything easier.  I've tried resizing some images, but it usually disrupts the order of the photos and takes me a long, long time to get the photos back in their proper place.  Also, inserting text above and below certain photos also seems to result in moving the photo to a different, unintended location.  Since I tend to post diary-style, this is really, really annoying.   So, I won't add any more text to the post below.  If you want to see a larger image of any of the photos, just left-click on the photo and it will appear in a new window. Be sure to hit the back button to take you back to the main page of the blog. Enjoy the photos!