September 1-23, 2012

The past few weeks have been busy, yet fun while we settle into our new home.

September 8, Marly and I went to the uniform vendor for long-sleeve shirts and pants, since it is getting cooler here, and took a walk around downtown Daegu. We saw Charlie Chaplin in front of a cell phone store. Talking on his cell.

We stopped at the Hello Kitty Cafe for a treat. ♥

The smoothies were delish.

The waffles were good , but the best was the frozen yogurt in the cup: old-style, sweet & sour.  Yum.

What more could a girl want!

We walked through a little of the shopping district where there are many, many, many shops and cafes, on miles of streets.  It's almost overwhelming. You can find anything here.

Later in the week, we took Levi to get a haircut at the local Homeplus department store.  I think he enjoyed the shampoo.

And a nice haircut it was.

The next night James and I walked to a local market where he was overwhelmed by the snack choices. 

The next day I took a stroll in the rain with my umbrella.  These ladies were going to tend their vegetable gardens.  The gardeners are very dedicated and there are gardens everywhere.

1/3 of a mile from our school is the Bullo-Dong Tombs Park (this is the entrance sign/map).  It has over 200 burial mounds. They are from the 5th-6th century and are the graves of the families that ruled this area then. I find it completely amazing that they were made while the Roman Empire still existed.

Each mound covers a stone tomb chamber.  Here is the view looking north towards the Mt. Palgonsan area. The tombs were excavated and researched in 1938 and again in 1968 by Kyungpook University. In the stone burial chambers, ceramic vessels, iron weapons and bits for horses were found.

... and looking south from Bullodong Tombs Park toward Daegu.

The mounds are kept neatly mowed. At the park entrance is a beautiful field of flowers. 

The mounds each have a stone marker with a number. Here's a couple of magpies looking for breakfast.

It is a nice place to take a stroll, like this granny did.

The edge of the neighborhood by the tombs park, with gardens of course.

Some sparrows enjoying a snack.

On September 15 James and I traveled with Marly, three other students and two teachers to Seoul for an art competition, a 3 and 1/2 hr. drive.

The event was the Korea Air Junior Artist's Olympiad.  Here at the entrance/Kids' zone with a big smile is Marly's wonderful elementary Art teacher Kerianne, who organized the trip!

The kids enjoyed meeting Pororo, the popular Korean cartoon "little penguin".

Marly and friend trying on traditional Korean attire, with a bow...

The contest all took place in a big hangar with a new Airbus inside to view.

Lining up to go into the Olympiad.  No parents or teachers allowed inside.

Before the kids started drawing, Korea Air execs gave brief speeches (translated in English) cheering the kids on in their artwork.  So inspiring and wonderful for the little artists.

For the next two hours the teams busily drew their "Airplane of the Future."  There's Mar and her partner in the middle, they are the ones with the lighter colored hair.

They played lively kid's music on big stereo speakers and panned around to each team on the big screen.  Mar & friend can be seen on the screen here. It was truly a memorable event for them.  The winners (announced Sept. 28) will get their design "wrapped" on an airplane. 

We went shopping downtown the next day and got Levi this new raincoat.  Of course we've been keeping him busy too:

On Sept. 8 he traveled to Busan, a one and 1/2 hr bus ride away, for the DIS middle school soccer team's game against Busan International School.  James went too.

Here's our school team in green, and the Busan team in blue & red, with our school coach next to Levi in the back.

On Sept. 20, the middle school team from the school next door played DIS.  Here's Levi playing on our rooftop field.

The kids play nice, not super-aggressive as you can tell by the lack of shinguards.

James was the ref.  ☺

On Sept. 18, a student's dad got tickets to a concert at the Daegu Cultural Center for her teachers.  Here I am with her, Conrad and Samantha.

I should add that this parent is an Army Colonel and the concert was played by all-military orchestras.  First there was a 75-pc. woodwind/brass ensemble,  joined later by opera singers. The music was just amazing!

Next, the strings orchestra came out, along with the Daegu City Choir. They played several well-known classical pieces and some moving patriotic Korean national songs. The concert was to commemorate 62 years since the start of the Korean War on 6-25-50.

A K-pop singer (currently serving his Army enlistment) came out and sang a few of his ballads... I'm not sure of his name. Then another K-pop star, Rain, came out and sang a few of his hits.  He is also serving the required two years of military service that all young men in South Korea must do. There were a bunch of young female fans who came from Japan to see them, and they all screamed.

Sept. 30 is Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving.  It is traditional to give gifts; so on Sept. 19 each teacher got one of these:

A gorgeous box of fruit, including dragonfruits and the biggest globe grapes I've ever seen. Those are enormous Asian pears and apples, and all are very delicious.

We also got two boxes of assorted tunas- very fresh-tasting and delicious.

... and, two boxes of shampoos, soaps and toothpastes.  We also received 20 boxes of noodles with sauce and two boxes of Lotus Blossom tea.  As you can see, the gifts are generous AND useful!

On Sept. 22 we headed downtown to celebrate James' birthday.  This time we took a bus; the stop is just a block away and we saved a few $ from the cost of a taxi.

While downtown we passed a store where the K-pop band Boyfriend was signing autographs.  Security was tight and screams from the young girls were rampant.

Everyone is getting ready for Chuseok on Sept. 30.  Koreans return to their hometowns on that day and wear traditional attire to a big family meal.

We had samgyetang for James' birthday dinner- small whole chickens stuffed with glutinous rice and a very large date, and boiled in a broth with ginseng.  Steamy goodness!

James and I found some wonderful, like-new winter jackets at "second-hand row".  The clothes in one store were of such high quality and good price that we're going back next week with a co-worker or two.

We took a Metro subway and taxi to get home.  The Metro is SO nice and clean!

We found this praying mantis on the subway steps.  I have seen a bunch around the school, but this was the first time that I had my camera on me.  Of course I rescued her and let her go in the garden outside the subway.  

 A typical scene after dinner here: kids play outside for a long time while the adults sit and chat. So nice.

 Next:  Off to Hong Kong for Chuseok holiday week!

Exploring Daegu

School started August 20 and we hit the ground running!

It is so nice to have small groups, more flexibility, and a less hectic schedule for teaching. The students are bright and motivated so we move through lessons quickly, and they are doing amazing work!

Levi and Marly are really enjoying their new school and seem to be making the adjustment fine. They are benefiting from smaller groups and more attention too.  It is nice to see them around school.  We have so much more family time available now which is fantastic.

 

 During the first week, all of of us new teachers went to the Immigration Office to process our alien cards. We are official, yay!  

After the first week of school, we went to nearby Bongmu Park Lake for a little fun.  We went with some teachers, their kids, and resident hall kids.

At the lake, there are these giant floats that the kids had fun running on, and falling off of...

Staying balanced is a challenge.

Here's one of our teachers (and a dad) mixing it up for the kids.

 

Sometimes the kids had to rest as staying balanced was hard work.

Getting ready for a speedboat ride. There's Levi on the left behind a new friend.

Here's the gang getting ready for a banana boat ride.  They looked a little nervous.

But, they had a blast!!

Even the headmaster got in on the fun.  Here he is water-skiing.

The coolest mom, who went on all the obstacles with the kids!  I was happy just to watch. :)

Lovely and elegant Duck Boats at the park, waiting for a ride.  Quack.

Duck boat in action.  They are motorized and move pretty slowly.

Levi and Mike skippering a Duck Boat.  We only hit the rocks twice (Good thing it's made of plastic).

A beautiful butterfly taking a drink by the lake.  I am amazed at the variety of butterflies I have seen in Korea.  They are also popular everywhere in songs and culture.

Pretty orchids at the waterpark entrance.

After a busy second week of school, on Saturday, Sept. 1 we headed downtown to the Daegu International Bodypainting Festival.

This was an amazing event where girls were painted and coiffed and dressed in fantasy attire.

Each girl had a team of artists for makeup and costuming.  They all wore incredibly high heels and towered over everyone.

 

Love the extreme eyelashes.

My favorite.  She's wearing peacock feathers.

Amazing, the hours of work that went into them!

Here we are waiting for the Fantasy pageant to begin.  The area became pretty full and many people picnicked on the grass.  A mom and daughter, our kids' age came and sat by us and introduced themselves and handed us snacks to eat.  Of course we got some goodies to share with them too.  Everyone is so nice and family-oriented here.  They love kids.

Before the pageant started there was an "Oppa Gangnam Style" dance contest.  Who appeared on the stage, but Marly's teacher (center), who won!  Go Ms. G!  That's one of our teaching interns next to her on the right.  Our school rocks!

And, the Pageant:  The girls glided around the stage to pop music, with a large video of themselves behind.

So graceful.  I was amazed at how they walked down those stairs in their gigantic heels.  Love her butterfly fan.

A colorful girl, exiting the stage.

Each girl had a team of attendants helping her walk with her costume- see her platform stilettos?

A fishy theme.

A sculpture at Duryu park near the Bodypainting Festival. The tower behind us is at E-World amusement park; a trip we'll make another day.

On the way home, we stopped at Daegu Stadium where the IAAF Track & Field World Championships are run.  James did very well.

Home again.  The view from the rooftop at sunset. The new luxury high-rise apartments being built are to the right, and the fashion school is to the left.  The mall is in the center left, a block away.  This is a totally planned, and rapidly growing luxury community called Esiapolis.

From the roof, looking north to Mt. Palgonsan at sunset.  Life in Korea is very good.