Tim and I eating chocolate in 1982

Friday Night, 24 July 2009

"Excercise, Excercise, Excercise" is finally over! It was a long week for both Rachel and I. I had to get up everyday at 0300 and didn't get home until around 3-4PM, making for tired evenings. Rachel was a trooper through it all as she got up with me every morning to make me lunch and send me off to face the day. However, we did have some time in the evenings to have some nice time together and we even hosted a chili dinner on Thursday night for some of our friends. Last night, we went to Chili's on base and had dinner with some friends. Then we had a few people over here and just visited, talking about the events of the past week and other general life stuff. Shinedown's "Simple Man" got downloaded on ITunes and played over and over and over again! The Shemchuk's came over about 1030 and we went downtown for a cocktail with them. All in all, it was good Friday night and Rachel and I are looking forward to relaxing this weekend.

Cheers,

Rick

Another trip to Home Plus

Rick wanted to check out the Hope Plus I had been raving about, so we took a trip to the big city.  

After turning around on the Interstate to go South (남) instead of North (북), we arrived and parked in one of the tiny parking spots. Like most military folks in Korea, we drive a 'kimchee car.' This means we bought a car here that is mostly on it's last leg, but get the job done. Our kimchee car is a 1994 Hundai Sonata. The speedometer doesn't work, neither does the locking mechanism on the passenger side. Two details that just don't really matter here. It has four doors, but I would not consider it a large car. Koreans must like a challenge so all the parking spaces accommodate a pair of roller skates. I don't know how people with SUVs do it! So, after I grunted myself out of the car through the impossible slot I was left between the door and the parking pole, we were off to shop!

We walked through, and I turned into a tour guide as I had been here before and knew all the amazing things. Rick didn't share my interest in the duck eggs, but did appreciate the electronics department. He found a splitter thingy that you plug into your cigarette lighter so you have multiple ports. Now, he can have his IPOD and Garmin plugged in. So, we go to check-out and it goes pretty smoothly although they don't give us a bag. I see the bags, and we have multiple items, so I wasn't sure why we didn't get one. Things move very fast, and the cashier was already on to the next customer as I was trying to remember how to ask for something. Rick starts shoving the items into MY purse as he tries very hard to blend in, but then I noticed the next customer was given a bag. What in the world?! So, I smile, point to the bag on the counter, and ask for a bag. The cashier smiles back, but indicates semi-violently that the bag I was merely pointing to belongs to the customer behind us. Rick is assuring me we can just carry the items, and probably praying I don't cause any more of a scene. Everyone is bowing and saying thank you at this point, so I just jam the receipt in my pocket and we collect ourselves and go.

We get to the car, and Rick opens his new splitter thingy ONLY to find out it is the wrong size. Rats. I buckle my seat belt and prepare for a nap as it will take an easy ten minutes to get out of this parking space. Then, Rick says the imaginable!

"I'm going to try to take this back since we are right here"

'What?! I have no idea how to say 'return' or 'exchange", I practically whimper.

Rick says, 'You don't know, if you don't try, right?"

God Bless him.

So, we go back in, bow to the door lady, and try to figure out what sign is Customer Service. Since I screwed up North and South earlier, I'm keeping my mouth closed. We ask the door lady where we go to return items, and she gives us a Thumbs Down.

"Well, guess we tried!" I said! I bowed to her and said thank you.

"No, I think she means go downstairs" Rick says. Dang the logic!

So, we go downstairs and find what seems to be a Customer Service Counter. I cringe as I envision him explaining 'return' with his hands.

I then notice that there is a hub-bub behind me. There is a father and a little girl sitting on a bench. I'm guessing they haven't seen two huge blond Americans before. I greet them in Korean, and they greet me in English. Ironic.

So, before I try to shy away from the counter, I notice the return is already processed. WHAT?! We couldn't get a bag earlier but the return of an item that has been opened is not a problem. Fantastic! This is when Rick realizes he doesn't have the debit card that he paid with. The gal behind the counter is counting his Won back to him, and I am retracing our steps. 

" It has to be at the cashier that wouldn't give us a bag" I said, and we bowed to Customer Service lady, and turned to go back upstairs. I waved goodbye to the little girl as we walked away, and she said "Bye".

The no-bag lady indicated she didn't have the card when Rick gave her the Universal sign for 'Did I leave my debit card Here?'

The debit card ended up being in the car, so tragedy averted!

Another successful day at Home Plus!

Rick is not starving to death

I was shocked as to how many people asked me if I could cook when I cheerfully explained I would be moving to Korea and becoming a bona fide housewife.  

I am happy to report that despite having to google 'How to boil an egg' Rick has NOT died from malnutrition. In fact, he hasn't even eaten the same meal twice since we got home.  I have conquered a Mediterranean Salad!  I have dazzled him with plates of Pot Roast, Cornish Game Hens, Chili, Taco Salad, Stir-Fry...the list of multi-ingredients meals goes on and on.  Ironically, the all-time favorite is still TATERTOT CASSEROLE.  

Yes, YOU TOO can make the men swoon when you brown hamburger, cook tatertots, add cream of mushroom soup and shredded cheese!!

Trip to Home Plus

Brynn, another Air Force wife, and I went to Home Plus today.  Home Plus is the Korean equivalent to Target.  This store just opened and has multiple levels that include a grocery store and food court.  I was on the hunt for a light bulb as we had one burn out, and the BX didn't have the kind I needed.  I had high hopes that there would be American-style variety in this store, and in some cases there was!

Everything in the store is in Korean, but you can generally tell what it is.  Their egg selection is impressive.  You can buy eggs from chickens that were only fed specific things like mushrooms, or a type of grain.  You can buy Duck eggs.  Although basically a similar bird, I couldn't imagine making a duck egg omelet.  In the meat department you can buy squid!  Packaged just like pork chops, but yep, it's a squid.  You can also buy dried squid that is eaten like beef jerky!  Some products have English words on them that are just comical...like 'Nice biscuits'.  I successfully found my light bulb, and after a clumsy check-out, we headed to the food court.  

At the food court, there are around six mini restaurants, and  one cashier where you order your food.  Keep in mind this is all in Korean.  Luckily, they have meals in a case with the number next to it.  (Think of going to McDonalds and they have each value meal in a case with a number next to it) So, we opt to split one of their larger meals.  We decide on number 37 which consists of multiple dishes that don't really resemble anything you would ever see in the US.  Nothing is in it's original form, so I feel confident I will like it.  We pay, and are handed a receipt which includes our order number, and the mini restaurant that is cooking our order.  So, we try to match up the Korean word on the receipt with the restaurant front.  Our number shows up on the large electronic board, and I go to retrieve our overflowing treys as Brynn finds us a table.  Although everyone is very polite, I feel the judgement as  I pick up all the food.  I'm easily the largest person in the entire store, (second largest in the country) and I can bet they are making 'super-size me' jokes.  The meal is very good.  There is a large rice omelet, two fried pork patties, a meat patty with an egg over it, 'spaghetti' with a garlic bread, kimchee, bowl of ice cream, some kind of soup.  All of it is very tasty, and I'm thrilled there are forks available.  We finish our meal, and do some additional shopping.   One successful day at Hope Plus!

Pictures of our apartment

- Together at last!

July 7th marks the day the Mitchells landed in the ROK together.  Although Rick has been here for over a year, I'm sure it's going to be a whole different experience now that his wife is here.