We've been here in Yongin City aka Jukjeon for about two weeks now. There are definitely some differences between where we live now and where we lived before. While John enthusiastically appreciates some of the differences, I'm not quite as keen on them. The big difference is location. In Ilsan, we were right smack dab in the downtown area, just a block and a half away from the subway station and the bus stop. John's school was not near by and that required him to take a bus which meant that he ususally wasn't home until around 6 at night even though he got done with work at 5:15. Here, John is just five minutes away from work by foot but we're a bit farther from the subway and bus stops than we were before and usually, it's a bit of a hike to get from here to there, a hike that includes hills and crossing streets that are not very well regulated by traffic lights and even when they are, the driver's don't always heed the red lights which can be frustrating at times when you're trying to cross the street with your three year old (makes it a bit of a life and death adventure as well). So far, I'm able to handle the hike though on warm, muggy days it can be a bit much and with my one foot giving me issues, not something I can just up and do every day (if I overdo it one day, like yesterday, I tend to be out pretty much all of the next day). It has gotten to where we will use a taxi to get home because even with the buses going from the subway station (which is where the department store and the E-mart are), they tend to stop a bit aways from where we need to go while the taxi takes us right to the door for about 100 won more than it used to cost John and I to take the bus one way (Natalie's free on the bus) and 100 won is only about 10 cents so really, not that much at all. So, when you look at it that way, taking the taxi definitely is the better deal especially if we have to carry any large items home like a computer desk (which we may be getting at some point). Still, there's just not very much in the area we live in which is a bit different than how it was in Ilsan and I kind of miss that. Having all that stuff nearby really got me out and about doing things I normally would never do in the summertime namely, leaving the house when it was warmer than I liked which usually was most of it (though I've heard that Wisconsin actually had an usually COOL summer this year which I'm really annoyed about because I MISSED IT and the chance to have to wear long sleeves in July). Now, it takes more of an effort but John is finding places we can go along the subway (admittedly, most of that has been purely by accident by getting on the wrong bus) and that may help to get me out more. I'm also hoping I can still meet up with my one friend and hopefully at some point meet up some other people who live closer but unfortunately, getting friendships to go beyond the internet isn't any easier here than it was back at home. Ilsan is two hours by subway from here so I'm not always going to be able to get up there to meet with the moms I have met so far but at the moment, considering I know where everything is up there, there's motivation for me to go there.
The past couple of weeks have definitely been a challenge though. When we first got here, we had nothing as far as kitchen items outside of the things we brought with us from the last place which wasn't much so we've had to go and do some shopping and get a lot of that (which John is supposed to be reimbursed for). There were no pots or pans or dishes or anything of that nature, we've pretty much had to completely stock up the kitchen so that's been fun especially as many kitchen items here in Korea are really not all that cheap. There at least was a bed (which can be iffy as Koreans tend to sleep on mats on the floor). That is a queen which is a great size for all three of us (though Natalie does have a couple of mats to sleep on those nights when John and I want to sleep alone together) and it's nice and firm but not TOO firm (some beds can feel as hard as the floor, the last one in our place did until we broke it in a little). It is, however, on the floor which John has been trying to get fixed since we moved here. We also had no internet for more than a week and that was definitely a challenge for me as most of my social life is through the computer via Facebook and online forums. I spent most of the offline time playing Sims 2 though and watching a few episodes of Star Trek Voyager. It helped that I got one of my old neighborhoods for Sims 2 in the game that's on my current computer. I ended up with two games on two different computers for awhile and recently figured out how to get some of the stuff from the one computer into the game I have on this one. Been looking at stuff for Sims 3 but really thinking that I want to keep with Sims 2 for now. I can remember how hard it was at first to play Sims 2 with all the stuff that was on the original Sims by the time Maxis stopped making expansion packs and it was rough so I'm waiting and I'm hoping by the time I get home and get a desktop, Sims 3 will have an expansion pack (or two) and will be even better than it is now. Meanwhile, I still have two expansion packs to get for Sims 2 in order to fully enjoy all it has to offer.
Things are coming along though and John enjoys his new job which is the most important thing. He doesn't have too many kids and they're all older and pretty well disciplined (which was one of the problems he was having with the last place, that and the fact that he was basically expected NOT to discipline them but let them do what they wanted, especially the kindergarten age kids which were basically not much older than Natalie and at that nasty pre-five age I'm disliking so much because it is SUCH a challenge to deal with). The fact that he only works five minutes from home is a huge bonus because then he can come home for lunch and get home right after work though that is for July and August only. Once the regular school year starts up again, he goes from noon to six and he probably won't have a lunch break during that time. I'm sure once that starts we'll get a schedule all figured out. We are right by a park so he and Natalie can go before he goes to work (as long as it is not raining which, being monsoon season at the moment, is just about everyday). So, other than the fact that it's not quite as convenient to the action as the last place was and the apartment is TINY, it's not too bad of a gig so far. Will it work the whole year? We'll see, I guess. Hard to be optimistic about anything at this point after all the issues John had with the last two jobs.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
We're moving...AGAIN!
Well, to be honest, we're already just about all moved. Oh boy was THAT an adventure. It's also one of those things where you really do not realize just how much stuff you have until you try to move it. There was not furniture to move but we had clothes, suitcases, food, a laundry basket, a small hamper, plus a few boxes of TOYS. So, taking all that on the subway was not going to be an option (yikes!). Fortunately, the coordinator for the new school John's working at (more on that in a moment), sent a moving person. He loaded up all the stuff (with a little help from John) and after a bunch of talking back and forth on cell phones with the coordinator, we ALL bunch into the front seat of this truck and off we went! Yeah, first thing to learn about Korea, no car seat laws here and we had Natalie on John's lap the whole time. And yes, I was nervous as can be about it too, especially as we were going a good 80 km/mile on the roads. The old place is just north of Seoul and we were moving south of Seoul, the whole trip was about 50 km (sorry, it's all in km, don't exactly know what the conversion is) which I think is about 30 miles? But it was a LOOOONG trip even on the expressway and we saw lots of buildings, LOTS of bridges and just all kinds of different things that we don't usually see going on the subway. It was warm though and pretty muggy out so we had the windows open the whole way (not overly pleasant on my poor ear).
We FINALLY get there though with a few mishaps as far as trying to find the exact building and get everything unpacked off the truck and into the apartment. Now, how to describe that...well, I don't think apartment is the right word. SHOEBOX is more appropriate. The place is SMALL. It's supposed to be a one bedroom. Yes, it has one bedroom...sort of. There's a room with four sliding doors and then they're all closed, that makes a bedroom and there IS a bed in it and it's a queen sized bed...well, actually, a queen sized mattress on the floor (the coordinator felt that would be safer for the "baby"). There's a TV in there and places to put some clothes (if you came to the country with about five outfits per person). The "living area" is mostly kitchen with a large table and chairs. There is no couch. The fridge is the perfect size...for Natalie. It's about 4 feet tall and John figures he'll have to ask Natalie what's in the fridge. Basically, it's a dorm fridge with an added freezer. There's a microwave that we put on the fridge because there's no counter to put it on and no outlets by the little bit of counter to put anything on either. Fortunately, there is air conditioning. The bathroom has a toilet, medicine cabinet above that, a sink, and between the toilet and the sink, a thing on the wall with the shower head and that is attached to this thing on the sink.
This is where we will be living for the next year. If I don't go insane during that time I had better get a medal. Fortunately, John will be worker fewer hours and I can have him spend LOTS of time with Natalie outside. I'm convinced though that Koreans do not live in their apartments but spend all their time out and about and go out to eat. It is at least in a decent area that's within walking distance from the subway, the world's largest department store (at least that's what it said on the side of the building), and an Outback Steakhouse. So, we'll at least have things to do and we're a little closer to Seoul than we were before so we can bum around which will be good during that week John is off of work.
So that begs the question, WHY. Well, John finally got the notice that he is being replaced, officially. Back in April, the director had told him that he wasn't planning to keep John due to issues with the kindergarten class. No biggie because the director wasn't being the greatest about paying and that kind of stuff. But, it got to be two months later and we sort of started getting the idea that we were going to be staying for awhile and got the visas done, a cell phone, that kind of thing. Well, I had John ask the director the end of June to find out what was going on and that was when he was told that the new teacher was coming the 24th in time for an open house. Fortunately, he had been working with a recruiter who had a school, a public school, that needed a teacher ASAP so John got his release for the 22nd of July (two days from now). So yeah, it's been a really busy and insane month and now, we're moving to a place John has not lived in and we're both going to have to try and figure out where everything is. Should be fun. Hopefully, this will be it and a year from now, we'll have saved enough and the economy will be stable enough for us to come home. That's what I'm hoping for anyway.
We FINALLY get there though with a few mishaps as far as trying to find the exact building and get everything unpacked off the truck and into the apartment. Now, how to describe that...well, I don't think apartment is the right word. SHOEBOX is more appropriate. The place is SMALL. It's supposed to be a one bedroom. Yes, it has one bedroom...sort of. There's a room with four sliding doors and then they're all closed, that makes a bedroom and there IS a bed in it and it's a queen sized bed...well, actually, a queen sized mattress on the floor (the coordinator felt that would be safer for the "baby"). There's a TV in there and places to put some clothes (if you came to the country with about five outfits per person). The "living area" is mostly kitchen with a large table and chairs. There is no couch. The fridge is the perfect size...for Natalie. It's about 4 feet tall and John figures he'll have to ask Natalie what's in the fridge. Basically, it's a dorm fridge with an added freezer. There's a microwave that we put on the fridge because there's no counter to put it on and no outlets by the little bit of counter to put anything on either. Fortunately, there is air conditioning. The bathroom has a toilet, medicine cabinet above that, a sink, and between the toilet and the sink, a thing on the wall with the shower head and that is attached to this thing on the sink.
This is where we will be living for the next year. If I don't go insane during that time I had better get a medal. Fortunately, John will be worker fewer hours and I can have him spend LOTS of time with Natalie outside. I'm convinced though that Koreans do not live in their apartments but spend all their time out and about and go out to eat. It is at least in a decent area that's within walking distance from the subway, the world's largest department store (at least that's what it said on the side of the building), and an Outback Steakhouse. So, we'll at least have things to do and we're a little closer to Seoul than we were before so we can bum around which will be good during that week John is off of work.
So that begs the question, WHY. Well, John finally got the notice that he is being replaced, officially. Back in April, the director had told him that he wasn't planning to keep John due to issues with the kindergarten class. No biggie because the director wasn't being the greatest about paying and that kind of stuff. But, it got to be two months later and we sort of started getting the idea that we were going to be staying for awhile and got the visas done, a cell phone, that kind of thing. Well, I had John ask the director the end of June to find out what was going on and that was when he was told that the new teacher was coming the 24th in time for an open house. Fortunately, he had been working with a recruiter who had a school, a public school, that needed a teacher ASAP so John got his release for the 22nd of July (two days from now). So yeah, it's been a really busy and insane month and now, we're moving to a place John has not lived in and we're both going to have to try and figure out where everything is. Should be fun. Hopefully, this will be it and a year from now, we'll have saved enough and the economy will be stable enough for us to come home. That's what I'm hoping for anyway.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Time and the hours, run through the roughest day...
It was about this time, six years ago, that I called John who, at the time, was my fiance and living here in South Korea. It was sometime between 10:21 and 10:50 am CT on Saturday, June 28, 2003. For John, it was already June 29th, just after 12:30 am. I'm sure he was not at all prepared for the phone call he got, a phone call from his very hysterical bride-to-be. He wasn't even able to understand a word I was saying and I wasn't able to talk to him for very long, the ambulance and the police were already arriving. It was amazing I was even able to dial the number since it was so long but months of calling him had made it all pretty automatic.
It was and still is, the worst day of my life. Nothing in the 22 and a half years before that day and nothing in the six years since that day has eclipsed the events that transpired that Saturday morning. I sincerely hope nothing ever does.
It's one of those events that ends up defining you and it definitely has defined me. Part of me, I think, is still stuck in that day. Sure, I have worked to move on. That's kind of how life goes. No matter what happens, there are still marriages and births and birthdays and all of those things that defines the life of a family. There's the day to day process of living that has to happen no matter what happens that may disrupt that. Life keeps happening and the world goes on living and somehow, you have to as well. But it wasn't easy, for a long time, it wasn't very easy to do at all.
And now, six years later, I'm here in South Korea, with both John and Natalie and it just seems to be so different compared to how things were six years ago. Sometimes it all seems surreal, that the events never really happened at all. When I talk to my mom, where she's at doesn't really enter my mind. There's sort of a denial about it all, like my brain just can't comprehend it all, doesn't really WANT to comprehend it all because to do so would somehow shatter it. I don't know. Sometimes, it tries to deal with what has happened through dreams but even those are confused. Many times, I will have dreams that I'm doing things with my mom, sometimes even my dad which is not at all possible nor will it ever be possible but it seems that they are right there, like everything is normal, like it all never really happened. It's like there are still parts of my brain that are just in total denial of all that has happened the last six years and doesn't want to acknowledge it ever happened so there's a sort of another dimension that is there within my mind and not only in that dimension are my parents in my life in full force but my seventh grade science teacher is alive and well and I talk to her often even wished her a belated happy birthday even though she's been dead now for almost a year and a half.
I know I'm not the only one with the dreams and mine are fairly tame compared to the dreams my sisters have had, especially my younger sister. Again, just amazing how our minds will take events that have happened and try to make sense of them when we're asleep. Amazing and kind of scary because the world it presents as the alternative is just crazy sometimes.
So another year passes and time goes on. Hopefully, someday, the day will pass without me taking note of it but that probably won't happen anytime soon. You just can't go through something like that and not have the date etched on your mind. Time may wear it down a little but to nothing? I don't know if that will ever be the case. I think John was hoping that bringing me here would help that but if anything, it only seemed to remind me even more because he was here when it happened. And it took me a long time to even forgive him for being here in the first place. That he wasn't with me when I needed him and wasn't able to come home for another three months was not easy for me to deal with at all. And for a long time, he took the brunt of my anger towards what happened because of it. I always had felt that things would have ended differently if he had just been back in the US with me or even if I had somehow been here with him. But to be honest, there's just no way of really knowing.
It was and still is, the worst day of my life. Nothing in the 22 and a half years before that day and nothing in the six years since that day has eclipsed the events that transpired that Saturday morning. I sincerely hope nothing ever does.
It's one of those events that ends up defining you and it definitely has defined me. Part of me, I think, is still stuck in that day. Sure, I have worked to move on. That's kind of how life goes. No matter what happens, there are still marriages and births and birthdays and all of those things that defines the life of a family. There's the day to day process of living that has to happen no matter what happens that may disrupt that. Life keeps happening and the world goes on living and somehow, you have to as well. But it wasn't easy, for a long time, it wasn't very easy to do at all.
And now, six years later, I'm here in South Korea, with both John and Natalie and it just seems to be so different compared to how things were six years ago. Sometimes it all seems surreal, that the events never really happened at all. When I talk to my mom, where she's at doesn't really enter my mind. There's sort of a denial about it all, like my brain just can't comprehend it all, doesn't really WANT to comprehend it all because to do so would somehow shatter it. I don't know. Sometimes, it tries to deal with what has happened through dreams but even those are confused. Many times, I will have dreams that I'm doing things with my mom, sometimes even my dad which is not at all possible nor will it ever be possible but it seems that they are right there, like everything is normal, like it all never really happened. It's like there are still parts of my brain that are just in total denial of all that has happened the last six years and doesn't want to acknowledge it ever happened so there's a sort of another dimension that is there within my mind and not only in that dimension are my parents in my life in full force but my seventh grade science teacher is alive and well and I talk to her often even wished her a belated happy birthday even though she's been dead now for almost a year and a half.
I know I'm not the only one with the dreams and mine are fairly tame compared to the dreams my sisters have had, especially my younger sister. Again, just amazing how our minds will take events that have happened and try to make sense of them when we're asleep. Amazing and kind of scary because the world it presents as the alternative is just crazy sometimes.
So another year passes and time goes on. Hopefully, someday, the day will pass without me taking note of it but that probably won't happen anytime soon. You just can't go through something like that and not have the date etched on your mind. Time may wear it down a little but to nothing? I don't know if that will ever be the case. I think John was hoping that bringing me here would help that but if anything, it only seemed to remind me even more because he was here when it happened. And it took me a long time to even forgive him for being here in the first place. That he wasn't with me when I needed him and wasn't able to come home for another three months was not easy for me to deal with at all. And for a long time, he took the brunt of my anger towards what happened because of it. I always had felt that things would have ended differently if he had just been back in the US with me or even if I had somehow been here with him. But to be honest, there's just no way of really knowing.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
We finally have our visas...
...and our registration cards, all good until February 27th which is when John's stuff all expires since we're here as his dependents. Still not sure how long we're actually going to be here though. Things are still all up in the air because of this director. He told John two months ago that he was going to replace him. Well, nothing has really happened since then. But in the meantime, he won't let John go nor will he help John with anything that requires a contract since he doesn't "intend" to keep him. So once again, things are very much all up in the air. We're kind of tossing around the idea of just leaving for the Feast and not coming back here, just go home for that and then try to figure out where to go from there. Not quite sure how that would all work though. But John has to figure something out as far as that goes as taking a whole week off in October is not something that directors are going to really be thrilled with when getting a new employee.
In the meantime, I guess he has an entire week off the first week of August which should be nice, provided we're still here. But I would say, if John hasn't gotten any kind of notice the first week of July, we'll be here at least that long because I expect for John to get the 30 days notice he is entitled to. Not that the director has really been inclined to follow the law thus far. He STILL has not taken out pension and he has NOT been taking out money for health insurance (which will be great if we ever need to take Natalie or any of the rest of the us to the doctor).
Fortunately for the most part, we are pretty healthy people but it is on the back of my mind. Which has me concerned about something else. Since John dropped the cell phone in a sink full of water a week or so ago, we have not had any means of calling out. The cell phone (which did not always have minutes) was the only means I had to call out should something happen. The landline here is not capable of calling out. I always get some kind of error message in Korean when I try to make any kind of a phone call. My understanding was that it was deliberately set up this way (not sure why anyone would have bothered to put a phone in in the first place then).
And this is one of those things that really gets to me. We need to have a phone that is capable of calling out in the event that anything happens here while John is at work. I have a three year old. Things can happen and I do not want to try and figure out how to get a hold of John if something was to happen. If Natalie is sick, I don't know where the hospitals are. I don't know where to take her. John had a cell phone but it was always kind of iffy. It's not easy to figure out where we can go to get a contract and with the director planning to replace John at some point, I doubt we can get one anyway. But, I can't even find that out because I can't speak Korean and so far, the cell phone places I have stopped at today don't seem to have any English speaking reps. So, I'm really getting frustrated by this and I have asked John to talk to the director about this to let him know that either the phone here needs to be set up so that I can call out or someone who can speak both English and Korean from the school needs to come over, take me and Natalie somewhere I can get us a cell phone since John pretty much works during all the business hours.
If things weren't just so messed up economy-wise in the states, we would have gone back home but as sucky as the situation here has been, the money has still been good and it still beats going back on county assistance and having almost NO extra money at all. Here, we're able to go out, see things, do things, have fun, eat out and still have money to send home. It's not perfect but right now, being here is just a lot more attractive to me than going home. And, as always, it is the path of least resistance. I also don't have to figure out quite yet just where we're going to live because that's still up in the air too. The plan is that when we do go home, we're going to settle somewhere for awhile, at least 4-5 years with NO moving AT ALL. That's a tall order to ask of John but after all the moving I've done so far since October, I will have no desire at all to move once we get home. So, I really do not want to rush on that because it's a big decision. We're going to be at least temporarily putting our roots down and I want it to be somewhat of a decent place.
So, once again, it's all a waiting game and we're just waiting to see how everything turns out. We just sort of take it one day at a time, just like we have with everything else. Kind of frustrating at times but what else can you do? It's no better at home, that's for sure.
It definitely has its perks though. I am really enjoying not having to rely on a car and I like getting around by myself or with Natalie, taking the bus (which I have finally gotten used to enough to brave on my own, the buses here are FAST and SCARY!) or the subway, both just a block from our apartment. I have figured out the subway system enough that I probably could go just about anywhere it goes without John (a fact that I'm sure would not thrill him as he would probably panic at the idea of Natalie and I galivanting all over the place) and I'm hoping that maybe I'll be able to start meeting up with some other moms who live on the lines but aren't in the same area. There's lots of shopping to be had here and not everything is insanely expensive. Hair pieces, especially are super cheap and Natalie and I are having a ton of fun finding different colors and different types including bows and those pony tail holders with things on them (think of those sunshine pony tail holders that Punky Brewster always wore and you get the idea) like butterflies, hearts, stars, etc. Shopping is also interesting in that you never quite know what to expect when you go into a store. Samples are typical in the grocery store setting (just like it is at home) but one thing you'll find here that you WON'T find in the US is an area to sample WINE. Admittedly, it's not much more than a sip in a paper cup but still, I think it's pretty neat that I can go into a grocery store and try a sample of wine. And in doing so, have found quite a few that I wouldn't mind picking up a bottle of and bringing home. lol And the nice thing is, as long as the store is open, you CAN buy the wine to take it home! In other words, no being told that you can't buy it because it's after 9pm. Bars here are also open pretty late but since we're here with Natalie, we haven't really taken advantage of that. Still, John jokes that if I get mad sometime and need to get out (always a possibility when you have three people stuck together in a studio apartment), I can always go next door and upstairs to the wine bar. lol
Another interesting thing with shopping is that unlike at home where (especially in big box stores) it can be extremely hard to find someone to help you find something, here there are store personnel available to help pretty much in every single aisle. While this can be a good thing, it can also be a little bit overwhelming, especially if you are trying to shop for something discreetly. An example of this was my experience on Sunday shopping for um pads. Now, I was prepared when I came over. I bought a Diva Cup from the co-op in Madison and I came with a few pads and a package of liners as a back up. That's been working great but the liners were not really big enough and I wanted to pick up something a little larger. And while I'd really like to get cloth pads at some point, right now, I'm just too overwhelmed by all the choices and not looking forward to getting hit with the huge shipping fees to get them over here. So there I am, trying to look at various packages of pads which, of course, are all in Korean and the sizes are all in cm and I have no idea how big I want it to be except that I KNOW that 42 cm is just too big (since that's like a good 15 inches and good grief who in the world needs a 15 inch pad?!) when this nice Korean woman comes up and tries to see if I need help and naturally, there is a language barrier but I try to convey that I would like to find some pads that are not too large and are not too scented either (I can't stand scented items). She keeps pointing some that are definitely too big and I'm trying to tell her that won't work but not getting very far. She finally, I kid you not, brings out this BOOK with samples of actual pads in it! Oh boy! I do see some that may work but to be honest, I was just sort of uncomfortable with the whole thing and really just wanted to get out of there! Mind you, there are samples of pads hanging in front of the packages of pads in the aisle. And they are open so that you can touch them and see if that is the pad you would want to get or not. Helpful, I'm sure, but not something we're going to see in the US anytime soon (thank goodness!). So that was Sunday. Monday, I go to this little Walgreen's without the drugs type place (since all medication are sold ONLY in pharmacies and small ones at that) and fortunately, the help is not quite so overwhelming so I'm left to try and figure out pads and liners for myself with a little help from John with reading the Korean (poor hubby). We had trouble figuring out if one of the ones I was looking at was scented and unscented so John is left having to ask the ladies up front since he's the one who knows Korean. It was interesting to say the least. But we were able to find out what we needed to know and as those weren't too expensive, I did leave with them. They were more liner type things than pads but again, as I only need them as a back-up to my cup, they'll work...as long as I put it in correctly.
There's definitely a lot to see and do around here, don't get me wrong, and I am starting to see what got John so into traveling. My family had settled down by the time I was born so I missed out on all of that and now, my eyes have very much opened up to how unique various places can be. And if John is still at this job come August when he gets that week off, I have no doubt we'll be doing some traveling, especially by train which is a favorite of both John and Natalie.
Now if only John can find a decent job. I think that would really make a world of difference. If he can find a honey of a job with what we have here so far (and a decent apartment with the amenities we need), it would really help out a lot. Unfortunately, I don't think Natalie's going to be sold on the idea until she gets her bike and I'm holding off on that for the moment as I'm using that for a very special milestone. But she seems to be adjusting too and I think if we find some fun things to do this summer (like a water park or the one amusement park that's not too far from here), she'll get more excited. It's just not easy to find things for a three year old to do everyday. They get bored easily.
In the meantime, I guess he has an entire week off the first week of August which should be nice, provided we're still here. But I would say, if John hasn't gotten any kind of notice the first week of July, we'll be here at least that long because I expect for John to get the 30 days notice he is entitled to. Not that the director has really been inclined to follow the law thus far. He STILL has not taken out pension and he has NOT been taking out money for health insurance (which will be great if we ever need to take Natalie or any of the rest of the us to the doctor).
Fortunately for the most part, we are pretty healthy people but it is on the back of my mind. Which has me concerned about something else. Since John dropped the cell phone in a sink full of water a week or so ago, we have not had any means of calling out. The cell phone (which did not always have minutes) was the only means I had to call out should something happen. The landline here is not capable of calling out. I always get some kind of error message in Korean when I try to make any kind of a phone call. My understanding was that it was deliberately set up this way (not sure why anyone would have bothered to put a phone in in the first place then).
And this is one of those things that really gets to me. We need to have a phone that is capable of calling out in the event that anything happens here while John is at work. I have a three year old. Things can happen and I do not want to try and figure out how to get a hold of John if something was to happen. If Natalie is sick, I don't know where the hospitals are. I don't know where to take her. John had a cell phone but it was always kind of iffy. It's not easy to figure out where we can go to get a contract and with the director planning to replace John at some point, I doubt we can get one anyway. But, I can't even find that out because I can't speak Korean and so far, the cell phone places I have stopped at today don't seem to have any English speaking reps. So, I'm really getting frustrated by this and I have asked John to talk to the director about this to let him know that either the phone here needs to be set up so that I can call out or someone who can speak both English and Korean from the school needs to come over, take me and Natalie somewhere I can get us a cell phone since John pretty much works during all the business hours.
If things weren't just so messed up economy-wise in the states, we would have gone back home but as sucky as the situation here has been, the money has still been good and it still beats going back on county assistance and having almost NO extra money at all. Here, we're able to go out, see things, do things, have fun, eat out and still have money to send home. It's not perfect but right now, being here is just a lot more attractive to me than going home. And, as always, it is the path of least resistance. I also don't have to figure out quite yet just where we're going to live because that's still up in the air too. The plan is that when we do go home, we're going to settle somewhere for awhile, at least 4-5 years with NO moving AT ALL. That's a tall order to ask of John but after all the moving I've done so far since October, I will have no desire at all to move once we get home. So, I really do not want to rush on that because it's a big decision. We're going to be at least temporarily putting our roots down and I want it to be somewhat of a decent place.
So, once again, it's all a waiting game and we're just waiting to see how everything turns out. We just sort of take it one day at a time, just like we have with everything else. Kind of frustrating at times but what else can you do? It's no better at home, that's for sure.
It definitely has its perks though. I am really enjoying not having to rely on a car and I like getting around by myself or with Natalie, taking the bus (which I have finally gotten used to enough to brave on my own, the buses here are FAST and SCARY!) or the subway, both just a block from our apartment. I have figured out the subway system enough that I probably could go just about anywhere it goes without John (a fact that I'm sure would not thrill him as he would probably panic at the idea of Natalie and I galivanting all over the place) and I'm hoping that maybe I'll be able to start meeting up with some other moms who live on the lines but aren't in the same area. There's lots of shopping to be had here and not everything is insanely expensive. Hair pieces, especially are super cheap and Natalie and I are having a ton of fun finding different colors and different types including bows and those pony tail holders with things on them (think of those sunshine pony tail holders that Punky Brewster always wore and you get the idea) like butterflies, hearts, stars, etc. Shopping is also interesting in that you never quite know what to expect when you go into a store. Samples are typical in the grocery store setting (just like it is at home) but one thing you'll find here that you WON'T find in the US is an area to sample WINE. Admittedly, it's not much more than a sip in a paper cup but still, I think it's pretty neat that I can go into a grocery store and try a sample of wine. And in doing so, have found quite a few that I wouldn't mind picking up a bottle of and bringing home. lol And the nice thing is, as long as the store is open, you CAN buy the wine to take it home! In other words, no being told that you can't buy it because it's after 9pm. Bars here are also open pretty late but since we're here with Natalie, we haven't really taken advantage of that. Still, John jokes that if I get mad sometime and need to get out (always a possibility when you have three people stuck together in a studio apartment), I can always go next door and upstairs to the wine bar. lol
Another interesting thing with shopping is that unlike at home where (especially in big box stores) it can be extremely hard to find someone to help you find something, here there are store personnel available to help pretty much in every single aisle. While this can be a good thing, it can also be a little bit overwhelming, especially if you are trying to shop for something discreetly. An example of this was my experience on Sunday shopping for um pads. Now, I was prepared when I came over. I bought a Diva Cup from the co-op in Madison and I came with a few pads and a package of liners as a back up. That's been working great but the liners were not really big enough and I wanted to pick up something a little larger. And while I'd really like to get cloth pads at some point, right now, I'm just too overwhelmed by all the choices and not looking forward to getting hit with the huge shipping fees to get them over here. So there I am, trying to look at various packages of pads which, of course, are all in Korean and the sizes are all in cm and I have no idea how big I want it to be except that I KNOW that 42 cm is just too big (since that's like a good 15 inches and good grief who in the world needs a 15 inch pad?!) when this nice Korean woman comes up and tries to see if I need help and naturally, there is a language barrier but I try to convey that I would like to find some pads that are not too large and are not too scented either (I can't stand scented items). She keeps pointing some that are definitely too big and I'm trying to tell her that won't work but not getting very far. She finally, I kid you not, brings out this BOOK with samples of actual pads in it! Oh boy! I do see some that may work but to be honest, I was just sort of uncomfortable with the whole thing and really just wanted to get out of there! Mind you, there are samples of pads hanging in front of the packages of pads in the aisle. And they are open so that you can touch them and see if that is the pad you would want to get or not. Helpful, I'm sure, but not something we're going to see in the US anytime soon (thank goodness!). So that was Sunday. Monday, I go to this little Walgreen's without the drugs type place (since all medication are sold ONLY in pharmacies and small ones at that) and fortunately, the help is not quite so overwhelming so I'm left to try and figure out pads and liners for myself with a little help from John with reading the Korean (poor hubby). We had trouble figuring out if one of the ones I was looking at was scented and unscented so John is left having to ask the ladies up front since he's the one who knows Korean. It was interesting to say the least. But we were able to find out what we needed to know and as those weren't too expensive, I did leave with them. They were more liner type things than pads but again, as I only need them as a back-up to my cup, they'll work...as long as I put it in correctly.
There's definitely a lot to see and do around here, don't get me wrong, and I am starting to see what got John so into traveling. My family had settled down by the time I was born so I missed out on all of that and now, my eyes have very much opened up to how unique various places can be. And if John is still at this job come August when he gets that week off, I have no doubt we'll be doing some traveling, especially by train which is a favorite of both John and Natalie.
Now if only John can find a decent job. I think that would really make a world of difference. If he can find a honey of a job with what we have here so far (and a decent apartment with the amenities we need), it would really help out a lot. Unfortunately, I don't think Natalie's going to be sold on the idea until she gets her bike and I'm holding off on that for the moment as I'm using that for a very special milestone. But she seems to be adjusting too and I think if we find some fun things to do this summer (like a water park or the one amusement park that's not too far from here), she'll get more excited. It's just not easy to find things for a three year old to do everyday. They get bored easily.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Still here and doing okay, for the most part.
For awhile, we were really debating whether or not to go home. John had run into some issues with his director and he was really feeling discouraged by the whole thing and just sort of tired of doing it. He had already been here for four months by the time Natalie and I got here and already on his second job. Now, with another almost three months gone by and the situation with this job not the greatest, I think he really was starting to feel that it might be better to go home and to be honest, it was on my mind too. It didn't help that Natalie started to feel homesick and was asking to go home every day. Things are not perfect here and they're never going to be. That's a good thing. It means at some point we will go home. However, right now, we have opportunities here we will NOT have when we get back home. We have money which is something we definitely will NOT have. We don't have to be on county assistance here. I find that VERY nice. As nice as it would be to go home and have an oven, a microwave, and a bathtub again (not to mention, have access to a lot of the things we don't have access to food wise), the money we have set aside so far would not get us very far. It definitely would not get us a decent car which is something (unfortunately), that is VERY necessary in order for us to live in the US. I would LOVE to have the ability to live without a car like we can here, I would just LOVE IT! But, unfortunately, unless we're in a large city, that's just not possible and living in a large city in the US compared to living in a large city here is VERY different, especially as far as crime goes. Not to mention, cost of living. Not that living here is all that cheap because it isn't but the plan is NOT to live in a studio apartment when we finally do go home, the plan is to live in a place with at least one, if not two or three bedrooms. So for now, we stay.
Not that things can't change at any time. Things are sort of rocky here and there are some tensions once again with North Korea that has me wondering at times just what is going to happen but for the most part, and this is sort of sad, I'm actually MORE concerned about our situation were we to go home now than I am staying here. Here, John can get work. At home, with the economy the way it is, that's not so certain. I hate that it is this way but that's how it is right now. Maybe in about a year things will be different and we CAN go home and find a place to live and a job and all that good stuff and we won't have to worry but to be honest, I'm not ready to go back into that uncertainty just yet. And right now, in the US, things ARE uncertain, that's for sure.
So, at the moment, job issues considering, we're doing okay. I do better once I know what it is we're going to do than I do when we're not sure and for awhile we weren't. Now maybe I can get some of Natalie's summer clothes sent here so that she doesn't have just pants or skirts to wear when she wants to go out to the park. It's not going to be easy because I have to rely on other people to do things for me and that doesn't always go the way I'd like it to but *sigh* what else can we do? I simply am not going to replace Natalie's summer wardrobe, she has a lot of things that I got her, some that she'll grow out of this year and I would like her to get a chance to wear them. I also really do not want to have to deal with having to figure out clothing sizes, that's just too much of a pain in the tail end. So far, I have managed to avoid much of that and I'd like to keep doing so if I can.
Not much going on otherwise, really. During the week, John works and Natalie and I hang out here. Sometimes, if John gets home early enough and Natalie isn't asleep, the two of them will hit the park and play until sunset. Other times, eh, just depends on what is going on. Sometimes we go out for dinner. We're definitely enjoying the opportunity to hit the American restaurants that are here. The Korean restaurants are pretty much out. With our dietary restrictions, we can't afford to take any chances that we'll get something that's not so clean. And some of the dishes here are anything but appetizing. Sorry, but I don't see me EVER eating octopus, even if I DID eat seafood, which I don't! Still, there are a lot of places to go to and check out and ice cream is always a favorite (and VERY easy to find with Baskin Robbins virtually on every block around here). Coffee is another favorite of mine, especially iced coffee drinks and I have been trying out many of the coffee places around here including Star Bucks but I have to say my favorite is A Twosome Place which has the BEST frappes I've tasted so far, tastes more like a chocolate shake than a coffee drink so VERY yummy.
John is doing all he can to get me out and walking around and exploring with him. Yesterday, we walked ALL over the local park and all over the mall areas prior to that. It helped that I found a shopping area I haven't seen before and wanted to explore a little. It wasn't completed but it did have an indoor ice skating rink that was nice and cool to be in with the warm day yesterday. The park wasn't too bad either, as long as I stayed in the shade. It was definitely cooler OUTSIDE than it was in the apartment. We finally ended up where all the fountains were located and Natalie and I both got a little wet. Well, I got a little wet, Natalie got soaked. But she had fun and that was all that mattered. John wasn't too impressed though.
Well, that's it for the moment as they just got back from the musical fountain. I'll have to include pictures of that sometime as it is really neat. I didn't go with tonight because today, we were again walking all over the place, though this time, we took a train down to Seoul Station, took a subway to Itewan (and I KNOW I misspelled that word), walked around the outdoor markets there, walked back to the subway, took it to one station to transfer and then rode that the rest of the way back. I LOVE how cheap the subway is, especially with the subway cards we use. But still, lots of walking to be had and my legs are TIRED!
Not that things can't change at any time. Things are sort of rocky here and there are some tensions once again with North Korea that has me wondering at times just what is going to happen but for the most part, and this is sort of sad, I'm actually MORE concerned about our situation were we to go home now than I am staying here. Here, John can get work. At home, with the economy the way it is, that's not so certain. I hate that it is this way but that's how it is right now. Maybe in about a year things will be different and we CAN go home and find a place to live and a job and all that good stuff and we won't have to worry but to be honest, I'm not ready to go back into that uncertainty just yet. And right now, in the US, things ARE uncertain, that's for sure.
So, at the moment, job issues considering, we're doing okay. I do better once I know what it is we're going to do than I do when we're not sure and for awhile we weren't. Now maybe I can get some of Natalie's summer clothes sent here so that she doesn't have just pants or skirts to wear when she wants to go out to the park. It's not going to be easy because I have to rely on other people to do things for me and that doesn't always go the way I'd like it to but *sigh* what else can we do? I simply am not going to replace Natalie's summer wardrobe, she has a lot of things that I got her, some that she'll grow out of this year and I would like her to get a chance to wear them. I also really do not want to have to deal with having to figure out clothing sizes, that's just too much of a pain in the tail end. So far, I have managed to avoid much of that and I'd like to keep doing so if I can.
Not much going on otherwise, really. During the week, John works and Natalie and I hang out here. Sometimes, if John gets home early enough and Natalie isn't asleep, the two of them will hit the park and play until sunset. Other times, eh, just depends on what is going on. Sometimes we go out for dinner. We're definitely enjoying the opportunity to hit the American restaurants that are here. The Korean restaurants are pretty much out. With our dietary restrictions, we can't afford to take any chances that we'll get something that's not so clean. And some of the dishes here are anything but appetizing. Sorry, but I don't see me EVER eating octopus, even if I DID eat seafood, which I don't! Still, there are a lot of places to go to and check out and ice cream is always a favorite (and VERY easy to find with Baskin Robbins virtually on every block around here). Coffee is another favorite of mine, especially iced coffee drinks and I have been trying out many of the coffee places around here including Star Bucks but I have to say my favorite is A Twosome Place which has the BEST frappes I've tasted so far, tastes more like a chocolate shake than a coffee drink so VERY yummy.
John is doing all he can to get me out and walking around and exploring with him. Yesterday, we walked ALL over the local park and all over the mall areas prior to that. It helped that I found a shopping area I haven't seen before and wanted to explore a little. It wasn't completed but it did have an indoor ice skating rink that was nice and cool to be in with the warm day yesterday. The park wasn't too bad either, as long as I stayed in the shade. It was definitely cooler OUTSIDE than it was in the apartment. We finally ended up where all the fountains were located and Natalie and I both got a little wet. Well, I got a little wet, Natalie got soaked. But she had fun and that was all that mattered. John wasn't too impressed though.
Well, that's it for the moment as they just got back from the musical fountain. I'll have to include pictures of that sometime as it is really neat. I didn't go with tonight because today, we were again walking all over the place, though this time, we took a train down to Seoul Station, took a subway to Itewan (and I KNOW I misspelled that word), walked around the outdoor markets there, walked back to the subway, took it to one station to transfer and then rode that the rest of the way back. I LOVE how cheap the subway is, especially with the subway cards we use. But still, lots of walking to be had and my legs are TIRED!
Friday, May 8, 2009
You know that whole "No news is good news" thing?
Yeah well, that's been my family of late. If I don't hear from anyone, things are going well. When I do, it's because something's gone wrong. Talked to my younger sister last night for the first time in like a week or so and she gave me some news that definitely wasn't good. She had gotten a letter from my mom yesterday and my mom gave her news about our dad. My dad, at this point in time, is not able to my in our lives physically. Neither is my mom. They are both in places that severely limits their freedom and for good reason. They are also both very limited in their activities and it is this, I believe, that brought on my father's current issues. From what the letter said, my dad had a stroke about six weeks ago which would have been just after Natalie and I got here. The letter also says that he's fine but my understanding is that strokes do tend to have some affect on the brain afterward and again, it is a stroke, not something to take lightly. Course, now writing this, I'm hit with another thought, strokes were what eventually killed my mom's step-dad when he was in his 80's. And now, thinking even more, now that my dad has had a stroke, with my younger sister's issues with both pregnancy and being on the pill (and the fact that she spent all of the LAST pregnancy on baby aspirin), she probably needs to look at what HER health concerns are, this may be something genetic.
So yeah, definitely some concerns there which naturally has John concerned about me. I told him a long time ago that it was doubtful that I would outlive him or if I did, it wouldn't be long because people in my family, compared to his, just didn't live that long! We're usually killed off by something major before the age of 70.
So yeah, I'm a little worried right now. Kind of worried about my dad and definitely worried about my mom because her health isn't that great and my sister too. And having had that happened, it reminds me that at some point, we're going to start losing family members and that's not something I look forward to. I mean, it's been awhile since we've had an actual death of a long term family member in MY family. Spouses have been a different story, John has lost most of his half-sisters now and even a nephew, my younger sister's husband has lost family members recently, and my sister's first husband's family has lost members but OUR family, other than my sister's baby, has had a death in almost 20 years. That's a LONG time. We've been really blessed as far as that goes but I fear that that's not going to last much longer. My family is getting old and with age comes death.
So yeah, definitely some concerns there which naturally has John concerned about me. I told him a long time ago that it was doubtful that I would outlive him or if I did, it wouldn't be long because people in my family, compared to his, just didn't live that long! We're usually killed off by something major before the age of 70.
So yeah, I'm a little worried right now. Kind of worried about my dad and definitely worried about my mom because her health isn't that great and my sister too. And having had that happened, it reminds me that at some point, we're going to start losing family members and that's not something I look forward to. I mean, it's been awhile since we've had an actual death of a long term family member in MY family. Spouses have been a different story, John has lost most of his half-sisters now and even a nephew, my younger sister's husband has lost family members recently, and my sister's first husband's family has lost members but OUR family, other than my sister's baby, has had a death in almost 20 years. That's a LONG time. We've been really blessed as far as that goes but I fear that that's not going to last much longer. My family is getting old and with age comes death.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Moved into the new apartment...
...for the most part. I hate it. I absolutely hate it. John's not loving it very much either. While we gained a loft which is JUST the right height for Natalie to claim as her domain (but too low for me to really be able to go after her when she decides she wants to be up there and I don't), we lost an oven, a dishwasher, a radio, and a dryer. Oh, and did I mention that the ONLY closet with a bar to hang clothes on is up in the loft? That is also where the two extra outlets, extra internet connection, and extra cable connection is. Um, and just what WAS this apartment set up for? Snow White and her seven dwarfs? On top of that, the cable and the internet has NOT been transferred over and the phone is STILL set up to only take calls, not call out. John has already gotten some conflicting answers on when the cable and internet will be set up here so at the moment, I'm on the WI-FI when I'm able to which is not often. The entire day yesterday, I could not get online. THANK GOODNESS for Star Trek Voyager and The Sims 2. Without those, I'd go stark raving mad by now.
Tomorrow, we're looking at another school, in another city entirely and we'll be checking out the apartment as well. John isn't going to stay at this school any longer than he has to, especially since he's going to be replaced anyway. I just feel sorry for the new teacher who has to live here. I mean, we don't even have a microwave. And the place wasn't even CLEAN! People don't do that, they move out of the apartment with the apartment in the shape it's in and the next person moves in pretty much the same day. YUCK!
In other news, since John was off of work yesterday for a holiday, we FINALLY got Natalie's three year pictures done, four months late. *sigh* So, those will be back next week, including CD and I should be able to post those. They're okay, definitely not as much done as I wanted but there's only so much I can get across not knowing Korean. As it was, the experience was frustrating enough because I couldn't get shoes to go with Natalie's dress. The only dress up shoes she had were black ones but the only white ones I could find were either too small, too expensive, or too tacky. In the end, I just wanted the pictures done but hopefully, the photographer understood my instructions to CROP OUT THE SHOES! Because seriously, the black shoes with yellow socks do NOT go with the dress AT ALL but for some reason, they did REALLY far off pictures rather than close ups. *sigh* And to top it off, Natalie got some kind of a black stain on her dress too. I got most of it out but there's still a little spot on there that hasn't really budged so far. Going to have to try again during the week and see if I can get any more of it out because seriously, that was the FIRST time she wore that dress! Good thing I only spent $10 on it.
Still, by the end of the whole thing, I had a vicious headache and had to go home and take a nap which didn't help. At least today I didn't get a headache because we ended up going out on the subway to an area near Seoul to get a new adapter for the computer since for some dumb reason, the teacher who gave me the adapter wanted it back! But, fortunately, we found the correct one and it seems to be working pretty well. At least it stays in the outlet a little better than the other one did. We ended up being out for awhile though and didn't get back in until after 11pm. At least we got to the place before it closed, it was debatable though because we had to wait until close to sundown to leave.
But right now, the idea is sort of to spend as little time in the apartment as possible which is not going to be all that easy next week while John is at work. However, I've got a TON of laundry to do and a washer to figure out how to use to get it done. Should be fun. Hopefully I won't shrink anything in the process.
Tomorrow, we're looking at another school, in another city entirely and we'll be checking out the apartment as well. John isn't going to stay at this school any longer than he has to, especially since he's going to be replaced anyway. I just feel sorry for the new teacher who has to live here. I mean, we don't even have a microwave. And the place wasn't even CLEAN! People don't do that, they move out of the apartment with the apartment in the shape it's in and the next person moves in pretty much the same day. YUCK!
In other news, since John was off of work yesterday for a holiday, we FINALLY got Natalie's three year pictures done, four months late. *sigh* So, those will be back next week, including CD and I should be able to post those. They're okay, definitely not as much done as I wanted but there's only so much I can get across not knowing Korean. As it was, the experience was frustrating enough because I couldn't get shoes to go with Natalie's dress. The only dress up shoes she had were black ones but the only white ones I could find were either too small, too expensive, or too tacky. In the end, I just wanted the pictures done but hopefully, the photographer understood my instructions to CROP OUT THE SHOES! Because seriously, the black shoes with yellow socks do NOT go with the dress AT ALL but for some reason, they did REALLY far off pictures rather than close ups. *sigh* And to top it off, Natalie got some kind of a black stain on her dress too. I got most of it out but there's still a little spot on there that hasn't really budged so far. Going to have to try again during the week and see if I can get any more of it out because seriously, that was the FIRST time she wore that dress! Good thing I only spent $10 on it.
Still, by the end of the whole thing, I had a vicious headache and had to go home and take a nap which didn't help. At least today I didn't get a headache because we ended up going out on the subway to an area near Seoul to get a new adapter for the computer since for some dumb reason, the teacher who gave me the adapter wanted it back! But, fortunately, we found the correct one and it seems to be working pretty well. At least it stays in the outlet a little better than the other one did. We ended up being out for awhile though and didn't get back in until after 11pm. At least we got to the place before it closed, it was debatable though because we had to wait until close to sundown to leave.
But right now, the idea is sort of to spend as little time in the apartment as possible which is not going to be all that easy next week while John is at work. However, I've got a TON of laundry to do and a washer to figure out how to use to get it done. Should be fun. Hopefully I won't shrink anything in the process.
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