Lotte Mart………..

Lotte Mart is the Korean equivalent our WalMart or Target.  Today we decided to take a trip over there because I am on the hunt for Korean notecards.
On the drive over we pass several apartment complexes.  These are nothing like what we are accustomed to.  They are huge and I cannot imagine living in monster buildings like these.
I am trying to determine how many people could possibly live in just one of these buildings and I don’t think it’s possible.  Plus this particular complex has about a dozen buildings.

The weather today was a bit warmer today than it has been; not that you can tell by this picture.

This looks more like Seattle weather than Gunsan City, Korea! One of the biggest challenges with driving in Korea is that the road signs are in Korean!!!

Go Figure!!! Once inside Lotte Mart we spied all sorts of goodies!! Like Hello Kitty candy for Mary.

Korean Ghee-Hos (Cheetos) for my niece Kaitlyn.


 Lotte Mart is actually three floors of shopping fun.  Now, one could wonder how you would take your shopping cart with you on all those floors; but, Lotte Mart has solved that problem.



It’s like an escalator but it’s flat so your cart can ride with you.  Who knew??
Korea is full of wonders and apparently, I am amused by some of the simplest things because I found this building adorable!!

You must admit, it’s a very cute building!



Quote of the moment: Choose the World You See, and See the World You Choose. ~Jonathan Huie

Easter Blessings……….

Wishing all a Very Happy Easter.  Sending all my friends and loved ones heartfelt wishes from afar.

The madness of shopping in Korea…..

I made the 2-3 hour drive to Sinjang shopping center outside Osan.  Shopping in Korea is nothing like shopping in America. It’s quite different and it can be very intimidating. Although some things can be the same, such as the 7-11.

Although that sign says Sinjang Shopping Mall, there is no “mall,” it’s several streets lined with little shops.  The shop owners will try to get your attention and try to entice you into their store with promises of ‘discounts.’

This is the main street of the ‘shopping mall.’ Not exactly what we American’s are accustomed to. 

Down one of the side streets is the food portion of the Sinjang shopping mall.  I cannot begin to imagine buying my food out of a bin on a sidewalk, which I guess probably makes me spoiled. But it does really make me very, very, very thankful for American grocery stores. 

As you can see the streets are very small, crowded and their goods frequently spill out into the street in front of their store.  Now this street is not big enough for a car but it is certainly big enough for a motorbike or scooter.  One always has to be on alert for a scooter whizzing by.

This street is large enough to get a vehicle down, as one can see by the truck.  Now, the driver of that particular truck is selling some sort of dried fruit out of the truck bed.  Can’t say that I would be partaking of his wares. 

All over Korea one can find cute little characters.  They are everywhere, billboards, buildings, signs, even the bus stops. These cute little cows beckon us into this restaurant.
 
For my friend, Mary, Hello Kitty is plentiful around Korea and I promise to bring home Kitty for her.  Unfortunately, this one is not quite her size so I left it hanging.

Even in Korea, gamer geeks can find the usual comforts of home! I was amused when I looked in the store and it was full of tall, geeky young men; quite like the one I call “son.”

Driving home we were graced by a beautiful sunset.  It’s a source of beauty and comfort no matter which country you’re located in.  All in all it was a crazy, wonderful, confusing, happy day.
Quote of the moment: You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you.  You have to go to them sometimes. ~A. A. Milne (Author of Winnie the Pooh)

The Flip Side of Life in Korea………

So yesterday, I posted about how wonderful and cozy life was here.  Well, today I will share the “B” side of life here since with everything in life there is an up and a down side.  The Pros and the Cons. 

Unless I wake at the crack of dawn, which is not a possibility for me, I must wait 20 minutes or longer for the shower to warm. 

Thank goodness, I do not live my life according to what is environmentally friendly.  This girl does not take cold showers.  Sorry Mother Nature, I’ll make it up to you by not driving while I am here! ;)
My friend has no radio/cd player here!! Hu? I cannot stand to watch daytime TV so I’ve gotten into the habit of listening to music during the day.  So I have taken to listening to my Gaga on the computer.

   
I sincerely apologize to Gaga for listening to her beautiful music on tinny computer speakers.  I sincerely apologize to my computer for treating it like a juke box.

Morning frosted flakes in disposable bowls. :)

 
Do you think Tony the Tiger would approve of this??? I think not!


Quote of the moment: Hwajangshil eodiseyo? (hwah-jang-sheel-eun aw-dee-ey ees-saw-yo?) Where is the bathroom?

Life in Korea……..

Although Korea is very, very different than America; life is actually quite the same.  We are fortunate to live across the street from the commisary, base exchange and the library.   So it easy enough for me to get out by myself.  Now one drawback is that all of the groceries are shipped in from the states, which means very little fresh fruit.  The commissary and exchange are small, so there isn’t a big selection; but it serves our needs, so it’s not a problem. 

Our accommodations are decent.  The dorm includes a small kitchen. There is no dishwasher; but it’s great to be able to cook our own meals. There is no space for a table; instead we have a counter with 2 barstools.
 
The bathroom, oddly enough, is right off the kitchen. 
 
Then there are two rooms, one of which is a bedroom, the other is a living room. 

Now the odd part is that there is a sink in each of these rooms.  The dorms were designed to have 2 roommates, which shared the kitchen and the bathroom; but, each of their bedrooms had their own sink and walk in closet where they could get ready after showering.


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Ok, so the curtains are ugly; but they are heavy and keep out the light.  This is very important when you are suffering from jetlag and need some extra sleep! So it isn’t five star living but it’s cozy.

It is recommended to drink bottled water here. So Aquarius Spring!’s brightly colored label has become my constant companion here. It’s bottled in the states by Coca-Cola so it tastes just like any other bottled water.  Now Korean Coca-Cola tastes a little different than American Coca-Cola; but, Japanese Coca-Cola tastes nothing like American Coca-Cola.
I have also had to buy myself a watch; because, I usually use the clock on my phone and since my phone is turned off here, it’s not much help.  Luckily, I found this cute little Mickey Mouse watch for cheap!

So for now life in Korea has been calm and quiet which is much needed after the stress I have been through followed by the crazy travel it takes to get here.


Quote of the moment: Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives. ~A. Sachs