Loose Ends Part 1

So here's how it's gonna go down: You're going to get a lot of Blog this week. I need to get my information back load out there because when we get back from Tokyo I will have a massive trip report for you. So you'll get this episode and then at least 2 more this week, and then nothing for a week and then lots of Japan stuff.
This issue is going to be a place for me to stick all my loose ends: little snippets that I want to share but that have not fit into a larger theme up to this point.
  One things that is really fun about living in the foreigners community is the constant stream of activities. It seems like every weekend is a holiday or a celebration for someone's home country and they throw and big shindig. If there's nothing planned, someone comes up with SOMETHING. So a few weeks ago the PTA planned a disco night at the clubhouse for the school kids. The way they did it was great. Preschoolers got their hour from 5-6, Years 1 and 2 came in from 6-7 and then the big kids had their dance from 7-8:30. Worked out great because the little ones got to dance to appropriate music for their age group. Both my kids had a blast. Sasha with the dancing and Teddy with the snack bar. Sasha's group took apart some tinsel pom poms and had a great time throwing them all around while they danced.

In this picture you can see a chunk she just threw. Pretty cool!

Since the kids and I have no car, we do a TON of walking. This is a blessing and a curse. When the weather is nice and there is not a lot to carry, we get good exercise and have a great time exploring. There is a man near our apartment that sells lots of puffed things off the back of his truck. He even has a little machine that makes things as he sells. Most of his stuff is quite good. Very mild and crunchy and not overly sweet or covered with goo like American kettle corn or Cheetos.

Of course then there are the times I HATE walking. Like when I have 4 enormously heavy grocery bags to carry or a tray with 2 dozen cookies and I have to walk the mile round trip to the 2 schools carrying it and Teddy is running ahead and Sasha is way behind picking up every leaf and pine cone and cute rock she can find and then Teddy falls and bleeds but I can't carry him because I already have my arms full and "C'MON already, can we just GET THERE cuz I need to put all this crap down!", yeah, that's when I hate not having a car.....

A few weeks ago we went to Busan to explore the shopping area. There is an organization called FLIK (Foreign Life In Korea) and they run a monthly trip to different areas all around the southern peninsula. This is the first one we went on. It worked out well because Jeff had to work that Saturday. My friend Soon came with us. Here's Sasha and Soon checking out every little thing in these narrow, winding, back alleys.

There are cooking streets where people are preparing all kinds of street food. They have little stools set up in front of them so if you want what they are cooking you just pull up a stool. They line a bowl with a plastic bag and then serve you out of the bag. When you're done, they throw out the bag and then re-use the bowl for the next person. We actually ate at the porridge street. We got pumpkin porridge, and mung bean porridge. They were both pretty good!

We found the seafood alley. Anything you would ever want to buy and lots of things you never thought to buy. And oh, can you just imagine the smells? Lots of it is still alive like the squid Sasha is pointing to. Teddy was in the baby trekker BTW because he got tired of walking. That's why he's not showing up in these pics.

Here's the boy! They had a Cold Stone Creamery on the high end shopping street. WOW were we psyched!!!

Teddy is trying "green tea" ice cream. He says he loves it.

So happy to be in a familiar place with such a yummy treat!

Sasha bought this little change purse with her own money and found out that she can clip it inside her coat pocket. She was quite proud...

Here we are in front of some monument with one o' them traditional Korean buildings in front of it.

Another shot of the monuments:

Teddy LOVED this dragon statue and begged me to take a picture. Jeff has observed that Asian dragons are much more snake-like than the dragons that we usually imagine (like the dragons in Harry Potter for example) and this is a perfect example. This dragon does still seem to be guarding an egg however.

In February Jeff took Sasha skiing to a local resort only one hour away. She did such a great job in Pyong Yang that he wanted to get her on skis one more time before the season ended. Turns out they were there on the final Sunday of the year.  Jeff said they were literally taking the mountain down around them.

Of course she did a great job and we rented her a helmet this time now that we know what a little speed-demon she is!

Teddy and I got to spend an awesome afternoon together that day as well. We hiked over the mountain to Nammok, a near-by eating and shopping area, got some ice cream and then hiked home. It was a beautiful day and he hiked almost the whole way by himself! Here he is with some sticks he collected.

And a shot of our favorite at-home activity, painting on the sun porch. Teddy proudly displays his art. He says it is a rollercoaster. Hmm.... obviously a neo-modern expression piece. I think it looks like a fire ant actually.