Books and Boarding Passes: Korean beauty

One thing that the pictures can't capture here - the smell. We love so much just walking or riding down the streets smelling all of the delicious food that Korea has to offer, & wishing so much that we could just go in anywhere & order. But we don't speak Korean... yet. It's great for us that we know many people who know enough Korean to be able to order food for us when we go out to eat though, so we're not completely at a loss for yummy Korean food.
Nicole loves that the beautiful sunset she sees almost daily can be captured thru the camera. It really is an impeccable view. And now, with a bike she can watch the sun go down right in front of her all the way home.

Last Sunday, we ventured out on our own to explore the botanical garden near Nicole's school. There is a very large outdoor staging area nearby & the whole place was PACKED!! So many families & friends out together riding bikes & skateboards, walking, having picnics, flying kites & just playing. It was amazing. There is also a large playground that was filled with kids. The garden hasn't quite reached the beauty it will have in a month or two, but it was still pretty.

Nicole has been told by her Korean coworkers that she has a small face & big eyes - that is high praise here! That's what all the ladies want. And to also be as light skinned as possible. BUT, she also has a student that rubs her stomach everyday & then says "baby". No!! But next time this little girl says that, Nicole is going to say, "no... two babies!" Just to see her face. Kids are funny!

John got a haircut this week - finally! He's been missing his clippers to do it himself & finally went somewhere with his friend (who can speak some Korean). It wasn't the cut that he usually gets, so John calls it his "Asian cut". But at least it's much shorter again! Easier to handle.

This week, Nicole's cooking class baked sugar cookies & then decorated them!! This month's theme is "Bakery Shoppe". She really loves that it is more of a baking class right now than a cooking. Baking is more her forte! We really wish that we had an oven or a microwave or even a toaster. Maybe in a few months we can get a small oven.

Our little apartment is starting to irk us a bit. Our bedroom in Baton Rouge was as big as our entire apartment is here. But we are making improvements to make the space work - slowly but surely. We got a wireless router today so now we don't have to pass the internet back & forth! And we got toilet paper to last us the rest of the year (huge sale!) One thing we really need is an air filter. This morning we woke up almost choking to the smell of smoke. Who gets up at 9:00am & starts smoking?!

We have also found a butcher shop that has just about every kind of meat... for very cheap! And it's right next to our apartment. Thanks be to a couple of Nicole's coworkers for showing her the place. The guys working there taught us how to say "duck" in Korean too. They are pretty awesome.

Right now it's Cherry Blossom season! There is a bike trail next week that we would like to do but it takes up the whole weekend & is costly. Maybe next year! In the meantime, we will just go walk around here & take pictures because there are cherry blossoms everywhere!

Also, just to set everyone's mind at ease back home, we are safe. North Korea is no dire threat. Even if they are a threat, we have placed ourselves on the state department list that will send us automatic warning if there is a problem. Right now the only warning is "If you go to North Korea, be cautious." WE'RE OKAY! :)

What we've learned:

-"Say, 'kimchi!'" instead of 'cheese!' when taking pictures - love it!

-How to count to 5 in Korean.
-Parents only focus on if their child is the "best" in the class (it's rather annoying!)

-Toronto is hated by everywhere else in Canada.
-We can go explore the Expo Theme Park by Nicole's school that has closed down!
-Korean girls wear very short shorts or skirts, no matter the weather.