Monday, June 29, 2009

Air Boss 2009 and beyond

A's project at work for the last 2 months has been this Air Boss conference. It was held last Thursday and Friday. About 20 generals from around the world (American and Korean) met to discuss matters in Korea. This is an annual conference hosted by the Air Force three start general here at Osan. There were so many details to handle and things were changing every week. Even days before the conference, people were canceling and deciding that they wanted to attend when the initial RSVP date was the beginning of June. There were briefings to coordinate in both English and Korean, different luncheons and dinners, lodging, a golf tournament, and transportation to and from all these different events. He even had an itinerary down to the minute. In the end, A had an appreciation for wedding planning, although I personally think this was worse, he made a good Korean friend and the Lt Gen was happy with the conference.

Beyond ... to celebrate, we went up to Seoul on Saturday and went to the War Museum. It was an impressive building detail the history of war in Korea. I had no idea of the country's history and it's sad to think how the tensions still exist between N and S Korea. We had a relaxing day and even saw part of a Thomas the Tank Engine mini-theme park held in one of the museum's exhibit halls. It cost 13,000 won per person to go in - about $10/person so we just checked out the gift shop and got David a nice balloon.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The Flower Market

Over the weekend, we took a trip up to the Flower Market just outside of Seoul. There are over twenty greenhouses connected together that sold potted plants and a two story building with fresh cut flowers. Florists must come here to get their flowers. The flowers were amazing and beautiful. There were so many different varieties. I bought 20 stems of Gerber Daisies for about $5, some cut hydrangeas, and a basil plant. It was a nice indoor activity as it's starting to get hot and humid around here.
And yes, I know he needs a haircut. I think I will let the professionals do it this time.








Growing season


Nearly every usable piece of ground is used for a garden. Even a small plot by the side walk was cultivated. Peppers seem like a very popular crop. Behind our apartments are rice paddies. We got to watch a machine plant each rice plant individually. These pictures were taken earlier this month and I just now got around to posting them. Now, the paddies are much greener as the shoots are growing.
Speaking of growing, here's a very recent picture of our little one. Tonight, while getting ready for bed, he was content to climb up on the futon in his room and start looking at his books. OH, and for those interested he weighs 23 1/2 lbs.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Almost four months and counting

Wow! Four months have gone by rather quickly. We look at our little boy and he is not the same baby that arrived here back in February. We look at our lives and find ourselves pretty settled and enjoying our time here. A still works pretty long hours and plus he's just started a International Relations Masters (just for fun). But at least he's home every night. I started working a couple of Reserve days a week and it's been interesting work. The mission of this base is to support the South Koreans in the event war breaks out with the North. And in light of recent underground nuclear explosions and missile launches, the possibility exists although it has been going on for the last fifty plus years. The South Koreans don't think war will ever happen but I can't see this going on forever. Finding reliable child care has been a challenge. I think our current nanny will be with us for another week. She has two of her own and having a third to watch has proved to be a little challenging for her. We'll see what happens. I miss having a day to myself to grocery shop, get a pedicure, work out or do whatever, but it's been fun hanging out with my little guy.
Since we've been here, both of us (A and I) have lost weight. A's been riding his bike to work almost everyday and once on base, the layout is very conducive to walking. He's also started taking taekwondo a few times a week. As for me, I haven't been working out much but I guess I'm just eating less and chasing a little guy around. While I should be thrilled by this phenomenon, it's been a little annoying for me since my clothes don't fit anymore and it's not that easy just to go out and buy some new ones. I suppose I will deal with it and do some more on-line shopping. We've seen a lot of neat things here and we have more on our list.
There are great hiking trails behind our apt which we hope to take advantage of more this summer. We had a wonderful hike Saturday morning. The base indoor pool has been a source of entertainment. David can say "pool" and he loves to play in the water. There's supposed to be a Mom and Tot swim class this summer which we plan to attend.
I still miss the conveniences of the US but there are certainly worse places to be than in S. Korea. Less than 40 weeks to go ...

Friday, June 5, 2009

Through the eyes of a child

Today, David and I went to a children's art class for kids ages 1-5. It was a well done program organized by another mom. David enjoyed finger painting and making a tissue paper collage. We washed our hands several times that session and each time we walked out of the room, he kept saying "fish" in Chinese. I didn't see a fish and of course, I was more concerned about the 10 little fingers that had paint all over them. It wasn't until we were leaving that I saw a giant fish tank with beautiful fish to the side of the lobby. So that's what he kept seeing! Of course, we stopped to see them in much closer detail. This isn't the first time he's seen something that I haven't. One day it was the train going by off in the distance. Perhaps, I should really listen to my child a little more often. This was a good lesson in learning not to so readily dismiss something my child has to say although I could do without some of the whining. I'm amazed that he can communicate as well as he does at 15 months old. I wonder what else he has to show me about the world?