Did I mention how expensive things are in Japan?  If not, this is me telling you.....EVERYTHING in Japan is EXPENSIVE,  I knew this from the beginning, well, I thought I did anyway.  This picture is of me in front of our 3 star hotel.  I am spoiled; I'll be the first to admit it.  I like to stay in nice hotels when given the chance.  We started off looking at 4 & 5 star hotels.  HOLY CRAP!!!  After sticker shock, we moved our sights to 2 & 3 star hotels.  We settled on this 3 star hotel, at a whopping $200 USD per night, oh, but don't worry, breakfast was included, and a mighty tasty breakfast it was (not). 

The size of our room was about that of a regular room on a cruise ship, maybe a tiny bit larger. 

The answer to my last blog is....Fukuoka, Japan!!!!

My MIL (mother-in-law) is visiting us from the states.  This is her second visit to Korea.  I found out about 2 days before she arrived here that she has always dreamed of visiting Japan.  I had heard that there was a bullet train to Busan, South Korea & then a super fast ferry to Fukuoka, Japan.  My MIL arrived on Sunday, and on Tuesday Hubby and I decided we would treat her to a trip to Japan for her birthday.  Since Hubby has been to Japan already, and it was going to be too expensive to take the whole family to Japan (we want to do China in fall), we decided that I would take my MIL to Japan!  We left Saturday morning on the 5:30AM bullet train to Busan! For those of you interested in traveling this way, you can book your tickets on line here.  The normal fare is about 100,000 won round trip, but if you travel first class like we did, the fare is about 140,000 won round trip.  Traveling by train looks & feels very similar to  traveling on an airplane.  In first class we had SO much leg room and the chairs were very comfortable!  OH, check this out, since I booked so late I had book by phone and not the internet, this is how they sent our tickets to me...on my cell phone!!!!!!! 

So my friend emailed me to ask if I had tried any unusual ice cream flavors since being here in Seoul.  Well, my answer was 'of course I have', remembering the ice cream I got when I first moved here, oh what was it.... BLACK RICE!  What was I thinking when I bought that?  It was like eating something cold that almost resembled ice cream, but tasted of overcooked rice, smashed, with hard pieces of, well....did your mom ever cook rice and not cook it all the way through?  My mom did, and I hated it.  This is what the rice chunks were like in this ice cream.  Rice that was not cooked all the way through and oh by the way, it was black, which just added to the 'not so palatable' aspect of it.   Then I started thinking about the ice cream Boy 2 got at Baskin' Robbins a while back it had POP ROCKS in it.   My friend that ask this question has another friend looking for 'unusual' flavors for some sort of article....I'm not exactly sure, I didn’t' get all the details. This got me thinking about you guys, and how you would probably like to know this information as well.  My kids were more than game to help with the research, although when it came down to it, they just ordered your basic chocolate and vanilla.  The things I found here might just blow your mind, and might not leave your gut feeling too well either.

Here is a picture of the Black Rice ice cream:  You can't really see the 'chunks' in it, but I promise you, they are there.

A big HOOAH goes out to Hubby for being selected for a battalion command.  He is an outstanding husband, fantastic father & a devoted soldier - he deserves this command and he will be (and is) an amazing leader!  Words can’t express how proud of him I am.  He rocks.  Congratulations to my wonderful Hubby…even though I probably will not see him for the 2 years he is in command.  J  All my love hot stuff…from your biggest fan!

It is that time of year again, people all over are gearing up to PCS, this is another post of general information for moving here to Yongsan, South Korea -  I hope it is helpful.

1. This is hard for some American's to get past....personal space is no longer personal.  The sooner you accept this, the better off you will be.  People bump into you and do not say sorry...people will put their hands on you to move you if you are in their way, this is not rude.  I even do it to people now.  During rush hour on the subway, you feel like a sardine.

2. Having a copy of the subway map in English & Korean is helpful.  I use it all the time when traveling by cab...I just tell/show the cab driver which subway stop I want to be taken to. 

3. Use the internet when going someplace new...most locations you want to go to in Seoul have a website and the website has directions in Korean, even if you cannot read them, print them off anyway and give it to your cab driver.  Having the phone number helps too....cab drivers will call the location if they have problems finding it.  Know where you want to come back to!  There are many Koreans that work on post & they are more than happy to help in this area.  I have a friend that wrote in Korean where to drop us off; I keep it in my purse and show the cab driver on all return trips.

4.If a cab driver tells you no, or gives you the 'X' with his fingers or arms, and points across the street, he is trying to help you save fare, by telling you to cross the street and catch a cab going the other direction.

5. I never thought I would drive in Seoul.  This is one scary place when it comes to driving for some.  In the beginning I was terrified, but now, 1 year later, I drive all over the place & I have had several people tell me I should be a cab driver here!  :) Some helpful hints for driving...don't be polite, just stick your nose out and shove your way in.  Buses always have the right of way.  Left turns are not allowed in here.  Some red lights are optional!!! I am serious; once you start driving here you will figure this out!   I could write a whole blog on driving...maybe I will - later.


On Korean culture -

You do not shake hands first, you bow to each other first, then the older person can offer their hand during the bow for a hand shake.

Elderly are given special attention, respect and care.  The older the person, the deeper the bow.

When eating the oldest person eats first.

You always pass thing with 2 hands.

When visiting a Korean home: *always remove your shoes *make sure you wear hole free & clean socks,if you are wearing sandals you will normally be offered slippers to wear  *always bring a gift of aprox $10 in value * Koreans usually do not open the gift in front of you  *when offered a drink, take it.

Do not use your finger to point with, you use your whole hand.

Korean's don't keep eye contact when talking with you 

In stores and on the street Koreans shove and bump into people, personal space is non-existent here. 

Little is usually said during meal time.

Females & males hold hands with friends of the same sex to express their friendship.  It is not unusual to see same sex walking down the street holding hands.

Koreans avoid confrontation and raising their voices when dealing with others....they are very calm all the time. 

Koreans do not hug or kiss when meeting with family or friends, they bow.

Koreans do not write names in red.

Koreans do not drink in front of someone older or of higher status without permission.

You do not sit with your legs crossed...foot sitting on knee.  This is  a sign of disrespect, it is telling everyone around you they are lower than the dirt on your foot.

Korean women typically dress much nicer than American women.  They rarely wear sneakers out. 

I hope I have not overwhelmed you....if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Swim lessons and summer camps.  These are a *BIG* deal here on Yongsan Garrison!  Parents wake up in the *WEE* hours of the morning to secure a place in line just so their kids can the *primo* spot.  You see, for swim lessons you don't want to be in the early classes for a couple of reason....my main reason is frankly, I don't want to wake my kids up too early during their summer vacation to drag them to the pool! By doing that, it makes swim lessons a chore and not fun.  Second, the air is too cool in the morning and the water is TOO COLD!  The kids in the early morning class are freezing & it is just miserable for everyone involved.  This is why I opted to get up at 6AM on my Saturday morning, (OK, for those of you that know me, 6AM is not early for me, but is sounds good for the purpose of this blog) to go sit in the drizzle....  Oh, and for summer camps, if you aren't there early you will be put on the dreaded waiting list.

This year since I am seasoned mom here on Yongsan, my friend JA and I plotted, she would arrive at 6:30AM to hold a place in line for me if I brought chairs and coffee at 7AM.  Done deal.  I arrived at 7AM and received my #12!  Woo-hoo!  Here we are waiting, drinking our coffee with out little numbers stuck on our hands...

I know, I haven't really been anyplace new lately, but I do promise to post some new cool sites soon.  My Mother-in-law arrives on Sunday, and we have many more adventures to go on!  But for now, here are a few things the kids have been doing.

The kids had a half day of school a few days back, so we had friends over to play - we ordered pizza and played in the water, even though it was still too cold for water play here! (I know, I know, the grass needs mowed.)