15 days, 7 flights, 20 taxi rides, 140 subway stops, 50 million people

We're BACK!  Sorry about the hiatus in posting but despite stomping around a highly connected and digitalized country, we just didn't have time to blog.  We are still sorting through thousands of photos and will be sharing our experiences in future posts.

Our main impressions of Korea?
1) COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE -- check back for this post!
2) Clean.  Everywhere.  Subways, bathrooms, streets, etc.
3) The city doesn't stop.  Koreans seem to be nightowls.  Stores, restaurants and coffee shops are either open 24 hours or don't open until 11 am.
4) Amazingly good customer service.  Greeters everywhere.   Courtesy seems to be ingrained in the culture, even evidenced by respect for elders.
5) People are seriously dressed up.  Heels, suits, dresses, handbags, pantyhose, and of course cell phones.   How Korean women can walk miles and miles in those stilettos is beyond me!
6) Awesome public transportation, especially in Seoul, but you can travel the country fairly well by train, bus, and cab.
7) For a country with one of the world's lowest birthrates, the nursing facilities and baby rooms are abundant, well-maintained and well-equipped.  We utilized baby rooms in upscale department stores as well as subway stations.... all with changing tables, cribs, sofas, water purifiers (with hot and cold water dispensers), sinks, etc.  Even Gimpo airport has several nurseries as well as play rooms.  Why can't American airports have the same so babies don't have to crawl on nastified carpet at the gates?
8) Shoppers paradise.  Consumerism at its peak. We wandered through Lotte Department Store where the cheapest dress will set you back $2000, and the clerks hardly will look at you unless you are dressed as a billionaire.  We also found the wholesale markets where everything is much less expensive and you literally trip over merchandise.  For example, there is one floor of one massive building that only sells underwear.  But, bargains are not rock bottom as you may think.
9) Very little obesity. Of course, climbing up and down stairs, zooming in and out of subways stations, and walking briskly along the wide sidewalks helps burn calories.  Should have taken a pedometer just for fun.
10) People. people. people. 50 million in the entire country the size of Minnesota, 11 million in Seoul alone.
11) Smokers. smokers. smokers.  Drinkers. drinkers. drinkers.  We smoked more in the past two weeks than our whole lives combined due to secondhand smoke. 
12)  Attack of the baby.  Koreans seem to have a huge affinity for babies, especially ours.  She was mobbed at touristy sites, airports, subways, restaurants, etc.  Poor thing.  We could hardly tour the palace due to high school girls touching the baby and snapping photos. She was even snatched from Halabuhgee's arms at Namdaemun Market by a vendor who then turned down another aisle to show her off to other ladies in the market.  WAIT!  That's kidnapping, almost.
13) If it's in the U.S., it's in Korea.  McDonalds, Burger King, Dunkin'Donuts, Starbucks, TGIFridays, Bennigans, Outback Steakhouse, etc.  Makes the country far less exotic.
14) Primping.  You won't find a reflective surface that doesn't have a woman in front of it fluffing her hair, checking her clothing, and/or adjusting her makeup.
15) The country definitely feels safe.  Lots of police presence, cameras at every turn, and bright neon lights in all directions.
16) The fruit of the gospel is beautiful.

Korea Trip VII -- Historic Palace in Seoul (part II)

The throne

Detail in the ceiling

More architectural detail

Gates

Korea Trip VII - Historic Palace in Seoul (Part 1)

Main palace building - the throne was located here

Changing of the guard

Korea Trip VI - Traditional Hanok (House) displayed in Seoul

Clay tile roof

Youngin's parents lived in similar accomodations as children

The hanok has a square shape with a small (10' x 10') roofless common area in the middle

Simple, but beautiful lighting

Paper on sturdy but delicate kithcen doors

The kitchen

Korea Trip V - Seoul Square Lunch

Private dining room - a common restaurant feature in Korea

Our lunch group!

Lunch spot had a great view of historical (Japanese-built) train station in Seoul Square

Korea Trip IV - The Baby Room at a Department Store, Seoul

Happy Seven Zero!

We're thrilled to celebrate Halabuhgee's 70th birthday with him today.  We love you!!

Korea Trip II - Jet Lag

It wasn't the reason we woke up, but the karoake bar was still hopping at 2:30am on Monday morning. (Gimpo, Hotel Nostalgia)

Meanwhile, the math tutor station was still going strong on Korean TV!

Creative plates

Seen on a license plate on a car in our neighborhood "Y=A+BX"    Must be a math teacher....

Bed head

The sleeping beauty arises with a beautiful hair style...

Korea Trip I

Easy flight to Detroit!



At the gate in Detroit...





Indian Motorcycle display in Incheon Int'l Airport







Even better deals

FREE is best, right?  My recent Walgreens shopping for free!

Deal of the week

Though I've been trying to make most of our baby's food, I've been on the lookout for pre-made food that will work on the road.  These pouches are great because of their screw-on tops which allow for portioning out the amount without contaminating the entire content, especially helpful since our girl doesn't finish the entire thing.  Yes, the price tag really does say "Was $1.49 Now $.36"

Yay for Target!!

Critters in the night

On our way home from Bible study, we heard a thud and discovered this on our vehicle.

The week before, we found this on our driveway as we were walking into the house.

First Magnolia

We picked Lucia's first fragrant magnolia blossom the other day, which she felt, examined and smelled with thorough investigation!

The squeaky wheel gets....

customer satisfaction.  Since we become major consumers of baby products recently, we are generally very happy with what we've been given or purchased for our needs.  We've also felt somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of STUFF that a itty bitty human being under 20 pounds requires, and that's even being conscientious of not having STUFF that we don't need.

Anyway, I have called or emailed customer services of several companies during this new parenthood stint and found my concerns readily received.  One issue involved the bottle nipples and the bottle manufacturer replaced them without any argument.  Recently, I emailed a major manufacturer of baby products regarding a bottle washer I bought that was defective and a replacement is on its way.  Is it a big deal?  No, but I expect good products for my money.  Capitalism can work.  Apparently.

Handle bent due to it not being screwed in well

Close up of the defective handle

Waiting for today's post...

For the past few months, Youngin has been carrying the blog-posting load for our family. Shame on me. In fact, I was waiting around this afternoon for the daily 2pm edition of ytgilmore.blogspot.com just to see what I/we had been up to lately. But nothing showed up. So I thought it was about time for me to share a thought or two.

1. Youngin has been absolutely inspirational, especially during the past year. Thank you, Youngin!
2. Lucia has brought a never-before-experienced depth and breadth to our lives. Thank you, Lucia!
3. Family and friends have been amazingly helpful to us, from getting started here in NC, to adjusting to marriage, and to being parents. We (I) don't do a very good job of communicating this effectively or consistently. But we do appreciate you. Thank you, family and friends!
4. This blog has become a little diary we look forward to printing as a yearbook every year. But we appreciate all of you (even the lurkers out there) following along - especially your comments and encouragement along the way. Please feel free to comment and let us know who you are. Thank you, blog community!

T,Y,L

Ever wonder how squirrels stay thin?

Yep, this one found a cupcake at our local park

Oh Happy Day!!

The privilege to be a mama because of my precious baby

Happy Mother's Day to all our moms who read our blog.  I'm only starting to fully appreciate all the work, love, patience, thought, and worry (in my case, paranoia) that goes into motherhood!  Those words "you just wait until you have your own..." are now coming back to me often.  And I'm sure my own wonderful mother can only look on with delight as my daughter brings me much joy! (and did I say, paranoia?!)

And from my dearest hubby and daughter, this fabulous Mother's Day gift.  Thank you for making me happy every day!!

And thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law, I now possess a cool Coach purse.  This sweet surprise landed on our doorstep as a  "happy FIRST mother's day" gift.  Thanks for keeping me stylish, sista'!

First sippy cup

yummy water

Anyone know the ICD-9 for Paranoid Mom Syndrome?

Unfortunately, our poor little girl carries this diagnosis, courtesy of yours truly, the paranoid mom.   I've always thought I'd either be the total lackadaisical mom (oh, don't worry about your deep gaping wound, it'll heal just fine in a couple weeks) OR the paranoid mom (oh, is that a sniffle that I heard?).  Yeah, well, I'm the latter which probably doesn't surprise anyone.  

For weeks now, I've noticed an occasional, slight left head tilt.  So being the paranoid mom, I immediately thought about 4th nerve palsy or strabismus or any "zebra" diagnosis like ocular tumors, etc.  Then sometimes, it wasn't so apparent.  Oh wait, there it is again.  Rather than worry, why not have the pediatric ophthalmologist reassure me of my diagnosis of a paranoid mom? 

Yesterday, after a quick exam of the light reflex and eye muscles (all good!) her eyes were dilated.  Then she took a quick nap on my shoulder after drinking her bottle.  The 30 minutes of waiting for full dilation flew quickly and she woke up as soon as the doctor came back in.   Using the light-up toys to distract the baby girl from the actual testing, the doctor peered into the dilated eyes and declared the retina and optic nerves all healthy.  She did agree with the slight torticollis, which I've decided to just watch for now.  If the symptoms worsen or even persist, I'll ask for some physical therapy.  You know this paranoid mom will be on it!!

Stylin'

In case you didn't know, my daddy is an awesome hair dresser.  He specializes in the coolest, hippest trends.

Holey cereal

Yummy, yummy in my tummy

I want to eat ALL of it!

and even lick the bowl!