Live. Laugh. Love. Sleep Later.

Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley in Korea.

In my office:
 
On a university van:

 

On the campus lawn:

 

On a 'No Parking' sign:

 

Flat in front of some students, practicing a dance routine:

 

On a restaurant advertisement sign:

 

In front of the campus:

 

In front of Dunkin' Donuts:

 

With me:

 

In front of a Korean apartment:

 

In front of an elementary school:

 

In front of a fish restaurant:

 

In front of a park:

 

Next to my lunch, Bibimbab (rice mixed with vegetables):

Next to Korean Kimchi:

 

 

East and West

The pictures on this site, which show differences between Eastern and Western ideas and lifestyles, are very fascinating to me. What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunar New Year

Today was the Lunar New Year (설날) in Korea. This is probably the most important holiday in Korea and in Asia. People usually travel to their hometown to visit grandparents and other relatives. Once there, they perform 세배, which is a traditional practice to pay respect to the elders in the family. Often the traditional Korean dress (한복) is worn and 떡국 (soup with rice cakes) is served. People greet each other by saying '새해 복 많이 받으세요', which means 'May you receive many blessings in the new year.'
On this day, I went with my friend Colleen to some of the palaces in Seoul. First, we went to 경복궁, and then on to 덕수궁. It was a perfect day to take pictures, as the sun was shining bright and some snow remained to create a nice background. After some picture taking, we went to a traditional Korean restaurant to eat some New Year's food.

김치전이랑 떡만두국...정말 맛있었는데, 너무 많이 먹었어요...휴...

여러분 새해 복 많이 받으세요!!! 이만.

Pretty Cold Today

The pictures speak for themselves.

CW Part Deux

We will continue with some more pictures from the historic area in my hometown.

                    

 

Colonial Williamsburg

In my hometown of Williamsburg, there is the historic district which is meant to be an interpretation of how life was during colonial times. For a large portion of the 18th century, Williamsburg was the center of government, culture, and education in Virginia. It was here that prominent leaders such as Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Madison, James Monroe, and George Wythe began to define and develop democracy in Virginia, and the United States.

For those in Korea, the Colonial Williamsburg area is similar to 민속촌 (the folk village) in Yong in. First of all, it's a huge tourist attraction. Second, visitors can get a glimpse into the lives of how people lived long ago.

During my recent trip home, I took several pictures of the district. I hope you enjoy!

                        Bruton Parish Church

 

                              Horse Rides

 

 

 

                        Colonial Buildings

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I have many more pictures, but am experiencing some computer problems at the moment. I will post some more soon.

Trip Home

I surprised everyone (especially my parents) and came home for Christmas this year. Thanks Joe for picking me up and help making the Great Surprise of 2008 possible. It was great seeing my family and friends, and hanging out for a month. These pics are some, but not all, of the highlights of my trip. Enjoy!

 

    Good old Pierce's, always one of my first stops.

    Eh, what are you doing?

    Little Charlie, my nephew.

 

    Grace and Sara, my nieces.

More to come tomorrow, gotta go.

 

Ajumma Style - Part 2

Ajummas again. Never trust a plump trainer.

Ajumma Style - Part 1

Time for one of my favorite things, Ajummas in the park.

Genius

I remember going to supermarkets back home and seeing shopping carts littered all over the parking lot. I also remember one summer being responsible for tracking down all of those carts. Back then, I wondered why people didn't just return them to those 'Return Cart Here' stalls located throughout the parking lot. It was funny to see them as they left carts next to their cars, between other cars, or on one of those grass medians,  instead of just taking them 20 more feet to their proper home. They would look around and see if anyone noticed them, then slink into their cars and speed away. It was funny until it hit me that I had to go get that cart.
I guess it was then that I realized that people often won't do the right thing unless there's an incentive. Why should they return their cart? There is really no reason. I couldn't blame them too much.
In Korea, there is a reason. Whenever you get a cart in the grocery store, you have to pay 100원, or about 10 cents, in order to unhook it from the other carts.

When you are done, you take it to the 'Return Carts Here' stall, and hook it back up to the other carts. This 10 cent deposit is just enough incentive to make people return their carts to their home.

I love things like this. So simple, yet genius. It totally solves the problem of the runaway cart. Having lived here for some years, I still run into many things that I don't understand. Things that I can't explain, and things that make me frustrated at times. But when I see something like this, it makes me wonder 'Why didn't I think of that?', or something along those lines.