I'm A-OK

View of Seoul from the Seoul Tower

I'm sure most of you have heard about the bombings here in South Korea on Tuesday, and I want to try to put your mind at ease as much I can.

First, although this was the first time North Korea killed civilians in an attack, most sources I've read or spoken to agree that this is "just another stunt" by the North. I'll admit, it's a bit unnerving to live in a country where you see plumes of smoke on TV one day, and it's business as usual the next. My South Korean friends told me they're just used to it. I think that's incredibly sad to have to be "used to" bombings and threats on a regular basis.

The good news is that China isn't supporting their latest scare tactic, although they're not really taking a stand against them, and the North seems to be worried that their only source of outside support right now is coming from China, which is why they're demanding money from Seoul and Washington.

Seoul and Washington's take on the matter is called "strategic patience" which I take to mean that they'll let the North throw little fits, without doing much in retaliation. By continuing to wait it out and not give aid, they're hoping to starve out and further isolate the North Koreans, which I don't totally agree with. Many North Koreans are already starving to death and are trapped under a bloody regime of terror. Also, I feel that letting them get to a point of sheer desperation isn't the best idea. Then again, I don't want Seoul and Washington to retaliate on a full-blown war level, so I guess it's a good thing I'm not making the decisions in this matter. The cost for Seoul would be devastating, while the North seems to view civilian and military casualties as cheap and utterly expendable.

To put your mind at ease, I want to assure you that I'm not in any danger here and the US embassy (which I am registered with, rest assured) hasn't issued any warnings or evacuations.

I think if it did come to evacuations, I would be absolutely devastated to leave my children behind. But it hasn't come to that, and I'm confident that it won't, so for now I'll continue to teach and explore and grow.

Thank you for all your emails of concern and your prayers - they mean a lot!

Seoul Lantern Festival

Last weekend I went to the Seoul Lantern Festival with some of my friends and it was both breathtaking and ridiculously crowded. It's definitely a plus to be a 5'10" American woman in such situations, though, because I had a pretty good view of the lanterns, and my friends could find me easily if we got separated.

Some hanging lanterns and some lotus lanterns in the stream. Lovely!

This one was my favorite - a woman in a hanbok sitting in a lotus bloom.

The hanging lanterns up and down the stream really made the whole night sparkle.

Some of the lanterns were two stories high!

There was a special lantern in honor of the G 20 Summit... President Obama sure looks happy about it!

Not sure what this lantern is... looks like an angry red genie bursting out of a flaming box.

Hey! I know that lady!

If you ask me, the Seoul mascot is a bit... cheesy. It's hard to believe this is what they want representing them to the world.

Yay! It's almost Christmas!!

I had a great time taking in the glowing sights and spending time with my good friends. I highly recommend seeing a lantern festival if you come to Korea - they're spectacular! Luckily you don't have to plan your travel itinerary around one because they happen quite frequently in different areas all over SoKo. In fact, festivals of any nature always seem to be going on! I like that they find ways to celebrate even the little things in life, like kimchi. Yes, there is a kimchi festival and I want to go!

Chez Moi

I can't believe I've lived here for over four months already... and I haven't shared any photos of my apartment! Mee ahn hamneeda! (Sorry!) So, with no further adieu, I give you Chez Becky:

I love my view! I'm on the 17th Floor, so I really get a birds-eye view of Sanbon and beyond!

My Living Room, which features an entire wall of windows! Love it!

Living Room/Desk area. I found that fabric on the wall at Dongdaemun Market and it really spiced up the place! I used the remainder of the fabric to cover my headboard!

I'm really lucky to have an American style bed... and a Queen Size at that! No sleeping on the floor for me! :) (And a big Thank You to my mom for the amazing sheets! I love them!)

Kitchen/Entryway. You can see my tiny washer (no dryer) and miniscule cooking range. It only has two tiny burners! Still, I've made do, but I miss having an oven for sure!

Entryway/Kitchen/Bathroom. Yes, I am totally Korean and I take my shoes off indoors and leave them at the entryway. Plus, you can see my little bathroom slippers that I wear in there, too.

Not a super exciting photo, but I figured you might like to see the telecom device that rings when someone rings my doorbell. The little TV turns on and I can see them outside my door, and pick up the phone and talk to them if I want to. This is particularly handy for avoiding Jehovah's Witnesses. The little dial knob to the left is to turn on my floor heat, which is how all buildings are heated here in South Korea. Quite cozy!

View of my apartment from the front door.

My little fridge, complete with a magnet from Janice (Thanks, J!) and some family memories. (Em, I need more pictures of the girls!)

And here is the Shathroom. Hmm. Maybe I need to come up with another name. Anyway, my entire bathroom is the shower! You can see the square drain on the floor and the shower head is just right there on the wall. It's a little annoying that everything gets wet every time I shower, but I'm getting used to it. It makes cleaning the bathroom a breeze, though. Scrub it up and hose it down! :)

More bathroom. It's hard to make it look very inviting when everything gets doused all the time. This little plant seems to like the climate, and the candle is just out of range of the shower, so at least I've got that going for my bathroom! :)

Et voila! I hope you liked my little tour!

To Market, To Market

The Chungang Market in Anyang.

If there is one shopping experience I absolutely love, it's a good market. I miss the Farmers Market back home in Charlotte a lot, but thankfully SoKo has some options as well. Last weekend I strolled around Anyang looking for some Christmas presents for my family, when I stumbled across the Chungang Market. Hooray!

Spices, beans, roots and lots of things that I can't pronounce.

The Chungang Market is a semi-outdoor market that is simply bursting with stall after stall of vendors selling everything from underwear to intestines. Yup, I said intestines. You can watch a woman measuring rice, then walk two feet away and watch another woman gutting a pig. I won't lie, some of the sights were a bit traumatic.

Ginseng!

Although South Korea is very techno-savvy and seems to be rushing into the future at light speed, I love the fact that they're still very much into Slow Food, farmers markets and alternatives to Western medicine.