Happy Birthday Buddha!

We're still recovering from our weekend excursion. But it was a fun one - Buddha's Birthday! To celebrate, we decided to participate in Yeon Deung Hoe, or the Lotus Lantern Festival, held at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul.

Originally we were going to head up Saturday night to take in Yeondeungnori and then have all day Sunday at the Buddhist Street Festival. Unfortunately, Ronnie came down with the flu (the actual flu, not a generic bug), so we scaled back to Sunday's events only, which was the major day anyhow.

So, Sunday morning, we packed up everyone, hopped the train and headed to Seoul. Lucky for us, the temple is in the same neighborhood as Insadong, the location of our last adventure. We bummed around and took in Insadong during the day. I just LOVE this area of Seoul. It's definitely on the must return with no kids so I can shop list. After tasting some more street food and getting the girls in on the action, we eventually wound up right where we needed to be.


A few weeks ago, I had found out that the Buddhist Street Festival held special events for foreigners and was really interested in making a lantern for a keepsake. So, I signed up the whole family. After we all sat down and got to going on our lanterns, we realized that we were going to be there for a while. 80 petals made up the 5 rows of "flower" and then 8 leaves for the bottom. Those things are a lot of work, but it is really peaceful while you do it.

Anyway, we got them all done and hung in time for judging. The girls were really excited about their lanterns, and won some great little trinkets. But I was excited that we got reserved seating for the parade later that night just by participating. Worth the time for me to have a front row seat.

We headed on to explore the rest of the street fair. We didn't get far, as the Jogyesa Temple was just right there. The temple all decked out and there was some wonderful traditional dancing and music in the square. On our way out, we met up with a Buddhist man who gave both Ronnie and I prayer bracelets; he was also sweet enough to give the girls a piece of candy. He then helped us do a proper bow to say goodbye and thank you and we were on our way back out to the fair.

After wandering around the street fair and seeing some more performances, we decided it was time to find something to eat before the parade started. Again, we were lucky that this was the same neighborhood Ronnie and I had explored a few weeks ago, because we knew where the main concentration of restaurants were. We cut down one of the alleys and came upon a Japanese noodle restaurant.

In true Oliver fashion, we had to point to the things that looked like they would be appealing to us, without really knowing what it was. I ordered the pork cutlet with ramen for the girls and I, while Ronnie was hoping for a spicy ramen soup. We also ordered a side of gyoza (potstickers), because at least we knew what that was. And, also in true Oliver fashion, it worked out great. Ramen here is nothing like what you think of from the states. It's the difference between Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup and homemade chicken noodle soup. The girls slurped their noodles, enjoyed their crispy cutlet and split a Sprite; I got to eat the vegetables and broth that came with the noodles, while sneaking a bite or two of the cutlet, along with the wonderful gyoza, and Ronnie was left to sweating out his bowl of extra spicy ramen. We left full and happy about our new find.

After dinner we headed to find our seats for the parade. Along the way, people kept giving the girls lanterns. The girls were so excited and there was a happy buzz among the crowd. We finally got to where our reserved seats were and got settled in before the main event started.

The parade kicked off with several performances from local schools, and more traditional music and dancing. Then it started: person after person, float after float, a sea of beautiful lanterns. I don't know if there are really any words to describe the sight other than awe inspiring. This has got to be the equivalent of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for Korea. What an honor to be a part of it. We made it through most of the parade but there came the point where it was just time to head home. We were all tired and the next day was a school/work day. We gathered our lanterns we had collected, eight in total, and headed for the train.

I think Holly summed it up best when she asked if we could "do it again next weekend." I responded, "Of course we can, but it'll be 52 weeks before the next parade." Holly didn't miss a beat and said, "Good, because this was the BEST day mommy!"

Zen Hiking - Hijacked on a Mountain

You'll soon be treated to a blog entry from Chris, all about our fun day in Seoul and what we saw/did/built etc. However, I'm charged with the prelude to our Sunday outing.

Chris has been planning a trip to the Lotus Lantern Festival for the last few weeks. We intended to stay there Saturday night and come home on Sunday. I threw a wrench in those plans when I came home from work early on Tuesday, down with the full blown Flu. 102* fever, aches, chills and generally miserable. The flight doc told me to stay home for 72 hours, no complaints here. No way in hell was I going to go out in public.

I felt a little better on Friday, but I still needed to take either Motrin or Tylenol every four hours to keep my fever and sore throat tolerable. I felt bad about it, but there was no way I was going to be able to take a weekend in Seoul in the state I was in. I decided to give myself an Ops Check to see if just maybe, we could still go to Seoul on Sunday. I figured if I could hike up the mountain behind our house, then I could take a day of marching around Seoul with two trained monkeys in tow.

It should have been a pretty quick trip. It was only about 3/4 mi. to the "peak", gaining only 500 feet. However, it ended up taking over 2.5 (PILSUNG) hours.

On the way up, there was a huge tower built so that you can see the town below, and off of the side of the trail there many of the usual pieces of public workout equipment. I need to get a picture of what I'm talking about. You can literally get a full workout on the side of the road, and they have these all over the place. Anyhow, I made it to the top pretty quick, marked it on my GPS that was hanging around my neck (took it because there is no way to ask for directions if I got lost, and even if I could ask I would have no idea what they were saying), and then proceeded down the mountain.

Everything was going pretty well, I was making great time, when I caught the distinct smell of Soju. It was coming from the older Korean guy I was about to pass on my way down the path. He said "Hello", so I though..hmmm, he must speak English. I proceeded to ask him how he was doing and try to make some small talk while we were moving in the same direction. Apparently, "Hello" was the limit of his vocabulary. I don't have room to talk. That's about all I can say in Korean as well, so I guess that makes us even.

He was making motion with his hands, and I assumed that he saw my GPS, thought it was a camera and wanted me to take a picture of him and his wife. So I did.

A 10 minute conversation after that consisted of me trying to ask him what his email address was using loud, slow English and sign language. He responded with loud, slow Korean and sign language, we were back at square one. Then he said Mokolli, I replied Mugulli? Koreans say G's like K's. He corrected me. It's said Mokolli, just like brocolli.

From Wikipedia - Makgeolli, also known as Makuly(takju), is a traditional alcoholic beverage native to Korea. It is made from rice (referred to in English as "Korean rice wine") which gives it a milky, off-white color, and sweetness. It is made by fermenting a mixture of boiled rice and water, and is about 6.5–7% alcohol by volume. It was originally quite popular among farmers, earning it the name nongju (농주 / 農酒), which means "farmer liquor".

It also comes in berry/fruit flavors. I think we ended up drinking grape, but I'm getting ahead of myself. He was excited that I knew what mokolli was, (I'll spell it however I like. that's something I've learned over here - you can spell however you want as long as you say it right, it doesn't matter) So we kept walking and found the bar that was at the trailhead. I've ridden my mountain bike through it before and didn't rcognize it as a bar. It's basically a blue canopy like you would use as a sun shade while camping. There were some old ladies in it, and a bunch of old guys sitting outside of it playing checkers and drinking soju. That's what I saw on my bike, and I seriously swerved to keep from hitting them because it's setup at a bend in the trail. This time, I still saw the old guys drinking and playing checkers, but I also saw the menu, a small portable burner and some coolers. I'd assumed it was old folks out for a picnic the last time, but no, it's an off the books bar.

We ended up with mokolli, boiled eggs, kimchi and some Cass beer (the A-10 pilots favorite). I learned that you don't sip mokolli,and you drink it from a BIG bowl. I tried to take a sip, but got a demo-do of how to drink it. 1) Fill bowl 2) Chug bowl 3) Repeat until the bottle is empty. We had a great conversation, he talked a bunch, I nodded, laughed when it seemed appropriate and kept drinking whenever he filled up my bowl.

At some point he said o-ship-o, which is Korean for 55. Did I mention that I know all of my numbers, but that's about it. He was referring to K-55 (I think), which is what the they call Osan AB. He obviously assumed correctly about my short hair and being an American in Korea. When I got to the point where I couldn't down another boiled egg, or see straight, I pointed to my watch and then pointed down the trail. I think he understood, or was too hammered to care, so I pressed on home.

Ops Check good. I figure I drowned whatever flu germs I had left and would be fine in Seoul.

Marching Down the Aisle

For my mom, the best friend I always had but never realized. Happy Mother's Day!

I've been back to work for a little over two weeks now and it's going well. I have some adjusting to do, as it seems the civil service world also runs on the Air Force clock. Processes are already driving me up the wall. But I'm learning to let go..... right?

Today was a big day and will be one of my primary accomplishments this time next year - the Community College of the Air Force Commencement Ceremony. We had over 70 Airmen walk across the stage to receive their CCAF diploma, although we had over 200 receiving their degrees. It was a wonderful day to be a part of and more importantly to organize for the future.

The great thing about not being a graduate is you actually get to listen to what the keynote speaker has to say. And the speech given today struck a nerve for me. He went on telling about his background and how he worked really hard in school and received some scholarship money to go to college. Unfortunately, the money ran out and he had to find another path. He has now been in the AF for 27+ years, holds his CCAF degree, as well as a Bachelors and a Masters.

As I'm listening to this I couldn't help but tear up..... I come from a simple background. I won't say meager, because we always had what we needed. My parents were both in the Service, both in the Enlisted ranks and neither had a college education.

Life was really different in the 70s for kids graduating from high school. They could expect to get drafted for Vietnam, or, if they were lucky, they got a little money to go to college. There were some scholarships, but not too much money was out there, and credit cards were pretty non-existent, let alone 529 plans.

So, the story goes like this: My mom, who is a very bright woman, went to college for a semester or two. She had to be sure her tuition was paid for the next semester, but she was holding out hope that a scholarship would come through. Unfortunately the registration and payment date passed with no check in the mail. Making a decision that altered the course of her life, she enlisted in the Marines.

Yes, you read that right - My mom wore combat boots. And don't cross her, cause she might whip it out on you. Trust me... I've seen it - she's a baaaaad motha'!

Anyway, the reason why she enlisted was because the Montgomery GI Bill was wonderful, and she could get her education after serving her commitment. It wasn't a stretch for her to go int he service either; my grandfather was in the Army right after WWII ended, and my uncle (her brother) was also enlisting in the Marines. Of course, if she hadn't enlisted, I wouldn't be here because she met my father, who was in the Navy, at her first assignment. They were married and I came along a year or two later.

At the time - again, remember this is the 70s - they deemed pregnant Marines as unfit for duty and gave her a discharge. Not a bad thing, it was just business and how it was done back then. She also got to keep that GI Bill benefit and had 10 years to use it. Awesome right?

Well, my sister came along two years later, and before you knew it, life just got in the way. I remember her looking at me around my 10th birthday and telling me how important an education was. Actually, it was more like this: I was going to go to the top high school, then to college, get a job, get married and then have babies - in that order, and there is no deviation from the PLAN.

And then, when I was old enough to understand, my mom told me the rest of the story. Her GI Bill had lapsed because she was busy being the mom and taking two heavily sports and activity involved kids to everything their little hearts desired. Never in a million years did it ever cross my mind to not have my education. I owed it to her to cross that stage and be excellent in my life.

And I did just that on May 8th, 1999. Of course, it didn't hurt that Mother's Day was the next day. I don't think I ever told her this, but I felt it was her day as much as it was mine. The restaurant I chose for our celebration meal was as much for her as it was for me. I remember sitting there thinking that this was the best thing I could have ever done to repay her and near about the most perfect Mother's Day present.

Now that I'm the mom, I can look at and truly appreciate what she so selflessly did for my sister and I. I can only hope that I'm half the mother to my girls that she was and is.


I love you, Mom! And in case you were wondering, I mean every line in the cards I send you.

Tiptoe Through The Tulips

Okay, so they aren't tulips, but they are really pretty aren't they? This entire hill is covered with this really pretty and very fragrent ground cover. I have no idea what it is, but we've been enjoying this 1/8 mile stretch for a few weeks now. At the same time I kept saying I needed to get the girls out to take their pictures on it. Today was the day to do just that, since we had nothing planned, nowhere to be, and beautiful weather. These are just a few of the pictures I took of the girls.

Activate: Sitter Recall!

I got an email with that title about two weeks ago. This sort of email can only mean one thing: Ladies Night. But this one had a twist. The Lady Draggins were stepping out with the Fiendettes! YES!!!!!!! The Fiendettes are the spouses of the F-16 drivers on the base and are some of the best girls around, besides the Lady Draggins of course.

A ladies night of this proportion would call for some preparation though. I quickly set about making my list. Party Suit - Pil-Sung; Party Shoes - semi-Pil-Sung depending on the weather; Party Hair - hmmmmm, could use some work.

I bet you're wondering what a party suit is huh? Well, there is a long tradition here in Korea that the spouses get a special outfit made with the squadron colors. They resemble a flight suit, but are either dresses, pantsuits, or even shorts. Don't worry, I'll post a picture of mine below. The suits are custom made to fit the person perfectly. After you get the suit, then the real fun of customizing comes into play with patches and embriodery. You can get patches like flags for where you've lived, where you're from, college insignias, other squadrons you've been to, and even smiley faces. Pretty much if you think it you can get a patch for it or have it embroidered on your suit.

Since you're dressing up, some people feel you might as well go all out. This is where the shoes and hair come into play. And you can get just about anything in Songtan for what you think you should look like. I had bought a short pink wig a few months ago, but I just wasn't feeling it was quite right. See below for what I finally picked.

I'm still trying to acheive greatness in my party suit, but I think I had a first good showing. I didn't get a good picture of the whole thing, so I'll post my favorite pics from last night.

Pil Sung!

Random Musing..... Springtime

It is just beautiful here right now. The temps are in the 70s, with the occasional fall back due to a weather system. Unfortunately the cherry blossoms have calmed down, but they have been replaced! The azaleas are in full bloom and most of the trees have gotten their new leaves. It's a real pleasure to see after the harsh winter we had.

Happy Cinco de Children's Day

Today is Children's Day in Korea. It's a day where they take a break and honor the youngest generation. They shower them with gifts and indulge them with treats and family fun.

But it's Cinco de Mayo in my brain. Bring on the mariachi, dancing, and margaritas. Well, there aren't a whole lot of Mexicans in Korea (go figure), so we celebrated Cinco de Children's day instead. We fixed galbi (Korean-style barbeque) for dinner while I told them about Cinco de Mayo. It's a win-win right?

Unfortunately with me working and the base in an exercise, we did not have the day off to spend with them like the rest of the country did. But we'll get our time this weekend as we celebrate Mother's Day.