Today we hopped an intercity bus and headed west for Jeonju, a city known for their hanok village. A hanok is an old Korean house that normally has a courtyard and several rooms that connect to the court house.  They have the amazing tile roofs and come with ondol floors. (Think radiant floors awesome and innovative great grandpa.).

Although the bus station looks a little sketchy, Korean intercity buses are pretty cushy.  There are only about 20 seats because they are abundant in leg room and arm rests. They stop half way through the ride at a rest stop that has a restaurant, a food stand, a convenience store and exercise equipment.  We loaded up with some hotteok (yeasty pancakes with a cinnamon filling), used the row of normal toilets vs. their squatty potties and were on our way again. The drive was amazing as we went through lush mountain country and rice paddies a plenty.  Something new I learned?  Koreans are more of a "through the mountain" vs. over the mountain sort of folk.  We went through so many tunnels! I wish I had counted them.  It is kind of cool because it tends to be more of a straigh shot AND the roads don't seem to muck up the view as much.

In Jeonju we hopped a taxi to the hanok village and immediately set out to find a place to sleep. (ever since a childhood trip through Idaho that left us on a roach motel, I really hate this approach.)  We decided not to do anything else until we had a room but then we ran into the octopus food stand.  Two octopus on a stick later, we (Chris) regained our focus.  One block later, we found Autumn's long lost hanok and decided it was fate and that we must stay there. (Autumn's Korean name is 아름다운/Autumndaun and means "beautiful". It means her name is all over the place). Our hanok is named "아름다운집" or "beautiful house".  We took it as a sign and rented a pretty small room for the seven of us.  We are all sleeping on the floor with traditional sort of bed duvets, which is what we've been doing at Halmoni's. A little rough on the back but a kind of cool Korean experience.

We then spent the evening wondering the streets of the hanok village. We ate different types of mandu, hotteok, kalbi on a stick, snow ice, steam buns and a local variety of cheese that they grill.  Everything was delicious, minus the octopus that I left to our seafood lovers. We toured a local shrine that was built to honor King Taejong that was full of beautiful buildings and cool history tidbits. We got to watch the Korean couples that rent hanboks (Korean traditional dresses) and wear them around town.  We also got to listen to Elise and Lilly ask to rent hanboks a gazillion times. After us all listening to them ask and ask,  I was  saying how good something savory sounded and Chloe said "I was thinking the same thing! About a hanbok?"  She's a funny girl.  This is a pretty touristy town but I have to say that I just love walking up the cobble stone streets and seeing all of the intricate gates and tile roofs.  It is a tourist trap that I can handle, I stick to that even as I am lying on the hard floor. (Which isn't so bad either.)

Since the sister missionaries are the young women leaders, the girls have got to hang out with them extra.  It is a real perk to being in this tiny branch.  One of the tidbits of Korean culture that they taught the girls about was the idea that the Halmonis of Korea rule the country. If a Halmoni runs you over, it's your fault for being in her way.  If you're sitting down, you're in Halmoni's spot.  We've seen it at Halmoni's house. If Halmoni tells you to eat, you eat! You don't even bother arguing with her.

So now I will share my favorite moment of our trip so far.  Halmoni. Sweet little Halmoni. She is well under 5 feet, 97 years old and just sweet as can be.  She has a walker she uses sometimes that is pretty epic. It is like a stroller with a little spot if she gets tired and a place for her to put her goods.  It needs better wheels but it is a nice concept.  We were waiting at an intersection with her and her walker when it was our turn to go. Two twenty something girls were in front of Halmoni and apparently hadn't seen the light turn green. She RAMMED her wheels into their heels and said "bali ka!" (Hurry and go!)  We were behind her so we got to laugh about it without being rude but the real indicator of Korean culture was that the girls instantly started moving and didn't have any negative reaction.  Halmoni told them to go and they went! I'm sure I wouldn't laugh if it was my heels being rammed into but it was so out of character for the Halmoni we know. If Halmoni tells you to do something, you better not hesitate!

With Chris here, we only went to school for half the day and then went to find a way to the mountains.  There are mountains all around and Chris' mom had asked that I wait for her so I don't get lost.  I figured that Chris and I could handle it or die in the mountains together. ;) Chloe hurt her ankle yesterday and Lilly has a cold so they stayed home.   It is extremely humid right now so the 5 of us that went sweat buckets while finding a nice trail up the mountain. We didn't make it to a view point as some of the girls were feeling a little whiney but we did hike up, up, up with minimal switchbacks. I look forward to going there again when it is cooler outside and with Chloe, who is always up for an adventure.  We ended the hike with snow ice, which made it 100 times more amazing.  (And the snow ice was served in an air conditioned cafe...I hadn't realized how much I've missed air conditioning.)

Panchans: They're served with any order, are super delicious and change from day to day. 

Nangmyeon (냉면)

A few really amazing things happened today:

1. The girls found out that there is a normal toilet on the 2nd floor of our school.  My approval rating for our Korean class jumped significantly knowing that we would no longer have to avoid water on class days!

2. On the way home from class, it was pouring down rain and we were umbrella-less. (Which is completely unacceptable in Korea-everyone uses umbrellas for any amount of rain! In Korean dramas, if you get stuck in the rain you will probably be on your death bed for the next few days.) we ran into a bakery because that is what you do in the rain, right?  The lady was kindly musing over our lack of umbrellas.  In Korean.  Yep, I understood.  And I could actually respond.  I told her that on the morning, it wasn't raining so we didn't bring umbrellas!  And she understood me!  I had a two way conversation with someone besides Halmoni.  And they understood me.  Cheap thrills but it made my day.

3. The rice cooker that I couldn't figure out? I came home and the rice that I left in it was cooked.  I thought Halmoni cooked it but then she came home and said "you cooked the rice?" Something I did worked.  Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure what it was.  Chris is coming tomorrow and his first job is going to be translating the rice cooker buttons.

4. We took Elise and Lilly to Hogsmeade tonight for family home evening.  It is a little Harry Potter cafe that happens to be around the corner from church and a rather short bus ride from Halmoni's house.  What are the odds?  They were in heaven, eating their overpriced tarts and butter beer and taking pictures with all things Potter related.  It's a pretty cute idea for a cafe and had a nice little ambiance going on.   After a bus ride to contemplate the evening, Elise confessed that she saw a few flaws.  I suggested she tuck them away for when she opens her own Harry Potter cafe.

5.  I had nangmyeon for lunch. It's one of my favorite Korean foods ever.  And it is only $5 at the restaurant by our school.   Every time I eat it, I think of the first time Chris' mom made it for us. I politely told her I wasn't hungry because...it was a cold noodle soup.  She persuaded me to give it a try and ever since then, I order nangmyeon if it is on the menu anytime it is remotely warm outside.

Chris will be here by this time tomorrow. The girls can't wait for an excuse to skip Korean class.  I can't wait go on early morning walks with my cutie.

Yesterday was stake conference for the Daegu Stake. I was actually considering taking a trip to the temple in Seoul to avoid 2 hours of nonstop Korean with the kids.  (Still a nice way to spend the weekend and we would just attend church there!) Autumn convinced us to stay because the sisters promised English translation headsets but it turns out they are a bunch of liars. Very nice liars. Maybe just misinformed.  It made for a long meeting for the girls but we did get a short talk in English from the mission president's son who is about to go on his mission.  AND the mission president spoke Korean slowly enough that I understood a story he told.  I don't get where he was going with the story but I'm proud of my baby steps.

Chris' uncle and cousin came over in the afternoon to take us to an urban agricultural festival that was put on by a magnet school that specializes in agriculture.  I was a little surprised that it exists here simply because Koreans love their typical high achieving careers.  Doctors.  Scientists. Lawyers. $$.  It was interesting.  And oh so humid.  It was definitely our hottest day yet.  We then went to Chris' uncle and aunts' house for a yummy dinner, where they gave me and the girls these gigantic servings of noodley soup.  Calories? They don't exist here. Hopefully.   After dinner I got to listen in on the adult talk.  I understood enough of it to want to be part of the conversation but I don't have the vocabulary to say the things I wanted to say. So frustrating!  They were discussing our big homes in America and the land we have.  I SO wanted to tell them some of the benefits that I've seen to their "smaller" living.  But I couldn't.  I love that their families live so close together with different generations crossing paths so frequently.  They live a lighter lifestyle because they are in smaller spaces. Less stuff.  I love that the girls can run to grab me some groceries while I cook dinner. They can play at the playground right out the window or ride the bus to church without me.  Although I love the quiet of our neighborhood back home, I am kind of enjoying this city stuff.

Funny story.  At dinner, Halmoni is pointing to Aunt's rice cooker and told me it is so much nicer than cooking in the pressure cooker (which I've mastered since the time the lid exploded off!) and that we can cook more rice in it. It would be easier, she said.  I kept saying that it was ok and that I can make rice in the pressure cooker. Finally, she said "yes, it's ok". I thought I was successful in convincing her not to buy a rice cooker on our account. (Did I tell you that she bought a new fridge for our visit??) We get home and I turn on the light. There on the table is a shiny new rice cooker. I go back over our conversation and realize that yes, she was using the past tense for buy.  She had already bought the darn thing. Funny story though.  I couldn't cook rice in it this morning because the buttons are all in Korean. And Halmoni wasn't there to teach me. I guess I'll use the pressure cooker a little longer.

Highlights of the day:

Lilly and Elise going to Yeju's house to play (they were so excited as they've been having serious "Yeju withdrawl". Friends are the best, even with there is a language barrier. 

Getting the meet some of Halmoni's friends. Apparently, people call on Saturdays?  They all came with food of some sort and they were all cute little Halmoni's too. It reminded me a little of Cranford but with more sitting on the floor. 

Shoving our way into a VERY full subway and finding that there was indeed room for 4 more people. 

Finding a huge bookstore in Daegu successfully AND getting some new "Talk to me in Korean" books to study. I'm going to learn this language if it kills me.  

Watching the three older girls hop on a bus to go to their mutual activity. They've decided to have more young woman activities now that the girls brought their attendance numbers up from 1 to 4.  After some Harry Potter talk last night, they decided to try out a Harry Potter Cafe (Hogmead's) that is right down the street from church.  Guess where we're going for family home evening this week? 

Getting my hands on the Korean mtc language book.  This is actually more of a trip highlight. I have been trying to buy this book for a couple of years now.  They sell several different languages at Deseret Book but, apparently, the Korean version has some top secret stuff that doesn't allow anyone to have a copy! (Unless you're a Korean speaking missionary, of course!) It took all the self control in the world to remain calm when one of the very kind sister missionaries mentioned that she had a book that I might want.  She's about to go home and doesn't need it anymore.  If only she knew how hard I have tried to get that darn book! It teaches you how to bear your testimony, how to pray and all other sorts of gospel speak. It is insane, folks!  The girls brought home "the book" from mutual. I was so glad they survived their first solo bus ride but I was also pretty happy that they got "the book".  

Ooh...and I'll sneak in a highlight from yesterday.  I used big sentences with Halmoni AND she understood me!! I told her that the girls exercised at school so they needed tennis shoes but Lilly didn't have tennis shoes so she wore Halmoni's. And she got it! (And immediately tried to get Autumn to run Lilly to emart to buy some shoes. Because she is sweet that way.)  I also told her that we were going to go to the church to play games with our church friends.  And I asked if she wanted to go. And told her when we would be back! AND she understood! (But then we were back way later because of the whole wrong bus stop business and walking in the torrential downpour adventure) The point? I spoke Korean and a Korean understood me.  (Or at least she pretended to understand. Either way, it was awesome.)

Korean school was a little rough for Lilly today.  For our two whole days that the girls have been at school, I've rode the bus with them, had lunch with them during their break and waited outside.  After class today she was super sad.  (I'm not sure if it was just tired talking or if these are legitimate feelings. Maybe a little bit of both?) She told me that she feels like Korean school is ruining our relationship. This isn't based on me making her but based on the time she doesn't get to spend with me.  As a homeschooling mom who loves spending time with her kids, that's a bit of a punch to the gut.  Lilly, Lilly.  Taking emotions out of it, I think this class might be hard for Lilly simply because she is so young compared to the rest of the class.  I don't think they teach in a style that is interesting/fun for an 8 year old.  We shall see how this unfolds.

We got home from a wet journey from school and the phone started ringing. Luckily, Halmoni was nearby to answer it. I'm so scared of that darn phone. It ended up being the missionaries, letting us know about a branch game night that they decided to throw together. After our long day, I thought the girls would be opposed to the idea but I have never seen a group of girls clean up after dinner so quickly! We played "bang" in Korean (the sisters and an English speaking rm translated the rules for us...so many rules!) and then they pulled out a ton of Korean food for dinner.  At 8:30.  Delicious, of course but so late.  I'm convinced that Koreans don't actually sleep.  The kids have classes until 10:30.  It's like a party that starts at 11 on weeknights yet they're all up bright and early for classes. Eating dinner at 8:30 goes right along with that, I guess. You didn't hear any Kangs complaining.  If you put Korean food out, we are there.  All in all a fun evening with a little too much English speaking. It's just too easy for us to speak English to the missionaries.  It makes us a bunch of cheaters. The sisters offered to come over and teach us Korean, which would be AMAZING.  The real highlight of the night? My bus mistake.  The kids might watch for their bus stops more carefully after tonight because I got them off the bus two stops too early in the pouring down rain on our way home from game night. Next time, I have a feeling they'll be double checking my navigation.

first day of school

The first day of school was a success! (Minus a few of the girls complaining that they didn't understand anything, which I actually see as good.  That means their teacher is only speaking Korean, which is great for them!)   Our sweet Mrs. Hwang (I know her name now!)  rode the bus with us again, making sure that we knew how to navigate our way there. She also had us get on a stop earlier, which helped us all get seats.  (Plus, we discovered that 30 minutes makes a night and day difference in bus traffic!)  I stayed with them at school, took the girls out to lunch (good thing since that was Elise's favorite part of the day) and then rode the bus home with them.  I'm going to ride with them a few more days to make sure they know how to get to school and back without leaving Lilly or Elise on the bus.  Autumn's comment after school was "it would have been great if Lilly didn't keep showing off and making the teacher think we are all at her level!"  I asked if showing off meant participating and speaking Korean.  Yep, that is exactly what it meant.  Oh, dear.
The worse part of school? That darn squatty potty.  I was hoping that Lilly had overlooked the western toilet but no such luck. I was so ruined by my china experience that I held it in until we came home yesterday!  Today I think I'm going to have to break down and have my next truly authentic Korean experience.

                           

 I think lunch might always be the girls' favorite part of school because they get to try all of the local food joints! Kimbap places are everywhere, which the Kang girls love. (Minus this Kang girl who has found that Kim/seaweed makes me want to throw up) Kimbap is a Korean version of a sushi roll. Seaweed on the outside, rice and all sorts of veggies/meat/egg on the inside. We've found plenty of new variations here and the girls love being able to grab some kimbap so easily! What is great is that they're only $2 here! They're pretty much in kimbap heaven. Rumor has it that most kimbap places have dukbeoggi, which is a spicy rice cake dish.  If this is true, I'll be in heaven too. 맛있어요!

Every morning we have scripture study as a family.  We start and end with our Korean hymn of the week, which is Nearer My God to Thee.  My favorite part is when Halmoni joins in and sings with us.  I just love that woman so much and having her sing with us feels me with such joy.   She has lived a long life full of the Japanese occupation, the Korean War and the many years of recovery. She is one tough cookie but so full of love.  I just need to figure out which other hymns she knows so we can use another familiar song next week!