Outside the Fence
Late this afternoon, after my short nap, Dad, Mom, and I crossed into "real" Korea. It's the urban area just outside the main gate. Until now, I felt like a typical "gringo" -- still eating oatmeal cereal for breakfast, sipping on a nice cold cup of Enfamil, or simply chewing on a teething biscuit. Well, well....
It's not a long walk to the base's main gate, but considering how cold it was, I thought it took forever. Mom likes to bundle me up in my "red snow suit." Sure, it's great -- nice and warm, even has an airplane on it. BUT, I hate getting into it. It messes with my style. I can't exactly impress the ladies when my arms and legs are immobilized. So annoying.... Eventually, I do get over it, once we start rolling in my SRV. I quickly accepted my fate after realizing how darned cold it was.
As we went out the main gate, I was thoroughly impressed with the soldiers guarding the entrance. They had some serious weaponry, and they were Korean! It was the first time I had seen real-looking soldiers at the entrance to a base. It was definitely much more impressive than the rent-a-cops I'd seen elsewhere.
Now, I haven't done much traveling yet. But, when we crossed into the outside world, I felt as though I fell a few degrees on the world development meter. Yikes!
First impression: Hodgepodge!
--old,new
--colorful, drab
-- modern, ancient
--stinky, aromatic
-- dingy, beautiful
--weird, everyday
There is no prevalent architectural style. It's as if buildings were simply constructed using the "material of the day." There are cobblestone paths, but unlike in Europe, according to my mom, these paths are not well-kept.
While Dad tried to get the cell phones figured out, Mom drove me around the area. In front of us, a street vendor decided to demonstrate his product: a squishy/synthetic material made to look like a bouncy ball. The balls were also molded into pigs, tomatoes, and other characters. The man took a ball and threw it against a piece of flooring he had on the ground. It "splatted," but after a few seconds, the ball regained it's shape. I tried to look impressed, but I was way too cold. The guy repeatedly demonstrated his product. I wanted to tell him, "Sir, with all due respect, can't you see that my Mom would never fall for that? She thinks I'm way too young to play with one of those." Mom must have read my mind because when the guy started to offer one, she tried gesturing that I was too little. Yeah, right. But, I thought Mom did a decent job of communicating with the old Korean.
Well, I'm pooped. It's time for a nice snooze in the pack n' play. My bear finally arrived in the mail today. FINALLY. I don't know why Mom thought it best to ship him. He's one of my favorites. I'm working on a name for him. FYI, I finally came up with a name for my elephant: Mountbatten. It's official.
It's not a long walk to the base's main gate, but considering how cold it was, I thought it took forever. Mom likes to bundle me up in my "red snow suit." Sure, it's great -- nice and warm, even has an airplane on it. BUT, I hate getting into it. It messes with my style. I can't exactly impress the ladies when my arms and legs are immobilized. So annoying.... Eventually, I do get over it, once we start rolling in my SRV. I quickly accepted my fate after realizing how darned cold it was.
As we went out the main gate, I was thoroughly impressed with the soldiers guarding the entrance. They had some serious weaponry, and they were Korean! It was the first time I had seen real-looking soldiers at the entrance to a base. It was definitely much more impressive than the rent-a-cops I'd seen elsewhere.
Now, I haven't done much traveling yet. But, when we crossed into the outside world, I felt as though I fell a few degrees on the world development meter. Yikes!
First impression: Hodgepodge!
--old,new
--colorful, drab
-- modern, ancient
--stinky, aromatic
-- dingy, beautiful
--weird, everyday
There is no prevalent architectural style. It's as if buildings were simply constructed using the "material of the day." There are cobblestone paths, but unlike in Europe, according to my mom, these paths are not well-kept.
While Dad tried to get the cell phones figured out, Mom drove me around the area. In front of us, a street vendor decided to demonstrate his product: a squishy/synthetic material made to look like a bouncy ball. The balls were also molded into pigs, tomatoes, and other characters. The man took a ball and threw it against a piece of flooring he had on the ground. It "splatted," but after a few seconds, the ball regained it's shape. I tried to look impressed, but I was way too cold. The guy repeatedly demonstrated his product. I wanted to tell him, "Sir, with all due respect, can't you see that my Mom would never fall for that? She thinks I'm way too young to play with one of those." Mom must have read my mind because when the guy started to offer one, she tried gesturing that I was too little. Yeah, right. But, I thought Mom did a decent job of communicating with the old Korean.
Well, I'm pooped. It's time for a nice snooze in the pack n' play. My bear finally arrived in the mail today. FINALLY. I don't know why Mom thought it best to ship him. He's one of my favorites. I'm working on a name for him. FYI, I finally came up with a name for my elephant: Mountbatten. It's official.
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