Dear Friends and Family,
We did a ton on Wednesday with our neighbors (mostly commerce related) while my grandfather did his own thing. I figured he needed some rest and down time after going out Monday and Tuesday, especially with a trans-pacific trip looming in a couple of days.
What We Saw/Did
We started the morning by touring the food market by my grandfather's house. It has a variety of food and non-food items for sale. It's like a farmer's market, only more extensive and open every day of the week. We tried some calamari from a food stall before heading to our first shopping destination - Apgujeong.
Apgujeong-dong is Seoul's upscale shopping district. We walked through a couple of department stores to see what sorts of merchandise they sell and then hit the streets to look at the individual shops. The daughter ended up buying a pair of Converse sneakers while the dad ended up buying a pair of Nikes. For the mom? A Hard Rock Cafe Seoul t-shirt to add to her collection. We also wandered into a store that sells hanbok, the traditional dress of Korea. They brought out an album with hanbok pictures and gave us a refreshing fruit drink while we looked at the album. They were really nice to us even if they knew we had no intention of buying. Hospitality, it's so rare anywhere nowadays that when you get it you're pleasantly surprised.
We thought we would head to Itaewon next, a shopping district located near the U. S. military base in Seoul. It's a fun place to pick up affordable souvenirs and clothing. But, when we got to the train, we realized the Itaewon stop was on the same train line that goes out to the World Cup Stadium which was on our itinerary for later in the week.
The timing seemed fortuitous, so we went out to the Stadium before heading back to Itaewon. We took a couple of pictures from the outside and found an unlocked gate into the stadium. We considered checking if there was a game that night after we decided going through the unlocked gate would be a bad move. Then, Mr. mouse discovered that they give tours. He's so smart sometimes. We took the tour and got to see the field, the locker rooms, the press room, etc. before heading to local shopping mall attached to the stadium. We picked up some bananas, some soju (an alcoholic beverage distilled from rice or sweet potato), some hot-cold mints and other consumables before heading back to Itaewon.
Our first Itaewon purchase? A pair of gloves for the daughter. Mr. mouse then got some personalized luggage tags embroidered. The daughter got one for herself and a couple as souvenirs for her friends. The shop was located in a back corner of an underground mall - we'll never find it again unless we stumble upon it accidentally. We found a good souvenir store to finish off most of the souvenirs needed. Mission accomplished.
What We Ate
Mr. mouse and I had breakfast with my grandfather before heading out for the day. If you guessed seolleongtang, you guessed right.
We bought some walnut cookies from a street vendor for a mid-morning snack.
For lunch, we decided to try a pizza place in Apgujeong. I got a margherita pizza while Mr. mouse and the neighbors split a couple of pizza (seafood, bulgogi, salad and cheese). We figured everyone needed some variety after a couple days straight of Korean food.
We headed to a Chinese restaurant in Itaewon for dinner. We started with the chicken wings and then ordered four dishes. Let's see how good my memory is... chicken with broccoli, Mongolian beef, Schezuan chicken and chow mein. Voila. Okay, I admit it. I looked at my food journal to jog my memory.
The Family Drama
Neither Mr. mouse nor I can remember what prompted the initial call on Wednesday to my parents, but we're sure something did. We bought a phone card from the subway station Wednesday morning and tried calling my mom from the first department store. She was dropping someone off at their house and said she would call me back. She called me back just as we were headed into the second department store so I sat for awhile in front of the store on a bus stop bench to talk with her. The sun felt good.
Back were all the questions. Why does grandpa want to come? Is it to see America? Or to see relatives? Or to talk with my parents about the house? Uh... maybe you should ask him since I hardly have a clue here on this one. Then she starts into a typical long winded, over-complicated, convoluted explanation including all of the melodramatic historical context and I'm again reminded that my family is not normal and nothing is ever simple for them. I'm beginning to wander why she told me to bring him if it's going to involve this much emotional toll on everyone involved.
It'd be great if the story ended here, but sadly it doesn't. We get calls throughout the morning from my mom to talk more. I hate it when she tries to convince me that her point of view is right. She might believe it's right, but the logical arguments for them fall apart for me. Honestly, I don't have the patience for it. My life is complicated enough as it is without adding in any additional factors. Thankfully, they sleep for awhile giving us a couple hours respite before it all starts up again in the evening when they wake up.
This time it's my dad. And, my dad (not to be confused with "the dad" who is my neighbor) doesn't talk with you, he talks at you. You don't get a word in edgewise and he feels like he's just had a fruitful discussion. Now, he's explaining to me all the reasons grandpa shouldn't come. First off, I'm madder than hell that they're effectively doing their best to ruin my day. Second, I spent an entire day dragging a 96 year old man who needed rest across town to get a visa yesterday. Last, why on God's green earth did they tell me to bring him in the first place if it was going to lead to all of this?
My dad leaves me with the oh-so-helpful, just tell him something, anything, make something up, I trust you to take care of the situation, you're so smart and creative, you're the hope and future of the family, you can do this. Gee, thanks Dad. I hang up in tears.
Mr. mouse and I talk some, on the way home, on what to do about the whole fiasco. We ponder taking my parents' advice and just making something up. We ponder just bringing him to the States as we first agreed. We get back to the house without reaching any conclusions.
Grandpa's up. The laundry is running. He's clearly been busy as a bee all day getting ready for the trip. He asks about the status of his visa. He asks about the cost of the ticket. He asks about the flight times and when we need to leave Saturday morning to make it to the airport in time. He is so excited. He is so happy. I just can't do it. I can't bring myself to tell him I'm not bringing him. If he were to ask me why (which believe me he would) I've got no good reason to deny him. So, I don't. I tell him his visa will be ready tomorrow. I tell him we won't know the cost of the trip until we're back in the States, and that we need to leave by 10 AM on Saturday to make our flight. I ask him if he needs any help. Then, I turn in for the night.
I end up crying my eyes out before going to sleep. The stress is becoming unbearable.
What I Learned
No new revelations. It was a day for taking it all in and processing. No major new light bulbs. At least none that I remember now.
Cheers!
mouse
We did a ton on Wednesday with our neighbors (mostly commerce related) while my grandfather did his own thing. I figured he needed some rest and down time after going out Monday and Tuesday, especially with a trans-pacific trip looming in a couple of days.
What We Saw/Did
We started the morning by touring the food market by my grandfather's house. It has a variety of food and non-food items for sale. It's like a farmer's market, only more extensive and open every day of the week. We tried some calamari from a food stall before heading to our first shopping destination - Apgujeong.
Apgujeong-dong is Seoul's upscale shopping district. We walked through a couple of department stores to see what sorts of merchandise they sell and then hit the streets to look at the individual shops. The daughter ended up buying a pair of Converse sneakers while the dad ended up buying a pair of Nikes. For the mom? A Hard Rock Cafe Seoul t-shirt to add to her collection. We also wandered into a store that sells hanbok, the traditional dress of Korea. They brought out an album with hanbok pictures and gave us a refreshing fruit drink while we looked at the album. They were really nice to us even if they knew we had no intention of buying. Hospitality, it's so rare anywhere nowadays that when you get it you're pleasantly surprised.
We thought we would head to Itaewon next, a shopping district located near the U. S. military base in Seoul. It's a fun place to pick up affordable souvenirs and clothing. But, when we got to the train, we realized the Itaewon stop was on the same train line that goes out to the World Cup Stadium which was on our itinerary for later in the week.
The timing seemed fortuitous, so we went out to the Stadium before heading back to Itaewon. We took a couple of pictures from the outside and found an unlocked gate into the stadium. We considered checking if there was a game that night after we decided going through the unlocked gate would be a bad move. Then, Mr. mouse discovered that they give tours. He's so smart sometimes. We took the tour and got to see the field, the locker rooms, the press room, etc. before heading to local shopping mall attached to the stadium. We picked up some bananas, some soju (an alcoholic beverage distilled from rice or sweet potato), some hot-cold mints and other consumables before heading back to Itaewon.
Our first Itaewon purchase? A pair of gloves for the daughter. Mr. mouse then got some personalized luggage tags embroidered. The daughter got one for herself and a couple as souvenirs for her friends. The shop was located in a back corner of an underground mall - we'll never find it again unless we stumble upon it accidentally. We found a good souvenir store to finish off most of the souvenirs needed. Mission accomplished.
What We Ate
Mr. mouse and I had breakfast with my grandfather before heading out for the day. If you guessed seolleongtang, you guessed right.We bought some walnut cookies from a street vendor for a mid-morning snack.
For lunch, we decided to try a pizza place in Apgujeong. I got a margherita pizza while Mr. mouse and the neighbors split a couple of pizza (seafood, bulgogi, salad and cheese). We figured everyone needed some variety after a couple days straight of Korean food.
We headed to a Chinese restaurant in Itaewon for dinner. We started with the chicken wings and then ordered four dishes. Let's see how good my memory is... chicken with broccoli, Mongolian beef, Schezuan chicken and chow mein. Voila. Okay, I admit it. I looked at my food journal to jog my memory.
The Family Drama
Neither Mr. mouse nor I can remember what prompted the initial call on Wednesday to my parents, but we're sure something did. We bought a phone card from the subway station Wednesday morning and tried calling my mom from the first department store. She was dropping someone off at their house and said she would call me back. She called me back just as we were headed into the second department store so I sat for awhile in front of the store on a bus stop bench to talk with her. The sun felt good.
Back were all the questions. Why does grandpa want to come? Is it to see America? Or to see relatives? Or to talk with my parents about the house? Uh... maybe you should ask him since I hardly have a clue here on this one. Then she starts into a typical long winded, over-complicated, convoluted explanation including all of the melodramatic historical context and I'm again reminded that my family is not normal and nothing is ever simple for them. I'm beginning to wander why she told me to bring him if it's going to involve this much emotional toll on everyone involved.
It'd be great if the story ended here, but sadly it doesn't. We get calls throughout the morning from my mom to talk more. I hate it when she tries to convince me that her point of view is right. She might believe it's right, but the logical arguments for them fall apart for me. Honestly, I don't have the patience for it. My life is complicated enough as it is without adding in any additional factors. Thankfully, they sleep for awhile giving us a couple hours respite before it all starts up again in the evening when they wake up.
This time it's my dad. And, my dad (not to be confused with "the dad" who is my neighbor) doesn't talk with you, he talks at you. You don't get a word in edgewise and he feels like he's just had a fruitful discussion. Now, he's explaining to me all the reasons grandpa shouldn't come. First off, I'm madder than hell that they're effectively doing their best to ruin my day. Second, I spent an entire day dragging a 96 year old man who needed rest across town to get a visa yesterday. Last, why on God's green earth did they tell me to bring him in the first place if it was going to lead to all of this?
My dad leaves me with the oh-so-helpful, just tell him something, anything, make something up, I trust you to take care of the situation, you're so smart and creative, you're the hope and future of the family, you can do this. Gee, thanks Dad. I hang up in tears.
Mr. mouse and I talk some, on the way home, on what to do about the whole fiasco. We ponder taking my parents' advice and just making something up. We ponder just bringing him to the States as we first agreed. We get back to the house without reaching any conclusions.
Grandpa's up. The laundry is running. He's clearly been busy as a bee all day getting ready for the trip. He asks about the status of his visa. He asks about the cost of the ticket. He asks about the flight times and when we need to leave Saturday morning to make it to the airport in time. He is so excited. He is so happy. I just can't do it. I can't bring myself to tell him I'm not bringing him. If he were to ask me why (which believe me he would) I've got no good reason to deny him. So, I don't. I tell him his visa will be ready tomorrow. I tell him we won't know the cost of the trip until we're back in the States, and that we need to leave by 10 AM on Saturday to make our flight. I ask him if he needs any help. Then, I turn in for the night.
I end up crying my eyes out before going to sleep. The stress is becoming unbearable.
What I Learned
No new revelations. It was a day for taking it all in and processing. No major new light bulbs. At least none that I remember now.
Cheers!
mouse
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1 comment:
I could not handle it that way. I would have gone off on my parents. You handled the situation very well.
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