Buhay sa Korea

It’s monsoon season in Korea but I know that a few days later, it will be hot and humid and it will be the perfect time to hit the pools! Back home, we’d spend time and money preparing for summer vacations to tourist areas. Living in fast-paced and high-tech Seoul made me appreciate that the best things in life are the things we get for free. Ever wonder why the food samples in supermarkets taste better than the ones you paid for? LOL

One of the things that I miss and hope that I could do once again is to take a bath in the rain. Last year, my then 2-year old son had his first “rain bath” in Namsan (Mt. Nam in Seoul) and how I’d wished that I could do it too. He didn’t get a cold.

At Children’s Grand Park, kids and their parents uninhibitedly swam at the shallow pools near the falls of the park. My son and husband enjoyed that time too while I just took pictures of the people at the place.

One summer afternoon, we just decided to drive to the nearby province. We ended up in Namyangju and saw a river filled with people swimming. We just parked our car somewhere and found this not-so-crowded spot. Don’t let the picture fool you, the water is just below my chin. I remember spending four hours soaked in the river. We went home in our wet clothes. It was just a 45-minute drive anyway. This is something that I’ve never ever done in the Philippines as a grown-up and yet I had more fun on our impromptu swimming than in the expensive resorts we used to visit during the summer season. And this is what I’m looking forward to this summer!

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Litratong Pinoy entry for July 2, 2009

Mahigit isang buwan na rin akong hindi nakasali sa Litratong Pinoy. Minabuti ko nang dito ipagpatuloy ang aking mga lahok – dahil ayaw akong tanggapin ng isang blogad dahil daw sa paggamit ng Tagalog sa isa kong blog

Para sa linggong ito, ang tema ay “kandado.” Ang mga kandado sa larawan ay kuha sa N Seoul Tower dito sa Seoul, South Korea. Tinatawag na “locks of love”, ang mga magsing-irog ay nagkakabit ng kanilang kandado bilang pangako ng kanilang pagmamahalan. (Ang jologs!)

Bisitahin ang iba pang mga lahok sa linggong ito sa Litratong Pinoy.

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My son and I arrived in Korea on Sunday night. We had an exhausting 15-hour trip from Los Angeles via Korean Air with a layover at Narita Airport in Japan. I’m still “hilong talilong” or disorriented from jetlag. I’d sleep at 7 or 8 in the evening and wake up at 4 in the morning!

Anyway, I went to the bank yesterday to deposit a check. That’s when I really felt that I’m back. I couldn’t walk three steps without someone bumping me. That’s Seoul for you. Back in the US, people would walk as if they were in the park and they would avoid body contact with strangers. Personal space is a lost concept here but could get you into trouble in western countries if you’re not aware of it. One reason why one might need the services of a Rochester personal injury lawyer. They have well experienced lawyers that handles all types of injuries and medical malpractices. I kept this in mind while I walked the aisles of the stores I visited.

We only have kimchi and a few side dishes inside the fridge. I suddenly miss all the Filipino food that I had in Los Angeles and Columbus. My mother would cook fresh shrimp and salmon “sinigang” in California and frozen shrimp “sinigang” in Ohio. Here I’ll have to prepare the “banchan” or Korean side dishes by myself. I haven’t gone out grocery shopping yet and I’ve been having deliveries for lunch.

No TFC for the jologs in me and PBS Kids for my son. At least, the internet here is a lot faster than my sister’s DSL subscription. Anyway, it’s good to be back (home) and this early I’m already planning on my next US vacation in three years (hopefully with my husband)

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Remember that “One Philippines Festival” that was postponed last May at Seoul Plaza because of the death of the former President Roh? It has been rescheduled on July 5 at the newly opened Banpo Park.

The festival will mark the 14th Filipino Migrant Workers Day, 111th Philippine Independence Day and the 60th Year of the Philippines-Korea Bilateral Relations. Three celebrations in one.

The activities will begin with a concelebrated Mass at 930 in the morning, followed by the Philippine Independence Day program. There will be booth services after the program which includes medical, legal and banks. There will be no consular services for the day though.

The parade of festivals will start at 130 in the afternoon. This will be followed by music and dance performances. The Filipino Migrant Workers Day program at 3PM and the 60th Anniversary Concert at 4PM will end the day-long festival.

The festival is supported by the Ministry of Labor (Korea) and the Human Resources Development of Korea, Landbank, Metrobank, KEB, Woori Bank, Philippine Airlines and Western Union.

Visit the Philippine Embassy website for the Banpo Park location and some really important reminders on how we should behave

Invite your family and friends, Filipino or non-Filipino. Hope to see you there!

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Of course everyone now knows that Michael Jackson is dead. We were on the plane yesterday on our way from Cleveland (where we had a connecting flight from Columbus) in Ohio to Los Angeles. When the plane touched down, the crew members started talking about the news that MJ is dead. He died from cardiac arrest they said. The Filipino guy, who pushed my mother’s wheelchair to the baggage claim area, also informed us of the news. He saved me $4 from cart fee. He got one inside a storage or something.

When my nephew arrived and while we were in his Jeep, we talked about it again. I had to ask if it’s really true since we know that MJ loves drama. May he rest in peace. When my brother arrived home, he talked about how while they were working near UCLA Medical Center when several helicopters started hovering the hospital from above at around 2PM (LA time). A few minutes later, different news vans started arriving and they decided to leave the area before they get stuck in traffic.

Tom, who was in the Jeep with us, mentioned that the Irish believes that things come in threes. The previous night, Ed McMahon (of Star Search) died then Farrah Fawcett on Thursday morning and Michael Jackson in the afternoon. On TV Patrol this morning on TFC, news of MJ’s death also had an extensive coverage.

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June 25 marks the anniversary of the Korean War. On this way, soldiers from North Korea crossed the 38th degree parallel, which is the dividing line between the two Koreas, and invaded South Korea. The military conflict lasted for more than three years until an armistice was signed in July of 1953.

One of my husband’s great grand uncle died as one of the 600,000 soldiers of South Korea during that war. His tomb is located at the National Cemetery.

During the Korean War the Philippine government, as one of the Allied states, also sent troops to help defend the democratic South Korea. Among the 7,430 Filipino soldiers in the Korean War is former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos. The late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr was a correspondent here when he was only 17 years old. It was his experience in the war that he drew the inspiration to write the story of the Filipino movie “Koreana” starring Nida Blanca. I’d seen this movie when I was in high school but I don’t remember it anymore.

There are lots of information on the internet regarding the Korean War. You can also get insights from the documentary “Korean War in Color.”

In Seoul, a place to learn about the Korean War is at the War Memorial Museum near Samgakji Station (line 4 and 6). The third floor of the museum has information on the countries that helped South Korea during the war, including the Philippines.

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We drove to Niagara on Sunday morning and we arrived at Niagara Falls in Canada six hours later. It wasn’t a tiring trip at all since the roads are well paved and there are rest areas or restaurants along the way.

Entering Canada from the United States wasn’t difficult at all since Korean passport holders don’t need visas to stay in Canada for six months.

We stayed at the Courtyard (Marriott’s budget hotel) for just $60. The room with two queen bed was huge, almost as big as our two-bedroom apartment in Korea. When I saw the price of the bottled water, I was totally shocked. Hotel items are expensive (I worked at a hotel before) but $4.50 is too much.

We had dinner at the Riverview (or was it Riverside?) International Buffet. It was $15.95 per person but it was the most awful buffet I’ve had. There were only a few choices. One woman asked if there were more pizzas but the crew told her to wait for 25 minutes! There were no forks and the food? Bland! It was an experience that made my sister and I laughed on our way out and we joked about the next day.

The following morning, we thought about eating breakfast at Denny’s, just right across the hotel. Their big breakfast? About $15 – so we just left and had breakfast at the hotel. It was cheaper.

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