After breakfast we headed back to Migeum. Two of the girls are looking to purchase a scooter. There is a scooter shop near our apartment. They had a descent selection of scooters and after looking them over Katie was ready to buy a scooter. Our hour at the scooter shop was entertaining and sad.
The owner of the shop was trying to speak to us in very broken English. He was very animated and sweet but we soon realized he was also very drunk. Here is part of our conversation with him:
Drunk man: "where are you from?"
Katie: "USA."
Drunk man in a very loud voice: "USA!! Oh! USA! USA is good!"
Katie: "Yes."
Drunk man: "Where USA?"
Katie: "LA."
Drunk man in a very loud voice: "LA! Oh! LA!! USA! LA! good."
It was sad to see this man in such a condition at 11am. His son apologized to us saying, "I'm sorry. My Father is drunk."
After we left the scooter shop we traveled to Suwon. Suwon is about 30 minutes away from where we live in Migeum. It's a beautiful city surrounded by a fortress--a wall similar but not in size to the Great Wall of China. Suwon was a fortified city. If Seoul was under attack the King would be moved to Suwon to be protected. We had a wonderful afternoon walking the trails around the wall.
As I looked out across the city, I found it hard to believe that 50 years ago this city was torn apart by war. All of South Korea was. 50 years is really not a long time for a country to rebuild itself and to be thriving in ways that SK is. It's amazing to think of the resilience of the Korean people. They are certainly proud of their country and continue to move forward with hope and determination.
We've all been battling issues with our allergies. I've had a tickle in my throat for about two weeks. The past two days, the kids have complained of itchy eyes and throats. Last night my whole body ached and my cough seemed a bit worse--I thought maybe it was the hike around the fortress. Today, I slept all day. When I was awake, I coughed, sneezed, blew my nose and then coughed some more. I don't feel so well.
Todd suggested that I go to the clinic by our apartment. I decided I would just try to sleep, drink plenty of fluids and use my Netti Pot a lot. If I'm not better in a day or two, I'll visit the clinic. If anything, it will be an adventure and I'm sure it will provide me with a good laugh.
The kids are doing well. There are moments when life here seems hard but overall they are enjoying this adventure. I think for Zach, making a connection at school and having a friend over to our house last week was huge. It's made him seem a little bit lighter.
Another plus from the week . . . making smores on the stove! I found marshmallows at Costco and these really yummy crackers with a thin layer of chocolate--they make the perfect smores. JOY all around. Little things that are familiar are really HUGE gifts.
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