Tuesday 25th August

Well talk about a delightful day in a delightful community!! Jane from upstairs has lent us a high chair for Seren. She is a having their second child in January, I think it is and Jan is no longer using it. So I thanked her as it has made feeding Seren much easier. Julia, Max’s mom, then asked if we needed some toys while we waited for everything to arrive. Anyway no sooner said than done – she arrived about half an hour later laden with puzzles, books, games, crayons, cards, magic slate, duplo and blocks! Wow – so I spent a very happy couple of hours re-organising Morgan’s room to accommodate it all.

New duplo, blocks, games, books where Morgan's bed used to be

Her bed now faces the door with the angel monitor, star reflecting machine and bedside lamp on the pedestal behind her head board, plus the white  adult chair peeping out ready to be moved next to the bed for story telling time.

The tent and Morgan playing with the magic slate under the window - note the beautiful pride of India bush outside

So when Luke met the bus, Morgan went off to play with Greta, Max's 3 yr old sister who live on the 3rd floor. He left her there with Jose, their nanny.  She made a bee line for Max's room but soon joined Greta in her room. Max and Oscar arrived about an hour later and Luke went up to see how she was. It was drizzling a bit and Luke, Morgan and the two boys had a wonderful time playing in the garden in the drizzle - I heard shrieks and shouts and whoops of delight. Then the next thing they all descended on our house and Luke offered them chicken nuggets and chips. Once again the pics say it all. But it was wonderful having a room full of children - all be it by this time watching Paw Patrol!!!  Oscar was funny though - Julia decided not to ask her children if minded if Morgan had some of their toys for a while and he walked into her room and said - I have a puzzle like this and like that and  the same book in my room.....I didn't let on...!! 

From the left - Oscar (4 1/2) Greta (3), Morgan on the floor with Max , Seren with Jose, Luke in the back ground

Jose and Morgan sitting on couches - rest the same!

Morgan was delighted with her new look room! The children left soon after I took Sere off to bath - what a happy afternoon!!

Saturday 22nd August - in the afternoon

So having had a wonderful time at the pools, Morgan had a good midday nap and Seren seemed chirpy so we decided to set off for the "Bua Haus" - a restaurant where there are bunches of friendly dogs on tap for dog hungry Koreans or foreigners missing their pets back home!! Mel found it on the internet - there is also a cat restaurant!! So after a brief - should we or shouldn't we do this, we set off at about 4.45 - really too late in terms of Seren's schedule but we wanted to see the place and mingle with the doggies... Also it didn't appear on the map to be that faraway.... WRONG! The traffic was a nightmare - even more so than usual with every Seoul-ean out for a Sat drive!  When we finally found the neighbourhood, we could n't find parking, so eventually Luke dropped us off in a side street so we could continue on foot while he found somewhere to leave the car. We finally found the place after asking three different people who happily looked at the address and details that Mel showed them on her phone. In fact the last lady walked back the way she had come and pointed it out to us after a couple of blocks. There was no entrance fee but you have to order something to drink and we had to wait until a table became vacant. Seren by now was pretty tired and of course continues to be the centre of attention as people stop in the street to touch her and jiggle their fingers at her or comment on her in loud excited voices!!  I will post the pics as they tell it all - as Mel titled it in face book Chaos at Bau Haus!! One thing - as I pushed the pram into the main area where all the gods were, I was mobbed by the bigger dogs who could smell Seren's food in the seat and every where else. She is usually fed in the pram as the high chair is still on its way.

Waiting at the entrance gate to greet us!

Morgan very taken

and more!!

All shapes and sizes!!

Seren vibrating and shivering with delight!

A general pic of the whole scenario!!

Me and the pram getting the once over!!

A happy Seren

Waiting to be let in - note the lady in her short shorts in the back ground - as long as there is boob showing!!

The drive home was a nightmare trying to keep her amused - very difficult as she was not only overtired but was very hot as well as by the time we had walked for ever to find the car and then negotiated the traffic it was way past her dinner and bath time!! Interesting... but I doubt whether we will repeat the exercise especially as the dogs misbehaved when Morgan tried o give them treats!!

Saturday 22nd August

So I have missed a few days – on Friday, Luke and I went off with Seren in search of a water park to take the children to after Morgan got back from school. Well we found it without too many wrong turnings – I must say I am very impressed with how Luke and Mel navigate themselves around – of course with the help of the ever faithful and lifesaving GPS.  The pools looked delightful so we resolved to return in the afternoon when Morgan got back from school. 

Well - the best laid plans and all that...  we have had trouble with the stove. Luke got an sms to say the electrician was arriving at 3 pm so we couldn’t leave immediately for the pools. He then smssed to say he’d be here at 5 pm and by that time it was too late to set off – he finally arrived at 4 pm and drove into the complex yard at a crazy speed – Luke phoned the agent and said he could not come back again – it turned out that the gate man told the agent the same thing – it is very dangerous as there are so many children playing on scooters etc. Anyway he did get the stove working but by that time Morgan was really fractious as she had had her expectations raised – Luke had said they would go for a walk to get ice cream as there was no time to go swimming, but it then became too late! Seren was unusually restless and niggly – she is cutting teeth at the top now. Anyway – Luke and I were also pretty tired and low on tolerance when the door bell rang at about 6.30 – Morgan had just finished her supper – it was Max asking Morgan to come and play outside with him. Luke was onto it in a shot – saying if a 6 yr old wants to play with his 3 yr old daughter then he’s all for it!!!  They had a ball but Morgan came back with owee’s all over her legs and declined to have a bath as it would make her owee’s even more owee!!  She had scratches from running into a bramble shrub to catch Max and a rather big roastie at the top of her leg from falling off the scooter that Luke was pushing her on, as she raced against Max on the tarmac parking area!!  So now the next purchase will be a helmet and her own scooter!! Morgan and I counted her owee’s on her legs and feet, together and reached 10!!!! 

Thursday has dissolved into a blur with the rest of the days going by! A bit of a time of realising how fortunate we were when we were raising out children, to be able to have a Dorah to hand off a child to, when things got too fraught!!!

Also Luke has downloaded a book for me to read on the I pad I am using. So I snuck in some reading – all good but it means I have not had cat naps when I can during the day and also have not been as diligent with the blog!

So today Luke, Morgan and I set off for the pools at Nangham Park. Seren was asleep so Mel opted to stay behind with her. What an absolute treat. I will include some pics as they say it all. It costs about R 40 each to get in. Its all very regulated, as I am finding out, most things are!! And everyone appears to happily follow – I get a sense that there is also a lot of self-regulating as well, rather than South Korea being guilty of being a nanny state!! 

So there are designated areas to sit under permanent awnings and once again everyone had their fold up mats which were laid out in an orderly fashion. There were also rows of umbrella stands with large beach size furled umbrellas lying next to them which one could put up to sit under as well. Being good South Africans we found two stands with an umbrella next to them lying near the pool edge away from the rows. So we moved one to a good spot and set up camp with our towels. I went off to the changing tent put on my swimmer (Mel’s term!) and lather myself in SPF 50 lotion. There was a plastic stool in there which I took back to the umbrella figuring this would be great for me to sit on!! 

Later two life guards came along and tried to explain that we could not sit here, so we moved further away, only to have them come back again, indicating that we had to move to where all the umbrellas were in a row. We then, we think anyway, assured them that when we left we would move the umbrella back. At that point a family who had been sitting under an awning were leaving so they came along  and indicated we could take their place which we did. However while we were getting an ice cream the guards came and removed the stool!! 

When I returned from changing, Luke and Morgan were in the water already. There are about four different large pools varying in depth - .4ms, .5 ms and 1 metre in the one area. In the middle were fountains that the children can run through – similar to those at the Seoul Forest which we went to last Saturday – a blog I think I still need to write up!! Many of the children had tubes and lilos of every description so off Luke and Morgan went to get one for her – a princess pink round tube number with handles. It didn’t take her long to spot an enormous black and white shark lying next to some family’s spot and back she came lugging it – she was pretty understanding though when Luke explained she couldn’t use it as it didn’t belong to us!! They then went off and bought a lilo type surf board.  We had such fun on these two – me lying on the lilo and Morgan in the tube and pulling me along – everything has a story – not quite fantasy but pretty close!!! So I am stuck in mud and she has to rescue me and save the day!!! Or else we have to call the Paw Patrol to rescue both of us and they then save the day!!!  We also did quite a bit of ‘swimming’ with me swinging her round and round on her tummy or her back and also some doggy paddle with her on her tummy and me supporting her chest. She did really well as it was shallow enough for her to stand and feel very secure.

I did laugh when I went to the loo – temporary structures on stands – but not at all like porter-loos.   So once again there is the choice of how much water one needs, but this time the lever to flush was located next to the seat – either lo or hi – written in English. So I selected lo and the next thing I was drenched in water from a spray that came up from somewhere in the loo!!!!I Then I noticed that on the side of the cistern was another handle which also had two options!!! So I guess a combo eastern and western type loo!!! No one else was around to hear my chuckling!!

We were allowed in the water for only 45 minutes at which point the was an announcement followed by the life guards blowing their whistles to get all of us out of the water.  Well, you can imagine that madam Morgan was not at interested in this and it took a lot of persuading/bribery – shall we get an ice cream - to get her out of the water. The water was clear for 15 minutes after which we could go back in again – not sure if this was to give the water a chance to recycle or to stop people getting too burnt?? 

I was impressed by the shape most people were in – not many overweight people at all. Most of the young girls sported tiny very revealing bikinis or else were covered up with rash vests and hats with veils to protect them from the sun.  I successfully ordered a sorrito – a sausage covered with shredded cabbage, olives, no halapenos or medium type red sauce (because I’m a wuss!!), tomato sauce and mayo – all encased in a burrito and wrapped up in tin foil – pretty delicious for 5000 wan – about R 50. 

General pic - Morgan on foreground still wearing her hat - 3 bikini gals behind her

The awnings one sits under

A very organised family with the cart which transports the children and all the 'katunda'!!

Luke and Morgan in the princess Rapunzel tube! Changing tent in the background

I will post this now - but we had another adventure in the afternoon which I will get onto now. You can get a sneak preview of it on my face book page!! 

Wednesday 19th August

Well I started this post yesterday but only got as far as the date!!!

So its now Wednesday - Mel has driven herself to work, Morgan has caught the bus to school. Seren has had her breakfast and is now fast asleep having her morning nap, Luke is also catching a few zzzz's. I woke up at 7.42 so feel very chirpy with hopefully a good hour to put down my thoughts!

Yesterday was a different day - one of domesticity, which has never been  a strong point and indeed nor a favourite of mine.  We decided to turn off the AC's and open up all the windows instead - created quite a nice through draft as there was a soft breeze outside.  Luke went off to meet Mel to do some shopping at Cosco - yep, of course there is  Cosco here!! and of course they loved it and became members - not a big deal as like Macro one can't shop there without signing up,  I decided to tackle the ironing so set up the board in front of the open window - all have fly screens on them of course - one fly in the house is a major event!! I caught that one fly using Jennifer's technique and released it out the front door. I strap Seren in her pram when I need to move from room to room so she can be with me all the time! I set up the board and clothes horse with the rapidly mounting pile of clothes needing ironing and got to work! Of course its hard to make mistakes with this wonderful iron but even so I was very nervous of ruining a favourite blouse!! I practiced on my own things first!! So with Seren playing on the floor in front of me, I got to wukk!! It was amazingly pleasant and extremely satisfying seeing the pile getting smaller - and the beautifully ready to wear clothes hanging from the horse! The crown was when a neighbour started playing the piano - across the street - it gave a good feeling of being in a hood!!- a friendly family community type neighbourhood.......

At some point the doorbell rang and there was Max shortly followed by Oscar, the Swiss children from upstairs, wanting me to come and catch butterflies with them! I declined and invited them to play in Morgan's tent which they declined. No doubt there is not enough interesting toys for them - the container is due to arrive on 2nd Sept and will take another 5 days to clear and be delivered.

So a peaceful morning with once again new experiences for me!! Seren and I went for stroll in the garden and then popped into the road sticking in the shade where we could. It was 35 degrees outside yesterday. Seren's complexion is definitely changing - she is far more tan coloured now although of course it could ingrained carrots and  tomato and cheese sauce!!

I am looking forward to the Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace which is the only chance one can walk around in the palace at night. The tour takes place on the days of full moon. We have booked two tickets but it turns out Luke has something on that evening so Mel will be home with the girls. I have asked Mark an American chap I met at Shambhala on Sunday if he would like to join me.  

Mel is keen for Luke and me to find things to do together in the morning once Seren wakes up - Luke and I are both a bit sit on our backsides when it comes to this - Sue Owen we need you here!! So we have agreed to plan our week - and let Mel know when we will need the car - she is happy to get to work by taxi but it makes no sense paying about R 250 a day on a taxi if the car has has sat in the car park all day!! Luke got the tyre repaired yesterday so it's good to go!!

Yesterday Luke and Morgan walked to the shops at the bottom of mount Kilimanjaro - that is what it feels like to me!! - to get an ice cream - she wearing her new hat and sandals bought at Cosco's. See the pics. So I could down load them but here are a couple of others!!! Madam is awake so must away!! Slim chance that Luke will wake up first and get to her but she's still gurgling.....

random shot of office buildings taken from the car

Luke showed me what I was doing wrong - so lets have another shot!!

entrance to complex

Seren and Pru in garden on Beulah's baby quilt

Seren and me in the street mirror - the only flat street in background!

Luke and I just got back from a two hour walk/outing  - 4500 steps down and up to Itaewon main road. I found some great patterned lose trousers for the princely sum of R45!!! Hopefully they will e cool as well as crease resistant!! The pics say it all  - very laid back  little shops and eating and drinking places. Not that many people strolling around -many of the places only open after noon.

There is a sign that says Poop box on the left of this dog - not sure if you lift his tail to put your poop inside!!!

This truck was parked at this crazy angle while the guys were attaching artificial ivy creepers to the building! 

See the chap in the basket on the left; the other on the ladder on the right - talk about first world issues!
Do look at the mish mash of electrical wiring!! All working and legal!! 

Luke pushing Seren up a hill - on the left is a super park - all 5 mins walk from home

Swing park or Itaewon park

Entrance from the top of the road

Sunday 16th August

So this morning we had great plans to follow Alex and Jane and their son Jan to this indoor park they like. They had planned on taking us to an outdoor park but decided that the air was not good enough - it seems it gets quite smoggy - I have been told though that Itaewon where we live has the freshest air in Seoul as it is high up. Well getting the show on the road was quite a mission especially as we were ready before them and were aware that delays in leaving were limiting the time we had before Seren's next sleep! Well they finally knocked on the door to say lets go. We went out only to discover that the very smart car had a flat left front tyre!! Much deliberation later we decided to cancel the outing - Luke put on this pin wheel spare tyre on which one can travel at 80 kph. I had arranged to go to the Shambhala centre in Seoul which meets on a Sunday so Luke took me down town to meet up with Mark, an American guy who co-ordinates the meetings. We had arranged to meet at exit 4 of the Sadang station - well easier said than done!! We were on cell phone contact trying to find each other - Luke and I were at exit 8 which Mark did not know - anyway we managed in the end and he hopped in and we drove to the Yoga centre where they meet. There were only 3 of us, a Korean guy called CMT - as is ocean openness or emptiness - his buddhist name which he had abbreviated to C (sea) MT (empty) - it seems that it is pretty easy to learn the Korean alphabet - the trick comes in figuring out once you can read it, how the letters translate into English!! Luke and Mel have pretty much mastered the alphabet.

So back to the yoga centre - we set up the shrine and mats and a chair for me and after a little chatting, got straight into the chants - very similar to what we do at Erin Hall. We then sat and alternated with walking meditation for two hours.  Fortunately there was AC as it was really muggy. I battled a little with the sitting as I had gone to sleep pretty late on Sat night - we watched a movie and I battled to get off to sleep. Anyway it felt good to be sitting again with a group and the chants were familiar. After the last walking meditation, Mark said they usually sit for another 40 minutes before doing  the closing chants. I immediately said that I wouldn't manage that as I was nodding off as it was!! So we agreed to close with the chants and then spend some time talking. They are both English teachers - Mark was a professor at some university but is currently between jobs. CMT is I think a high school teacher. We just chatted about Korea and South Africa and a bit about their sangha - it was very relaxed. I did learn, not surprisingly, that the ex-pat  life style was certainly not typical! Mark lives in a small apartment which he said is very hot and he is thinking of getting an awning - I mentioned that we have AC and he said yes so does he but its quite expensive to run.....He was in awe that they/we have a garden with parking inside for 13 cars and lots of trees and was amazed at the size of the apartment. So very interesting to get another perspective on their living here.

They then walked me to the subway - called metro rail here, where I bought a T card for 20 000  wan (about R 200) So I have now touched the money!!! CMT had said he would ride with me all the way which was great. I swiped my card at the turn style and off we went. He explained how to figure out which direction I was travelling and therefore which train to board. The trains and the subway tunnels and platforms are spotless with no grafitti. Every one has a phone attached to their hand and is texting or reading. There was very little conversation or talking in the train - just a few young couples holding hands and taking selfies and engaging, but usually with their phones - showing each other their phones and commenting on whatever it is they are looking at!! Most people were wearing ear plugs which further isolated them!! Once again, so different from Kathmandu where people engage with you all the time. I had many conversations on the buses - hard not to I guess when you are all sitting so close to each other!! .

Seren is awake - I can hear her gurgling on the angel monitor. Luke is back from a great cycle so I had best away. I'll publish this now but will add some pics that Luke took while riding.

Monday 17th August

So a pretty rare moment of aloneness and quietness - Mel at work, Luke cycling, Morgan at school, Seren sleeping. It is a beautiful sunshiney day - blue skies and a soft breeze to relieve the temperature. I have just returned from a wee walk in the garden with Seren where we met 6 year old Max, his younger brother Oscar and Jose, their nanny from the Phillipines. They are German and got back yeaterday from their summer holiday at home. The children speak perfect English and Max was very chatty after we shook hands to greet each other. And wonder of wonders they have a 3 year old sister Greta born about 3 weeks after Morgan so hopefully they will become instant mates!! They go to a different school though. So this morning Morgan and I slept in - only rising at about 8am!! I got into her bed at about 5.15 or so as she was calling out and then wanted me to stay with her - a real treat as she usually wakes at about 6ish and we do some 'work' in my room - messing with pouring and spooning activities - I made the mistake of starting off with rice - not my brightest idea, then I added lentils - a little less all over the place - we have not been able to find bigger beans yet - hopefully today we will find butter beans.We also 'play' with the sand paper numbers and the short bead stair and count beads into bottle tops that I have been collecting to use as counters - lots of fun. She is really interested and so quick to grasp new concepts - hmm - enough.....

When Luke gets back and Seren wakes up, we plan to head out to the shops - I find I have not brought the correct clothing - need to get cooler short or no sleeved tops and more crease resistant soft pants.

Here are some pics of the children in the apartment garden.

Saturday 15th August

Well I seem to be in state of constant wow! Sometimes bordering on a feeling of country bumpkim!!

To catch up though - my finger is much better - this second skin stuff is amazing and the cuts have healed really well. I am still not using it to type though.

Morgan went off like a trooper on Friday for her second full day at school and came home on the school bus as L and M have decided that it makes sense for her to use it. So it will pick her up at 8.47 and drop her home at 2.53!!! It seems she is the last to be picked up and the first to be dropped off as school stats at 9.00 and ends at 2.45, The bus will wait for 2 minutes in the morning  so no room for tardiness or tantrums..... not that we have many of those - usually a melt down at a moment of real tiredness and usually from a place of feeling misunderstood or hard done by, as in that's not MY choice mommy or daddy!!!

On Thursday evening Mel arrived home from work really knackered and suggested that Luke and I go out for sups and a look see. So we drove the car literally 300 metres down a ridiculously steep hill, found a parking place squashed against someone's house wall, walked another 100 metres to a busy street full of restaurants, little shops and bars. What a rush - just so unexpected so close to the apartment. Really buzzing - its one of the 3 main roads of Itaewon which is the suburb Luke and Mel live in. There were masses of people in restaurants and walking on the pavement. The shops close at 10 pm. Its weird to see families out with young children at night but I guess it is so hot during the day the children sleep in the afternoon and stay up late. Apparently it is fine in Korean culture for the woman to show their legs so skirts are ridiculously short and many wear shorts but breast are covered so necklines are high - so as Luke pointed out - its OK to see a woman's nickers but not a glimpse of boob!! Unlike Nepal where one never saw men and women holding hands or showing affection  - here couples behave pretty much as we do in the west! It was great just wandering down the street - such different food on offer - local to European to American, in all sorts of places - even places whrer you have your food barbecued at a fire in the middle of your table - with everyone looking really hot and sweaty but being cooled down by full blast fans next to each table! On e restaurant had tables made from planks balancing on bricks with the people sitting on milk crates - but somehow it looked very chic and not like a township shebeen!!

I saw a couple of African women with a bunch of children with little girls with their hair in beaded corn rows and greeted them. It turned out the one woman was from Nelspruit!!! Her name is Cynthia. I asked her what her other name was and she replied Pumla!! The other lady was Agnes from Ghana. They had just come from church which was right there and were very keen for us to come to their church - we declined but said that Memory would definitely be looking for a church. It was wonderful speaking to them!!! They are both studying and seem to have been here some time.

We ended up at a restaurant with tables right next to the pavement but raised on a platform so you could look down on the pedestrians. Very few people smoke. I think I have noticed about six people smoking!! One of those is a guy who comes out onto a little patio at the back of his house at the top of some stairs - he overlooks the play area in the apartment complex and looks like a very unhappy somebody as he puffs away all by himself . So I have not eaten much Korean food - not being a very adventurous eater!! Mel has brought some takeaways home with her which I really enjoyed - some sort of meat dumpling and a meat dish with greens served with rather stodgy rice but very tasty - don't know the names of it though - no sign yet of the cabbage I was warned about.

It is weird to not have even touched the money here yet! I have not needed to as Luke and Mel take care of everything. I must say it does feel relaxing though to have a sense of  my time here stretching out into the future. It is amazing to think that we have been here nearly three weeks already. I have no doubt they will settle very well here and really enjoy their time - everything is so organised and clean and 'user friendly'  Luke has done a lot of cycling - he left this morning at 4.45 am to meet a friend and had a great ride. Luke and Mel were out this evening with friends from Mel's work. I have no doubt that they will very soon have a good circle of friends. They have been invited to a spitbraai next weekend at the home of the South African ambassador whose daughter is the other South African in Morgan's class!!

Luke is still enjoying being a househusband - I thought he might get antsie and need the stimulation of work but not so - he is really into his cycling and also into being a full time dad. He and Morgan have a great time together. Luke high jacked the garden hosepipe and made a water slide on the slide in the complex garden. He put the little plastic pool at the bottom and he and Morgan had such fun on it!!

I did chuckle though...Apparently Morgan walked into school on Thursday without her shoes on and when  the teacher commented on it, Luke said she far preferred to go bare foot. Then when he collected her from school that afternoon, he walked in barefoot - at which the teacher remarked - ah I can see where she gets it (her bare foot habit) from!!

We had the most amazing day today at Seoul Forest. Do look at my face book to see all the photos that Luke and Mel posted on their face books and tagged me in on (is that the correct term-age!!)

Its late now so I will describe our time there later.

Seren and me in fountain - well at the edge!