Civil Defense

Nothing like being late to work because of a civil defense drill.

Jack and I were on our way to pick up lunch at T.G.I.Fridays this afternoon. We were starving and were not in the mood for any more of the copious amounts of McDonalds we have had lately. We thought it would be nice to get something of worth for lunch. We left Landpia (our apt building) and caught the first cab we saw. As we headed to U-square we were stopped at a red light in Sangmu that is necessary to go through before getting on the highway. We sat for a few minutes and then I heard the sirens. I figured there had been a wreck. Ten more minutes passed and I motioned to the cab driver a car wreck and he nodded his head. (apparently he had no idea what I was trying to communicate) Time continued to drag on.

Jack and I decided that we should just get out of the cab and walk home since we still weren't too far away and we didn't want to be late for work. We paid the cab his rate and walked to the corner to catch a glimpse of the massive car wreck that apparently required several ambulances and about thirteen cop cars. As we approached the intersection we were shocked. There wasn't a single car in sight. Yes I am that person who wants to see the car wreck. I blame it on my former EMT dad. We looked around and saw a bunch of city officials dressed in beige.

Somehow over the course of our stay we have yet to observe this very common practice. On the fifteenth of each month there is a 민방위훈련 (min-bang-ui-hun-nyeon) or civil defense drill. In earlier years this would be more likened to the duck and cover drills of days gone by in America. A co-worker of ours told us he would hear the siren in school and would have to get under his desk until the all clear horn sounded. Sounds like fifties era America. This was within the last few decades here. The drills had let up under the former president. They still took place, but ducking and covering were not really the focus. They would conduct drills at busy intersections to prepare if there was an attack on the country. I was actually in shock. I think this is the first time in Korea I haven't seen a car or city bus run a red light. :)

Our co-worker Sean told us he didn't even think they were doing them anymore until we told him about our experience today. He blamed it on the uber conservative new President Lee. (who, by the way, I have yet to meet a person in Gwangju who likes him) His harsher stance towards the North really angers some Southern Koreans who still view the north as disconnected family. Regardless, the drills are back in place in Gwangju. We should expect to travel to both lunch and work on these days from here on out by foot.

It makes me feel safe to know they are super prepared if anything were to happen. Fifty or so years of running drills keeps you ready in case of emergency. :) While I know we are war ready if anything were to happen, I was still late to work. :( I wonder if there is a drill for that?


Here is a video of a typical civil defense drill. This was shot in Chongju, bu tit is very similar to what we saw today except we saw many more police cars, ambulances, and as we live near an air force base we heard the jets flying overhead. They also participate in the drills.

Lets just say if you didn't know what it was, it would scare the crap out of you. haha

Trip to Seoul Continued...

Well we are now finally getting back to normal. I put my parents on a plane yesterday morning headed back to the US. They stayed in Korea for two weeks. I think they had a lot of fun. We took them all over the place. I am going to need about a week to recuperate from all of the traveling and food we ate. The trip was capped off with a weekend in Seoul. We visited sites all over the city ranging from Namsong tower to the Korean War memorial. It was pretty great. To check out all the pictures you can look at our album.

hotel of love...

Love motel: a hotel rented out in small time increments ranging from one to three hours. These are found throughout Asia as well as South America to provide a place for locals to go with their lovers or prostitutes.

A love motel is a perfect getaway for single men and married men alike looking to hook up. Single men and women commonly live with their parents until marriage in Korea. If either sex is looking for some intimate time, their mom's house is the least likely place to go. Married men obviously do not use their homes for these endeavors. As such, a need was formed and, as it is not illegal to run a cheap motel, the love motel industry was born. Dependent on the area these hotels can range from windowless hook up rooms to exotically lighted and colorfully decorated rooms equipped with anything from a moving bed to mirrors strategically placed about. Prostitution in Korea makes up for more of the national income than agriculture if that says anything about the size of the industry. (paraphrase from speaking Korea) As you walk through the streets you can find pornographic advertisements for coffee girls. (coffee girls are ordered to deliver coffee to your home or hotel and for a small additional fee a number of other things) They are amongst the poorest paid prostitutes in country going for about ten to twenty bucks a pop according to one of my foreigner friends.

Well, I can now honestly say I have stayed at a Korean love motel. It was by accident of course, but it was interesting all the same. On my weekend trip to Seoul with my parents we looked for a hotel in the Gangnam are. It is a nicer shopping district in Seoul and is full of great spots for food and fun. We thought it would be a great central location to stay. We had our boss book it for us. It was not cheap so we thought it was legit. Well lets just say we found out otherwise as soon as we stepped into the elevator. The walls were covered in iridescent darkness accented by a stunning leopard print velvet. Our room was " beautifully" decorated with blue and red mood lighting that pulsed above both the bed and hot tub. The overhead light only was bright above the sink. The room was littered with little cups with condoms inside. It was pretty hilarious.

We had to check in early so we had an additional fee. The normal check in time was at 11:00 pm. Pretty hilarious if I do say so myself. The time for full night check in is strategically chosen based on public transit availability. I will say on the hotel's behalf that it was clean and the staff was pretty friendly. One more thing to check off on my life's to do list. haha

Go ahead and add B&E to my rap sheet

Since my parents have been here we have tried to take them to the more beautiful areas of the city of Gwangju. These have ranged from the super traditional Yangdong Market to a Kia Tigers Pro Baseball game. Today we decided to have a little fun as well. We heard from a friend there is a Danish hot dog restaurant in the World Cup Lotte Mart. We decided to check it as well as the stadium out. For those of you who do not know, South Korea put in a bid for the 2022 FIFA world cup games. As a result, there have been beautiful stadiums built throughout the country. One of the most beautiful is the Guus Hiddink Stadium. It was originally built for the 2002 games. The stadium was renamed to honor the Korean national team coach after their victory in the stadium over Spain advancing them to the semi-finals. It is considered one of the most beautiful FIFA stadiums in the world.

Much to our chagrin, the stadium was under total and complete lock-down. So Jack and I decided to go stealth. We went through the press office building to their private entrance to the stadium. The doors were unlocked there, so technically it isn't breaking an entering. Trespassing at best. haha! We didn't see any posted signs warning against trespassing, but then again if we had, we wouldn't have been able to read them. As a result, we got our own private tour of the entire stadium ranging from ground level to up in the decks. :) Enjoy the pictures!

KIA TIGERS!

Rain Delay... Boo

Tigers 6 Eagles 2

We embarked on our first excursion to a professional baseball game in Korea this evening. We were accompanied by my parents and our boss's family. It was so much fun. I have never been to a baseball game that had cheerleaders. And even more impressive, a game that had enough songs and cheers to go through the whole game without having any silence. It was awesome. Being a Tigers fan in Gwangju is like being a Yankees fan in New York. Last year, the Kia Tigers won the equivalency to our world series for Korea. Jack and I of course acting the part of the tourist immediately bought a couple of jerseys and a hat. They are pretty sweet if I do say so myself. The game was fun and I think I ate enough food to kill someone. haha

The day started out at our English church service. Since my parents are in town, we asked my dad to speak. He did a great job. (only a few things lost in translation to the kids) After service, we walked to the subway. As soon as we were getting on, Mr Han called us to see if he could take us and my family out to lunch. We met downtown and got a great lunch. I was stuffed. Shortly after we all took a stroll down art street and looked into some of the korean pottery and fine art stores. Mom got a few gifts. They are really beautiful.

From there we headed to home to don some more comfy clothes for the game later in the evening. We changed and relaxed a short while and the left again to go to the game. The game was going mediocre at best for the first inning. No one was really doing anything. It was tied one to one. Then somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd inning it began to poor. They quickly delayed the game and covered the infield. About ten minutes or so later the rain let up and we were looking at a completely different team. Kia began to kick butt. There were some great hits. It was great! I hope you enjoy the pictures and check out a few thumbnails and some of my video clips below as well. :)

Damyang and Daetongbap

Our trip to Damyang was great. We made our way through the bamboo forest, Jack finally found his panda (although it was made of plaster), We took a fun ride around the river of=n Meta-sequoia rode, and made our way to grab some food at one of the most famous restaurants in the city. Over all it was a great day. For full pictures check out our album

We have guests!

After a grueling 17 hour set of flights with sporadic flight in Chicago and Tokyo my parents have finally arrived. They came into Gwangju last night around one in the morning. They had to take a three and a half hour bus ride to our city from Seoul/Incheon International airport before we could meet them.

They finally showed up at our gate and we helped them and all their luggage to the line of cabs outside of U Square terminal. After a short five minute taxi ride, they finally were able to get comfortable. We unpacked and were very excited about the goodies they brought us. We asked for some essentials. You know, like ABC's and 123's, ranch dressing, and some clothes from American Eagle. Well they are essentials to me anyways. After they unpacked and I was on the brink of passing out from sleep deprivation, they decided they couldn't sleep, so off we went. We went for a walk around Sang Mu and grabbed a coffee at Tom and Tom's.

The walk was nice. The weather has been especially nice in the evenings the last few weeks here. It gets a little too hot for my taste during the day, but every once in a while we get a cold day to remind us it is still Spring.


I am really excited they are here. We have lots of adventures planned for them during their trip. The first is an excursion to Damyang on Saturday to see the legendary bamboo forests and walkways as well as grab some bamboo flavored soup . Here are a few highlights. :)