Thanksgiving in Seoul, November 2007

This was my first year cooking Thanksgiving dinner completely by myself, and it was also Morten's first year eating Thanksgiving dinner. It was pretty simple, but here in Korea, simple American food is often complicated and expensive. We decided, however, that the $50 turkey and full day of cooking were worth it.

Biking: Han River & Gangnam, October 27th

After a fairly miserable summer and early fall, the last couple of weeks have finally cleared up, offering lots of sun and mild temperatures. Saturday the 27th was just one of those days, and we took advantage of it by taking the bikes out for a spin. We rode down the hill to Itaewon for lunch at the pita place, kept riding down to the river, rode to and crossed over Banpo Bridge into Gangnam where we locked up the bikes and took a long walk around the popular shopping district of Gangnam. The sun set as we rode home, and we stopped for some pictures on Hannam Bridge.

Royal Banquet, Grand Hyatt, October 9

On the evening of the 9th, Morten and I attended the Royal Banquet in one of the Hyatt Hotel's ballrooms. The women had thrown such a fuss about what attire was appropriate (floor length? 3/4? short? gloves? sleeves? no sleeves as long as accompanied with a wrap?) that I was nervous about my short dress with no sleeves, but I put it on nonetheless, and Morten, in his 'dark suit', and I walked up to the Hyatt. We presented our invitation along with passports and were given official name tags. After a little mingling in the outer reception, we were instructed to form a line. Then, as we entered the main hall, we passed the Queen and shook her hand. I put on my little sweater for this part, just to make sure I didn't offend her. The MC was a Danish opera singer--a tenor--and throughout the evening he sang with a Danish soprano. The Danish Royal Guard Brass Ensemble played during the food services, and there were also performances by the Niels Landoky Jazz Trio, a Korean jazz singer, and the Royal Ballet. The food was delicious, and I really enjoyed the musical program.

Seoul National University Museum of Art, October 9

I was invited to a gallery opening of Danish art in conjunction with the Queen's visit on October 9th. I wore what I hoped was appropriate clothing, arrived at the requested time, and showed the proper identification for entry. There were several speeches from members of the official delegation including the Deputy Prime Minister, and though the ceremony was not so interesting, it was interesting to see how an event like this is put together. Then while the Queen and the delegation got a private tour of the exhibit, a Danish jazz trio played for us in the auditorium until we got clearance to view the exhibit ourselves. I wasn't able to take photos inside, but I was able to get a shot of the Queen as she exited.

Doosan Bears vs. Samsung Lions, September 22nd

A couple weekends ago, the interns at the Embassy invited us out to a baseball game at the Seoul Sports Complex. It rained lightly throughout the game, but we had fun. And, as it's a rare occasion that I know more than anyone about anything, I explained the rules with gusto to anyone who would listen. I don't know who won, because after five hours and ten innings, the game still wasn't over and the non-Americans grew restless. But it was a good game.

Indonesia Peace Run, May 27th

This was so long ago that I almost forgot about it. Oh well if it's out of order. An invitation was extended to the Danish Embassy to participate in the Indonesia Peace Run, and Morten signed up to run the 10km along with Steffen, the Embassy intern. Two other Korean employees of the Embassy also signed up, but they didn't show up, later saying that the day had been too hot for running. And certainly it was a warm day, but it was beautiful and there was a good turn out. The race started and finished in the park just outside the World Cup Stadium. Morten and Steffen both ran well.

Nordic Charity Ball, Hyatt Hotel Seoul, January 27th

So, after several fittings and requests to have things changed, my dress was ready for pick-up on the morning of the ball. I wasn't completely thrilled with it on all accounts, but with time run out, I decided to make the best of it. I had a cute matching beaded purse, necklace and earrings, and the biggest pair of black heels I had been able find in Gangneung (which were still too small). I got a manicure and had my hair done (with no less two bottles of hairspray, a bottle of glitter, and two rows of pearls) in the afternoon, and Morten completed the outfit with a cute little silver watch from Italy.

Let me back up a little. This Nordic Charity Ball is an event put on by the Nordic Club Seoul to benefit several different organizations that help disadvantaged women and children and disabled people. Morten's friend Jeppe works for the Danish Embassy, and Jeppe's wife Pia is head of the Nordic Club. The Korean Exchange Bank, Lego, Maersk, and Vestas were just a few of the sponsors.

We convened before the event at Kenneth and Charlotte's place, though Kenneth was away. Jeppe, Anders, and Jeppe's friend just arrived from Denmark whose name I never managed wrap my tongue around (I'll call him John) all came. Jeppe and Morten transported us all to the Hyatt where we had a time of mingling and pictures.

Pia opened the event with a lovely speech (her first ever in English, she later said), the MC gave his welcome, and then the first course was served. We were at a table with Pia and Jeppe (Danish); the Master of Ceremonies and his wife (German); Charlotte, John, and Anders (all Danish); and another Dane and his wife (Guatemalan). Somewhere around the second course, the Swedish Ambassador gave a humorous, though I think somewhat fabricated, speech on the history of St. Valentine. The beef tenderloin main course was exquisite, and then the Danish Ambassador shared his thoughts on Valentine's Day in a lovely and well-researched speech. About the Danish Ambassador--he is a very tall, gracious, and well-preserved man. Morten told me that he's about twenty years older than his wife, and I thought, well, that can't be true--she's certainly older than twenty-two. And then I found out he's in his early sixties! He looks fantastic.

During dessert, we got little pieces of paper--white for the men, red for the women--with names of people throughout history. For the first dance of the evening, we each had to find the person of the opposite sex to complete the couple. Morten was Adam and I was Ginger 'Roger'. Morten said Eve was a dancing disaster, but Fred Astaire proved to be a lovely older Australian man who danced several numbers with me before we split up the act. If you look closely, you can see me behind the lady with short red hair.

Earlier in the evening, the charity organizers had circulated with baskets of raffle tickets for people to purchase. They sold out more quickly than expected, and Morten got the last booklets. There were all sorts of prizes to be won from both local and foreign companies. When the dancing slowed, everyone seated themselves to see if they would be lucky enough to go home with one of the goodies. What do you know, one of the booklets I was holding had the winning ticket for some Lego sets.

The raffle finished and the DJ kicked up the music again. Some people danced, others socialized--I did a little of both. This event really impressed on me the fact that we really do live in a small world. I met people from all over the world, and somehow they all have business here in Korea. Just when I thought the evening couldn't get any more fabulous, the wait staff streamed out once again with 'night snack.' As if I hadn't eaten enough already, I dug into the plate of sliced meat, cheese and fruit. Shortly after night snack, our group said goodnight to the Hyatt and then to each other as we went our separate ways. It was a beautiful night, and most importantly, it was a successful fund-raiser.

More pics from the ball

Pia and Jeppe

The Master of Ceremonies and his wife

John and AndersCharlotte

Vacation week, Seoul, January 1-7

I was very lazy during my vacation. It didn't quite have the magic of my week of vacation on the beach this summer, but it was a fantastic way to start a new calendar year and a good way to say goodbye to a waning school year (this week marked one year for me in Korea, by the way). Here are some photos from my lazy week in Seoul:

Lunch at Subway and stupid picture of me eating #43

Nighttime in Insadong

After my pathetic attempt at 'wing-it' cookies on Christmas Eve, I decided to do it right this time. I even bought measuring cups and spoons and got a real recipe. Even though the oven insisted on cooking them at 300 degrees Celsius, they came out alright with my open-the-door/close-the-door cooking method. I call this picture 'Woman ignores large plate of cookies.'

Beautiful snowy Seoul

Saturday afternoon Morten and I went to Lotte World. It's a massive shopping/activity/adventure complex, and, as it was the weekend, visitors were out in droves, meaning the parking garages were a mess. We usually refuse to participate in the strange parking rituals here, but on this day we didn't really have any other choice. So what did we do? We parallel parked in a row of cars that was blocking a row perpendicularly parked cars, left the car in neutral, and proceeded to do our business in Lotte World. On returning, we found our car in the same row merely shifted down about three car lengths. They actually had parking attendants to help push cars if someone needed to access a blocked car.

Chef Morten prepares pork roast with skin for his Danish Christmas dinner on my last day of vacation

Danish Christmas dinner: Pork roast with crispy skin, gravy, brown potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, and boiled, seasoned red cabbage

Yum!

New Year's Eve, Seoul

I kicked off the New Year and a week of vacation with Aniva and some of her friends in Seoul. After dinner we went to a tropically themed place which boasted heated sand floors and basket chairs hanging from the ceiling. When our feet started getting a little too toasty, we tried another club, but it was very crowded and had 'no vibe'. As it was nearing midnight and we didn't want to be wandering the streets for the countdown, we gave up on trying to find a place that wasn't bursting at the seams and shoved our way into a very happening little club just off the Itaewon strip. I survived the champagne hose-down at the count of midnight, the loud pulsating music, and the shoulder to shoulder crush of people, but I did not leave the club without a severe case of sensory-overload. Morten and I said our goodbyes within the midnight hour to spend the first moments of 2007 in a slightly less chaotic--though far from peaceful--environment. A very strange mix of Koreans, American military personnel, English teachers, businessmen and other various foreigners filled the streets to send 2006 to the history books. Before we called it a night, Morten bought me some flowers from the roving flower lady. I think it's the strangest New Year's Eve I've ever had.

Christmas Weekend, Seoul, December 23rd-25th

Though I spent my Christmas without family and decorations, it did not pass without friends and holiday cheer.

Saturday:

Morten and I headed out early in the afternoon to do some shopping. Our first stop was Hanam Supermarket, a small grocery good for foreign foods. Next stop was the tool market to get a present for a friend of Morten's. E-Mart was next, and I'm pretty sure at least a third of Seoul was there with us. In typical Margie style, I hadn't decided on my Christmas Eve menu yet, requiring me to finalize it while we were shopping, and while I did get everything I needed, I also got a nice headache to go with my groceries. I nearly had a meltdown after we had already paid when I remembered I had wanted to find a game of UNO. Morten took one look at me and sent me to the car with the bags while he ran up a level to look for the game (he came back with LOBO 77). With the dirty work under our belts, we made for Itaewon to check on a suit Morten's having tailored, and I got measured for some shirts of my own at the same time. By that time we were ready for some refreshment, and what could be better when out with a Dane than Danish hotdogs at Steff Houlberg. I couldn't resist a picture of my Danish hotdog, and I took a picture of my food too! After a little more browsing around Itaewon (hooray for cheap street socks!), we headed home to finish the evening with presents for each other. Morten got me decorative glass candle holders with white tapers, and I gave him a couple of framed prints from digital pictures he'd taken of fall foliage.

Sunday:















During the lazy afternoon, I decided to try making sugar cookies with no recipe and a tempermental oven. They weren't that great, but they weren't horrible either--Morten kept snagging them as he was getting ready for his Christmas Eve dinner. He left around 3:30, and I started preparing my own dinner. I had chips, salsa, sour cream, Danish cheese (of course), dill pickles, and olives for snacks, all things not readily available in Gangneung. I made salad with feta cheese, mashed potatoes, and salmon for the main course. Liz called around 5:30 saying she didn't know where she was. Well, I said, how did you get there? 'I don't know.' Where were you before? 'I don't know.' Are you near the subway? 'I don't know.' Can you find something you recognize? 'I don't know.' Um, well, good luck... Finally I got enough information to help her and continued with dinner prep. She showed up at 6:30 in a very bad way, chiding me for not warning her about the hills. I apologized and got her some water, but in my defense, my directions said the phrase 'up the hill' at least three times. After her pulse went down, we had a nice time eating snacks and watching Mythbusters while we waited for Aniva to arrive. We first met Aniva, who lives near Seoul, through our now departed Australian friend Judy (not dead, just not in Korea), and we've hung out with her several times (see October, Chuseok). She's exuberant, extremely blunt, and tells a great story. She showed up just before eight and joined in the snacking. Around 9:30, I threw the salmon in a pan, the girls set out tableware and the sidedishes, and we sat down for Christmas Eve dinner. The fish was delicious. After dinner, we broke out a pack of cards and played several games. We even played several rounds of LOBO 77 with the help of English instructions printed from the internet. The girls said goodnight in the early hours of Christmas morning.

Monday:

I just happen to be talking to Morten as I'm writing this, and I have asked him to dictate to me some thoughts about Monday. Here is what he says: "Long walk. Crowded Seoul. Actually, real crowded Seoul." Ah, the simplicity of the male mind... Now here's my version. It was a beautiful and cloudless though slightly hazy day. We bundled up in the afternoon for a Christmas Day walk and found extremely mild weather. I had to doff my scarf and gloves as we walked up some trails on Namsan mountain. We walked all the way to Seoul Tower, found alot of other people on the same Christmas Day date, then took our time on the long staircase down the other side of the mountain, sharing a bag of popcorn on the way, and eventually wound up in Myeongdong, which I think is considered part of downtown. I couldn't believe the number of people out shopping, packing the streets shoulder to shoulder. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced on Christmas. We jostled and shoved our way around for awhile then popped into Lotte World to take a look at something we'd seen in the Armani store the previous weekend. After going around and around on six different levels several times each, we gave up trying to find it, thinking that either the store had been moved, we were crazy for thinking it was there in the first place, or we had been sucked into some sort of Lotte World black hole shopping vortex. It was dark by the time we exited, and the whole place was lit with thousands of lights and beautiful decorations. Traffic was at a standstill so the subway looked pretty inviting, and fifteen minutes later, we were back in Itaewon, trudging on weary feet up, up, up the hill. We whipped together some great leftovers for dinner, and then I was back on the subway and then on the bus and on my way back to Gangneung, having had a lovely first Christmas in Korea.

Trails at Namsan

Lookout with Seoul Tower in the background
Downtown Seoul
Crowded streets of MyeongdongLotte World SupermarketOutside Lotte WorldHana Bank, covered entirely with green fringeEuropean Christmas TownThe amazingly clean Seoul subwayStill smiling after a long day