Staying in the Ville

Before I write anything else...Happy Birthday to Bre, the trend-setting, ground-breaking Gherkin! I thought of you all day and how fun this day would have been to share with you! Love you. 

I think she may need some of the anti-aging things shopkeepers have so helpfully been offering me.  I'll take care of you dear....in 36 days.

Our goal was to catch the 1200 bus to Osan . We made it just in time to hop on to the 1100 bus. This means we couldn't sit together....which  ::blush:: was a bit of a blessing as I needed a bit of a silent breather from Princess Chatterbox.  Stacia set across the aisle from me...next to a sweet lady who recently retired as the sexual assault nurse at Yokota AB. She was in Japan to testify in a trial which was postponed so she came to Korea. Well.....Stacia talked the E*N*T*I*R*E trip. I told the lady she would and she said that was fine with her.  They began talking about earthquakes - which Stacia is ALWAYS happy to share every earthquake story with anyone who will listen...."One time Mom was in the bathroom and Dad was yelling - get to the hall and she decided not to...." They progressed to a detailed  descriptions and summary of each and every sibling's life..and the fact that Josiah (the troll) is marrying a beautiful princess (Shelby) and she gets to be in the wedding...on and on..... As we got off the bus the sweet lady said Stacia was a charming travel companion. Good - we were both blessed. ::snort:: 

Our biggest surprise of the day was while we were waiting for the hotel shuttle to pick us up. "Hey, Gherkins!" Huh? George! George arrived at Osan on Thursday. It was fun to chat for a bit. I am so going to miss Misawa.

We took a taxi to Songtan....glad I didn't try to WALK with our luggage. We are at the World hotel and it's better than any of the others I've walked by that were on "the list." I love tips from FB friends. They are very helpful and friendly. Check out our room (though I DO wish I had brought some travel-sized Lysol and I wish my Lysol loving friends were still in Misawa so we could share this fact and we laugh together). The family suite is costs less than the two rooms at the Dragon...AND we get a free breakfast (American or Korean), free DVD's, free shuttles and lots of friendly laughs and smiles. 

The master room which we gave to the boys

Girl's room 

Same in both rooms

Since we arrived early I wondered if we could get our shopping done today and have tomorrow to connect with people and enjoy the pool.  I realized today  I've ALWAYS been "working" when in Korea and was focused. I'd taken about  an hour per trip to shop and mostly seen Itaewon and a quick run through Insadong and Songtan. Today - and tomorrow - we have nothing to do but enjoy. I realized that everyone always runs me to the purse shops...but I've been under a purse ban....and I've noticed there are many other things to buy....streets and streets of stores... We spent the first 6 days learning the country's culture and history. Today we shopped....and 35 - 40 minutes after leaving the hotel we walked back up with these. 

They laughed....tried to carry them and then got a cart instead. They said, "Have fun," as we left again. We are allowed 2 bags each of 70 lbs each. We brought 3 bags over. I'm hoping I can check these two boxes...I was assured they are under 70 lbs each. 

We bought some Father's Day gifts. We bought some more stuff at Skin Food and Innis Free. Arielle and I are getting a kick out of the free samples I'm given after I buy things. Today I got a "youthful mask" and some "eye revitalizer."  Korea is aging me evidently. ::snort:: 

Arielle assures me this is exactly what I need for a vintage wedding. I'm not so sure but it caught my fancy.....maybe one of the girls will wear it....I suspect it's a bit over the top....I mean I should maybe TRY to be proper. 

As we left one shop, a lady stuck her head out the door and said, "You come look." I knew I am not to buy a purse for myself,  but I wanted the girls to have this experience. The shopkeeper locked the door after us and the girls' eyes got big. ::snort::  Arielle has consistently turned down any offer to buy her stuff this trip....she said it would have to jump out at her for her to buy it. I KNEW STACIA would find something she'd want and so we entered the shop. Arielle gave me a look when she saw the purses on the main floor that said, "These are NOT jumping at me."  The lady asked which she liked and she said she didn't really like any of them. *I* was prepared for what happened next. She said, "Follow me" and up, up, up we went....narrow rickety stairs....to a HUGE second floor of purses. They both found ones they wanted. I resisted...and it was killing me....but I consoled myself by thinking of the pottery I hope to find.

Arielle's (l) and Stacia (r)

I bought the boys hats and water...and I gave them lots of pep talks. I'm debating leaving them home tomorrow and taking the girls with me shopping. They were amazing today, but I KNOW they hate shopping.....and this was agony....though they liked the blanket shop well enough.

We bought a few Father's Day items which can't be photographed quite yet......and pursued my new passion of Celadon and this style of dishes...... haven't bought any. They ASSURE me we can get them wrapped well enough that they'll not break on the flight.....

By my estimation we have 3 suitcases full, 2 boxes and this one (which came over with my clothes suitcase inside of it) 1/2 full....that means I can still buy 4.5 suitcases or boxes worth of things....but I don't want to buy pretty things and have them BREAK....and these will weigh a lot....so I'd need to be careful not to go over 70lbs....and the idea of the guys loading them into the cargo....I may get one or two things and put them in carry ons.  In any event, I was told to find a specific ceramic shop and wasn't sure I'd found it. My favorite pottery shop was IT. I plan to visit it and one more shop for Michael tomorrow.....and then well...I can't go home with won....so I'll spend until it's gone. LOL 

I gave the boys a reprieve after 2.5 hours of shopping to sit in the air conditioned chapel. We visited the contemporary service at Osan. It was fun to see James and Kimberly again. We'll meet for lunch with Kimberly tomorrow. Also hoping to work out a time to meet with Hannah.

After chapel we walked to Chilis. I know we'll be able to enjoy this in the states soon. We avoided all the American fun restaurants in Seoul. However, I was STARVING for something GREEN and thought maybe I could get a giant salad at Chilis. It was harder than I thought. I have been picturing America as the Vegan's paradise. ::snort::  Not one vegan salad.  I ordered the Chicken Quesadilla Salad  and asked them to hold the cheese, chicken and quesadilla. I requested a bit of beans and plain tortillas. They forgot the beans but I was more than happy with my warm tortillas and a HUGE SALAD....Cliff bars only go so far.....we didn't see as many veggie and fruit street vendors out as we expected.

I LOVE THIS....there is a pretty good selection of free movies to watch at our hotel. I suspected...yep...reminds me of the Philippines in the 1980's.  ::snort:: I guess you buy one, break the code, and make copies to loan out?  Nolan had to run down and ask the man how to work the remote. He came up and showed them.

I skyped with my boyfriend tonight. How I miss Michael.  He said I can buy bags...I have a specific thing (or two - either/or) I want and if I find it....I will buy it with a clear conscience. I could have bought it anyway and he wouldn't have been terribly upset...he likes to tease me about it.  BUT I think it would have been disrespectful....though I was counseled by a fellow tour member to buy what I wanted, leave it at a friends and bring it out in a few months. ::snort:: This was at an amethyst factory where I was resisting $300 necklaces for the second day in a row. I simply commented I would like to talk to my husband before spending that much on jewelry. She bought a couple of things so I figure she made up for my lack of enthusiasm. 

We're watching movies...I've always been a Mary K gal, but after hearing how Asian women use all this food for their skin...and their skin is gorgeous....and they all say blueberry and volcano ash will do wonders for me...and keep giving me samples when I buy things.....

BTW this "high speed" Internet is much slower than the DSL we have in Japan. How I love Japan.

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

That's the LAST time we're takng directions from a squirrel

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) We visited a toilet museum today. It took us 5 hours to get there and 1 hour and 40 min to get home.

***Note*** If you are squeamish, don't like potty photos, don't have a warped sense of humor or are easily offended you'll want to stop reading when I prompt you. 

We had one full day left in Seoul and I asked the kids what they'd like to see. I laid out the options...a couple of amusement parks and this museum. They opted for this museum. The thought is we can find amusement parks around the world, but Haewoojae (AKA Suwan City Toilet Museum) is quirky and unique to Korea.

I could have stuck to tour guides. We could have stayed on post....but the kids wanted to visit this spot in a place called Suwan City.  I may blog later but a big part of this trip has been me facing fear....I had hoped a friend could  go with us and when she couldn't come I spent a bit of time in prayer. I felt it important for us to go ahead with our plans. Our family word of the year is "courage."  I researched.

We headed out this a.m. with a subway map, "Please help me find the Suwan City Toilet Museum," written on  a card in Korean, a list of possible buses from the Discover Seoul desk from the Suwan City to the Dongwon High school,  and enough won to make it across Seoul.

In the midst of loving the subway, we made our first mistake of the day. The desk didn't tell me we'd need to transfer and I didn't realize though the number of the line we were on stayed the same, the line branched. The detour cost us 30 min...During the delay we met a beggar who  attacked the vending machine we were standing by and then we met a nice elderly lady who was going beyond Suwan and  took us under her wing.

It was lunch time when we arrived at Suwan station, since we had a bus and a walk before we reached the museum, we opted to find some lunch at the station. This was a good call. I've discovered a nutritarian does better with street food than most restaurants.....cups of fruit, veggies....but we saw Burger King.....and I agreed.  You can't see the words but it's advertising a "Beauty," a "Beast," and a "Beauty and the Beast" special.

I was happy to find the corn salad...as healthy as I could find at a Burger King.

This alarmed us...why????? Do they reuse the cups? 

 I was feeling confident at this point! THEN the directions from the blog just didn't make SENSE. No one seemed to know WHERE this place was - and I know they knew the name of the place I was trying to reach as they were reading the Korean card.  We eventually found the bus platform. I DID ask an employee and he directed us to a bus.  We got on. I tried to confirm we were on the right bus. It cost W5000.  A lady behind us read our card and began speaking loudly to the bus driver. He pulled over and told us to get off the bus. I was perplexed. He opened the door and said, "You, off!" and pointed across the 10 lanes of traffic.

As we were walking off Arielle  and Stacia began singing, "I knew you were trouble when you walked in..."  We walked across the street. We checked the route. We asked a lady. We got on another bus. We were kicked off that bus as well...the girls sang once more. 

As we sat at one of the bus stops I began to feel panicked. I knew the kids wanted to see this museum and had a sinking feeling I wasn't going to find it. I looked up and saw THIS.....

The beautiful windows showed Jesus with sheep....and I began to pray, "Jesus, I know you leave the 99 to find the one. I hope I'm not eternally lost here, but I'm lost. I need a shepherd. Please help us find this place by 3:00 p.m." (It was 1:30 p.m.).

The kids were troopers...we got on the bus....we were kicked off the bus again. ::snort:: The girls sang. I must say buses are amazingly terrifying in Korea.  They drive like taxi drivers....but they're huge. ::snort::

 I think this is the point when we tried to get a taxi, but we may have tried another bus route. We kept going one direction and then the other...showing our little Korean script to everyone and being sent back and forth. 

I figured since we  had to feed the fare machine W5000 each time we changed buses it would be cost effective to find a taxi which could take us to the door.  Our taxi driver insisted he knew exactly where we were going. I was getting motion sickness from the various buses.

I began to suspect something was wrong with our driver's sense of direction when the GPS began squawking and the screen flashed a blinking danger sign.... I was praying well at this point....we drove by another church with a mural on it's door of Jesus with the lost sheep. "Ok, Jesus, I'm going to trust this is the right thing to do."  We  drove by Paldalman area and many other fascinating looking spots. Our driver dropped us off and told us to go to the building across the street. It sure didn't look like I expected the toilet museum to look like.....and it wasn't. We were at a very nice museum in Suwan -  "Hwaseong".   The ladies were great and gave us a brochure and map. They also wrote another script. This one told the driver exactly where to take us..... and we continued to see paintings and glass windows with Jesus and sheep.

We found another taxi....and finally....5 hours later... we arrived at Haewoojae (Suwan City Toilet Museum).  At 2:55 p.m.

***Note*** If you are squeamish stop reading now. Please do not complain if you don't like what you see; you've been warned twice. I DID leave many of the photos out. We think this is funny. 





One of the kids asked, "Do you think this is it?" We were in a neighborhood. I looked up and started laughing...yep...I think this is it.

Stacia said, "What DID they eat?" ::snort:: 

Mr. Sim Jae-duck was born in his grandmother's toilet. Growing up his nick name was "Dog Poop."  He grew up fascinated with toilets and sanitation around the world. He changed his name to "Mr. Toilet," and among other things became the mayor of Suwan City.

Mr. Toilet built this toilet shaped house and has left it to the city as a museum to the "Toilet Culture Movement." ::gasp::  In the center of the house  is a glass walled toilet.  Mr. Toilet wanted to be able to meditate and look at the garden while in the toilet. He wanted toilets to be clean and pleasant. There was a button you could push to slide a wall down for privacy. 

Nothing says nature like garden  poop markers

Bird's Eye photo of the house

It cracked us up to follow the Yellow Poop Piles

 Here's the glass-walled bathroom 

These signs were hilarious....try to note the country and symbols. We laughed hard. We were so relieved to have arrived and ready for fun. I laughed so hard I cried. Others loved that we were so tickled.  We aren't 100% sure how they arrived at these symbols. 

Really don't get the Korean symbols...man peeking over wall? I'm very paranoid now about using a public restroom in Korea! 

Mr. Toilet contributed to his community in a variety of ways. He also served as the President of the World Toilet Museum. He was instrumental in the area beautifying their toilets in advance of the World Cup in 2000. 

There were many photos, paintings, sculptures and even an artist's exhibition....and many of the titles had us in stitches again.  The "brown medium" is a bit too realistic, isn't it? 

Snake is shocked by pee

Bigger pumpkin than mine

 Too funny - "The Giving Tree"

 Sister waiting for me at the outhouse

Eating rice is power

 A giant squatty potty

Gherkins in a honey bucket

Some look like they are in down-right agony

All were disgusted to see this - especially when I confirmed it was true

 Kids' Toilet

Public Restroom 

In keeping with the them of improving the toilet culture....the public restrooms had soothing music playing, wall paper and artwork on the walls/doors. The little lady banging on the door sort of ruined my reflective mood. 

As we left, Zander said, "Dad would LOVE this place." ::snort:: 

The museum is FREE. They do have a donation box if you'd like to be a "toilet angel." They raise money for clean water and proper sanitation in poor countries. They were wonderful. They called a taxi for us and told us the closer station was "Sungkyunkwan Univ Station."  They said coming to Suwon station was the longest way....and the taxi drive would be short....it was. Five minutes and we were on the subway back to Seoul Station. I did ask a few folks to be sure we were on the right line.....the day had already been long. 

The subway was PACKED on the way back into Seoul Station....these two played a game to see who could travel the farthest without holding on to anything. Arielle fell asleep. She refused to take my seat....she rode this way for over an hour....and then a man insisted she sit down...so technically Nolan won the contest....but you know she was being polite or I'm sure she would have matched Nolan....stubborn  wonderfully determined kids.  

We got off at the right station....we began to look for the way home. I wanted to be sure we didn't walk the wrong way so I showed someone the card that says, "Please take me to Gate 1 by the War Museum." The first lady was SURE we needed to head one way. We did. Nothing looked familiar. Another lady was SURE we needed to go another way. When we happened upon Gate 17 and the USO we knew we were in unfamiliar territory.

  I stopped a taxi which drove us to Gate 1.....in a direction no one had told us to go.  Nolan commented, "That's the last time we're taking directions from a squirrel," and I laughed hard. I told the kids I knew it had been scary but I'd learned a lot about courage and facing fears. They thought it all funny. Seems they'd been saying this line to each other all day. Arielle had even counted the squirrels and reports I asked directions from a total of 33 squirrels people.

I'm so glad we did this for many reasons. They needed to see what to do when it looks like your totally lost. Zander needed the life lessons about initial reactions to "bad" changes. We made great memories. I'd been wondering if I'm too old to parent the younger four as well as we seem to have done with the older five...and seeing the depth of their character during our five hours of lost wandering proved they are amazing kids...and really....I'm far more courageous than I was 28 years ago. LOL

We had hoped to go swimming but didn't get home in time to make it. We enjoyed chocolate in memory of PWOC Asia Region Board 1....I showed the girls how to savor the chocolate so I could relive the memories.

We came back to the room to watch a movie. Stacia talked us into watching the kids one again. We're still watching and it's 11 p.m. I swore we'd go to bed early so we could get used to the early a.m. before Tuesday's roll call..... tomorrow we'll get up, have breakfast, pack and head to Osan AB. I had toyed with taking the subway to Osan as it is much cheaper than the base shuttle...but in the end it will be nice to KNOW we'll end up where we want to be. We'll have to find a local hotel and may not have Internet until we're home in Misawa on Tuesday. Don't worry if you don't hear from us.  We'll check in tomorrow if we can. Believe me Skype is our link to Michael, we'll do our best to find Internet.

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...