Day by Day with Gina

Sauntering Around Songtan

UPDATE FROM SOUTH KOREA
Wednesday, December 21, 2005

I hope Tuesday went as well for you as it did for me. And let me tell you that your Wednesday will also be a great day.
Ben and I were able to sleep the night through last night and not wake up until around 8 this morning. Yipee! Our jetlag seems to be slight, so that is a tremendous blessing.

We poked around the apartment this morning and finally got out around lunchtime to traipse around downtown Songtan. We went to Pizza Club for lunch, which was really good- somewhat similar to Pizza Hut. We ran into some of Britt and Becca's friends there, too, who also have little tots. Not tater tots, but human ones. They always make life more fun and entertaining. We talked about Britt and Becca coming back home to good ol' GA this summer, which will be great. I'm excited.

After finishing our lunch, we went across the street to Britt's favorite guitar shop here, Mr. Potato. Yes, you heard me: Mr. Potato. This Korean guy owns it and all of his guitars, "Mr. Potato" guitars, are handmade and really pretty. Ben and Britt, of course, had to play a bit.
Stores in Korea are funny. Their titles are sometimes very strange English. And they make everything into a cartoon- street signs, store signs, school signs, you name it. I will try to find more examples.

Britt and Ben talking to Mr. Potato (not his real name, but it might as well be).









Mr. Potato's guitars really do have "Mr. Potato" on them. Hee hee!!!













Ben enjoying the Mr. Potato sound.









We walked over to the optical place, where Ben picked out some glasses and had his eye exam. He found some really cool rimless ones:

I was rooting for the large, plastic trendy ones, but Ben sided with the more practical, lightweight frames. That's why he's the smart one in the family.



The trendy ones he didn't get, but I thought they were very cool!







While they were making his glasses, we went to have some more adventures. Britt got his hair cut, and while I was waiting, I saw this woman getting what I assume was a perm on this machine. It looks like a torture device, but she didn't appear to be in pain. The curlers go in the clasps and stay heated from the electrical hook-ups. Anyway, I was fascinated by this machine and the early '90s music they were playing on the radio, such as Mariah Carey's "I Don't Wanna Cry" and some song by the Jets that I can't remember the title.

We left the salon and browsed around several different shops in the downtown area. Touristy shops, one store that reminded me of a Big Lots or Dollar General, and then a tailor's shop where Ben and I are going to get some cool Korean-looking clothes made. Very excited about that.

Anywho, we got some coffee at this great place called Coffee Tree, and warmed up all the way through. It snowed last night, so it was really cold today and pretty windy. But, it was really pretty.
We went back to the optometrist to pick up Ben's glasses. They seemed fine at first, but they gave him a headache within the first couple of hours and now he's trying to sleep it off, so I think we will have to take them back. They look really cool, though!
Here is a picture of Britt and Becca's. The top floor is their apartment, the second floor is the Hospitality House, which is really just a big room, and the first floor is some type of business. If you look closely, you can see Britt and me going in the front door!

I hung out with Micah for most of the afternoon, wiping up drool, changing a blow-out diaper and getting him some fresh clothes. We ate some yummy meatloaf for dinner and then I headed downstairs for the Hospitality House's White Elephant party. Being very experienced in these kind of social events, I came prepared with gifts I bought at Barnes & Noble. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I bought white elephant gifts, packed them, and they came with me on the 24-hour travel to Korea. My Golf Voodoo Kit got a decent laugh, complete with doll, pins, and instruction manual. The bigger hit, however, was The Gas We Pass: The Story of Farts by Shinta Cho. Great book. Highly recommend it, and its counterpart, Everyone Poops.
I left the party a bit early. I'm starting to wane. Being tired really only hits me when I am still and unoccupied.

By the way, thanks to those of you who are reading our blogs and commenting. I am enjoying doing this. I hope it will help me remember more and keep our memories fresh. I also hope it is a blessing to you guys. It will give us a lot to talk about, I hope!
I love you guys and miss you. Hope you have a great Wednesday!

posted by Gina @ 6:56 AM