Samsung Lions

Spent the day at a Samsung Lions game.  On the way there, in the taxi, the kids were reading Garfield.  That cat is just classic.

Outside the Citizen Stadium. 

Outside the field is kind of like being outside of Fenway, except they vend different things, like squid jerky, dried octopus, chestnuts, god... I miss boston beer works...

The oustide of the stadium.

More vending... one lady kept holding up her 3 and then 5 fingers and saying beer... I was like 3 for 5?  Five for 3?  I can't understand....

Yes we can.

Pre-game, the players are warming up.  We were so lucky to meet Christy Garko, whose husband now plays for the Lions.  She saved us these fabulous seats behind home plate.  Ryan is number 35.

Ryan and the other players.

The scoreboard.  Once again, I can pronounce the words but have no idea what they mean. 

The home team dugout.

They put the lines in the old school way... metal frames and chalk. 

Concessions inside the stadium.  I'm really not kidding about the squid jerky.

Seaweed and rice snacks.

Of course, beer.

According to the Korea Communications Commission, there were 45.6 million cell phone users in Korea at the end of last year, up by 2.1 million from 2007. Considering the nation’s population of 48.62 million, 93 percent of Koreans use cell phones, while every Korean household has an average of 2.73 mobile phones, it noted.  This is from http://www.futurizekorea.com/255
Yet you can still find a cool payphone.

These brave fans are sitting precariously close to the edge, which is about 4 feet up, but look... no railing!  Who needs safety? 

Another view of the field, from the sunny seats.

We love baseball!

Gary is eating these sweet potato fries that are like sticks.

Glamour girl!

I love this view.

Delicious Idea...

This is the main entree...  :)

No rules...

Some weeks just seem to last forever, and when that happens it is good to get away from everything and head down under.   We had to walk to the bus, and we pass these mounds on the way.

EVERY time I pass this store I think of Rob... sorry, I just can't help it.

The specialty menu at Outback.  I have been taking korean classes and have just barely mastered the alphabet.  But while I can sound out the words, I still have no idea what they mean.  It is fun to ask koreans if I am saying things right, though. and then usually get a big laugh with I say puh-nah-say-ee, but it should be puh-NAH-sae-ee... see I just don't get the difference...

The take-away menu- love the little compartments!

It makes you feel like a BIG DOG when you pay with a $100,000 gift certificate, but really it is about 85 bucks.

No visit down under is complete without a chocolate thunder.

Or two...

The bathrooms are oustide... down this long, freezing cold hallway, in the parking garage.

Who's filling lucky?
I'M Filling Lucky!

Reading in Kyobo bookstore while we browse.

Still lovin' the bikes.

The city of Daegu at night.

Because the city is very developed and the space is at a premium, the parking gargaes are all built vertically.  They  have these rotating car movers, it is kind of like the Jetson's closet... if you remember, Jane used to open her closet and the clothes would rotate around so she could choose the perfect outfit, well, this is kind of like that except it brings the cars to the upper levels of the garage. You drive your car into the rotator and the mover brings it up to be parked.  When you want it, a guy up above drives it back into the mover and it comes back down.

Here is a lady going for her car.

self-explanatory....

This is a mall that runs right under the street.  There are lots of little stores here, and you can buy just about anything, except shoes bigger than a size 8. 

Surprisingly, Cafe L'Odour was not that packed :)

We were watching this lady cut hair on humans and dogs, and a scooter pulls up and delivers her a sandwich, the one she is holding in her hand.  What made it so funny is that the sandwich was delivered exactly like she is holding it... no bag, no extra wrapper, just the sandwich, wide open, in the delivery guys hand.  

You might think this would be the BEST store ever, but it is just a convenience store... BORING....

If I am not at work on Monday...

... either I was abducted by aliens that look like the kids.... or....

I collected big time from the IMF...  see, they contacted me in this e-mail...

Prof Justice Andrew.

Secretary Director.
International Monetary Fund.
United Kingdom.

Attn; Beneficiary,

This is to inform all our Clients that we have finally received an approval Letter from our branch Head office in Asia that with an instruction to go ahead and release your fund to you immediately through the service of the Blakwoods Credit Union Bank, Malaysia as they have discovered that you have paid all the necessary fee as demanded by the stipulated rules of the government.

So we hereby inform you that this instruction was made by the World Bank in collaboration with the United Nations that every deceased outstanding payment that was held by the United Nations Force Agency together with all unclaimed fund that was discovered in the custody of Citibank, HSBC Bank, Chase Bank, Halifax Bank, Barclays Bank, Bank of England, to be processed and release by the Blakwoods Credit Union Bank..

Therefore, you are advice to contact the referenced Bank (Blakwoods Credit Union) with a full reconfirmation of your personal information as to enable them establish an online Bank account on your behalf. Such information are stated below:

(i). Full Name: .....
(ii). Address: ......
(iii). Telephone: .....
(iv). Amount Expected: ..
(v). Occupation: ..

Note that you are only receiving part payment from your total fund as of this present time because most of this Banks are on debts from the World Bank because of the rate of fraud and scam exercise discovered in these Banks, so that is why the authority couldn't meet up to pay all the fund to you. So be it known to you that your expected Amount right now is L3,000,000.00 GBP only.

(v). A reconfirmation of your total fund inherited: L/$ 40M....

You really have to stop dealing with those people that are contacting you and telling you that your fund is with them, it is not in anyway with them, they are only taking advantage of you and they will dry you up until you have nothing.The only money you have to pay for the Administrative fee of your online opening is $360 And due to the fact that we do not accept Cash on Transfer (COT) or deduction of funds, you have been given the opportunity of paying 50% percent postage fee which is $180USD.

Please endeavor to make sure that you contact the Blakwoods Credit Union Bank with the below contact information using a subject word (My Payment Approval Reference Number is (IMF/UN/009/2011).

Bank Information: .

Bank Name: Blakwoods Credit Union Bank

E-mail: blakwoods@one.co.il

REGARD'S

R-Man lost his first tooth!

OK, really I pulled it out, but same thing.  He is hiding the tooth from the tooth fairy because he wants to bring it to show and tell on Tuesday.   

Fun at the Supermarket

We don't really go out shopping much because with 2 kids shopping is more torture than fun... for everyone involved.  Sometimes we go out walking in our neighborhood and stop at this grocery store to buy World Cones, which are like nuddy buddies- a cone with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and nuts all wrapped up.  The store that we go to is less like Hannafords and more like Sully's... you know, a small neighborhood store where you can get just about anything.  And if you think a tall, blond American gets some strange looks in this little grocery store, imagine a tall, blond American taking pictures of all the food!

Here are some packaged foods that they sell...

Dr. You crackers... not sure of the medicinal qualities, and they look good... but Dr. Me is prescribing something much, much, much stronger than a cracker!

Ruffles potato chips... hot and sweet.

This is just plain old tuna, but in korean is just looks weird... where is that talking fish that sells us tuna?

Spam is surprisingly popular here in Korea...

It has been a long time since I bought cereal.  Do we have Starberry?  I don't know, but I dig that guy's hair!

Tony the tiger, and a square guy wearing cool shades... what do they think of us in the US?

Doesn't this look like the best fabric softner?  Everything here comes in pouches, not bottles. 

I WISH I felt like that lady on the right while doing my laundry!  Not sure about calling it Pigeon, though!

This is packaged meats- tiny sardines and beef. 

Not sure if this IS rabbit, or if he is just the spokesman!

These are crab flavored snack crackers, kind of like goldfish... funny story... one day a student offered me a goldfish cracker, and not wanting to be rude I accepted... I was not expecting it to be goldfish flavored!  GACK!

Shrimp flavored hot fries... ooooh... the smell....

Lays potato chips!

Some things need no translation!

Yup, it is aloe juice.

I just love the name of this... banana mojo... :)

I don't know what this is, or why he is talking...

Any one for a cup of delicious black bean soy drink... flowing out of a fountain?

We have this at dinner about once per week... dried crunchy black seaweed with sesame seeds... better than it sounds...

This is dried seaweed sheets, kids eat them at snack time.  Actually Pooks likes them and steals them from the cafeteria.

The one thing I will really miss when I get home, Asian pears.  Absolutely delicious.

This is imitation crab meat string... like string cheese, but far stinkier

These are black bean cakes: plain, with sesame seeds, and with a tasteless white powder... ok another funny story... we went hiking up DongWhasa mountain (no, that is not the funny part) and the vendors were selling what looked like fudge with powdered sugar on it.  We promised the kids that if they were good and didn't complain about the hike that we would buy some for them on the way down.  So.... (can you guess where this is headed?).... on the way down we buy some fudge with powdered sugar on it, but....

wait for it...

it is not fudge with powdered sugar, it is black bean paste with rice flour... UGH!  not nearly as good :)

These are bundles of rice noodles

Finally we make it to the WORLD CONE!

We have not tried the ice cream but the flavors look good... vanilla, strawberry, almond... no chocolate.

Note to self: if you want to sell TONS of stuff in Korea, name your product Einstein Baby...

Canned drinks, Pepsi, tea, just like at home...

I'm not sure what DemiSoda is, but it looks ok; Pocari Sweat, which I refuse to drink only because of the name, and Gatorade.

Who wants snacks to go with their drinks?  Shrimp jerky and flounder jerky.

Finally... the king of beers... this one is for you, C-Man!

xoxoxoxo