Jeckyl and Hyde

Dialogue: Ella: Come dance, Min-Seo. Come dance, Min-Seo. Watch a little bit more. . . . . . . . No, no, no, no, no, NO! Then I had to intervene and Ella visited the naughty corner for two minutes.

Come on ride the train

Ella calls this thing her train (It's neither hers nor a train, but she's two). She particularly likes taking her cousin Min-Seo for a ride. And, here is Ella's little sister. We got the ultrasound yesterday. Everyone comments on how "big" (i.e. Western and attractive) her nose is. I definitely like how efficient and modern the medical system is here. In SA, it was a little like being in the 1950's--the way the office looked and the staff dressed, and the somewhat parochial (but very warm) approach. Maybe it was just because we were in Bloemfontein, the redneck capital of the world (honestly--it puts anything I've seen in the US to shame in terms of redneckiness). In Korea there are some things that are peculiar, too--you check your own weight and blood pressure, and they don't let anyone accompany the mom into the ultrasound room. In fact, she doesn't even get to see the ultrasound until after it's done/edited. At any rate, we're happy with our new OB, and I will get to be in the delivery room, and the baby will be able to room in with mom (both have to be requested at check-in). All-in-all, we're happy to be having the baby here.

Hike photos

I took another little hike, sans Ella, but with our point-n-shoot camera, this time. The weather's been pretty humid/rainy, so no great photos, but at least you can see what it looks like. (Click for bigger versions) The old fortress wall that's been restored along the ridge. I don't know what army would be stupid enough to climb up these mountains wearing armor and carrying weapons, to attack Seoul. But I can guarantee they'd want to turn around and smack down their commanders as soon as they got to the top and found this wall in their way. Da Gate where Ella and I hid form the rain on our last hike. Leaning rock. It looks much more ominous with all those sticks wedged in there. The neighborhood (you'll have to click on the photo to see anything). This is what residential areas in Seoul look like--mile after mile of high rise apartments. If the weather was clear you could see them stretching to the horizon in all directions. It is the world's 6th largest city (~25% more people than NYC), and you have to fit them somewhere. Da hills. I'll get some better shots once the weather is nice.

Return of the shutterbug

Aaah, now I can start posting photos again!! I haven't actually had the camera out much because it's been pretty much cloudy and rainy, but we're hoping things will clear up in a few days for some photo-expeditions. In the meantime... This is where my parents-in-law live (and where I'm living for the foreseeable future). They are on the 8th floor (a very auspicious number in China). It also has nice views of the nearby mountains. Ella and I went for a hike a few days ago. It was cloudy, but the forecast said no rain, so I didn't bring any rain gear. In fact, I deserve scolding by any hiker, as I'd brought exactly zero of the 10 essentials, thinking I'd be on a nice trail for an hour or two at most... Anyway, it turned out to be >6km (about 4 miles) with >600m elevation gain (almost 2000 feet), and 30 pounds of Ella/baby carrier on my back. Normally not a huge deal, but I had been rather sedentary in Lesotho. A strenuous outing there typically consisted of a 1.5 hour drive to Bloemfontein to buy real dairy ice cream. Anyway, once we got to the top, of course it started raining. Fortunately, the entire ridgeline is crowned by an old wall built long ago to defend the city Seoul, and every few thousand yards is a gate where we could rest out of the rain. It's not quite the great wall of China, but still pretty dramatic (next time I'll have a camera). There were lots of hikers, and all were super-nice. One made me take his disposable rain jacket for Ella, and many offered food and water. Anyway, it was enjoyable, despite the rain and the persistently sore calves and thighs today. Ella has also been hanging out with her cousin Min-Seo, and her aunt and uncle, who live in the same building, but on the 4th floor--very inauspicious per the Chinese as the word for "4" sounds the same as the word for death... They are actually doing quite well despite their numerological misfortune. and, of course, Ella has enjoyed the playground. There's not a ladder she won't try to climb nor a slide she won't hurl herself down. Her mom is looking rather pregnant now, eh? p.s. Mom, we found the missing rhino and hippo toys... more soon

One week

It's a little hard to believe I've been in Korea a full week already. It feels like I just arrived, but somehow Lesotho already seems like it was ages ago... I'm not sure where my brain thinks I've been. I had very big plans for what I would be doing once I got to Korea--mostly involving daily hikes with Ella and a few hours of review each day for my pediatric board exams in October (and to review all the general pediatric topics I didn't use in Lesotho--ADHD, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, food allergies, etc just aren't things you really think about there). I'm off to a bit of a slow start, mostly because I'm going to bed late (meaning waking up late too)--partly jet lag and partly because it's nice to use the internet after everyone is asleep. Ella being sick also put the brakes on father-daughter hikes. Explosive diarrhea in the backpack carrier didn't sound like much of a bonding experience. But, I think I'm turning the corner (Ella has already turned the corner). I got my hair cut yesterday (just like in China, they are obsessed with using thinning shears instead of regular scissors to cut hair here), downloaded 5 years worth of Pediatrics in Review articles to use for board review, got a certified copy of our marriage certificate from Seoul City Hall where we were married 10 years ago (we'll need it for the baby'-to-come's birth certificate and passport). So, I'm not quite putting in a 40 hour week, but who needs a 40 hour week? I'm still working on the retrospective Lesotho posts, and plan to take the camera out this weekend, so keep checking in.

Seoul Food

Korea has been a nice change of pace. I've been eating enough Korean food that I'm already starting to get tired of it, which is always a bit touchy, given that it's my in-laws feeding me. Seoul seems quite neat and tidy compared to what I remembered. I'm not sure how much of that is just the contrast with Lesotho and how much is true change. But, Seoul's current mayor has made beautifying the city a big priority with new parks, bike trails, and improved water areas. Also, the new bus system is great and the recycling system is impressive too, with about 5 different bins at the bottom of my in-law's apartment building. I've already downloaded and watched almost all of Lost Season 3. That show is like cheap crack. Speaking of crack, there's a korean popsickle flavored like honeydew melons and cream... Sounds gross, but it's amazingly good, and I was a bit of a Melona junky when I studied here 10 years ago (I've been married for 10 years!?!). They're apparently sold at Sam's club too, but I wouldn't advise buying anything at Wal-Mart unless necessary... Dirty company. Ella is sick... always seems to happen with major trips, and it was surprising since she was so healthy in Lesotho. It seems like another UTI, although the labs so far are equivocal... It was nice being in a hospital that can actually run all the (probably unnecessary) tests one could ask for. We need to get her out of diapers so this doesn't happen again. At any rate, she turned around quickly after a few doses of antibiotics, and is now being very naughty, living up to her 2-year old potential... Still lots of errand to run, dealing with figuring out where we'll have the baby, what we need to do for baby's passport, lots of financial loose ends that we left hanging, etc. I've just started composing my first few retrospective Lesotho blog posts, so stay tuned...

The warm heart of Asia?

Well, we have landed in Korea. We took a little twin-prop plane from Maseru to Johannesburg (Ella wouldn't sit by the window because she found the propellers scary). Then we flew on Emirates airline from Joburg to Dubai, then on to Korea. Two 8-hour legs. Emirates is definitely bucking the trend of cheap, no-frills travel. They had the most space of any coach seat I can remember, the food was pretty decent (the "light snack" had smoked salmon), and the cabin crew was very international and extremely attentive. They took Polaroid pictures with Ella and were showering her with stuffed animals, Dr Seuss books, etc. The icing on the cake was the in-seat, in-flight entertainment with a menu of a few hundred movies to choose from. Ella was in movie heaven, and it made the flight quite easy for us. In the airport in Seoul, there was a tourist billboard with a new campaign declaring Korea the "warm heart of Asia". Oddly, Malawi's nickname has long been the "warm heart of Africa", which I think is probably more appropriate. As much as I like Korea, it's not really the "warmest" country in the world, let alone Asia (Thailand and Burma in particular have strong reputations for effusive friendliness). Korea is temperate in weather and pretty formal in culture, but I guess those adjectives don't really attract tourists. I kind of like the old "Land of the Morning Calm". Anyway, with temperatures hovering around freezing in Lesotho (winter in the South), and peaking above 80 degrees here, and with plenty of family to entertain my daughter, Korea at least occupies a warm spot in my heart. Now that we're here, I'm adjusting to the time change and the spicy food, which has a rather rapid intestinal transit time... I think that's why Koreans stay skinny... Ella is delighted with the attention and gifts from her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and it's been nice to be able to get out and walk around at all hours. It's such a relief to be able to let down your guard and not have to be vigilant about your surroundings. I kind of feel like the "clear/claritin clear" commercials. I didn't even notice how tense and vigilant I had been until I no longer have to be so. It also helps taht out the window we have a nice view of pretty wooded mountains just a few hundred feet up the road. My goal is a daily morning hike with Ella on my back (I have to get back in shape for my planned adventures in Bellingham). Today, though she's got a little fever, and I'm still sleeping at odd hours, so maybe tomorrow. Meanwhile... back in Lesotho, there have apparently been armed attacks on the homes and vehicles of a number of politicos... In response, the government has imposed a 6pm to 6am curfew and are searching cars to try to find the attackers. Spooky. I need to try to get a hold of my peeps and make sure everyone is coping. More soon. No excuses now that I'm in what is widely regarded the most wired country in the world (although there are doubters out there...)