New & Old New Year Traditions

Happy (Lunar) New Year!

Yes, this is a much belated first post of 2013, but might as well start on one of the new year holidays!  January was quite a whirlwind for us, with the wrapping up of the holidays and a two week mission trip to Cambodia, followed by post-travel sickness and a conference at church.  But onto the new year!

This past weekend was Lunar New Year's (what I grew up calling Chinese New Year in the States) and we headed over to my uncle's place to celebrate.  Since we moved to Seoul, we have celebrated the major holidays at my uncle's place, since he's the oldest (and only) son.  Traditionally, this means that my aunt and her oldest daughter-in-law prepare an entire meal for the whole family.  She upholds this tradition and is an excellent cook.

My darling grandmother with the fabulous spread

Cousins.  Kara refused to wear her hanbok :(

Some of the family members eating dessert- fruit, cakes, and coffee!

Though we never celebrated the lunar new year growing up, our family did uphold the Korean new year traditions of eating ddukguk (rice cake soup), playing the yutnori game, and bowing to our elders.  In addition to these traditions, my sister & I would make mandoo (dumplings) with our parents every year on New Year's Day.  I remember waking up to the smell of the freshly cut vegetables mixed with ground beef, sesame oil, and pepper.  All morning, we would make dumplings, cook dumplings, and devour dumplings.  Such sweet times.

This year for New Year's Day, we started our own tradition this year of celebrating New Year's Day with a mandoo and ddukguk making party.  I guess that's what coming to the motherland does to you ;).  I had never made mandoo on my own before, so it was quite an adventure getting everything prepped.  On top of that, our kitchen table still hadn't arrived so we were working with side tables!  But I was blessed with wonderful friends who had more experience and made the whole experience so much fun.  It was a fabulous combination of keeping old traditions while celebrating in a new place with amazing friends.

Preparing the filling for the dumplings

All the ingredients ready to be mixed by hand

Making mandoo and passing the tradition down to our children

The final product: ddukguk with mandoo!

Some of the kids enjoying the meal

All of the kids enjoying a post-dinner movie

All of the parents- full, and ready to enjoy the new year with a game of yut!

Happy Holidays from Seoul...Christmas Style!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  This year we were blessed with a white Christmas in Seoul.  We spent the morning at home opening presents, singing Christmas carols, decorating & eating snowmen pancakes, and watching classic Christmas movies.  We then headed to church for a Christmas service.  Finally, in the evening, we headed over to the US Army base and had dinner with an embassy family- old friends of ours from Chicago!  The spread included ham, mashed potatoes, cornbread, and a fabulous homemade cheesecake topped with berries, among other delicious things.  It was such a special treat to be able to have a traditional American meal on Christmas!

By the way, if you live in Seoul and want to order a Christmas or Thanksgiving meal, you can order one from The Deli at the Dragon Hill Lodge, located on the Yongsan US Army Base.  The price is incredibly reasonable for a TON of food!  This year, it cost $109.95 for a full turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, green beans, and a pumpkin pie (enough to feed 10 people).  However, there is one catch- you have to pick up the meal from Dragon Hill.  In other words, you have to know someone who can let you on base and escort you to the Deli to pick up the meal.  Anyhow, if you are interested, here's a link to this year's info about the meal.  Also, the direct number to order the meal is: 02-6903-6716. 

For this year's holiday cards, we took photos at a park near the Han River and had a fabulous time!  Photo credit goes to Jhon Chong, an old friend of ours from college- thanks!  And for your viewing pleasure, some of the shots from our fun, though extremely cold, photoshoot:

 

 May your days be merry & bright! Happy Holidays!

Welcome to Seoul!

Our view to the east overlooking Gireum with the northern mountains as a backdrop

Near the northeast edge of the city of Seoul lies a small neighborhood called Gireum New Town, a newly renovated area that lies just north of the closest subway station.  This is where we chose to reside for our first year in South Korea.  The main street is lined with high rise apartment buildings as far as the eye can see, and our apartment was located near the top floor of one of these high rises.

Gireum's main street. Our local bus stop.

View of the street from our apt window

At street level, you can find restaurants serving anything from traditional Korean food to noodles to fresh sushi, burgers, and fried chicken- LOTS of fried chicken!  There are also bakeries and rice cake shops, fruit and vegetable stores, a butcher, stationary store, and numerous health care providers, including pharmacies, pediatricians, general practitioners, dermatologists, and dentists.

Gireum's street lined with restaurants & various shops

Our close friends recommended that we live in Gireum because we wanted to live near to each other.  However, what sealed the deal for me was the incredible variety of stores and the convenience of having everything available just an elevator ride away!  This particular set of shops shown above are actually connected to the entire set of high rises standing above it through an expansive underground parking garage.

Though the neighborhood is considered "far," sitting near the edge of the metropolitan area, it is only 5 miles to the center of Seoul.  I can't say enough about how fabulous Seoul is and am excited to share my experiences exploring this city through this blog!  I love to explore and hope to show you the best this city has to offer.  Welcome to Seoul!