or today I am writing this post just because I wanted to use that Drop Cap from the amazing blog, Daily Drop Cap. Other than that, life is good. I have my camera back, and used it this weekend. Unfortunately I haven’t even downloaded the photos. But soon, I promise! I’m just trying to keep my head above water.
Oh, and I’m going to the Yunnan province next week with 50 teenagers and a few other adults!!! Should be fun!
Seoul
For the Chinese National Holiday, Nik and I both had a week off of work, so we skipped town and headed to Seoul, South Korea. I know, I just went there two months ago….but I loved it and couldn’t wait for Nik to see it too. Plus, flights to Seoul are cheaper than any other east-Asian destination outside of China, and I am still on a 90-day visa so I had to leave. Also, neither of us had the time or energy to research a new country enough to make our visit worthwhile and relaxing, so Seoul it was.
I have already written about my view of Seoul in 5 previous posts, so I won’t bore you again. I do want to link to the new blog posts Nik has written and share a few of his photos (my camera is broken) of parts of Seoul that we experienced for the first time together. As I expected, every part of the city was better with him holding my hand.
Her Little Door
His Little Door
Day 2: Namsan Tower and Cheong Gye Cheon
Garden Spider
Our Lock of Love just two months later
Us
Cheong Gye Cheon
Trail of Hikers
Picnic Area
Dinner and Beer
Butterfly
Nik
Lotte World's Magic Island
Jewelry Shopping
A Kimchi stew restaurant near a Bus 171 stop
Metal Shops near Mullae Station
Man working with wires
Herbs and Spices at Gyeongdong Market
Roasted Chestnuts
As a little girl, I would always sit behind my Dad on family road trips in our Chevy Astro. The practical reason for this is that my Dad has the longest legs in the family, and I have the shortest. In other words, he could lean his seat back as far as he wanted without bumping into my knees. Granted, as all little girls that have been sitting in a car for more than 15 minutes would do, since his seat was so close to me, I always ended up propping my feet up on his seat. The first ten times I kicked Dad in the back, he would politely ask me to stop. Then I was given an ultimatum. “Jamie, if you don’t stop kicking my back, I’m going to pull this car over and…” You get the picture!
This is not why I loved sitting behind my Dad.
I loved sitting behind my Dad because he never tired of answering my questions. I could ask anything him about anything, and he would be able to comment in some way to further my curiosity.
Jamie “Why is the grass here greener than at home?” Dad “Because they use more fertilizers in the countryside.” “Why do they use fertilizer?” “So that the grass is greener.” “Why do they want the grass to be greener?” “Well, they don’t just want it to be greener, but they want it to grow faster.” “Why does it matter how fast it grows?” “Because these farms actually sell the grass to other people. So if it grows faster, they can cut it more often and make more money.”
“What does that machine over there do?” “It is pumping oil out of the ground.” “Do we have oil in Tennessee?” “Not that I know of.” “How do they know if there is oil in the ground?” “They drill test holes based on studies of the soil, and sometimes they’re lucky.” “Kind of like the Beverly Hillbillies?” “Yep, kind of like the Beverly Hillbillies. But normally you won’t find oil by shooting a gun into the ground. It’s normally much deeper than that.”
“Why is that car painted with yellow and black stripes?” “I think it’s an advertisement for a potato chip company.” “I thought advertisements were on billboards.” “Well, a car is like a moving billboard.” “I never thought of that.”
“Did we just pass Bucktown, Tennessee? Or are we in Alabama? I can’t find it on the map.” “We’re actually in Georgia, so go to that page. Find it?” “Yep, I got it. We’re about 60 miles from the hotel!!!” ...two minutes later… “What did that sign say?” “It said Wondertown.” “Oh, I see that one too. The next town should be Greenville.” …five minutes later… “Did you see Greenville?” “Yep, just passed the exit.” “We’re only 52 miles away now!!!”
“Are we there yet?” “Look on the map.”
(These are not exact quotes of my father’s, but are approximations)
I love asking questions, and I especially love it when my Dad has an answer. Even if it’s not the right answer. Just as long as it makes us both think a little bit more. It was probably not his intention when I was younger, but I think this is why I love traveling to foreign lands. Not that I have seen everything in America…or even in Tennessee for that matter. It’s just that the world outside of America has way more that I don’t understand. There are so many more questions to be asked, and until I see them, I don’t know that they exist. Until I see them, my Dad doesn’t know they exist.
I wish that my Dad could be with me in China. He would be so fascinated by everything, and we would have a blast figuring out why so many things are different than what we’re used to. Now that I’m a little bit older and have a little bit more life experience, I might even be able to answer some of his questions.