Catching up

Wow, we haven't updated for a really long time!  Months have come and gone.  We have since moved to another town in South Korea, Gianni has had another birthday, and Christmas passed us by.

Last August, we moved from the island of Jindo, to a town close to Gwangju called Hwasun.  It is slightly more convenient and the apartment is larger and much nicer.  Of course, we miss our South African neighbors in Jindo, but the foreigners that we have met in Hwasun are really lovely.

The building that we live in is part of a large cluster.  All the buildings look the same-- I like to call them the "Korean Projects".  Totally cookie cutter, but safe and comfortable.
Our SA neighbors in Jindo were great and living in this building made us appreciate them even more.

At least once every couple of weeks, we get a visit from a Jehova's Witness.  They can't speak English, but that doesn't stop them.  No matter how many times you tell them that you can't understand Korean, they continue to ramble like you will catch on miraculously.  The last one stuck her foot inside the door and every time I tried to pull it closed, she forced it open wider.  I had to walk away and get Brian to deal with her because I was afraid I was about to be carted away to a Korean prison for assault.  DO NOT MESS WITH ME LITTLE KOREAN LADIES.  YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW. And loud kids screaming in the hall like there is a fire...if you wake up my napping child, I will surely throw a shoe at you.


From what I can tell (sorry, stereotype coming) Koreans are packrats. They have piles of nonsense in their apartments and stacked out on their breezeway/porch/laundry room/veranda.  Some people even have the audacity to stack it out in the end of the hallway!  "I claim the end of this hallway for my own personal catch-all!"  There are boxes and office chairs and just piles and piles of STUFF.
The old lady at the end of the hall does it, but even worse....she dries food in the hall.   She puts down plastic and lays out the most foul-smelling stuff to dry and expects you not to step on it.

Believe me when I say that it smells like dirty feet.  It isn't only contained to the hallways, however.  This is a photo of people drying something in the parking lot---where people PARK and DRIVE.  If I were driving my car through here.....well, you can imagine the result.

There is a playground nearby, and a Baskin Robbins.  That is all that is necessary for our little munchkin to smile.  Even if the hallway does smell like dirty feet sometimes.  :)