MERRY CHRISTMAS

December started with us  heading into Seoul to watch Mamma Mia - so much fun!  It was the West End production, so it was lovely listening to British accents, with one Australian thrown in for good measure!!

It's Winter, so it's time for the snow to return.  So far, we have had a few cold days, but generally it's been bearable weather - the snow is certainly very pretty to look at, but icy sidewalks are no fun, and the wind can be so uncomfortably cold it's an effort to go out there.  That's something to look forward to after Christmas - for now, we'll enjoy each day that is still reaching into the positives, even if it's not by much.

We've had a couple of decent snow falls, so I'll add some photos of the world around us - makes me think a white Christmas would be lovely sometime.....

Looking straight down from our apartment!

The playground at our apartment complex.

In Gangnam (southern Seoul), on my way home one day.

Looking towards our apartment building.

This is what the local kids do on a weekend at this time of year - snowball fights and sledding down the sidewalk!!!

Snow AND fairy lights!!!  Very pretty!!!

I have been introduced to many new things this year - mostly Korean, but some great American customs too!!  Thanksgiving is an occasion I think Australians could introduce - getting together with family, without the commercialism that accompanies Christmas!!  And COOKIE EXCHANGES!!!  (We could rename them "Biscuit Exchanges"...) Each of us brought a tin/box/container of cookies and we divided them up, so we all ended up with a selection to take home - this was such a lovely thing to do, and we even gave some cookies to the workers in the coffee shop we were in.....

We exchanged "White Elephant" gifts

Leanne Schultz did the most amazing decorations on hers!

Over the past few weeks, we've spent time together with Russell's work colleagues and their families.  We had lunch at an Indian restaurant in Suwon one day with the work people, lunch with Sunny and her family another day, and coffee with Dr Kim and his family just last weekend.  So much fun!!

How cute are these kids!!!

Dr Kim's little girl, 지유 (Jiyoo)

A little bit of Christmas in Korea:

Our apartment is the ONLY
one I've seen with
Christmas lights!

At Alice's school - the man isn't
an elf, he's one of the school
guards.

This is at AK Plaza, a large
shopping centre near our home.

 ... and just to prove that Russ came Christmas shopping with us...... 

... in the snow...

And so ends our 2nd year living in Korea.  We are leave tomorrow evening for 3 weeks in Australia (Summertime!!!) - Christmas in Maleny with Russell's Mum, then Canberra with my family (and New Year in Leeton!!) and the last 5 days at Kiama, right near the beach.

If you don't live in Korea, please please please come and visit us in 2014 if you can.  We have beds available for you, and love having visitors!! 

The Reinke family wishes all of our family and friends a very Happy Christmas.  We hope you take the opportunity to spend time with people during this season, eating, drinking, talking, laughing, crying, listening..... tell people you love them, you appreciate them, you miss them!!  Say hi to strangers!  

Thank you for your friendship and love this year!!

Kimchi making in Kimchi land!!!

One of the most amazing experiences and privileges I have ever had is to make kimchi with a wonderful Korean family in Buan.  This is something that only happens in Korea, and most foreigners don't get the opportunity.

Kimchi is a side dish that is ALWAYS served with meals in Korea, often with a number of other side dishes too.  It is made with cabbage and a chilli/garlic/fish/onion sauce (and probably lots of stuff I don't even know about......), and traditionally families made enough kimchi to last a whole year.  These days, many families no longer make it themselves, but buy it.

Our friend, Erickson, organised for about 16 of us to visit his grandmother (Mrs Yoon) one weekend in November, and together with his mother and 2 aunties, we spent Saturday morning helping.

We arrived Friday evening, and Mrs Yoon had organised for us to sleep in the Community Centre - this was a privilege too, as the locals gather there socially every evening, and they gave this up for us.....  These photos show us in the main room, and there were 2 smaller rooms to each side - we all slept on mats on the warm floor!  Fun for 1 night!

  

We were greeted at Mrs Yoon's home with a traditional Korean breakfast!!

Russell, Heather and Sara on the walk from the Community Centre
to Mrs Yoon place. 

Mrs Yoon had planted over 200 cabbages in her small garden, and the day before we arrived they had been picked, salted and ready for us to go!! The chilli paste was ready for us to add garlic, fermented fish (I think) and some green leaves (from some vegetable which will remain nameless, since I have no idea.....).

Tarp laid out, ready for the cabbages....

This is the chilli sauce, with crushed garlic on top, ready to mix in.

Mixing the sauce... note the gloves!! 

Cabbages on the tarp, paste at the ready, Mrs Yoon
demonstrating how to wipe the past on the cabbage - one leaf at a time!!

...and off we went - Mrs Yoon stayed where she was the whole time, us foreigners had to keep getting up and stretching our legs and backs!!!

Heather looking like she's working....
but the fact that she is standing up indicates otherwise......

When we were finished, we filled up the containers we had brought (so we could take some home) and the rest were put into containers for Erickson's family to take home.  I really hope some stayed with Mrs Yoon!!!!

We were then treated to lunch - boiled pork and fried bacon plus side dishes!  Yum!

Erickson and his lovely Mum!

Here we are, at the end of the day, with Mrs Yoon in the middle!!

Thank you to Erickson for organising such a wonderful experience for us, and to his Grandmother, Mother and Aunts for helping us all day!!  We'll never forget this one!