From Jungneungcheon to Jungrangcheon

Those are two names of streams that are really hard to Romanize!

Jungneungcheon stream, right outside our window here in Dongdaemun-gu is pretty ugly. It's covered with an overpass, is usually nothing but a trickle, and is littered with garbage. However it is under construction, a four year project, and it's starting to look better every day. I think it is going to look something like Cheongyecheon. They've already got up a walking bridge, some wooden platforms, and some greenery. It's too bad we won't be able to enjoy it after listening to all that construction every day.

Jungneungcheon right now:

View from our window:

Outside our door in Uijeongbu we will have Jungrangcheon, which is in better condition. It's been left pretty natural. There is a walking path up higher on the banks, and near the water is a cycling path. It's very quiet. I look forward to walking there. I went to the new place yesterday by myself to do some measuring and take notes of what needs to be done. The list is quite daunting. The place is spacious, but some things are need of fixing up. Most of the light fixtures are missing, as well as the light switch plates. The wallpaper in the master bedroom is pretty bad, and all the woodwork is painted a bright blue. We're going back to Uijeongbu tomorrow to talk to interior places to get some estimates. The owner has agreed to replace the fixtures and do the basics, but we'll have to pay for the woodwork. If it weren't this awful shade of blue I would just try to live with it, but it's unacceptable. There's a lot of work to be done.

Ours is the building on the left:

View from our dirty window:

The Big 6 Months

Grace was born 6 months ago from today. This is an exciting day because it feels like both of us have grown so much. Three months was kind of anti-climactic because I expected things to be so much different, but she was still just a little baby. I was still feeling a bit uncomfortable in my role as a mom. It's not that I wasn't enjoying it -- it's just that I didn't feel that confident in what I was doing. I was constantly feeling like an idiot and questioning my decisions, when in fact, looking back, I was doing quite well.

The early days:

I now have a very happy and healthy six month old girl who is surprising me every day with what she can do. NOW things are happening! The developments are very visible now. I also feel a lot more confident about how I'm raising this baby. I realize that how I do things may be different from how another mom does things, but that's okay. I know Grace and what she needs and I'll do whatever I have to do to meet those needs.

Here's what my chunky girl does:

-She smiles whenever she sees me.

-She rolls intentionally. Before it was random and seemed kind of accidental. Now I can almost see the wheels turning when she's about to roll: I see. I want. I roll there.

-She notices EVERYTHING. She loves my cell phone. When she sees it she holds out her hands and whines. When I eat something different than she eats, she reaches out. Nothing gets by her anymore.

-She eats well. She doesn't seem to be a picky eater. Tonight for dinner she had sweet potato and some rice mixed with pureed peas and carrots. Ate it all. Even when she doesn't seem to enjoy something, she opens her mouth for more.

-She notices other babies. She looks curiously at other children and what they're doing. Today we were in the nursing room at Homeplus when another mom and her daughter came in. There was no more eating, as Grace could not keep her eyes off the other girl.

-She's figuring things out. I have a small bucket of rattles. She can pass a rattle from one hand to the other. One of the rattles also spins. The other day I caught her holding the rattle in one hand and using the other to spin it slowly. I didn't know she could do that.

-She's learning to sit up. She loves trying, but she's still really wobbly.

-She laughs whenever I take my hair down from a ponytail. She thinks it's hilarious that I can sometimes have long crazy hair.

-She can "swim" to the top of her crib. A few times I've gone to pick her up and she's been crunched up at the top of her crib on her side, looking at her bumpers.

There's a lot of other things she can do, but these come to mind right now. This is definitely a fun age.

We still have our sleep challenges, but I take it one day at a time. I have a feeling she's working on something in the sleep department, so we'll see. Sleep is definitely something she doesn't like doing, but she's getting enough and that's the main thing. Now if only I would focus as much on my sleep...

Anyway, happy six months, Grace!

Contract signed

Well, it's official. We're moving to Uijeongbu. I know some people think I'm nuts, but for some reason I have a good feeling. A big selling point with this apartment is its location. It's a stone's throw from Mangwolsa Station and literally right next to a small river with a great walking/bicycle path. Supposedly there is a sports centre nearby with a swimming pool. It will be nice to have a quiet place to walk Grace in the nice weather without having to take any subways, buses, or taxis. We'll probably get bikes next year, and I'd like to hike the nearby mountains in the fall.

Sure, it's not Seoul, but it's not that far from Seoul. Today was my second time there and again I didn't find the ride too bad. Most of the trip is above ground, so you can see outdoors. We didn't time it, but I'd say it takes roughly 45 minutes from Dongdaemun Station to Mangwolsa Station. There are express trains during rush hour, too. So if I need to come in to Seoul for an afternoon to, say, go yarn shopping and grab some lunch, or meet some moms for coffee, it won't be too bad.

As for business, we'll see. There were plenty of kids running around the complex today toting their little hakwon backpacks. There isn't as much money in Uijeongbu as there is in Seoul, but I plan on charging what's written on our tutoring licenses from the Ministry of Education anyway. Time will tell. Mommy Cha has given me some excellent pointers on doing a home school, which I'm really grateful for. Although our trip to Canada in August is kind of bad timing (we'll miss the beginning of the semester), we'll have five weeks to spend relaxing with my family, planning our little study room, and picking up materials.

Moving day is August 1st. Before that day, the place will have to be cleaned and the woodwork and doors really need repainting (they're a crazy bright blue right now).

Wow... I can't believe it's pouring again. There was a great thunderstorm last night, and here comes another! Hello monsoon season!

An "Ah, Korea!" moment

Today was the day Sejin went to Uijeongbu to sign the apartment contract. He left early because he has to work tonight. As he was getting on the train to leave, he called the real estate agent.

SJ: I'm leaving for Uijeongbu to sign the contract now, okay?

Agent: Okay, see you soon.


When he arrives, the agent greets him and informs him that the owner and the current tennants have changed their mind -- they no longer want to move.

SJ: Why didn't you tell me this before I came all the way to Uijeongbu?

Agent: I didn't want to ruin your day.

So I guess she figured he would enjoy the long boring train ride to Uijeongbu during his free time before work. Aigo...

But never fear, she says, there is another unit available in the same building, same layout. So that's why she still wanted him to come. Only thing is, the owner is not willing to repaper and floor the place. Hmmm, this will take some thought.

Grace and I just got back from Homeplus. I was bored and figured she needed a teething ring as she has her hands in her mouth all the time now and is making these really weird movements with her mouth. I also picked up some kind of mesh feeding device so she can feed herself, as well as yet another sippy cup. The Nuby I bought isn't working out. It's so hard to suck any liquid out of it -- even I can't! I bought a Nuk brand one today, so we'll see.
Look at the gums on this kid:
By the way, happy Canada Day! (taken a couple of months ago)

Cuteness.

Twice the cuteness with two babies.
Grace and Francisco, born a couple of weeks apart.

Francisco is a little bundle of energy. His parents couldn't believe how calm Grace is. I didn't really think Grace was that calm until I met Francisco. But he's a happy, cute energetic, not grumpy. His hair is so awesome. It's long and curly in the front, but the back has completely fallen out. His daddy says little Fancisco is a big hit with the ladies while out and about in Korea.

This was an exciting playdate because the babies actually noticed each other. They looked at each other curiously...

Uijeongbu it is

We've settled on a place. It's only the second place I've looked at, but Sejin has looked at a bunch and I trust his judgement. He says the places I didn't see were pretty crappy. I'm glad I didn't waste my time going to see them all. Here's how this place rates on my criteria:


1. Accessibility. It's about a 5 minute walk from Mangwolsa station on line one. A little far from Seoul, but I can ride line one into Dongdaemun in about 45 minutes I guess. I'm sure there are buses as well.
2. Spaciousness. It's a bit bigger than what we've got -- 32 pyeong. I'm going to miss our current bathroom though. It's so bright and modern. The one at the new place is all right. It has a small bathtub. I'll get by.
3. Environment. The air is cleaner up there -- I noticed that while riding in on the train. The surrounding mountains (Suraksan and Dobongsan, I think) are very pretty. Our building is located a 2 minute walk from a small river with a bicycle/walking path, so I'll have somewhere to walk Grace, and perhaps get some exercise myself. I may buy some rollerblades next spring, who knows. I hear there's also a swimming pool nearby.
4. Job prospects. It's a big complex with 900 units, and another huge complex right next to it, so we'll see.

Another good thing is that the owner is going to put up new wallpaper and install new flooring at his own cost. We would have had to do that ourselves at the Bucheon place.

It's kind of exciting! That was only the second time I've been to Uijeongbu in seven years! I'm kind of looking forward to getting to know a new area. I'm sure there are lots of Western restaurants and conveniences downtown near Uijeongbu Station because of the American base there.

Hopefully the deal goes through officially. Sejin goes to sign the contract and put 10% of the cheonse down on Tuesday. As I've learned in Korea, a lot can happen in that short period of time, so fingers crossed...I don't want to keep looking.

Moving day will probably be sometime in early August. We want to move as soon as possible because we go on vacation to Canada August 11. But the current tennants don't want to leave 'til August 5. Then the wallpaper and floor installation. We may be just moving in and then heading to Canada a few days later. Moving is never easy.

Choosing a new home

This is never easy, no matter where you live or how much money you have. There are so many factors to take into consideration. Living in or near Seoul, there are even more criteria. For me in my situation, the things to consider are:

1. Accessibility. We don't drive, so it would be nice to live near a subway station and/or major bus stops
2. Spaciousness. I'm a Westerner. I like a big home.
3. Environment. It would be so nice to live near a park rather than an ongoing construction site. Also, since we don't have a car, nearby shopping, like a Homeplus or Emart, would be excellent.
4. Job prospects. We're thinking or using our tutoring licenses to start a home school. We need to be in an area with lots of families and schools for this to work.

There are other things of course, but these are the biggies. I've tried to put these criteria in order of importance to me, but it's really hard.

Yesterday we looked at a place in Bucheon, near Yeokgok Station. This place rates poorly in accessibility. You have to get out of the station, walk to the bus stop, take a maul (village) bus (about 5-10 min), get off near the complex and walk up to the complex (about 5-10 min). I could see myself just opting to stay home a lot, especially in really cold or hot weather. It's also old. The flooring and wallpaper would have to be replaced. The cupboards should be changed too, but I'm not sure that's in our budget.

The up side? It's the biggest complex in Bucheon, containing 3000 units. It's huge. It could be a goldmine for teaching opportunities. Sejin's aunt lives in this complex and says that word travels fast through such places and she's confident we could get a lot of students.

Here's another one. Sejin saw a brand new officetel near Bucheon Station. New, spacious, modern, beautiful. 5 minutes to the station, fitness centre inside, etc. Downside: location. There are not a lot of schools in the immediate area or apt complexes nearby. Not enough potential students.

This is the dilemma. It seems we just can't have everything -- you need serious money to have that. I'm afraid of taking a place in the middle of nowhere so that we can get students and end up hating living there because I feel isolated. On the other hand, we could take a nice place, like the officetel, and then find that life is inconvenient because we have to travel to find students rather than have them come to us.

When Grace wakes up we're going to Uijeongbu to look at a place Sejin likes. In a complex, and a little more accessible than the other place, near a park, but not near any shopping. Maybe we should just get a car...

Crossroads

Warning: The following post may make no sense.

We've got a 5-month-old baby (that's the good part!), no jobs (well, just part-time non-permanent stuff), we've got to move in a month, we don't know where to move, we're going to Canada in August, we don't know exactly what to do when we get back, I'm getting tired of living in a small apartment in Seoul surrounded by concrete and construction, I haven't done much professional development in recent years, I have insomnia.

I've been having these panicky moments lately where I'm like -- OMG, I'm nearly 30 and I don't know what I'm doing with my life. And I reflect. I'm not one to toot my own horn, but I was once good at a few things. I was accepted into the music program in uni, major instrument saxophone, minor instrument piano. I won the technical award when I graduated high school for my work in architectural drafting. I received a letter from the Dean for getting the highest mark in my French program in uni.

Fast forward to today. I don't play the saxophone and rarely play the piano. I'm not an architect. I don't speak French at all anymore. I have a BA in English (with honours), and that's about it. Bugger All.

So I hate that I find myself in this situation. I have all these "I wish I would haves" and "I should haves."

I didn't intend to stay in Korea this long. I got my honours in English so that I could enroll in graduate studies when I returned to Canada some day. Then I met Sejin. It was the best thing that could have happened and I don't regret staying, but I think we should have set some clearly defined goals for the future. Instead we've just been letting the years pass by... Yes, years pass by inevitably, but I only wish they were more productive.

I suppose it's no use whining about it. It's just that the next several years seem so daunting because I feel like we are going to have to start from square one. Both Sejin and I need more education. We need to get good jobs, hopefully ones that we like. We need to make sure Grace is happy through all of this. We need to decide which country we are going to live in.

But which decision to start with?

This post is definitely not going to help my insomnia. I've got work to do...

I'll post a picture. I think this is pretty funny. Grace looks huge here. Last time we had her weighed she was 8.5 kg or 18 lbs 11 oz. I think her weight will level out soon. It has to. I was carrying her like this because it's a kind of stretching exercise for her torticollis.

House hunting in land of the morning jackhammer

There has been construction going on here for the past several months. It's almost sent me over the edge a few times. These days, the super huge jackhammer truck starts doing its thing both in the morning, and around 4:00 every day, right around the time Grace needs her late afternoon nap to get her through 'til bedtime. When this nap doesn't happen, bath and bedtime aren't fun and it's harder to put her down. She finally went to sleep just now, thankfully. Hopefully she's getting used to the constant racket around here.

Speaking of bedtime, we're majorly off schedule now. I'm so disappointed. For a while now, Grace has been doing wonderfully, going to sleep around 7:00, waking around 12am and 4am to eat, and up at 7 or 8am for the day. This gives me time to do my work at night and veg out. But we took an impulsive out-of-town trip the other day to go house hunting and didn't make it back home 'til 9:30pm. Surprise, surprise, she wouldn't go down last night 'til 9:45pm. Lesson learned: get your butt back home in time for bedtime, especially with a young baby. Even one night can throw them way off.

We've been looking at places in Bucheon. Housing prices are good and many places are new. It's a 1/2 hour bus ride in to Seoul Station. Lots of schools. Parks, too. We're also going to check out Ilsan and Uijeongbu, but we're leaning towards Bucheon mainly because of location. It's so close to Seoul. The Mok-dong area is very close, too, and there are tonnes of jobs there.

Sejin has the hard part of doing the actual hunting. He will narrow down the list of potential places and I will go and view them another day. Then comes the fun part of showing up and seeing whether me being non-Korean has any affect on our negotiations. In the past, owners have expressed concern over renting to foreigners, as apparently foreigners are irresponsible and noisy. Strange, as my current Korean neighbors (beside and above and below) are incredibly noisy, coming in at all hours, slamming doors, shouting in the hallway, cleaning house at 1am, etc, etc. Whatev.

Crap, she's up!! The fun begins. The question is, do I go about bedtime routine as usual, starting around 6pm, or work down from last night's 9:45 bedtime? Hmmm.

Torti-freaking-collis

If Grace was big enough to eat ice cream she would definitely deserve it for how good she was today. We spent a good portion of the afternoon at the hospital. A few weeks ago, we went to St. Paul's Hospital, a big hospital near our place. There she had an ultrasound on her neck which confirmed that her neck muscles are indeed the same size. We saw a physiotherapist who obviously doesn't see a lot of babies. She didn't give me much to work with as far as exercises go. That visit didn't sit quite right with us, so we decided to try a bigger hospital today, Seoul Adventist Hospital.

The pediatrician at SAH also felt her neck and said the muscles feel fine. And I agree. Grace can lean her head right; I catch her doing it once in a blue moon...she just doesn't do it very often. This pediatrician said that there are usually three reasons for head leaning. 1-muscular (mostly ruled out) 2-vision (one eye isn't working properly so baby leans head to compensate). 3-mental (this doesn't seem likely because Grace is bright and alert).

So, we saw an eye doctor (actually two...they were a team since they too don't get a lot of infants!). They did some tests, like covering one eye at a time and getting her to follow objects. They also looked at her eyes. Their conclusion what that her eyes seem normal, but they also added that it's often very difficult to tell when babies are so young. They gave us some eye patches and told us to do the same sorts of things with her and see if we notice anything strange.

So, this is all very unsettling. She is obviously still leaning left, so what is the reason? I've been googling "torticollis" and "head leaning" and it seems there are other reasons for head leaning. We have not been referred to a bone specialist, strangely. I've read about a condition called Klippel-Feil Syndrome, where some of the vertebrae at the base of the neck are abnormally shaped, causing the spine/neck to curve. It can be treated. There is also hip dysplasia. There are many other things, according to this informative webpage from the Seattle Children's Hospital.

So it was another unsatisfying hospital visit. And worse, the longer I go with no answers, the more my brain gets carried away with thinking the worst. Today at the mention of vision problems I instantly thought of Sejin's poor brother who has a condition which has caused him to go nearly blind in one eye. But that's jumping to conclusions...

Next on the hospitals to visit list is Seoul National University Hospital. I think I'm going to push to get an X-ray, or even an MRI. I want to know what's going on.