amaaaaaaazing!

from this summer...

myungdong... the fashion district

...soooo many people!

skater kids

sweet what?

yep, it's a pastry shop.

Fuseo... and thoughts on design

I've had the opportunity to start my own business for design illustration... and have thoroughly enjoyed sketching here. 

The design world here consists mostly of English words, since the modern design process originated in the western world. Generally, the personalities associated with certain professions are the same here... I almost didn't expect this, but people are people.

The Asian mindset regarding design is very different than what one experiences in the States. Here, theory and ideation is the most important part. Completing the task commences only when all the ideas are decided upon. Their critiques are key to every project here. For my first project here, every afternoon at 2pm we had a four hour crit to discuss the newest ideas.

Green building is an up-and-coming notion here. They want to learn from us as it is not yet commonplace to consider the environmental impact this industry creates. Along with that, codes here are much less stringent, or maybe not enforced to the level a westerner would expect, so buildings go up at an unbelievable rate. When we moved into our brand-new apartment, for example, the toxic adhesives made me extremely nauseous. Standards exist here, more in theory than actuality, however. I've learned much from the detail-oriented mindset, and they've benefited from my ability to think critically and see how the little details fit within the larger picture. I introduced to them the idea of organizing a project based on who is to complete which task. I also introduced to them a corporate interiors 'program' and 'concept' with which to base design decisions. We can learn a great deal from one another.

the do...

Several of you have asked me to put up a picture of what the short haircut looks like. First of all, you must know that when you say "blonde" here, there are not many of us, so the hair stylist (and he's great) had only one color in mind... It's my new married look. I'm trying the more sophisticated hair style so people will quit thinking I'm in junior high :)

6 months married.... 5 months asian

Can't believe it's been half a year already! Married... and thoroughly loving it. There are always challenges to living in a foreign country, things don't always function the way one would expect when in a different culture. Those things will continue... where you live is simply a backdrop to life. And in any circumstance, whether it be stimulating or overwhelming, challenging or dull, you have to choose what to let yourself be frustrated with and what to allow your mind to focus on.

We've seen it as such a blessing to be away for the first season of married life. There are less distractions and obligations. We have the opportunity to spend a ton of time together and establish what we want our relationship to be like. It seems totally normal to be married here; everyone knows us as married in Seoul. We've met some incredible friends including some other young married couples who have served as a rad encouragements to us. I still wake up many days and say to myself with a smile, "I'm married!" That's usually followed by... "and I live in Korea?" Never would have guessed.

We've been stretched and challenged in new ways... yet to sit here at six months knowing we have the rest of our lives together, is exciting. Wouldn't have chosen any other way.

This was the morning of our Thanksgiving dinner with our friends here. I was so impressed with the spread... there are some excellent cooks among us [um, I'm not one of them... yet]. And..... we set up our 3' tall Christmas tree :)

new bikes!

We have a projection screen in our living room... so Matt found a kid selling a projector at a good price and went to pick it up. An hour later, I get a phone call and Matt can hardly hold down his excitement. The kid was moving a week later, so he was eager to get rid of some of his stuff. The kid asked Matt to look around his room, "Anything else here that you want?" We ended up with a really nice Boese stereo system, and the kid's Motorcyle to name a few...

We also bought me a scooter and a SWEET helmet. When we were at the scooter shop last week, the mechanic laughed at me in his condescending Korean style, and told me it was an "old man scooter." Whatever, it's black and says Super Cab Racing on the side. I like it.

Autumn in Seoul

Beijing....

We spent the weekend in Beijing... fascinating. The oppression is so evident. The poverty of a people that want to be free lurks on every street corner. They are trapped in their current state with little opportunity to pursue their dreams. It was heartbreaking to see. We had several opportunities to spend time with people who spoke English, which allowed us a little glimpse into their culture. It is one in which often they live in fear... if one doesn't comply, they just might 'disappear'... and nobody seems to know what exactly that means.

The sights... the history... unbelievable. The architectural scale rivals that of Rome. The grandeur and gold-plated richness that oozes from the Forbidden City, the Ming Tombs, Tien'anmen Square, the Temple of Heaven... while the common people were starving. It's a stark contrast, even today, to see the wealth and power that an elect few posses while the vast majority are barely scraping by. For example, today a surgeon will be living in the dingy, bug-infested basement bunk room of the hospital... and on average everyone makes about $400 each month. We visited four factories (ones that the governemtn wanted us to see) and the working conditions were awful. We can only imagine what the factories are like that they DON'T show you.

The city is scrambling to get ready for this event where the entire world's eyes will be on Beijing. The Olympic Village is incredible. They are planting trees and flowers, erecting thousands of buildings, and have impressive architecture for the Olympic events. Within the last year, they have worked really hard to beautify their city and make it more friendly to visitors.

The Great Wall is 62,ooo miles long... now, for reference, driving from Denver to Phoenix is a mere 1,ooo miles..............

At the Silk Market, the girls you bargain with are hillarious. When you offer them a price for something, you hear "You're joking! You trying to cheat me?!! You have a kicking body! What's your 'a little more' finished price?"... they're fun.

Amazing trip. The history is fascinating, the people are friendly and a lot of fun to interact with.It makes you take a step back and realize again and again how blessed we are to live in a country in which freedom and opportunity reign.

Beijing Photos

The mod urban flat.........

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 

the W seoul... i'm moving in.

The summer is coming to a close and it has been a whirlwind looking back and seeing everything we have done! We're getting settled in, have met some great friends, and are enjoying our lives here... Here are some pics!

a sunset our our 28th story window...














there are people everywhere... even at the top of a mountain, there's a line.