Saturday was my final hanji people class. I had my teacher all to myself since it was a warm and rainy day which kept the crowds from the palace. This photo is what my hanji people looked like to begin with.
Here my teacher is showing me how to attach the hanji to the body form.
I was able to snap this quick picture of my hanji teacher.
Here si what they look like when I finished. I also have a display case for them.
Nan-Young showed up about an hour after I did. She is still busy working at the palace.
The hanji teacher brought me a little container of kimchi even though I told her I would only be in my apartment another week. It was delicious so I'm glad she brought it for me.
Rocketman returned from Japan with this Japanese candy. It's hard candy and I gave it to my friend, Hannah for her nieces and nephew.
Rocketman also brought his Kindle home and promply took it apart. It fell into the bathtub while he was in Japan not once but twice. It was sitting on the edge of the tube when it accidently fell in. He took it out immediately but as he did that, the Kindle fell out of it's case and back into the tub.
When he got home he went onto the interview and found a video by a guy who took his Kindle apart and was describing the parts. Rocketman was in heaven and loved every minute of that video but alas, it didn't helpt him bring his Kindle back to life. So guess what I'll be ordering as soon as we arrive back home?
It's funny because I bought it as a birthday present for Rocketman a few years ago even though he had no desire to own one. But I felt it was perfect for him with all the travel he does and in the back of my mind I thought that if he didn't want I would use it. But as soon as he got it he LOVED it so I was happy. He was really bummed about the whole situation and wonders how Amazon will handle the books he already purchased but I told him we'll figure that out too when we get home. We just have too much going on right now. I can't believe the movers are coming in just three days!!
It's the year of the Black Dragon something that only occurs every 60 years. I'm hoping for a great year for everyone. It will be a new beginning for us with our move back to the U.S. I haven't driven a car in a long time so that should be interesting.
Rocketman is at a photography class today and tomorrow but my Korean friend Hannah is coming down and should be here anytime. It will be a day of great food and great conversation. I've spent the day gathering all my hanji into one spot for careful packing by the movers and also bagging up all our liquids and gels. They have filled a small suitcase. I never knew we had to many until I went around and gathered everything.
Friday was my last hanji class so we all went out for lunch. My favorite hanji gal, Tae-Soon, had just gotten back from visiting her daughter who lives in China. I hadn't seen her for a few months and I was so glad she got back in time for me to say goodbye.
We went to a restaurant very near to the hanji shop, but off the beaten path. It was in a hanok that had been modernized but still had that old charm of days gone by.
My hanji teacher is on the far end, and that is Hannah, her daughter, next to her. Hannah had recently returned from a year in Canada. Her English is really good.
We took quite a few pictures and then the food arrived.
It went on and on and on. I loved it all too.
This dish had jellyfish in it and I have always been afraid to try jellyfish. But they really wanted me to try it and I did. I was surprised at the taste and texture. It wasn't bad and if I hadn't known it was jellyfish, I would have eaten more.
Can you believe the food? And this was only the beginning.
Finally some kimchi but it can at the end of lunch and I was too full to eat more than a few pieces but it was also delicious.
Dessert
The outside of the restaurant.
We went back to hanji for some coffee and some of the girls got back to work. This is a light that one of them is working on.
I also got my finished jewelry box. It turned out beautiful.
Inside.
Top
Then they gave me a bunch of gifts. The pencil holder was made by my hanji teacher.
Another gal gave me these hanji shoes she had made in my favorite color.
My hanji teacher also gave me a business card holder. Rocketman is using the one that I had made.
Tan-Soo made these hanji bowls for me. They are breathtaking. She is such a talented lady.
Here is a closeup. She made the flowers herself. The center is an old time coin design.
She also gave me this letter that her son-in-law translated for her. He is Chinese but knows English. I will cherish it forever.
More presents from hanji girls. This is a cross-stitch design.
My hanji teacher also gave me a hanbok for my grandson, Noah. I can't wait to see him in it and I'll be sure to send her a picture of him in it.
I also got a key holder. The keys are hidden on the inside.
And finally, this wonderful letter from Hannah. She was embarassed thinking her written English was poor but I read the letter and told her she wrote great. This was when I got emotional. I was really trying to keep it together but the letter was too much for me. I gathered my things and made a hasty retreat thanking them for all their kindness they had shown me through the year I was with them. It is something I will never forget. I just wish the goodbyes were over but they are just beginning. It's going to be a difficult week.
My dear friend, Hellena, arrived in Korea for just a couple of days and I got to spend Thursday with her. She is a flight attendant with Quatar and she lives in Doha. She rarely gets to Korea so I was thrilled to see her one last time before we leave.
She always loves to take me to new places and had decided to take me to Chuncheon which is about an hour and a half East of Seoul for lunch. She was pouring over subways and bus routes when her boyfriend took pity on her and took a "sick"day to take us in his car. I took the bus to Seoul and they picked me up at Sadang Station. We also picked up one of Hellena's friends.
Chuncheon is famous for dakgalbi which is a spicy chicken dish. In Chuncheon, there are tons of dakgalbi restaurants but Hellena's boyfriend knew which one was the best and that is where we went. It wasn't much to look at from the outside.
Or the inside for that matter.
But it's all about the food and I know from back home that some of the worst looking dives have the best food.
I was unprepared for how much food they brought. I thought this could feed a small army and to prove my point shortly after we arrived, a bunch of guys with military uniforms came in to eat too.
This is what it looked like as it was cooking. It smelled delicious.
Afterwards we went to a nearby dam to look around. It was really beautiful.
Next we had to find a coffee shop in downtown Chuncheon because that is what you do when you eat a HUGE meal in Korea. The girls were remarking that you could really tell we were in the country and I asked why. They told me to look at how people were dressed. Women had on jeans and tennis shoes. I didn't see one person wearing high heels. They told me that is how you can tell you are in the country. Hmm.
Then it was back to Seoul and we dropped Hellena's friend off in Gangnam. The traffic was horrible. We were meeting Hellena's flatmate from Doha for dinner who also happened to be in Korea at the same time .
We went to, of course, a very famous restaurant for Chinese food. There was already a long line of people waiting but when the owner saw me, he immediately found us a table. We all felt bad about it and didn't want to be treated differently. The owner also kept a special eye on our table and we wanted for nothing.
This picture is me with Hellena and her boyfriend. He really was a trooper and never complained once.
I ate maybe two small bowls of food. I was still stuffed from lunch but someone they managed to finish everything.
Hellena and me waiting for of all things after all that food, ice cream. I told them not to get me any but they did anyway and I could only eat one small bite. I was sooooo full.
We even managed to find my favorite store, Art Box, and I bought a few things. The thing in the lower left corner is a passport holder and Hellena told me I had to have one. It's what all Koreans do and you know me if all Koreans are doing it, so am I. I took the subway all the way back to Suwon Station for the first time with Hellena making sure I got on the right one. The Incheon subway and the Suwon subway are on the same track. How confusing is that! I got to Suwon Station, caught the 777 bus after a few minutes and made it home shortly after 10 pm.
Hellena flies back to Doha on Saturday but returns on Monday. She invited us to her sister's house for Seollal and her mom is going to cook for us. I'm so excited and can't wait. Rocketman is flying back tomorrow afternoon so he will be in town too.
Rocketman informed me that his Kindle is not waterproof. He has a habit of reading in the tub and guess what happened? He dropped it. So I got another thing added to the growing list of things we need when we return to the States.
Here are a couple of videos I took of the dakgalbi:
I'm the Constant Crafter looking for adventures in the world of crafts. I spent three years living in South Korea where I explored my love of Korean crafts.
