It took a few weeks to register with me, but this country is always prepared for war. There's things in the bridges and tunnels to slow down an invasion, surface to air missiles on some of the tall buildings, military members walking the streets and a huge Army post in the middle of Seoul.
I guess if you don't look for them you don't see them, but amazing how prepared this place is for a war that will probably never come. They have 18-month mandatory service for all Korean males, and it's no picnic, either. They have corporal punishment in their military so you can get physically hit for the slightest infraction. No wonder they're so good about saluting around here! The KATUSA (Korean Attached To US Army) Soldiers are the ones that speak the best English and it's seen as a good assignment to earn your $60 a month working as an admin clerk instead of drilling and marching up on the DMZ. And you don't see as many military people on the buses and subways in the US as you do around here. So they really are prepped for war here in a way the US really doesn't have to be. I need to get off the war thing, but it's why I'm here, really. I'll have to see the places north of here and what they look like- there's a lot of defensive lines cut into the terrain, so I'll have to take pics of them and post them on here.
On a plus note, the kids started school. Julie gets a break now and only has Violet around to worry about. It's nice, because she'll get all caught up on 5 years of scrapbooking that she's way behind on. Not to mention, she can just relax now. The school here seems to be really good and it's on base, so it's safe and secure. They have school buses that come off-post and pick the kids up so it's really easy to get them to school. I have been riding my bicycle to work the last few days, and it's been really nice to do so. No real traffic, either. In fact, what meakes it so easy is that I can skip most of the busy traffic by going under the roads in the subway tunnel at Ichon Station. People look at me a little funny, but it's OK- I'm not the one paying 1000 Won to get to work. Another thing that makes Korea so nice is the cheap transportation. Japan sure ain't that cheap! It's at least 8 bucks to get around Tokyo. Anyway, I carry my bike up and down the stairs, ride onto the base and I'm good. It's really nice. And then I don't have to worry about finding a parking place around the office, either. That's just annoying how crummy the parking is around here. At least with a bike, it's really easy to park next to the door.
2 comments:
I am glad Julie is going to have a little Julie time. Are the kids liking school? Will the take Korean?
They won't learn it like I wish they would. The local kids at the apartment could teach them, but they want to speak English, so it doesn't help them. Either way, I wish there was a way cheap, fast way to teach them, but maybe in 10 years Spencer will be back here and he can learn it then. They like school so far, so it's not too bad. And Julie is so much more relaxed.
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