Costco

I love Costco.  In the States, Costco is spread out and huge with a huge parking lot.  In Korea, Costco is also huge.  But instead of out it goes up.  The bottom floor is electronics and clothing and the second floor is food and the food court.  Then there are three floors of parking.  The food court is kind of the same as the food court in the US.  They have all the same stuff plus a few other things.  Pizza in Korea is much different.  At Costco, everyone puts onions, tons and tons of onions, ketchup, and mustard on the pizza.  Lucas' first observation was "Why does it smell like mustard in here?"  Well, now we know.  Seeing the onions, ketchup, and mustard on pizza here has me wondering what kind of stuff I eat that other people think is crazy.  

Since the stores are all built up there are cart escalators to help you move from floor to floor.  Everyone is so polite and there is an employee at the end of each escalator to help you get the cart off.

cart escalator and yes, those shoes are on the wrong feet- he likes them that way

Costco is pretty much the same.  Lots of electronics, clothes, bulk toilet paper.  The food here is awesome.  Anything that is packaged or anything that is an American brand is super expensive.  I was told there's a big import tax which is why stuff seems so expensive.  Some of it is worth it to have the brands we're used to but most stuff just seems expensive.  More than actually buying stuff I just like looking around.  I think I'll always be amazed at how big the stores are here.

Spam is very popular here.  Very, very popular.  Like, lets-make-a-gift-set popular.

Spam gift set, complete with fancy oils

We actually saw a cart filled with 18, yes 18, of these gift sets.  Now that's a lot of spam.  And speaking of spam...

Why do single personnel have to eat Spam?  And so much of it.  What a strange assortment of items on this display.  Pre-portioned peanut butter, fruit cups, shoe polish, and gauze.  Gauze?  I don't want to know.

Settled

Reunited

 We moved into a house on post a week after we arrived in country.  This is the first time we've ever lived on post and it's definitely different.  One of the reasons we've always loved living off post is that it really forces us to get out and explore the city.  We ultimately decided to live on post for the sake of the dog.  As I mentioned before, not much in Korea is large-dog friendly.  Living on post we have a house with a fenced yard that will accept our 70+ pound German Shepherd.  We live on Camp Walker which is about a 45 minute bus ride to Camp Carroll where Adam works.  Our house is only 3 blocks from the preschool, which Lucas LOVES, by the way.  The medical clinic is close by, the commissary is here, and the PX is just a short walk away.  Living on post is nice for the convenience, especially while overseas.  Although I do think it would be awesome to live in a high rise apartment and really explore the city, living in a house on post is fantastic.

The first week was super busy.  Adam was in-processing with the battalion so Lucas and I explored a bit.  We got enrolled in Tricare, applied for our visas, and relaxed.  Tyler, an awesome guy Adam met at CCC, is also stationed here.  He has been SUPER helpful and we are so grateful.  His wife, Michelle, and dog, Keeter, just arrived from the States.  Keeter had quite the adventure on the plane but thankfully they all arrived safe and sound.  It is so nice to have friends here!

We've been trying new food, even Adam.  Beef and leaf are popular restaurants here.  The beef is cooked at your table and it comes with a ton of side dishes and lots of leaves.  You're supposed to wrap the cooked beef in a lettuce leaf to eat it but we normally just eat the food separately.  One such restaurant had the coolest play area for kids.  It had video games, slides, and a trampoline floor.  Lucas regularly asks to go back there but he'll settle for the indoor play place at Burger King.