Changes Around the Neighborhood

With the New Year, has come a few new changes to the neighborhood; Lynn's Cupcakes across the street got a facelift and now serves coffee and the most exciting addition to the neighborhood is the Home Plus Express that opened up right inside the UN Village gates. It is the most beautiful and compact little grocery store I've seen here. It's on a whole other level compared to the L-Mart down on the corner and is going to be wonderfully convenient when I need a carrot or milk. It has the feeling of a small CVS but with a produce and meat section. There is also a small bakery and a nice little section of imported foods with everything from Goldfish to Jelly Belly brand jelly beans.

I like the convenience, but we'll see if this Home Plus Express is able to make fresh limes magically appear, like the Hannam Dandy Supermarket did for me the other day. The Hannam Dandy is an out-of-the-way grocery that sells all things Western (or actually re-selling things purchased from Cosco) and still seams to be the only place I know of that sells purple onions and avocados. I stopped in on my way up to Itaewon on the off chance they might sell fresh limes. I had low expectations since every margarita I've ordered here has been served with a lemon slice. Low and behold they had them - a bag of frozen limes, 12 for $14.50 - $1.20 per lime!?!? And they're FROZEN! And then, magically, the woman who's always there pulls out a bag of fresh limes in a black bag hidden in the back of a fridge. I don't even remember how much they were, because I was so taken aback by the magic...Limes do exist in Korea!

So exciting!!

So fresh and new!

For little, overpriced tastes of home.

 Yup, $9.50.

Family Has Come to Town

The other big news is that RCP's Cousin Dave and his wife Agata are moving in up the hill.  Dave has taken a job also with Samsung and will also be working in their Global Strategy Group. Dave and Agata hail from Chicago and visited us back in October so they've had a small taste of Seoul and liked what they saw. They're moving in right up the hill, a little higher in U.N. Village than we are and I have to say that I don't envy the walk up the two hills to get to their new home (sorry guys). It's on a nice quiet street and 2000 square feet of sprawling space that includes three bedrooms, an enclosed patio with a garden of low-maintenance artificial plants and a balcony in the bathroom. I've suggested putting an inflatable hot tub or pool on the patio so it really gets used but regardless, I think they will be very happy residing in U.N. Village and it will be nice to have them as neighbors. Welcome to Seoul, Dave and Agata!

Further up the Hill

The other morning I decided to take a walk around the higher part of our neighborhood near Dave and Agata's new home because I've never actually explored past our street and thought you might enjoy seeing the amalgamated styles that clearly show a lack of zoning and neighborhood design planning. Some definitely scream home of a diplomat, others Korean movie star but none-the-less, our U.N. Village is much prettier (and larger) than previously thought.

Up the first hill...there's another one after this one...and their much steeper than they look.

Dave and Agata's new Korean home - "Crystal Court".