72° F!

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Friday, April 30, 2010

OMG! It got up to 72° F (22° C) this afternoon. Just think, that's 117° F (64° C) above our winter low of -45° F (-42° C). After work, I put on a tank top and jeans and just walked around the courtyard in a daze...

M & M census

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Thursday, April 29, 2010

We are just starting a statistics unit in 10th grade and a few days ago a good article in the Economist caught my eye. The once-in-decade discussion about whether or not to use statistical sampling to "adjust" the American census results has apparently just come around again.

In conjunction with the article, I used a bowl of M&M's to simulate statistical sampling methods. "Imagine this bowl represents all the people living in the United States. Instead of counting them all, we reach in and grab a sample (with my 1/4 cup measure) and examine the sample closely...and then we do it again...and again...and finally draw conclusions about the overall population of the United States..."

Although I am not the overly patriotic type, I did observe that these particular M&M's were not quite the same quality I am used to back in the States. Yes, they tasted fine, but the candies were not the perfect disks one finds at home. And, say, what happened to the blue M&M's?

But they were perfectly adequate for the experiment. And my obliging students refrained from eating their data until they were allowed to do so...

"Grocery" shopping

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Although my stroll this evening to the grocery store was more about the walk than the groceries, it seemed like a good idea to see what items this store has that our neighborhood market does not.

What this "grocery" store DOES have is floor space. And long, long aisles of bottled water, candy & chips, a whole section of vodka, and lots of Chinese, Polish, and Russian canned goods. In otherwords, lots and lots of nothing.

To be fair, there IS a refrigerated section in the back of the store that has milk products, some meat, and a few over-packaged fruits and vegetables. Determined to come home with something to show for my efforts, I settled on this can of corn.

OSHA, where are you?

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Sunday, April 25, 2010

This evening I headed out for a walk to a nearby grocery store which sometimes has my favorite biscuits. As I was walking along the main road, an enormous digger rolled by on a flatbed truck. (As the mother of a 2.5 year-old, I take notice of large diggers where once I wouldn't have given them a passing glance.)

About 50 meters up the road, I met up with the same digger again--only now it was standing still. There was a gentleman on top of the digger disentangling the top of the machine from the low-hanging electrical wires above. I almost fainted.

When at last he had apparently distangled the machine from the wires, the truck started moving again. And then I realized that the man was riding along on the top of the digger, holding the wires aloft, hand over hand, as the truck drove along beneath him.

OSHA, where are you?

Yes, those are raindrops

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Friday, April 23, 2010

As previously mentioned, Mongolia has a very dry climate--although there is a rainy season of sorts in August. And, as previously mentioned, it has been a very long, very cold winter.

On my walk home this afternoon, I was delighted to see my first rain in seven months. That's quite a dry spell for this Seattle girl.

But what you see in the picture was about the extent of it.

U R here

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Earth Day 2010

A colleague encouraged us to do Earth Day-themed lessons today if we were so inspired. I wracked my brain and came up with an idea from an old geometry lesson about the platonic solids.

Here is the earth, as re-imagined by my 9th graders.

Happy Earth Day!

Full shock value

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Saturday, April 17, 2010

We celebrated Frank's birthday today with the "under 5" crowd. Naturally, the guest list affected my baking decisions for the party. Yes, the colors were shocking, but the guests didn't seem to mind.

Happy Birthday, Frankie!

Eat-by-the-numbers

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Thursday, April 15, 2010

No lie. Feeding a toddler is not always easy.

A still insists that about 95% of our food is "too spicy." Read: she refuses to eat most of it . EXCEPT mustard, of course, which she LOVES. Yesterday morning as I am trying to eat breakfast and get out the door she says: "I want a yellow one and a four." What? Then I realize THIS is what she wants. And so she had bread and mustard for her morning snack.

Nice well-balanced meal, no?

Go there and I own it

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Sunday, April 11, 2010

There's something about travelling to a place. Maybe I leave a part of myself behind, but somehow I feel as if I "own" it in a way I never did before. For me, at least, I am never again able to view a place with the same indifference or detachment as before. It's a real place. I've walked the streets. I've met the people. I've eaten the food.

Safely at home in Ulaanbaatar this morning after our Korean adventures, I was shocked to hear about the deaths in Bangkok (23 dead, hundreds injured) last night in political street violence.

Spending three weeks in Thailand over Winter Break makes the place seem real in a way it never was before. I can no longer say the place and its people are beyond my conception.

Seoul confessions

Seoul, South Korea
Saturday, April 10, 2010

Here on this last day in Seoul, it's time to confess: we started every morning in Seoul at this place. I don't think I have EVER even been in a Dunkin' Donuts at home in the States.

But the coffee was 1/2 the price of Starbucks. And absolutely no donuts. Only bagels and coffee. I swear.

Palace #2

Seoul, South Korea

Friday, April 9, 2010

This afternoon, after the all-important nap, we headed out to see the more famous Changdeok Palace. This palace is on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list, and it's full of beautiful architecture and beautiful gardens. The flowering trees and bushes are just starting to bloom now...

To visit this palace, you must follow a guided tour which departs at certain times throughout the days (tours in Korean, Chinese, Japanese and English), but it's still well worth the hassle of having to "time" your visit with one of the tours.

Don't miss it!

Palace #1

Seoul, South Korea

Friday, April 9, 2010

Today was our last chance to explore the two palaces that lay so tantalizingly close, i.e. just across the street from our hotel.

First up was Changgyeong Palace, which was first constructed in 1484. Various parts of the palace have burned down (more than once) and been rebuilt over the centuries. It is surrounded by lovely park-like grounds, which was perfect for bird-chasing and fish-watching from A's point of view.

All ramped up

Seoul, South Korea

Friday, April 9, 2010

Honestly, until today there has not been any formal sightseeing on this trip. Today, however, we managed to find an activity that satisfied everyone. We discovered (quite by accident) that the two palaces near our hotel contain an untold number of ramps, and these days, A's absolute favorite outdoor activity is running up and down ramps. And Frank got to see something historical. And I got a nice walk outside in a very pretty place.

Classy restrooms

Seoul, South Korea
Thursday, April 8, 2010

There are some things that just grab your attention while you're travelling.

Back (again) at the park across from our hotel, Frank ducked in to use the park restroom. When he emerged he said, "You're not going to believe this: there are miniture paintings on the wall in there--and they're playing Chopin, too!"

Wow. Very classy.

Minitaure paintings seem to grace many of Seoul's park restrooms. 11 x 11 cm

Window dressing

Seoul, South Korea
Thursday, April 8, 2010

In wandering the back streets of the neighborhood where we are staying, it seems that we are staying in some kind of tailors' neighborhood. Each small shop has fantastically beautiful traditional clothing in the windows--and in the shops themselves, men and women are sewing away at these amazing traditional costumes.

These voluminous dresses are apparently well-suited to wearing lots of warm layers underneath in the cold months.

Children's Grand Park

Seoul, South Korea

Thursday, April 8, 2010

And grand it is! The only downside to this park (from our point of view) was that it took us well over an hour to reach the place by subway. Which means we were pretty exhausted by the time we reached it. But A perked right up--pony rides! a children's zoo! a huge water fountain that played music and changed its water flow to go with the music! a lovely playground! Reportedly there is also an "elephant tram" to take one between attractions, but it was nap-time long before we found that delight...

Children of all ages will enjoy this place--and their adults, too.

The fun starts already at the Children's Park subway station--complete with special bathrooms for kids. Click on the picture to get a better view of these stairs leading up out of the station to the park.

A "short but uphill" walk

Seoul, South Korea
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Frank and I are still relatively new to the concept of travelling with children. We may live overseas, but actually travelling to a new city with a 2 year-old is quite a different matter. The main take-away lesson from this trip to Seoul: scale back your expectations. And then scale them back again.

Nevertheless, this morning we got up feeling more ambitious than usual and decided to do the "Shamanist Hillside Walk" that is described in the Lonely Planet. After all, the location was only two subway stops from our hotel...

The book warns that the walk is quite steep, but Frank figured the worst that could happen is that he'd have to carry A up the hill.

That was a miscalculation, of course.

At A's request to find the bathroom, we first we had to climb an extra set of super-steep hills. Back again at the entrance to the walk, it turned out that A wanted to WALK up all those stairs and ramps--or push her stroller--which ended up taking a long, long time.

We finally made it most of the way to the top to see the Shamanist temple (it was secretly relocated here in 1925 after the Japanese demolished the temple at its original location) and were able to enjoy the views before A requested a return to "her hotel."

Still, with or without a toddler, I recommend the walk.

To get there: Take Line #3 to Dongnimmun station.

Asian Hospital Tour (Stop #3)

Seoul, South Korea
Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Having a child inevitably means there will be unexpected trips to the doctor--and occasionally, alas, to the hospital. Since leaving the States in August, A's "health adventures" have given us special insight into the healthcare challenges--and strengths--of three different Asian countries. Stop #1 was a two-day stay at the Maternity and Children’s hospital in Ulaanbaatar. Stop #2 was an overnight visit to Bumrungrad mega-hospital in Bangkok. And this morning, for a check-up, we visited Seoul National University Hospital, one of Korea's top hospitals.

Although I wouldn’t recommend it, hospital visits are certainly one way to the see the world. In any case, you sure learn a lot!

(The International Clinic at this hospital was extremely helpful. You can reach them via e-mail at: ihs at snuh.org)

Insadong (new)

Seoul, South Korea

Monday, April 5, 2010

Make no mistake, Seoul is a mega-city. Yes, there are quaint alleyways and picturesque temples and palaces, but greater Seoul is home to more than 20 million people. When I popped up from the subway today, the sight of this building reminded me that we are truly in The Big City!

Wikipedia: List of metro areas by population

Insadong (old)

Seoul, South Korea
Monday, April 5, 2010

On our way home from an afternoon stroll we wandered into a neighborhood of traditional homes and winding alleyways. Reminded me of Beijing's nearly-extinct hutong neighborhoods. Frank commented that based on land value alone, these are probably some pretty pricey old-fashioned houses. Lots of fun to wander among…


Right: traditional door plate
Below: meandering alleyways

Insadong eye candy

Seoul, South Korea
Monday, April 5, 2010

Even though I am NOT a shopper, it's always fun to see what’s for sale on the streets in a new place. Two things caught my eye as we wandered around Seoul's Insadong neighborhood: this basket truck and the fantastical array of rice-based candies that were for sale everywhere.

Seafood pancake

Seoul, South Korea
Sunday, April 4, 2010

Before coming to Korea, the one dish I’d been dreaming about was a seafood pancake that I had years ago at one of Seattle’s best Korean restaurants (Hosoonyi up at Highway 99 and 23oth if it’s still around). I found it today at a little mom & pop place that seems to specialize in octopus (based on the contents of the tanks outside). This version was a bit greasier than I remembered, but even A agreed to eat some of it. Of course, first the pancake had to be stripped of all seafood and green onions before she would eat it.

Strawberries & kimchi

Seoul, South Korea
Sunday, April 4, 2010

Exactly one year ago, Frank and I marvelled to find strawberries for sale everywhere in Erbil, Northern Iraq. Now we are in Seoul, and it seems to be strawberry season again. The thing is, we promised A we’d buy her lots and lots of the red fruit when we got here.

Thankfully we were able to follow through on that promise.

And kimchi galore for us.

Korean guesthouse (under construction)

Seoul, South Korea
Saturday, April 3, 2010

Although it was in a different season that Joseph and Mary had trouble finding a room at the inn, it seems that early April is the season when finding a room in Seoul is a challenge. Before leaving UB, Frank contacted countless guesthouses and hotels in Seoul trying to find us a room. His preference had been for a traditional guesthouse in the Insadong neighborhood, but in the end, he was willing to take almost anything. Finally he found a guesthouse with an opening and all seemed well. We arrived just past dusk in a narrow twisting lane. It seemed a very picturesque place, despite the late hour. We settled into the gorgeous room—and then the owner explained that the workers would be coming back at 7am to finish the courtyard. Still, as A gets up by then anyhow, we figured, no problem.

Paper walls are a feature of traditional guesthouses, but even walls of more durable materials would probably not have protected us from the afternoon stone-cutting session that took place right around nap-time. It was sad to leave such a truly gorgeous place, but the noise was so bad that the owner refused to charge us as we packed up and hastily fled to a nearby hotel—which Frank found after another exhaustive search, this one on foot.

The new place is boring, but blissfully quiet. Good job, Papa!

Mathematical spies

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Thursday, April 1, 2010

It's "Book Week" at school this week, and I've had it at the back of my mind that I should try to find a way to incorporate a book reading into my class somehow. At the same time, I am teaching matrices and on Monday the cry went up from my students: "What are these things good for?!"

Inspiration hit yesterday: I would read to my students from one of my favorite books of the past five years (Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War by Leo Marks) and we would use matrices to write and send secret messages to one another.

Today in class all secret messages were received--and decoded--using matrix algebra. The activity (no fooling) was a big hit--except for one pair who used irrational numbers to set their encoding matrix.

WHO says math can't be fun?

For an explanation of the math, click here