Learning about Ulsan

We always think it is fun to "live" in a new country, rather than just being tourists.  So staying with relatives allows us the time to witness more of every day life.  It is also wonderful to have their explanations for things that we see and don't understand.  For example, we wouldn't have understood the vehicle (in the picture below) with a rotating billboard on top in a language that we couldn't read.  But they explained this was a CCTV--closed circuit television--vehicle that was filming traffic offenders.  When you are caught on tape breaking a law, you will get a ticket in the mail based on the vehicle tag that was also caught on tape.  You can also notice from the picture below that we are driving to downtown Ulsan on a day that the air quality rating is over 160.  That should probably be stated as the air un-quality rating, because that high number means that the children at school won't be allowed to go outdoors for recess.  This day will also see more adults wearing masks over their noses and mouths while outside.  We wouldn't know about this scale if we didn't have resident relatives to explain it.  Known as "Yellow Wind," it is caused from winds picking up sand and debris from the Mongolian desert.

Alexia took us shopping--another great activity to learn more about living in South Korea.  In the picture below we are in an outdoor shopping area with a roof over it.  We try to buy a cross from each country we visit.  This can be very difficult in a country that has few Christians.  But Alexia knew of a store that was located off a little shopping area, on a winding street, on the second floor . . .  With no outdoor sign to guide us, we only knew to walk upstairs under a doorway that read "Dance Sport" beside a wig store.  We didn't take a picture, but we would never have found it without our resident guide.

In some ways we see that Korea is more advanced than the United States with CCTV vehicles and automated parking garages that have green lights over open spaces, and red lights over occupied spaces.  Then we see that their electrical systems (as shown over Mark's head) seem a little antiquated, and we suspect that their sewage systems are a little behind the times.

Grocery shopping is a great cultural experience in any country.  Many of the western products aren't available here, so Brian and Alexia bring suitcases full of things like Velveeta cheese, and favorite brands of cereal and chips when they fly back from the United States.  We were in a large grocery store in Ulsan that had an international aisle, and a special section for unique items that Americans hold dear to their hearts.  We thought it was interesting to see that this grocery store perceived that Americans like hot sauce, clam chowder, chocolate syrup, and cheese puffs.  With such limited shelf space, they even had multiple brands of all of those products.  We personally didn't find anything of interest in this American product display.

On this shopping trip and all the driving around town we are super impressed with Alexia's driving skills.  This is just one view of a typical South Korean side street with cars parked wherever they can.  They call this a "chicken road" because even though it is two-way, there is no way that you can successfully pass by a car going the opposite direction.  In this road game of chicken, someone will have to back up and allow the other car to go forward.


Back inside the foreigner's compound, the roads are perhaps a little wider, with designated parking spots.  The gardens are well manicured, with roses blooming even in the fall.  The traditional white picket fences surround most of the bungalows.


We finally remembered to take a picture of Brian and Alexia's house to include in the blog.  With four bedrooms, we even have a room of our own for our extended stay.  What deluxe accommodations we are enjoying!

In addition to deluxe accommodations, we are also privileged to have deluxe entertainment.  Brian is a first-rate singer and plays multiple instruments.  He is raising a family of musicians, so we have spontaneous concerts on a regular basis.  Denisa is happy to report that most of their songs make for great two-stepping dance music, and their living room has been transformed to a dance floor.






Also in the foreigner's compound are multiple playgrounds, and we have experienced most of them.  Just like in most Korean outdoor areas, there are adult exercise equipment too.


Camden is enjoying his after-school snack while exercising those calories off at the same time he is chewing.

We had this little park to ourselves, and decided to invent new ways to use the exercise equipment.  We were pretty imaginative and found some great new ways to burn calories.  This one made for the best picture.  Instead of one person running while pumping their arms on this elliptical machine, Mark gave Camden and Cole a ride on the foot pedals by pumping the arm levers from the front.


Earlier that day, we got to take the shipyard tour.  The entrance to Hyundai Heavy Industries is literally across the street from the entry of the foreigner's compound.  They give a monthly English-speaking tour, and Alexia got us reservations.  We boarded the bus and rode into the closed shipyard for an hour-long tour.

In 1970, Ulsan was a sleepy fishing village.  But then a man called Asan (who had only a primary school education and whose first job was delivering rice on a bicycle) grew the business we toured today.  HHI is the largest ship building company in the world.  They also build off-shore oil rigs, heavy equipment, industrial plants, and electric systems.  The largest ship building yard in the world has transformed the village of Ulsan into a major city, and it's all happening right across the street from us.  Mark snapped this picture of Camden studying the 3D map of the shipyard inside the visitor's center right before the tour guide told us that no photos were allowed.


So we don't have any great pictures of the huge ships that were being put together like giant lego structures.  It was an awesome drive through the shipyard with a stop at the guest center for a bird's eye view of the entire ship yard.  They provided a color brochure of the company's propaganda, which included a picture of what we saw.  Since that was a picture that was made public, we decided it would be our best chance of showing a little of what we saw on our tour. 

So we are enjoying great entertainment, amazing factory tours, and wonderful family time.  We are learning more about South Korea and our city of Ulsan, and having a great time!