Rain, rain, go away...

Weaver Adventure Blog for Week of August 22, 2012

So the past few weeks have been very hectic.  A lame excuse for blog-slacking, but nevertheless, I will throw it out there.

CMK Office Building

Hectic at work and at home.

Two weeks ago we had a two-day CMK business summit where we focused our energy on how we are going to take full advantage of our opportunities in Korea.  The management team here is quite keen to work together and make our business here thrive.

Cook World HQ

Then this week we had a three day marketing and brand management wing-ding complete with late night calls with some folks in Bloomington.  Late night for them!  Thanks to Christa and Neal for all the help.  It is very energizing to get that kind of support.

In the middle of that school started for the kids so there was a flurry of back-to-school activity. 

To top it all off, it won’t stop raining.

 It seems like it has been raining for weeks.  The sidewalks are a sea of umbrellas; the Han River is covering up the trees on the islands that dot it; and each day seems to start off dark and get darker as clouds gather to deliver the next deluge.

But I am sure this will pass.  I am told this is very uncommon weather, and that the late Summer and Fall are usually very pleasant with cooler temps and colorful foliage, so I will look forward to that as I dodge puddles on the sidewalk and splashes from cars passing in the street. 

Anyone else having weird weather in their part of the world?

Until next time.

Weaver

Korean Independence Day

Weaver Adventure Blog for Week of August 15, 2012

Gwangbokjeol ("Restoration of Light Day") or Independence Day in South Korea

So August 15^th is The Republic of Korea’s Independence day – an important holiday in any country that has gotten away from another (and often more powerful) country to determine its own destiny.  It is certainly one of the biggest holidays in my home country of the USA and South Korea is no different, even if the celebrations are a bit quieter. 

However, while I am pretty familiar with the USA’s story of independence, I confess I didn’t really know much about Korea’s story.  So I did a little Wiki-research and thought I would share it with you.

The Korean culture is ancient with the earliest artifacts dating back to 8000 B.C.  The earliest complex social constructs here date back to 1500 B.C.  So a long, rich history.  However, the events that lead to independence are much, much more recent.  Fast-forward 3500 years or so.

Japan, a nearby neighbor to Korea, annexed Korea in 1910 and worked pretty hard to wipe out the Korean culture for the next 35 years or so.  There was ongoing Korean resistance to the Japanese throughout this period and into WWII.   This resistance came in the form of armed resistance by former military personnel; religious resistance by Korean Confucianists and imported Christian missionaries; and political resistance from expatriates abroad.

Hopefully, most of you recall some of the basics of WWII from high school history, but if not, the Japanese called for an armistice on August 14^th USA time (August 15^th Korean time).  Korea, as part of the surrender, was split in two with the USA controlling the area south of the 38^th parallel, and the Soviet Union controlling the area north of the 38^th parallel.  This was supposed to be a temporary set up until the specifics of reunification could be worked out.  But, the best laid plans…

The Cold War heated up and the hopes for a reunified Korea evaporated and two separate (and very different) countries were established on the Korean peninsula.  On December 12, 1948, the UN recognized The Republic of Korea (South Korea) as a sovereign nation. 

As you can imagine, there was much debate about when to celebrate their independence from Japan, but the 15^th of August was settled on, so tomorrow most businesses are closed and people will spend time with their families and enjoy the freedom and independence the day represents. 

Until next time.

Weaver

Coffee Coffee Coffee

Weaver Adventure Blog for Week of July 25, 2012

Seoul’s Coffee Culture

So a few posts ago I mentioned a 1:1 coffee shop to citizen ratio in Seoul.  Now, I wouldn’t use hyperbole in a million years, nor would I use generalizations as they are all bad, so let’s just say there are lots of coffee shops in Seoul.  Lots and lots and lots.  Some are huge global brands, and some are big Korean chains - like Caffee Bene.  

Some are just little trucks that sell shots and lattes to passers-by.  But irrespective of how it gets sold, an ocean of coffee is getting poured into the Korean metro population.

I am not a huge coffee person.  I drink it, but don’t need it to get the day started/live.  I know people like this (you know who you are), so I am aware of the power of the bean, but it has no hold on me.  I probably drink 10 coffees a month.   

I thought I would talk to some locals to get some insights on coffee.   Check out the video below.

 Thank you Kelly and Hae-Yeob for your thoughts.

Coffee drinks here are quite expensive, but I suppose it’s no worse than in Bloomington, Indiana.  A large latte is around 4800 Won (4.25 USD).  Add a flavor or an extra shot and you can break 6000 Won.  







My favorite place has very low overhead and minimal seating – just one seat.  It is really just a walk up counter.   There, a latte with two shots (my “usual”) is only 2700 Won.   Virtually free, and the barista remembered me and my “usual” after only one visit!  But I don’t plan to visit often; I’m jittery enough as it is.

Until next time.

Weaver

A Performer in Our Midst

Weaver Adventure Blog for Week of July 10, 2012

Performer in Our Midst

One of the advantages our Korean business has is the relatively small geography of the country.  We can get everyone together for a meeting or dinner with ease because the farthest anyone needs to travel takes around three hours.  And only a few employees live that far away.  The bulk of our team here lives within 45 minutes of the office.  So, as we are rapidly expanding and want to build community and foster a strong culture with the new people, we meet once a month in a nearby conference center to discuss themes central to Cook culture. 

After our June meeting, one of the reps from our Endoscopy division, Kwang-Seok Choe, suggested we include a little entertainment into the agenda for the next meeting.  I assumed he was volunteering, so the next thing he knew he was to perform three songs at the July meeting.  He plays the guitar and sings. 

And has for a long time.  He has been playing for 16 years.  And loves it!  As he puts it, “In my life the music makes me feel happy and alive.  The most important thing is to play for others to try to share my happiness with them.”

Kwang-Seok chose three songs for the event.  These were all covers of famous songs from the radio, but he has written over 100 original songs and performs in Seoul about once a month at venues that host acoustic nights and open-mic opportunities.  It is truly a passion. 

And it showed.   Everyone really enjoyed hearing Kwang-Seok, who has only been with Cook for five months, and we also got a glimpse of what makes him fit into Cook so well – after the first song, his beloved guitar amp, which has been with him since his first lesson, died.  So what did he do?  Finished the set “unplugged”!  It was a great performance, and added a fun new facet to our monthly meetings.  We’ll anticipate an encore!  Check out the clip below.  (They are the same clip.  Not sure why there are two.)

Thank you, Kwang-Seok!

Until next time.

Weaver

Getting Parking Lessons

Weaver Adventure Blog for Week of June 25, 2012

So I got a parking ticket. Maybe the second one in my life.  Or third.  Anyway, another fine – 30.00 or so.  32,000 Won.   So enough is enough, says I.  I decided to enlist the aid of Yong-Kwan Kim – one of my colleagues here in Korea.  Yong-Kwan Kim, or YK as he is sometimes called, offered to help me learn to park here some time ago, and I should have taken him up on his offer at the time, but I didn’t.  Another lesson learned…

YK works with the business units and the customers and hospitals where we do business to seek process efficiencies and to develop creative solutions to problems that come up regarding supply chain, contracts, pricing, etc.  I figure if he can help optimize those complex relationships, then surely he can help reduce my anxiety about where to PARK.  Not to mention, save me some money by reducing the number of tickets and tow charges I get!

So he and I wandered around the blocks surrounding the office building where we work, and he explained the situation.  What follows is a short video compilation of YK’s advice, guidance, and philosophy on parking in Seoul.  Check it out. 

Sage advice!  Thanks Yong-Kwan!  I guess time will tell if after this tutorial I can master the gentle art of parking in Seoul.  If not, I may just have to stop driving.  It might be cheaper to take the bus and cabs everywhere, because in addition to the parking lot cameras, Seoul has hundreds of speed cameras that take a picture of your car as you speed past and just send you a ticket.  It’s enough to cause a fair amount of vehicular paranoia.  I’ll keep you posted.

Until next time.

Weaver

Mass Transit!

Weaver Adventure Blog for Week of June 18, 2012

Embracing Mass Transit

So as promised, today I really did leave the car parked and walk around the corner to my friendly neighborhood bus stop. I had done my homework and knew I wanted “Trunk Bus 153”.  These “Trunk” buses are somewhere between a local bus with many stops, and an express bus with very few stops.  I was told this Bus 153 would take me within a block of the office. I knew it would be blue. 

 I had the Seoul Bus App launched on my Iphone. 

 I had arranged for a special ATM card that doubles as a transit card (T-Money card) and allows the bus fare to just come directly from my bank account.  It was in my pocket.  I had my computer bag, and was, of course, fashionably dressed. 

I envisioned a bit of a wait, and even entertained the idea of popping in the coffee shop 20 feet (3m) from the stop.  (There is a 1:1 coffee shop:citizen ratio in Seoul, but more on that another time.) Good thing I didn’t, because as I approached the stop, so did Trunk Bus 153 – my bus to work!  I hopped on behind 5 or 6 other people, waved my T-Money card by the sensor (which beeped a welcome), and squeezed onto the bus.

I say squeezed because the bus was pretty full.   Or so I thought.  With each stop a few people would get off, and a dozen would get on.  I lucked into a seat during one of these exchanges, and watched as the bus continued to fill to absolute maximum.  It was interesting to see how everyone behaved in what I am discovering is the norm in Seoul.  People were courteous, relaxed, and flexible – moving a little this way and that to allow people on and off.  Pretty much everyone was using a smart phone to watch, listen, read, or write something.  It is a very smartphone based community.  I was mostly just watching others and noting what was going on around me.

While the bus is very tidy and free of litter, graffiti, etc., it can get really packed with people during peak times.  My advice to others with little experience using mass transit who might be thinking of starting a daily bus or subway commute in a large city is to read through this list of phobias.  If you have one, or any combination of them, seek professional help prior to boarding.  The list is not exhaustive:

Aphenphosmphobia

Amaxophobia

Anthropophobia

Bromidrosiphobia

Bacillophobia

Bacteriophobia

Cenophobia

Claustrophobia

Cleithrophobia

Demophobia

Genuphobia

Misophobia

Phronemophobia

Scopophobia

Tachophobia

Fortunately, I don’t suffer (much) from any of these, so my commute on the bus to work was an unmitigated success.  I left the apartment at 8:22.25 and arrived at the office at 9:00.13 (see below).  So it took about 10 minutes longer than driving in a car, but ecologically, sociologically, psychologically, logistically, and practically, it all worked out.  Now to get back home….

Until next time.

Weaver

Just Landed

Weaver Adventure Blog for Week of June 11, 2012

We Made It!

Final Feast at Feast

First of all, thank you all for your comments and words of encouragement leading up to our travel day.  I really appreciate them.  Keep ‘em coming, and if you wonder about anything Weaver Adventure related you want me to write about, let me know.

So, after many long days in the final push to actually leave Bloomington, we locked the door last Sunday and took off. 

Urban Assault Vehicle

Our monster rental car  was packed pretty tightly, but all of our luggage and the dogs’ carriers fit inside with room to spare for the four of us.   Our drive to Detroit was uneventful, if you ignore our carbon footprint, and we checked into the airport hotel and tried to get some sleep before our flight Monday.

The flight was, surprisingly, a piece of cake.  After all that hand-wringing about the dogs, they slept in their little crates and made nary a peep the whole way.  One of the flight attendants was a rabid lover of dogs and helped us get them settled and brought them ice cubes from time to time as recommended by people who travel frequently with pets.  The kids watched movies and stayed awake for most of the flight, which was only 12.5 hours instead of the 14 I had experienced in the past. 

Our Apartment Building

Once in the terminal in Korea, the dog importation process was also very simple – a couple of forms to sign and we were through.  The ride we had arranged was waiting for us, and we arrived at our apartment building at 5:00 p.m.  Jangled, to be sure, but happy that all had gone so smoothly.

This past week we have been unpacking, finding the critical stores in the neighborhood (see below), and trying to get over our jet lag.  

The dogs were really out of it and slept for the better part of two days. When they did get up, they just staggered around looking dazed.  They might say the same about us in their blog if they had one.  

Luna Dazed

Gizmo Crashed

The kids and we are still waking up at 5:00 a.m., but that will pass over the next week or so. 

All in all, we are doing very well.

This week I plan to start taking the bus to work.  That will be a little bit of an adventure as I have never really used public transportation with any consistency.  I will let you know how it goes.

Until next time.

Weaver

Ice Cream Shop

Bread and Pastry Shop

Haven't Actually Been Here Yet