Lunar New Year: coming soon to a country near you

Seolnal (Lunar New Year) is the first of 2 major Korean holidays, typically falling on the second new moon after the winter solstice. (The second is Chusok in the Fall.) Seolnal is another important ancestral holiday in which the living celebrate their ancestry. Families fress in traiditonal Korean dress called "hanbok" and get together for traditional meals, food offerings, and family time including traditional holiday games, such as kite flying and a stick game calledyuk.

"They kneel and bow to their ancestors and elders. Family members wish each other prosperity and good fortune. Then they exchange gifts. Children receive lucky money, candy and fruit from the elders. The family spends time together and have rice-cake soup for breakfast. Children often take this day to play special New Year games.


In parts of Korea, people usher in the New Year with a ritual called Jishin Balpgi. Loud drums and gongs are played to scare off evil spirits of the old year. At the end of the day, friends and relatives join together for dinner to renew their friendship. Sol is a celebration of family and good friends. And for the Koreans, the New Year is about family and community." (http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/korean_new_year.htm)

In Korea, most places are closed on Lunar New Year and the traffic is typically terrible. It is generally advisable to plan a nice quiet day with the family at home and avoid driving with a large portion of the Korean population. Perhaps you can even play some of the traditional Korean New Year games or try some of the food that is eaten.

To learn more, check out these links:

• Life in Korea
• Click Asia
• Korean New Year Blog

say hay boke-mahn he pah du say oh

(Many New Year's Blessings to You!)

Check out Tiger World!

If you haven't been to Tiger World, check it out! It's a bit of a trek but worth it!

On one floor is an indoor snow skiing/sledding hill (my husband took our 9-yr old--perfect for a beginner) and on another floor is an indoor waterpark/spa. We have been to the waterpark/spa three or four times and plan to go back another couple of times before we leave.

When grandparents were here, our 9-yr old chose Tiger World over everywhere else to take them. The waterpark side is nice (little kids' area, wave pool, lazy river, slides, lap pool), but we spend the majority of our time on the spa side (through the food court).

The spa side has several pools with varying temps, saunas, a pool bar (no alcohol served, but that is where we eat our Dippin' Dots ice cream!), a large pool with a mushroom fountain and water jets along the edges, outdoor hot tubs, and the famous Dr. Fish pool (something like 3,000 Won for 20 minutes--worth the experience, even our 3-yr old tried it).

You get a bracelet when you check in which serves as your 'key' for your locker and also serves as your credit card. You place everything in your locker (wallet included, but keep out your towels and/or cooler) and you charge everything while you are there with a swipe of your bracelet. You pay on your way out.

We eat at the food court (the kids like the pork cutlet set), but we supplement with our own fruit and crackers (drinking water is free).

It's on the way to the airport and it's about 75-90 minutes away depending on traffic.

Here’s how to get there:

• Take Big 1 North to 50 West (opposite Everland on 50, might say towards Ansan)
• Take 15 North (under 5 minutes' time on 15N) to 100 West/North towards Incheon Airport. Tiger World is on your left--huge blue and gray odd-shaped building.
• Exit at the Jungdong Interchange and make a couple left turns and look for the signs.
• Parking garage is underneath Tiger World.

Bring and show your military ID for a discount!!

The website shows what it looks like www.tigerworld.co.kr/eng/ Click on the 'About Facilities' button at the top and then on 'waterpark/spa' for some great photos. Enjoy!!

Linda, Guest Blogger

Winter destination ideas from Osan Parents

Question: What is there to do around here when the Winter comes?

Answer:

• In the shopping mall where Lotte World is in Seoul, there's also a large indoor ice skating rink. Just DON'T GO THERE on weekends or Korean holidays. Weekdays / US holidays are best.
• There's a modest aquarium at COEX Mall.
• In late Dec / early January, there will be some artificial snow sliding areas in Seoul.
• There are indoor water parks such as Ocean World - Vivaldi Park (ski resort and indoor water park) in Hongcheon. The trick is to find a Korean friend who can get a discount rate at the hotel. They can be very pricey, even for modest accommodations.
• One of the best known ski resorts - now indoor water park too - is Phoenix Park. Korean winters tend to be rather drab and dry. Much of the snow falls in Gangwon-Do Province - to the east / northeast of Seoul. That's where most of the ski resorts are.

Answer: You could start with Lotte World (indoor/outdoor amusement park) and Tiger World (indoor waterpark/spa and snow hill).

Answer: E-Mart and Lotte Mart both have indoor play areas for the kids while you shop. The supervisor at E-Mart usually speaks enough English to understand what you need.

Answer: Everland has seasonally appropriate activities. The CoEx Aquarium is a decent place to spend the morning. Just get there early or there will be lots of people. It reminds me a little bit of a Korean Manalay Bay (Las Vegas) aquarium. It is definitely an interesting cultural experience. Not just fish!

The Other Osan

I bet you think you've explored everything Osan has to offer: the indoor and outdoor pools, the bowling alley, the movies, all the restaurants, all the playgrounds, and the community center. But you might have missed a few things.

Osan is a joint USAF and ROKAF base, and there are some great things over on the other side. They have family housing, just like we do, with playfields and playgrounds. Take a right at the gas station as you're heading towards the main gate, or walk down the hill behind the laundromat to check them out. Or, make a Korean friend to get all the good dirt!

If you turn right at the funky intersection as you come past the golf course, you'll see a nice outdoor static display of some ROKAF planes. The kids can walk right up to them and get a close look, and there's room to run on the grass and some rocks to climb on.

There is a church over there, and lots more.... take a walk, ride or drive sometime and explore the other Osan for an alternative from the same old, same old; you won't be sorry!

Fishing for fun

Not far out the Morin Gate is a great place to take the kids fishing. You'll need your own poles; if you don't have any try MWR, the BX, E-Mart or the little shop that's located about halfway up the hill from the triangle of death, on the right side.

If you can read Korean, the sign might help you out, but it's generally open mornings until early afternoon and should be open all winter until the water warms up in the spring. Right now the pond has carp in it, but starting November 30th, you can fish for rainbow trout.

The fish are HUGE and the kids will have a great time. You pay 20,000 won per pole, and you can keep one fish for that. They do have a small tackle shop on the premises, and you can get drinks, but services are pretty limited, so bring your own snacks, drinks and other necessities. If you go on the weekend, go early! It gets crowded.

To get there:

-Go out the Morin Gate and turn left

-Turn right at the light and head over the bridge

-Go straight through the light at the Little 1 intersection (Kimchi pot store on the left)

-Stay on this road for several miles

-Turn left right before a S Oil gas station with a big green and yellow sign

-You will immediately go through a tunnel

-Veer right immediately out of the tunnel

-You'll parallel the highway for a little while

-Turn left at the T intersection (there will be a tunnel to the right)

-Turn left at a second T intersection

-You'll go straight through a little town with a light

-Just after a brown street sign that says something is 0.7 km, turn left at a big rock with Korean lettering on it (there will be a lumberyard on your left as you enter)

-Take the first right

-Wind up the hill on a narrow road until you see the ponds

-Drive past the pond into the parking lot

Happy fishing!

Directions: Everland

Everland is a huge amusement park that is open year round. It is north of Suwon. Try going on an American holiday to avoid the crowds. The place is packed with Korean families on nice weekends. Check out their Christmas festival in November or December!

To get there:

• Take the Big 1 North to Rt. 50



• Take Rt. 50 East



• Exit at Everland

The ROK rocks

You might not have noticed that we have a great variety of rocks to check out right here on Osan Air Base. There are big ones, like the ones right out in front of Hallasan Tower, all the way down to small ones used for landscaping at Turumi, at the swimming pool, and in the little stone pagodas scattered around base. Almost all kids love rocks!

To start with, right in front of Hallasan, there are some nice big gneiss (pronounced 'nice'), which is a common metamorphic rock. You can see the mineral bands that have been curved as a result of tremendous heat and pressure inside the earth.

Also in front of Hallasan Tower are some nice chunks of igneous rocks, probably diorite. They are located around the mailbox. The benches in the entryway and the ones on the playground are made entirely of two different types of highly polished igneous rocks, probably diorite (the darker ends) and granite (the lighter bench portion).

And, don't ignore the little rocks! Pumice can be found in many places around base, like around the base of the electronic sign at Turumi. Many of these will float, at least for a little while, until the air holes fill with water. Nice smooth white Quartzite can also be found at Turumi: look near the bike racks as you come out of Rickenbackers. The smooth gray rocks in the pagodas are also probably a variety of quartzite. The small rocks are great for learning about rocks, but they also make awesome math manipulatives. Just put them back when you're done!

If you want to learn more about rocks, minerals or geology, check out these sites:

Kids OLR

Kidsgeo.com

Kidinfo.com

Korean Veggies: Love those Leeks!

The Osan Commissary has a nice little selection of organic local veggies- you can find them as you go past the check-in desk, and often they're very inexpensive. They're in a refrigerated case on the left side as you enter the produce section. But some of that stuff is pretty weird; what to do with it? Here's an idea for using local leeks (usually on the bottom shelf; they look like large, long green onions):

POTATO-LEEK SOUP

1 package leeks

4 large peeled and chopped potatoes

1 head cauliflower, cut into chunks

Garlic cloves, roasted, or minced garlic in an amount that suits you

Chicken bullion or chicken stock

Wash the leeks well; they can have silt and sand in the 'branches'. Slice them up and stir fry them in a little oil or butter until they're greenish-brown and flattened. If you're using minced garlic, add to the leeks. Cook the potatoes and cauliflower until soft in just enough water to cover them. Toss in a couple of bullion cubes or use half water and half chicken stock for cooking water. Add the roasted garlic, and mash the potatoes cauliflower up. Puree it in the blender, then put it back in the pan and add the leeks. Serve it with crusty bread for an awesome and healthy autumn meal.

LEEK-PECAN RAVIOLI

Cheese tortellini or ravioli (or choose another pasta)

1 package leeks, washed and sliced

Minced garlic, in an amount that suits you

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 cups fresh or frozen veggies: chopped spinach, sliced mushrooms, green beans, or sliced zucchini will work nicely; use any veggies your family likes!

Shredded parmesan cheese

Quickly toast the pecans in a couple tablespoons of olive oil at medium high heat on the stovetop. They'll burn quickly, so watch them carefully. Scoop them out of the oil and set aside, then put the garlic and leeks in the oil until they're good and cooked; about ten minutes. Add the veggies until just cooked, put the pecans back in, and season to taste. Serve over the ravioli or tortellini with shredded parmesan on top.

Osan's Giant Spiders

  If you've left your house in the last few weeks,  you have probably seen the giant green/yellow spiders EVERYWHERE. The video is of one of the spiders wrapping up a full-size wasp and was taken outside Building 631. To read more about the spiders and Osan's other signature creepy-crawlies, click here.  

Butterflies: If you build it, they will come

The Girl Scouts have planted the butterfly garden! Butterfly gardens have two different kinds of plants: flowers to attract and feed the butterflies, and host plants to support cocoons and feed caterpillars.

There are many plants that are suitable for butterfly gardens, such as lantana, milkweed, butterfly bush, joe pye weed, and many others. Unfortunately, a lot of well known butterfly plants are not available around here. Lucky for us, a lot of common flowers and herbs will work just as well. Our community butterfly garden has sunflowers, marigolds, fennel, two kinds of parsley, basil, pineapplesage and mint.

You can even make a mini-butterfly garden right on your deck in small containers! All you need is something to attract them, like marigolds or pineapple sage, and something for the caterpillars, like parsley or basil. Put them together in a big container, or just have them next to each other is smaller ones. The plants and/or seeds can be found at the 4-9 market, the greenhouses at the flower market, or sometimes even at the BX and/or commissary (to the left as you pass the ID check lady).

This picture is my deck butterfly garden. The big plant is pineapple sage, purchased at the commissary. You can see some fennel in the foreground and some basil in the background just coming up.

Here are some links to learn more about butterflies and butterfly gardens:

Butterfly Garden Basics

Local Butterflies you might see

Herb Butterfly Gardens

Directions: Flower Market

If you've never been to a Flower Market, this is well worth the trip. It is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Cut and potted flowers and plants. Baskets and vases of all kinds. Very, very inexpensive. For a total of 5,000Won (about $5), I bought two huge bunches of cut flowers.


To get to the Flower Market:

• Take the "Big 1" north towards Seoul
• Take the exit for "Seoul Grand Park" and get over immediately into the far left lane
• Turn left at the first light
• The Flower Market is immediately on your left
• Take the first left to get in. You have to pay for parking. (About 2,000Won-about $2-for 1.5 hours)

Here's a link to some more detailed information: http://english.kbs.co.kr/life/path/1395704_14466.html

On base housing information

There are three housing towers at Osan: Hallasan, Jirisan and Seorksan (named after Korean mountains). All are less than three years old and are very similar. They come equipped with all the standard appliances, including washers and dryers.

Everyone gets a storage cage, but these are not very big (approximately 5x8, but may vary some). The decks vary some in size and configuration, but the one in the photo is approximately eleven feet wide and five feet deep.

Hallasan and Jirisan have three and four bedroom units that are 2000 sf plus. Seorksan has some two bedroom units.

The apartments have some climate control but the AC is regulated by the base and is turned on and off on certain dates.

The door handles are all the push down handle types (instead of knobs). They lock with a push down button and can be unlocked from the outside with a skewer or other skinny implement. Most, if not all, of the patio doors have kid-proof locks.

On base residents, please add your comments!

Photos from Hallasan Tower:

Off base housing information (Switzen and Life Apts)

Switzen Apartments, courtesy of Jessica:

We live in Switzen Apartments. It's about a 5-10 minute drive to base (about 45 minutes to walk, yes, I know this for a fact!), 5-10 minutes from Happy Quilt, backs up to some fantastic walking/biking trails and lots of great shopping (4&9 Market is very close!) within walking distance. There are 8 buildings in our complex each building has 15 floors (we live on the 5th) and about 60 apartments in each building. It's beautifully landscaped with two tennis/badmitten/korean volleyball courts, a gym, a daycare center, two parks (and more parks within walking distance and lots of parking both above and underground. It is gate controlled (most of the time) with pretty good security. Our apartment (according to Drew's very rough guestimate) is about 900 square feet, 3 bedroom (with a potential 4th), 2 bath. Two rooms have AC units and most of the plugs are 110V, and yes, we do have a dishwasher! Each of the apartments in our complex (and it's my understanding this is the way it is with all off base apartments) are individually owned; they are purchased in "blank canvas" form, so you can walk into may apartment and then into my neighbors apartment and it could (and most likely will) look totally different (flooring, appliances, doors, lighting, etc.).

And, click here for info and photos for Life Apartments, courtesy of Cammy.

Osan Hacks

Here are some handy Osan Tips you might not know:

*To get e-mail notification that you have a package, sign up at the package window.

*Mailing packages is faster if you use cash. The post office only has one line to run cards, so if someone else is using a card in another line, you'll have to wait.

*If you're having trouble getting items shipped APO, try www.shipitapo.com or www.apobox.com.

*The commissary sometimes has reduced prices on perishables on Sunday night, because it's not open on Mondays.

*There are book swap shelves at the library, one for adults and one for children.

*There is an awesome new sports facility on top of the commissary parking lot: a soft-surface track, four tennis courts and a basketball court.

*There is a laundromat by the Main Gate with big washers for comforters and etc. They also have bathrooms in there if you need to go before you head-off base.

*Two options for getting your car washed: The Auto Hobby Shop has a new automated car wash, and there are business owners on bicycles around base that will come to your vehicle and clean it up.

Got some more? Add them to the comments!

Farewell, Osan: One Mom's Tour

As our time at Osan Air Base comes to a close, I've been doing a little reflecting. Being our first real assignment after tech school, I didn't really know what I was in for, not including the fact that it is in a different country. What I experienced when I first got here and what I experience daily now are worlds apart from each other. From living off base, to moving on base, then back off base, then finally back on base again, it has been quite a ride.

When I first got here, we didn't have any children yet. It was just the two of us, free to do (almost) whatever we wanted. I quickly noticed that what the majority of people here did was party. Seriously, every night. Now as many of you guessed, these were mostly the single people, with no family to go home to.... or married people, here unaccompanied, pretending they were single. It all seemed a little chaotic to me. Aaron and I would refer to this base as the base of alcoholics.

When we had Lucas, I entered this entirely new atmosphere. Full of mommies, babies, playgroups, breastfeeding, morning coffee with friends, support, community, and for the first time since coming here, friends. I met people I could connect with. People that were going through or had recently been through the same things I was going through. For the first time since Aaron joined the military, I had people I felt that I could really talk to. It was, and has been, fabulous!

I learned what it was to be a military spouse while here too. What it means to really support your spouse. My wonderful husband is serving our country. Though he can't tell me what he does, I know for the most part he really enjoys it, and is good at it. Granted, we have it a lot easier than some because he has a steady Mon-Fri 7:30-4:30 job, but the women here have shown me how important it is to support our husbands and keep our families happy, healthy, and in line, so that they can do their job and come home to an inviting atmosphere.

I love that this is a "walking" base. You walk pretty much everywhere here, or at least we do. The downfall is that there isn't a ton to do, so for entertainment we usually end up walking to the BX, seeing if there is anything we can't live without, and then walking home. Fun huh? This base is such a small community. It is nice walking anywhere and running into at least two people you know. I've lived in a couple small towns before, but I've never felt the sense of community that I have felt here. This might be due to the fact that we are in a different country with a different language, so we cling to our own. We are the minority here, so we depend on each other.

It has been fun and interesting experiencing the culture here in Korea. It has been fun getting to see the old fortresses, palaces, shrines, folk villages, etc. My husband knew quite a bit about this country before we came here, so he already knew the culture, but I quickly caught on. The driving is one of the scariest I have ever seen. I have seen people drive on sidewalks, not stop at stoplights (which is very common), and not pay any attention to crosswalks. Oh and you know how in the states where there is an intersection with yellow flashing lights signaling you to yield and the other side has red flashing lights signaling you to stop? Most times Korea just has yellow flashing lights on both sides, so it is a free-for-all. It gets pretty interesting, and we have experienced some SERIOUS road rage. I have learned that Koreans have a different view of personal space than we do, their men are very feminine and "close" to one another, and most that we have met are very prideful. Aaron has had conversations with Korean teachers both here and in the states that would argue with him for days that their language is completely original, when it was actually based off the Chinese language. Same goes for their architecture. Korea has also apparently built the largest church.... I would have guessed the largest church would be near the Vatican or something. The funniest thing I think I have heard since being here is that the Korean culture believes in this concept called "fan death". Aaron has read published articles on this topic. They say DO NOT sleep with your fan blowing on you (which you totally want in the summer because they don't have central a/c), because it will kill you. Yup, you will die of "fan death" if your fan blows on you while you are sleeping. Uh huh.....riiight. There is also this terrible smell here, which we call the Korea smell. Before coming to Korea we couldn't place what our dogs absolutely disgusting breath smelled like. Well we figured it out, it smells like a Korean alley, yuck.

All in all, it has been a good three year tour here in Korea. We are so terribly excited to go back to the states, and don't plan on coming back to Korea if we have a say in the matter, but it was good for us to experience this. Thank you to all the wonderful people that I have gotten to know while stationed here. Many of you have shaped me into a better woman, wife, and mother.

Directions: Star Wallet (Photographer)

Question: For all you mom's that have taken or are planning on taking Christmas photos, can anyone recommend a studio either downtown or kind of close?

Answer: I haven't taken Christmas photos down there, but we ALWAYS go to Star Wallet. We love them! A little tip: If you go there, order a smaller picture of all the ones you like so they touch them up, then order the cd and you can control all the printing from there.

To get there:

• Go down the main strip downton and turn right at the second alley. At least I'm pretty sure it is the second.
• It is on the far end on the left side.

Or, it's probably easier to spot this way:

• Another way to go is to turn left at the triangle of death and then take the alley to the left right before you go up the bridge.
• It will be the second or third store on the right. There is a drug store on that corner too to help you identify it.

Tori, Guest Blogger

Sam Il Bulgogi House

Bulgogi is big in Korea. In fact, it is the national dish. Thankfully, it is also quite tasty and if you haven't already done so, try it. Sam Il Bulgogi is a good and popular place to go. It is an easy place to find in the Sinjang Dong market outside of the main gate and most people know where it is if you ask.

When entering the restaurant, remove your shoes and step up on to the floor of the restaurant without placing your feet on the "dirty" entry-way floor. Remember to wear socks!

You can sit at either at traditional floor level Korean dining tables or you can sit at Western style table and chairs. They do not have high chairs, but will allow you to bring a stoller in to the room for the little ones. Or, you can bring a portable booster seat and sit it on the floor or in the chair at the table.

The restaurant doesn't exactly accomodate children in the American sense of the word, but they love kids and appreciate them being there. Kids enjoy sitting at the table on the floor and watching their food cook at their table. Overall, bulgogi is a pretty kid friendly food because they can eat only the parts of the meal that they want.

The best things to do is order one or two orders of your preferred bulgogi (beef is traditional, but chicken is also very common.) You can pick spicy or "sweet". That should feed 2-4 of you comfortably. Once you've ordered sit back and relax. Enjoy a drink and watch some silly Korean TV. It is an informal place.

The wait staff will start your table BBQ and start cooking the meat which is marinated according to your order. He/She will also bring a myriad of small bowls containing condiments, such as kimchi (pickles vegetables, such as cabbage), rice, and lettuce leaves. The most important part of the meal is the kimchi, so don't put it aside. It would be considered rude. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find at least one of the types you will like if you need help knowing what you are eating, just ask. They are very helpful.

When the meat is cooking/cooked, the wait staff will cut the meat in to (large) bite sized pieces with scissors and now it's time to eat! The traditional way of eating bulgogi is to take a leaf of lettuce, place some rice, kimchi, and meat in the leaf. Wrap the meat tightly around the contents and place the ENTIRE thing in your mouth, so don't make it too big. You can ask for more of your favorite condiments. I particularly like the Korean pancakes. Yummy!

When you are done, you will pay for your bill in the entry way. You can tip. While tipping is not customary in Korea, may of the places outside the main gate understand that this is the way Americans show appreciation for their meal.

Helen, Guest Blogger

Osan Parents Sound-Off: Winter Destinations

Question: What is there to do around here when the Winter comes?

Answer:

• In the shopping mall where Lotte World is in Seoul, there's also a large indoor ice skating rink. Just DON'T GO THERE on weekends or Korean holidays. Weekdays / US holidays are best.
• There's a modest aquarium at COEX Mall.
• In late Dec / early January, there will be some artificial snow sliding areas in Seoul.
• There are indoor water parks such as Ocean World - Vivaldi Park (ski resort and indoor water park) in Hongcheon. The trick is to find a Korean friend who can get a discount rate at the hotel. They can be very pricey, even for modest accommodations.
• One of the best known ski resorts - now indoor water park too - is Phoenix Park. Korean winters tend to be rather drab and dry. Much of the snow falls in Gangwon-Do Province - to the east / northeast of Seoul. That's where most of the ski resorts are.

Answer: You could start with Lotte World (indoor/outdoor amusement park) and Tiger World (indoor waterpark/spa and snow hill).

Answer: E-Mart and Lotte Mart both have indoor play areas for the kids while you shop. The supervisor at E-Mart usually speaks enough English to understand what you need.

Answer: Everland has seasonally appropriate activities. The CoEx Aquarium is a decent place to spend the morning. Just get there early or there will be lots of people. It reminds me a little bit of a Korean Manalay Bay (Las Vegas) aquarium. It is definitely an interesting cultural experience. Not just fish!

Tiger World: It's Grrrrrrr-eat!

If you haven't been to Tiger World, check it out! It's a bit of a trek but worth it!

On one floor is an indoor snow skiing/sledding hill (my husband took our 9-yr old--perfect for a beginner) and on another floor is an indoor waterpark/spa. We have been to the waterpark/spa three or four times and plan to go back another couple of times before we leave.

When grandparents were here, our 9-yr old chose Tiger World over everywhere else to take them. The waterpark side is nice (little kids' area, wave pool, lazy river, slides, lap pool), but we spend the majority of our time on the spa side (through the food court).

The spa side has several pools with varying temps, saunas, a pool bar (no alcohol served, but that is where we eat our Dippin' Dots ice cream!), a large pool with a mushroom fountain and water jets along the edges, outdoor hot tubs, and the famous Dr. Fish pool (something like 3,000 Won for 20 minutes--worth the experience, even our 3-yr old tried it).

You get a bracelet when you check in which serves as your 'key' for your locker and also serves as your credit card. You place everything in your locker (wallet included, but keep out your towels and/or cooler) and you charge everything while you are there with a swipe of your bracelet. You pay on your way out.

We eat at the food court (the kids like the pork cutlet set), but we supplement with our own fruit and crackers (drinking water is free).

It's on the way to the airport and it's about 75-90 minutes away depending on traffic.

Here’s how to get there:

• Take Big 1 North to 50 West (opposite Everland on 50, might say towards Ansan)
• Take 15 North (under 5 minutes' time on 15N) to 100 West/North towards Incheon Airport. Tiger World is on your left--huge blue and gray odd-shaped building.
• Exit at the Jungdong Interchange and make a couple left turns and look for the signs.
• Parking garage is underneath Tiger World.

Bring and show your military ID for a discount!!

The website shows what it looks like www.tigerworld.co.kr/eng/ Click on the 'About Facilities' button at the top and then on 'waterpark/spa' for some great photos. Enjoy!!

Linda, Guest Blogger

Itsy Bitsy Spiders & Other Local Creepy Crawlies

If you're like me, when you PCS'd here you've found lots of little critters running around in/outside of your home. Since my son has no fear of anything creepy and crawly I decided to try and identify some of the most common ones we see in our home (We live in Hallasan Tower). The good news, it looks like all of them are more or less just scary looking.

Tent Caterpillars:

In the spring, the caterpillars took over the playgrounds (and our balcony). There was a lot of confusion and worry among the kids and parents over whether they were "stinging" caterpillars or not.

From what I've been able to find, these are a version of Tent Caterpillars. You can read about them here .

In general, the following seems to be a good rule of thumb that I found in a few different places:

"Many species of caterpillars are variously armed or clothed with setae and spines; however, only a relative few actually possess venomous or urticating structures. Thus, there are "stingers" and harmless "look-a-likes", and distinguishing one from the other solely on appearance is difficult. Determining which is which by "hands-on" personal bio-assay is foolproof but could be foolhardy and painful."

However, my husband, 2 year old, and I all handled these things all summer (even without washing our hands after wards) and never had any adverse reactions to them. So, I personally believe our Osan Tent Caterpillars are harmless. It did make our dog sick when she ate one though.

Earwigs:

I've found several Earwigs (they look like beetles with pinchers on their butts) in the house and unfortunately they meet an untimely death when we cross paths. Here is some general information and pictures.

"Earwigs are considered harmless to people, though they may emit a foul smelling liquid when disturbed. Larger earwigs might use their abdominal "pincers" to "bite" someone, but no venom is present. Though potentially unpleasant and perhaps disconcerting, no harm is done. Because earwigs hide during the day in dark places, they often get transported along with the object they hide in, and are easily overlooked. Most of our species are introduced, and new ones are constantly being introduced."

Seed Bugs:

Seed bugs are the bugs that look like stink bugs. A kind of slim body with triangle head. Here is a picture of a similar one.

"These bugs do not bite, sting, feed, carry diseases or otherwise cause harm to people, pets, the house or its contents. They cannot reproduce inside the house, as egg laying and development are restricted to the host plants during the summer months. They will, however, give off a pungent odor if you handle them, which is part of the insect's defensive strategy. They also may make a buzzing sound when flying."

We have personally squished these and they do stink when squished.

House Centipede:

These are by far I think the scariest looking. I can't stand to even get close enough for a shoe stomping. Here is a picture.

"Indoors they are likely to be found at all times of the year provided they have warmth and available prey. To the North they will only be found outside during Summer. Predatory on other arthropods, including cockroach nymphs, flies, moths, bedbugs, crickets, silverfish, earwigs, and small spiders. In short, they'll eat many things you'd probably much rather not have in your home. Consider these beneficial in your home, since they rid you of other pests.House centipedes are aggressive predators to things their own size but are not considered dangerous to humans. Their small jaws (actually modified front legs) cannot easily pierce human skin. In the rare event you were bitten, pain and swelling may result, but it would probably be no worse than a bee sting."

Golden Orb Weaver Spiders:

You know those big nasty green spiders hanging all over the place that seem to get bigger and bigger as the summer goes on? They seem to be a kind of Orb spider (named because of the types of webs they make) and, while they will bite if provoked, they aren't dangerous to you or your dogs.

For great info and pictures go to whatsthatbug.com or bugguide.net

Lauren, Guest Blogger