Oh, the places you'll go: Thank you, Asia "The Dong" (33 days until Wisconsin)

For four years our family lived in Gyeonggi-do, Yongin-si, Suji-gu, Dongcheon Dong, Goodmorning Hill buildings 503 and 509. There were 10 apartment buildings in our complex and many KIS families living there. We affectionately called the immediate neighborhood "The Dong" - as in "we're just enjoying life in 'the dong'".

Here we raised Alec and Adam from first grade to 4th and 3rd grade to 6th grade respectively. I remember being astounded at all the services that were within walking distance of our apartment building. The kids especially loved the stationery store only 3 minutes away. We also had a few grocery stores, clothing stores, dry cleaners, Baskin Robbins, and lots of coffee shops and restaurants.

We could easily walk to an adjoining neighborhood called Ramien where we loved the newness of the urban sprawl - so many little restaurants and convenience shops to choose from. Our favorite restaurant with the kids was Gino's where Adam would get the butter chicken and Alec would get the waffle with bananas and whipped cream and syrup. We were always greeted with glee by the co-owner, Cindy. Our favorite restaurant with friends was the GS25 convenience shop with the plastic blue chairs outside, because we could buy a beer there and then go sit outside at the table and jabber the night away for cheap. Brent and I also enjoyed the Italian and Vietnamese restaurants.

We loved the Korean BBQ places nearby, too, including one that served duck (called Ori, meaning Duck in Korean).

Other features of the neighborhood included the creek running along our complex (great for rock hopping) and the walking and biking paths to walk on along side of it. We would often take the kids along the path for some ways and let them play in the water, too. Little pop up gardens always intrigued us, and we enjoyed watching the progress of the lettuce and onions out of what seemed like pure gravel.

Also nearby and straight across the bridge over the creek was the local jjimjilbang (public bathhouse). (Click on a previous blog for more.)

There were plenty of playgrounds, too. See my KIS family blog for more on that.

And, of course the landscaping of beautiful flowers in the spring always deceived us into thinking we didn't live in a big city at all. (Click here for more.)

There was also a Presbyterian church and a Catholic nunnery and school nearby. Great areas for finding beautiful gardens and nature for extra quiet and contemplation.

Put all that together with the constant flow of people young and old, on the sidewalks, in the parks, and coming and going from parking lots to apartment buildings or stores and you have "The Dong."

I loved the hustle and bustle of "the dong" and also the quiet of the place after 10 pm. No sirens. No neon lights. No extraneous sounds from neighbors.

However, with just a short bus ride on the 17 bus, we could land in Migeum, where the look and feel changed to more city than sprawl. There we could catch the metro, go to church, or hit any number of coffee shops. I still remember the buildings covered in advertising, the vendors of street food, and the beautiful young Korean women beaconing people to come to their shops to buy snail beauty masks and all sorts of skin whitening products. The girls would have a mic and a very small, tinny amp hanging from a string like it was a purse, as they encouraged people to get a great deal from their shop.

Any cars on the street were probably newish, clean, and grey, black or white. And most of the people quickly shuffling by were wearing black suits or skirts, dressed for the world of business. Everyone was in a hurry. Always. (We called that the "Korean shuffle".)

Back at the dong, the kids might be riding bikes with friends or playing on one of 5 playgrounds in our complex. Life was busy and challenging and fulfilling and our kids were growing up fast.

Perhaps the last time Alec could be carried. Pictured here in Ramien with a leg bandage and boot after being run over by a car. But that is another story!