"It'd Be Nice If You Could Pull Me Into Town"

When we shipped our minivan to Korea, we included a brand new boxed and "never-been-opened" giant size trampoline. We had super high hopes that it would safely fit on the roof and provide some outdoor exercise for our five children. I’ll admit I had my doubts. When Jim lugged it up to the roof with the help of a friend my children sat inside with their fingers tightly crossed. It took about two minutes for them to see that it was clearly impossible for our “dreams” of a yard to be realized. Disappointed, I was expressing my woes to a friend, who just happened to know someone who might want a giant size trampoline and who had a giant sized yard to put it in. This “someone” did want our gigantic trampoline and she was willing to make a trade. Her husband had bought three scooters, one right after the other in a quest to find the perfect scooter. She was pretty unhappy about the three scooters sitting in the garage taking up all that space. She was willing to trade one of her husband’s scooters for our trampoline, a mighty generous trade on her part. If you remember back to those first dark and cold days when Jim and I shared the minivan, you’ll know that we were both happy to make the trade as soon as possible.
Our scooter has been great! It’s practical and has saved us a ton in gas money, parking fees and tolls. But, I have to admit that my favorite part of owning the scooter is “date night.” Once a week, Jim and I hop on the scooter and discover Seoul. We’ve been lots of fun places and the lights and sounds are all the more real out there in the open air. Just last week we went antique shopping in Itaewon and we discovered our new favorite restaurant, Tai Orchid. Itaewon is not my favorite part of Seoul. It’s got a lot of Bars and a real “adults only” feel to it. In spite of its trashy nature, we have been back because of its great antique shops and good food. Itaewon has a reputation of catering to the tourist and in doing so it has lost the class and style of Seoul. In Itaewon I saw the slums and the homeless of Korea for the first time.