Eric And Jill Went Up A Hill: Day 6 - Insadong, Seoul Tower, & Padlocks

We awoke to our first full day in Seoul with Joshua (and our last full day in Korea) to the sound of steady rain and signs of clouds outside our windows. We were a bit surprised, actually, since the weather for our entire time in Seoul to this point was quite sunny, nice, and comfortable. But hey - we can handle one rainy day during our trip! (and besides, we learned quickly that Joshua *loves* playing in water puddles!)

Ready for the day!

Joshua had a great first night with us, sleeping throughout the entire night, except for a few short outbursts of tears that woke him up (but then fell back asleep). It was really cute to hear Nathan & Brooke continually ask us when Joshua was going to wake up in the morning. They were soooo anxious and eager to play with him! What a blessing to have two older kids who are eager to love on their little brother!

Our plan for the day was to check out Insadong, a popular outdoor market area in Seoul that has a number of shops, stands, and stores to purchase some traditional (but also modern) gifts. With rain ponchos and umbrellas in hand, we met up with Rachel, and headed out to the subway to find Jared and explore the city once again!

We had a great stroll up and down the main street of Insadong. We were drawn to this specific market to try and purchase a marble name stamp for Joshua. This is one traditional Korean gift we wanted to get for him, and needed to find a good place to do it. Skilled craftsmen take a small block of marble and hand engrave your choice of design on the side of it, along with your child's name (in Korean characters) on the end - all done in front of you. The marble block then becomes a "signature stamp" that you dip into ink and stamp onto a piece of paper. We found a place that gave us a great price and had one made with a design that reflected outlines of the Seoul Tower, a palace, and country flag, along with his name (Joshua) written in Korean. It was a really neat gift to find, and something we hope Joshua will enjoy having when he gets older.

Is that a Red Bean Frap from Starbucks?

We also found a few other souvenirs to help us remember our special time in Korea. One of them was a set of hand-carved and hand-painted wooden wedding ducks. These are also a traditional Korean gift and custom that we will share with Joshua, but wait until he gets married. The tradition is that these ducks are placed in the newlyweds home as a reminder of their commitment and love towards one another. Tradition also says that their position towards each other reflects their marital state: nose to nose means their relationship is good, but tail to tail means there's a good chance they're working through a little problem! So, when in doubt....check the ducks! = )

After finding a few other souvenirs and taking a little break for some fresh, yummy pastries and a splash in the rain puddles, we headed back to the subway. While we were getting ready to head back on the subway, we ran into an older Korean man who had set up a table and was creating some beautiful Korean character scrolls and wall-hangings. We were impressed, and decided we wanted to get something made for Joshua's room. Since Jill & I had both been meditating and praying over Joshua 1:9 during this week, we decided to have him write out the verse in Korean. Thanks to Jared (who knew Korean and had his Korean Bible app on his iPhone!), this man created a beautiful wall-hanging of Joshua 1:9, written in the traditional Korean characters and format (vertical, left to right). It was amazing to watch him create it on the spot, and even more amazing to see the people who would stop and watch. Jared told us that using the traditional Korean characters and format is rare in modern Korea, and was always viewed with respect and honor. We are so grateful to have this lasting blessing of Scripture written for Joshua in Korean, and to be able to hang it in his room as a reminder to him of our heart's desire for him as he grows.

Our last stop of the day took us to the Seoul Tower. This is a famous landmark in Seoul, which sits on top of a mountain and reaches almost 780 feet high in the air. It has an observation deck and restaurant near the top that people can go visit (for a fee). But we found the view around the base of the tower and overlooking the city was just our price - FREE! Our adventure to the tower, however, was quite different - as we had to walk up part of the mountain on a paved road. Not a bad walk, but it became a great adventure when it was pouring down rain, and the water was streaming down the road like a little river! Nathan & Brooke loved walking up the hill in their bare feet with the water flowing through their toes, although I'm sure they got a few curious stares from the locals! = )

Our purpose in going to the Seoul Tower was to put on our "lock of love". There is a spot near the tower where people bring a padlock and lock it onto the side of the fence to symbolize that their love and commitment to one another can never be broken (cue sappy love music, please). There were literally thousands of personalized locks hanging from fences and railings that people had put up - it was quite an amazing site to see. As a newly expanded family, we thought we'd modify that idea a bit and attach a lock to symbolize our commitment and love for one another in our new family of five! So we braved the clouds, rain, and water puddles and attached our lock to a part of the fence as a remembrance of our time in Seoul and to celebrate our new family!

The day was wearing us out, and we arrived back at the guesthouse for a late dinner and quick change of clothes in order to get the kids to bed. All the kids were great troopers through all the shopping, subway rides, and climbing we had to do. Joshua did really well hanging out in the carrier with us, and Nathan & Brooke made sure he was well entertained. = ) But now, Jill & I had a lot of packing to do, as our ride back to the airport was coming at 8am the next morning. We enjoyed a quick bite to eat with Rachel and Jared and said our final good-byes to each of them (they were great to have with us on our trip! Thank you!!). Yikes - how time flies in Seoul! It's been almost a week....and now it's almost time to go. One more night in the guesthouse, and then the long plane ride home.....