Visiting Seongeup Folk Village (성읍민속마을) in Jeju island

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Thoughts, Travel Jeju island, Korea, Travel

A traditional house with thatched roof

During our holiday trip to Jeju island we got the chance to visit Seongeup Folk Village and saw how the Koreans lived 400 years ago. It really felt like stepping back into time and onto the set of one of the Korean Drama serials which I had been following on TV.

Lava rocks as walls around the houses

Each house had rock lava wall around it. There is no cement in between the rocks and they are just layered one on top of each other to make a fence. The rocks are porous so rain water will just flow through the fence and it will not be damaged if there was a typhoon.

The traditional layout of a homestead

There is a long walkway to the main house which is flanked by the outhouse and also the barnyard/ kitchen. Most of the villagers were farmers and they grew their own produce.

The tour guide for the day

The English speaking tour guide that we had explained to us the area below was used to rear ducks and other livestock. In the olden days their toilet was outdoors and any human waste was used to fertilize the ground below.

The famous black pig

A adult black pig which we saw in it’s pig pen. Black pig meat is very popular among the Koreans and we did get to taste it while on holiday in Jeju.

A traditional milling device

This was the traditional way which rice/ soya was grounded using a milling device shown above. The animal/human had to push the heavy stone and walk in circles around it while the seeds were being grounded into powder/paste.

A shot of Tiger girl and me outside a house.

I love the solid wooden doors that I saw at the entrance of this house and we had to take a shot for remembrance.

The guardians of Jeju island

I found these statues around a lot of places in Jeju island. It is their God of fertility. It is said if you rub the nose of the statue you will be blessed with a boy. If you rubbed the ear you would be blessed with a girl. R and I stayed far away from the status as we both agree no more boys or girls for us. Three is enough.

Have you visited any traditional villages lately?

July 16, 2013

10 Things That Make Our Family Awesome

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Thoughts Monday Listicles

The boys and their dad

Family means a lot to me. Their well being is extremely important to me and everyday I set out to see that they are kept healthy and doing fine. They are my pride and joy even though they do drive me up the wall at times. Here are 10 Things that make our family awesome

They are flexible and are able to up and go each time we decide to go on a holiday. Even the 2 yr old is okay with waking and sleeping at odd hours so that we be able to catch our flight.
They are not as fussy and can and will self entertain when I am busy. The kids can play non stop with each other and I have to chase them to bed just to get them to stop and have their needed rest.
They know how to share with each other and will look out for one another. Although all 3 are competitive they do know when to give in and close and eye too.
Tiger girl and me
R has his Mini Me’s while I too have my mini me. Tiger girl and me can off and do all the girly stuff together while the boys can have a fun time having a boys day out too.
Everyone helps out in the house. The boys including R do help with the cooking , cleaning and laundry while the girl helps with the keeping and sorting out of items. Monkey boy is able to cook simple dishes, iron and the laundry besides vacumning, moping and sweeping the floor. Doggie boy too knows how to do the laundry and the dishes and is starting on simple meal preparation. Very soon I will be able to hand over 100% of the household duties to the kids.
All of us are adventure seeking and are game to try out new activities. Even the youngest at 2 yr old will not flinch while going down on a 3M high slide.
We like spending time with each other. The kids look for us when they are back from school and can’t wait to share their day with us. It’s great being wanted 🙂
The kids are warm and friendly. They always show us (parents) and each other with lots of hugs and kisses daily.
R and I are on the same page when it comes to parenting our kids . We have a mutual understanding of the methods/techiniques that have to applied to each kid.
We love being together as a family. Even though there are moments where we would prefer to be on our own still being together physically and mentally rocks!!