This week, I’ve teamed up with Lauren from DiaryofaSpanglishGirl.com to be a part of her exciting series “A Day in the Life in…”. We’ll be bringing you similarities and differences between Pyeongtaek, South Korea and Alicante, Spain. Make sure to check out Lauren’s post over on her blog where she compares our locations.
My scheduling was off and I ended up being home in Pyeongtaek, which is a little further south than Seoul, on Documentation Day. That means I was near or on the Military base we’re associated with most of the day. When I write about ‘Post’ that just means I’m on the Military base. Feel free to ask me about any of the unfamiliar terms I use because; what’s common terminology to me may not be to you and I want you to understand what’s going on.
If you want to hear about my time in Seoul, check out my Seoul Food posts. With that said, I present to you a Christmas-themed “Day in the Life in…” Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
December 20, 2018 – A Day In The Life…
8:00 AM
I wake up quickly today. My favorite part of the country is the peaceful morning. In the city, daytime and nighttime blended with the constant background noise of speeding cars and foot traffic. Here, I can take a few extra minutes to myself before the day starts.
We had some snow earlier this month, but I don’t think we will have any more this year. That leaves the days extremely cold with biting wind. So far, this morning is revealing milder weather.
It takes me my usual 45 minutes to get ready, although I like to stretch it out most days. Fortunately, most stores in Korea don’t open until around 10 AM, so I’m not missing much regarding outside activities.
9:00 AM-ish
Today is Cookie Delivery Day. My family and I have been baking since Tuesday and today is the day we finally get them all shipped out (aka, drive around town dropping them off).
However, I still have a few cookies to finish. Apparently the two dozen sugar cookies I made and decorated the day before are not enough. Another two dozen await decoration in the kitchen.
My first job is to make the icing. It’s a simple task; my biggest obstacle is getting the perfect color. Once that’s done I start decorating!
11:00 AM
By 11 I’m pretty much done. The last few Santa and Christmas tree cookies are drying out on the counter. My family has already set out the plates and boxes for the cookies. Our dining table looks like a cookie boxing factory and between the festive plates, cellophane wrap, and ribbons – oh, have I mentioned the Christmas music playing in the background – yeah, Christmas is in full swing at my house.
While I clean up the kitchen my family starts dividing the cookies among all the plates. I believe there are over 30 plates and boxes combined. That’s okay though, we spent the past two days baking up a storm of family favorites, traditional German, and a few new Christmas treats. As a baker, that’s not too far off from a typical day in my life. Have a look at some of the cookies we made.
Look good, huh? The boxes are for my father’s co-workers, and we need to deliver them quickly. We’re out the door by 11:30 AM. Blue skies and warm weather greet me as I walk out the door. Fortunately, we live very close to Post so the whole delivery took under 30 minutes.
Sometime after that?
I skipped breakfast. We all skipped breakfast. That was not one of my best ideas today. Cookie Delivery is not fun on an empty stomach so we head to the cantina for some food. By now it’s almost twelve, but brunch is still in full swing. This is my first time eating there and I’m pleasantly surprised by the quality of their food.
My afternoon pit-stop at the cantina acts as fuel for most of the day. We head home and load the car up with more cookie trays. Then it’s back to Post for more deliveries. We loop around from the main gate, to the family housing, and finally the gym to drop off Christmas cookies. I feel like Santa, but instead of delivering toys I’m delivering cookies 🎅🏾.
4:30 PM-ish
I’m sorry, that girl who just had a lovely brunch at the cantina and is ready to seize the delivery day can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, cause she’s starving! This day has made it clear to me that Santa cookies aren’t to bribe
Chinese take-out saves my energy. Our loyal Chinese is open all the time, except for Mondays for some reason. They’re even open Christmas day, you guys. Most stores in Korea, although they open later in the day, do open throughout the year. I’ve only seen them close for Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and Buddha’s birthday.
7:00 PM
Final delivery time. It’s already getting dark and by the time we make our final stop around 7 PM the night sky is overhead. Winters in Korea are frigid, but the worst part about them is the wind. Out here in the country, with very few buildings to act as a barrier, the winds cut particularly sharp.
Air quality is good today and I can see some stars in the sky. Our road is under construction so the dust from that obscures my sight a little. Despite this, I revel in the fresh air and inky overcast.
8:00 PM
I’m back home and ready to hit the sack. However, I want to get a shot of the cookies before they disappear. My family has a habit of snacking on leftover Christmas cookies so fast that none are left for Christmas day. Even now I’m out of Cinnamon Stars and Gingersnap cookies.
Despite low cookie quantities, poor lighting, and zero photography equipment I press on and manage to take at least one good picture of each remaining cookie type. I wish I took a picture of my actual setup because it looked insane. The finish photos turn out better than I expected.
After a long day of cookie decorating and delivering, I’m more than ready to fall into bed. This day was jam-packed; but this Christmas season I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Wrapping up A Day In the Life
Thanks for coming along for the day! Don’t forget to head over to Lauren’s post. Find out how her Thursday went and some similarities and differences between Pyeongtaek and Alicante here.
