Molly has a few rules for E*Mart trips - each resident must carry a wallet or purse with their money inside. Their house mother should have helped them make a list of things each of them wants to buy. They also need to bring money to have lunch at E*Mart in the cafeteria as well.
E*Mart is a BIG store here in Korea, it's their version of a WalMart store. They have groceries, clothes, shoes, books, toys, electronics, sporting goods, etc...all under one roof.
Because we have a handicapped van, we get to park right in front of the store. In Korea, handicapped parking doesn't belong to the person; the sticker goes on the vehicle itself. Anyone driving the vehicle can park in handicapped parking.
This guys one and only job (shown inbetween the couple - under the arrow sign) is to bow to shoppers as they enter the store! They also have them outside at the entrance to their parking garage. Each has their own personal style of greeting you...some are very quiet, some are very direct, and some are VERY loud!
Today was all about hair barrettes & purses! Once we help the residents find what's on their list they would like to buy, we help them make the purchase. This is wonderful practice for them to interact in the real world. They have to see if they have enough money for what they want, they have to wait in line, and pay for it. The workers at E*Mart are always patient and very nice! 
After everyone is finished shopping, we head to the cafeteria for lunch. Here is where there is fake food dishes that are numbered and have the prices for each meal. It's wonderful when you're a foreigner, and have no idea what to eat? You pick what number you want, go to the cashier; and she has a list with bar codes next to the numbered item. We just point to the number we want, and she rings it up. Here is Molly with two of the residents looking over their choices.
The residents always seem to purchase BIG meals...because as Molly always says, "When you don't have a mother...food is a great comfort..." Koreans are fun to watch eat. They will load up their spoons and put a lot of food in their mouth! Forget small bites - go BIG!
One thing that's really interesting is, Koreans don't drink with their meals. They always have these teeny-tiny metal cups for water. They don't even offer drinks to buy in the cafeteria like we would. No soda's offered, or juice...all they have is free water. Martin and I always get about three of these cups of water to have with our meal...that's what you see on our table.
And this is what we do every Monday after Chapel service. A typical E*Mart Monday!
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