Beautiful, Beautiful Fall

This past weekend I finally went hiking in one of Jirisan's courses. 18.4 km later, and my friend and I had sore feet, calves, and dirty faces, but I would do it all again in a heart beat, even with the fresh blisters on my feet. Something about getting to wander underneath the fall foliage in all its bursts of colors and away from modern civilization (really no millions of people, wires, pipes, cars...) makes me feel a little like Anne Shirley when she gets to fall in love with Prince Edward Island. Everything is romantic, and even while the paths were literally rocky and the end seemingly never near, it's hard to be disgruntled with perfect sunshine and inspiring surroundings at every turn. I wanted to share some photos from the hike as well as some quotes I found about fall. They'll give you this warm, satisfied feeling!

"...September is dressing herself in showy dahlias and splendid marigolds and starry zinnias. October, the extravagant sister, has ordered an immense amount of the most gorgeous forest tapestry for her grand reception. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot

"...I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. So I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air." -Nathaniel Hawthorne

The FIVE Best Resources for Expats in Korea

So, now that I've been living in Korea for six months as of April 15th, I can officially tell you this: You will not be uncomfortable living in this little country for at least a year. Once you get the hang of the basics: transportation, housing, banking, food, you'll discover that finding the food you want, learning more about Korea, or just shopping is as easy as owning a laptop or computer. There are very few things I have to do without in this country (none pop into my head specifically right now), and that's thanks to the resources provided by the growing expat community, continuing globalization, and, of course, the handy-dandy internet! Here is my list of the five best resources of expats in Korea as they make home in a foreign country.

EAT YOUR KIMCHI

These guys are the best. I know they've attracted criticism (fair and unfair) in the past few years, particularly when they moved from being teachers to full-time business owners, but there's no denying they do a lot of the research on what's happening in Korea, whether it be food, trends, or more. They talked about what we all wondered when we watched K-pop videos (SJ, "Because I naughty, naughty" Chincha?). They introduced us to different kinds of foods, trends, trinkets, and more in Korea. They taught us more about Korea from a waygook's perspective with comparison videos, TL;DRs on different topics (everything from teaching to gender relations and more), and gave us a fantastic ramyun hack. The food ones have been especially fun, especially when Martina shows her recipes. That chocolate tofu pudding, on. point.

DOM & HYO

Dom is an English teacher in Korea, and he's currently engaged to Hyo. While their life as a couple, depicted in his cartoons, is adorable, I really love the site for their infographics on Korean vocabulary! He has a ton, and they're so fun and easy to use. Plus, he obviously has Hyo to make sure everything is correct, so you know you're getting good, easy information. I particularly love the infographics on food vocabulary because often I forget the names or never learn them (it's very easy to point and just try).

G-MARKET

It has an English section, albeit some more specific descriptions may require Google Translate. Simply find what you want to buy, add it to your shopping cart (make sure it's domestic, not international), and opt to pay via bank transfer. G-market will give you your own account under the same bank you want to transfer from (so no transfer fees), and simply go to an ATM or your online account, and transfer the money. In about two days (sometimes the NEXT day), you'll have whatever you ordered. The best? Shipping is usually free or the most is around 2,5000 won ($2.50). And you can find almost anything on G-Market. From new booties to camera accessories to lasagna noodles to CDs and more, it's all there.  

iHERB

Great for healthy or more conscious eaters. Heck, if you're in the USA, it's great for you too. You do need your home country credit or debit card (however, if you have a Korean credit card it will work), but it's about 4-5 days delivery to Korea, and it costs about $4.00 for up to 15 lb or $105. The prices on things are better than in Korea (like quinoa, dark chocolate, etc), and you can most likely find random things you won't be able to find at all here easily (like spirulina, actual whole wheat flour, oats).  

P.S. Use this code to get $10 off your purchase! LZF040 

WAYGOOK

An awesome site for general questions and a ton of lesson resources. Simply google Waygook and the name of your lesson, and you will be flooded with responses. Heck, even finding food can be helpful (it's how I discovered I can buy lasagna noodles on G-market!)

Have you tried any? I don't know what I'd do without these sites. When I started middle school teaching, I was totally lost until I looked up lesson ideas on Waygook, and iHerb has been crucial into my healthier eating habits!

5 Places to Visit in Korea That Aren't Seoul

You guys all know Seoul has had a piece of my heart since I first stepped foot in Incheon Airport back in 2011. It's the first city I was by myself in. Home to my K-pop riddled fantasies. It saw me when I was every inch the eighteen-year-old, fresh with youthful ambition. It saw me again four years later, much more mature, more traveled, and more eager to learn about Korea beyond the glitz and glamour. I still visit the city around once a month, and I still enjoy exploring the lesser known spots or just fulfilling cravings (Mexican food, ohmygosh) and visiting friends. However, you should know, as I'm sure anyone who has lived in Korea has muttered in annoyance at least a handful of times, Korea is more than Seoul. Seoul, really does get all the good stuff first, and if you are  Korean pop culture lover, it will seem like everything is in Seoul. Pretty much every drama is set there, and when they talk about family in the countryside, you will immediately imagine sun worn halmonies crouching down and pulling up sweet potatoes. Korea is not just farmland filled with vegetables and kimchi tins outside of Seoul, and here are 5 places to prove it.  

BUSAN

In terms of Korean travel, you can think of Busan as Seoul's rival. Think of it as Korea's LA if Seoul is its NYC. Busan is Korea's largest port city and the second largest in terms of metro area population, with 8.2 million to Seoul's 25.6 million (yes, that's a big difference). You will find the conveniences of Seoul (English translations, more common franchises, ease of public transportation) without a lot of the crowds. Plus Busan is a port city, meaning water! It has that feeling of an ocean side city mixed with being a huge metropolitan area. There are gorgeous walks, beaches, and more at your fingertips in Busan, including my favorite place Gamcheon Culture Village.

GWANGJU

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Gwangju is only an hour from me, so when I'm craving franchise shopping or just a bigger city feel, this is where I go in an instant. It's a smaller metropolitan area, big enough for its own metro system, small enough that you can just taxi around if you really want to. I haven't been able to look into his historical and cultural aspects as much as I'd like to, but Gwangju has quiet the history with scholars and politics. You can pay respects to those who died in the Gwangju Uprising, visit a Confucious school Gwangju Hyanggo with houses from the first century of the Joseon Dynasty, and much more. And, if you're in the mood for something non-Korean, might I recommend Tequilaz, a delicious Mexican restaraunt. 

DAEGU

Daegu's nickname is Colorful Daegu, and its biggest aim is to be Korea's fashion city. It is Korea's third largest metro area after Busan and Seoul. Surrounded by mountains, it has an abundance of parks and hiking trails around the city as well as amazing temple views. Beware of going in the summer, apparently Daegu is known has the hottest place in Korea. Since its aim is to be Korea's fashion hub, you can check out Dongseongno for some serious shopping. Dongseongno is considered Korea's largest and widest downtown area after Seoul. I haven't had the chance to explore Daegu as much as I wished, but I've heard great things, and I did get to see Duryu Park, which is pretty stunning.

JEONJU

If you want to learn about Korea, sans the K-pop, K-dramas, and K-Idols, then Jeonju is the place to go. It was once the capital of the Hubaekje Kingdom (892-936) and a spiritual capital of the Joseon Dynasty (otherwise known as Korea's defining era, lasting from 1392-1897, until *cough* Japan *cough*). Explore the Hanok Village, full of traditional Korean houses, shop in Gaeksa, and experience the ever famous bibimbap.  I highly recommend a tour of the Hanok Village. I believe one of the universities is trying to set something up, and there's also adorable guides dressed in hanboks! 

NAMWON

I have to give a shout-out to my current town, don't I? Namwon is considered Korea's City of Love (its name is 사랑의 도시 남원시), and it plays up that title with glee. It is known for being the setting to one of Korea's great love stories, their version of Romeo & Juliet, and the focus is more on the female than the male. You can read here for the story, and see The Servant (2012) for a different take on it. There is a festival every year called the Chunhyang Festival, and Namwon apparently goes all out. Its symbol is the heart, and it is everywhere, from buildings to over a bridge and more. Check out the main attractions, and if you're into hiking, Jirisan is the second largest mountain range in Korea. 

Favorites from Seoul Fashion Week S/S 2015

Since I've been doing some major vacation dreaming lately, and I'm over winter (that's always, though), I've been scrolling through the spring shows from Seoul Fashion Week, getting to know Korean designers a bit more, and thinking about my spring wardrobe. My process with looking at Fashion Weeks in general is to go to Style.com, scroll through the runway shows, pin my favorite looks, and then go through my Pinterest board to look at general trends I've favored or designers I unexpectedly loved. I don't really pay attention to who's name is on the design until I've decided twice that I like it on its own. This way I get to know my personal style a little better and indulge in one of my favorite past times- the art of fashion. Anyhow, here are some trends I noticed I was loving from Seoul Fashion Week, and I'm excited to see the street style interpretations and who wears what in the upcoming season!

Model from CARNET DU STYLE S/S 2015

B O L D  C O L O R  B L O C K 

I have this terrible feeling I'm using color block wrong, but you get my drift, right? The sort of bold, graphic prints... I really love the prints mixed with white. And doesn't the LIE piece remind you of a nineties TV show a bit?

A  T O U C H  O F  W H I M S Y

Whimsy, nature... I can pretty much picture a woodland fairy come to life floating around in all these outfits!

A L L  W H I T E

There were a lot of variations on white. I liked it in a looser, more feminine cut, and the pieces that used jewels or embroidery were gorgeous. I can't wait to see who wears that LIE SANGBONG piece at the bottom left corner; it's probably one of my favorites of the season.

Q U I R K Y  P R I N T S

I think living in Korea has made me much more receptive to quirky prints. They remind me why fashion is fun! The London telephone booth, numbers, hearts, scientific equations (I don't know what they're actually called...), candy-esque prints... Don't tell me you don't see that Jaison Couture piece and immediately think of button candy.

A L L  A B O U T  T H A T  W A I S T

I loveeedddd seeing defined waists everywhere. I don't know if its my love for T.Swift or the abundance of crop tops, but I'm kind of in to the peek-a-boo stomach look. How fun would that KYE look be on the red carpet with a black or nude pump, messy waves, and a smoky eye?

G I R L I S H  T O U C H E S

There's a reason one side of my style personality is feminine/girly. A little ruffle detail, baby doll style dress,  stripes, pastel colors... I love it all. 

OVERALL COLLECTION FAVORITES FROM THE SFW S/S 2015 SHOW:

• CARNET DU STYLE
• LIE SANGBONG
• ARCHE
• Jaison Couture
• Miss Gee Collection
• Jinteok
• J Apostrophe

Have you checked out Seoul Fashion Week? I've meet some expats that have been able to go. Hopefully someday. If you're kinda famous or have a famous blog or know someone with a famous blog, here's the site to apply for Seoul Fashion Week F/W 2015 in March.

Also here's my Seoul Fashion Week Pinterest board if you'd like to see more!

All Images from Korea STYLE.COM & Edited by Me

Seeing a Musical in Seoul

One of the main reasons I went to Seoul last weekend was to see the Gone with the Wind musical! Yes, they turned Gone with the Wind into a musical. Multiple times actually. This version is based off the French musical, Autant en emporte le vent. Being a fan of the novel, movie, and SNSD, of course I had to go see it! My friend was more than happy to join me, and I looked up when exactly Seohyun would be performing to see which dates worked best. Turns out Saturday was key, and after I got my tattoo, we headed over to enjoy the show. 

In terms of buying tickets, I actually called Seoul Arts Center, but you can easily book them online at Interpark. I wanted to do a bank transfer and not pay with a credit card, so I had to call. They texted me the account number for SAC, and I transferred the money right away. Easy, peasy. The musical was lovely, and even though it was all in Korean, I'm familiar enough with the story to know what was happening. Side note: If  you want a chance to see the stars, it's just like in the States-- go to the Stage Door. Except, I feel like in NYC it's a secret where the door is, but here it's very clearly labelled.

Can you spot Seohyun? It was actually pretty funny because all the other actors just rolled out without much fuss, and then the main stars came, and it was slight chaos. The main guy who played Rhett came, and all the ahjummas followed him out, and then everyone pretty much followed Seohyun once she came out. I suppose if you go a day that her famous friends come to watch, you'd see them as well. My advice? Get excited about the actors and actresses who aren't the main leads. You could probably get a picture with them or at least talk to them face to face to say how good they were. I wish I was more familiar with the other actors (next time!) because I didn't know who they were until they were gone, and I actually really like the actress who played Melly (we were standing next to her friends the whole time!). Anyhow, Bada, S.E.S., is also playing Scarlett, and she's actually in the musical a bit more frequently if you'd like to see her! 

No Camera, No Problem

What to do when you've lugged your DSLR all the way from Namwon only to realize you left the SD Card in your laptop at home? Resort to the iPhone life... I wanted to update my various profile pictures, so I figured, no camera, no problem. My friend and I hopped on over to Children's Grand Park (off the olive line) to take some photos while the sun was out. Think of this as practice for when it's warm, and CGP is blooming with spring time life! If you want somewhere a little less touristy, check out Kongdae and Children's Grand Park. Kongdae is like Hongdae without the crazy crowds!

Also, major shout out to Elissa who took these photos and was a good sport about me trying to get her to pose! She also lets me crash at her place whenever I'm in Seoul, and I can't wait to return to the favor when she comes to Namwon in the spring!

My Outfit: Yellow Sweater-H&M (Similar) // Jeans-American Eagle // Ankle Boots-G-market

Get a Tattoo in Korea

Crossed another thing off my 101 Things in 1,001 Days this past weekend! I will have a post shortly explaining the importance of the infinity symbol to me, but for now I thought I would explain how exactly one gets a tattoo in Korea (particularly given my lack-of-fluency in Korean and the conservative view points on tattoos in general). This was my first tattoo (and most likely my only one!), and I was a little more than petrified in terms of getting it done. I didn't know what to expect at all, and I had it pretty set in my mind that I was going to be crying in pain because I'm a wuss. Here are some tips:

• Do Research. I did some Google searching about getting a tattoo in Korea, and I remembered that Martina from Eat Your Kimchi got an extensive tattoo a little while ago. I knew I was going to meet them at their pop-up event, so I looked back to their post and checked out the place they recommended, Tattoo People. I asked them at the pop-up event where they reaffirmed their experience. I e-mailed TP shortly after and booked myself an appointment.
• Determine What You Want. I was quite wish-washy in the very beginning. It was between an outline of the world map, an outline of a heart, and the infinity symbol. Know what you want and where you want it for 110% certainty. 
• Do More Research. This time about what to expect. There are so many articles out there for "tattoo virgins," and while a lot of them are extremely helpful, don't let them get in your head. I was told to expect pain and a little bit of blood. I had neither, but I was petrified leading up to it. I even asked my tattoo artist if it would hurt, to which he laughed and said no. My tattoo was also done in a matter of fifteen minutes. If you want a more extensive one than what I got, I would look to those tips more, but if you just want a small one like I got, don't worry.
• Money. Make sure you're ready to spend money on your tattoo. I was told to expect about 100,000 won to 120,000 won ($100-ish), but because mine was so small and only an outline, it was only 30,000 won. 
• Don't Tell Everyone. Everyone's got some sort of opinion on tattoos, and most of the time you weren't asking. Leading up to getting my tattoo, my parents told me they weren't happy about it, one person told me I should wait until I'm 23, multiple people told me my tattoo was "so basic", and who knows what else. If you've booked the appointment, chances are you want this tattoo. Trust in yourself that you're mature enough to make this decision and that the tattoo you're getting is meaningful to you. It's your skin, so frankly it's no one else's business. 
• Bring a Friend. Whether they're getting a tattoo done as well or just for moral support. Shout out to my friend, Elissa, for coming along despite her aversion to needles and wrists!
• Prepare for Language Barriers. Obviously, getting a tattoo in Korea is going to have some language barriers. There's someone at Tattoo People who can speak English (that's who I e-mailed with), but my actual tattoo artist didn't speak a lot. There was some Google translatig and different sketches involved, but we figured it out pretty easily. Your tattoo artist should make a temporary tattoo first, so you can determine if you like it or not. Also my care instructions were in Korean, so I asked my friend to translate it for me. If you go to TP and need a translation, let me know! 
• Revel in It. You did it! It's wrapped up, and you have a tattoo. I highly recommend going to the cafe below Tattoo People and enjoying some honey bread and a coffee. It also has sauna boxes, which are like saunas for your lower half, so you can sit and enjoy them as well. You can't swim or go to full size saunas with your tattoo, but a sauna box is okay. 
• Follow the Aftercare Instructions. Whatever your parlor gives you, follow them! Make sure you have neosporin and vaseline ready to use.

And that's it! I'm pretty much in love with my little tattoo, and I had a really easy time getting it and caring for it. Getting a tattoo is something I have thought about for quite a while, and I'm glad I got something meaningful. Better yet, I got my tattoo in Korea! Cross that off the "If I can do _____ in Korea, I can handle ______" list.

Duryu Park

Surprise weekend post, whaaaa-? 

Just dropping a little post because I've been practicing my main winter goal, to beat the cold (more on that soon), and I made my way over to Daegu for an afternoon of some solo exploring. It's about a 90 minute bus ride from Namwon, and it sends me to the Seobu Bus Terminal, which is right near Duryu Park. I was originally planning to make more of a day out of Daegu (and potentially a weekend, maybe even work on a travel guide), but mitigating circumstances left me to an afternoon (like the changing of bus times, my shoes, my sense of direction, and...other), which is was quite fine because it was a lovely one. I got to play around with my new camera (a Christmas present to myself) and just wander a bit.

Daegu is known for a lot more than Duryu Park, as it's one of the largest cities in Korea, so I'm sure I'll be making my way there more often the more comfortable I get with the city. As of right now, I made it to Duryu Park and a little beyond before heading back, and I didn't even use a taxi (more on that as well...)! Anyhow, enjoy the pictures! I've been practicing using my DSLR and editing online, so any feedback from people who actually know what they're doing would be much appreciated, even if it's as simple as, "Wow, these suck, learn to edit." 

Celebrating the Holidays as an Expat

Ah, celebrating the holidays. A time for family, reunions, celebrations, and getting so stuffed you feel as though you're pregnant with a food baby. If you're not with your aforementioned family, it is also the time homesickness likes to rear its ugly head. I believed that with modern technology and the fact that I've only been an expat for two months would have helped curve said blues a bit, but even I found myself missing home. I feel like it'd be especially odd for those expats celebrating holidays in countries where said holiday isn't that big. Christmas is a behemoth of a holiday, but it is not traditional in Korea, and hence it does not hold the same feeling here as it might at home. In fact, I believe Christmas day is more date night and less family feast here, but given that I'm not in a relationship much less in a relationship with a Korean fella, I only know this secondhand. 

Anyhow, my main tip for beating the holiday blues is to spend as much time as possible with other people. Even if you think you're utterly exhausted, and you just don't feel like it, get your tush up and out and celebrate. Accept the invitations, travel a little, be with people. That's the fun of holidays, anyhow, eating the foods you know you'll love and laughing over silly things with others. I still feel totally lucky that I got a city where the expats all know one another, and there are even traditions here handed down from former Namwon teachers. From decorating the halls to planning a dinner Christmas day and escaping the city for the countryside for a small weekend, these are the activities I stepped into. 

So even though Christmas with my family was a short Skype session that involved my grandmother asking me about my dating life (and then chiding me for not having one) and saying hello to the majority of my family and being asked questions about the Korean life, I didn't feel as homesick as I thought I might. I spent Christmas Eve with my fairly new founded church community, laughing hysterically over the many skits and songs put on by everyone from the toddlers to the elderly (and yes, that included me being a part of a group singing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"). I spent Christmas day gorging on delicious food in one of our villa's apartments, listening to the benefits of Christmas in the heat (from the South Africans) vs. a white Christmas (the rest of us). I went to Jeonju on Friday to buy my Christmas present for myself and to explore Gaeksa. With the rest of the villa and some others, I escaped to an adorable pension in Gurye (designed like a little Hanok village) for more festivities including lots of food, fresh air, games, and food comas. 

And now I'm looking towards six weeks of winter camp and then a long vacation in Cambodia and Thailand. I think this is where I insert #blessed. ;)

Hope you all had a lovely holiday as well!    

Playhouse EDM Festival

So this past weekend I made another trek to Seoul to attend the 2014 Playhouse EDM Festival. Basically, one of the teachers here in Namwon has a friend from home who now works in Singapore as an event organizer, and this was her event. The festival was Friday night and Saturday night at the Kintex 2 Exhibition Center in Goyang, which is within the Seoul metro. 

Let me put this out there, I wasn't even aware that "EDM" was an acronym until I heard it on the FungBro's videos, and this was my first time ever attending anything like this. I had an absolute blast, and the DJs were awesome. Let's just put it this way. My arms and legs were incredibly sore on my bus ride back to Namwon on Sunday. I didn't get to the venue until about midnight on Friday, and eleven on Saturday, so I missed the earlier acts, but the ones I did see were incredible. Some of them would even come out into the crowd for a bit to dance, like Luney Tunez (who I'm so bummed I missed!). 

Bonus: Our friend's friend, the organizer, hooked us up with VIP the second night which was super nice. The other tables even became friendly as the night went on.

W H E R E  T O  S T A Y: 

I stayed at Hotel Violet, right near Exit 3 of Daehwa Station (Line 3), and I thought it was lovely. I split a room with another teacher, and I think it came out to maybe 40,000 won a night. We took a taxi to the venue (it was only around 3,000 won) and the subway to the Hotel was a straight (albeit long) shot from the Express Bus Terminal. Let me just say, our bathroom had a waterfall shower head. And it was heaven. 

Besides that it had a double bed, a couch, a flat screen TV, a full sized mirror, and plenty of amenities that apparently all Korean hotels have (everything from a hair straightener to toothpaste). I did find it funny that we had curtains up against a blank wall, and I will say my one issue is that the walls are thin. I could hear all sorts of noises during the night. The kind where you wake-up thinking the TV is on, but it's someone in another room talking.

With DJ Thomas Newson. You can get an idea of my dress
the second night. I only brought one evening-ish dress to Korea...

W H A T  T O  W E A R:

Well, this is tricky because Koreans kind of do their own thing when it comes to dressing for anything, ever. You got everything from a flower headband to a sweater vest, so there's that. It was warm in the venue, but not suffocatingly hot. I wore a dress both nights and some Chucks, and I was actually pretty comfortable for the most part. But hey, if you wanna roll up in a turtle neck, jeans, and heels, you won't look out of place. Heck, the guy having the most fun in VIP had on a sweater my brother would wear to church!

H O W  T O  G E T  T H E R E:

Just taxi from wherever you're staying. It's so much easier. Hotel Violet had a taxi stand right outside its doors, and it cost maybe 3,000 won. They will charge you around 10,000 won on the way back though because it's 4 a.m., and they know you can't get home otherwise.

You Know You're Teaching in Korea When...

1. Anything ending with "ge" and "ch" you subconsciously add a y to the end. Lunch becomes lunchy, change becomes changey.
2. Your shoes are gathering dust in your shoe closet. Because you bought all these pretty shoes knowing how stylish Koreans like to be everyday. And then you realize you're going to wear slippers in school the whole day, and you revert to wearing your comfiest shoes with socks no matter how silly it looks. Pink socks peeking out of my Chucks in an otherwise nice outfit? Yup. 
3. You know if Waygook.com ever went down, life would be over. You might have a panic attack. Everything is on Waygook from lesson plans to winter camp ideas to where to buy tampons or black tea in Korea... -cough-
4. You've mastered the art of online shopping. Oh and not just online shopping, online shopping in Hangul. G-market deals anyone? The beauty of the online shops, the interesting job of Google Translate, you've been through it all. You also appreciate iHerb and its low shipping rates.
5. "Heol," "Aigoo," "Chincha," "Eeotokke?" mean something to you. Those little Korean expressions have crept their ways into your vocabulary without you even realizing it.
6. You've come to expect little candy presents from students. What, don't kids everywhere just give their teachers pieces of candy or pieces of their treats all the time? No?
7. You bow all the time. Saying hello, thank you, goodbye... Anytime you want to show you're grateful. Your kids will run passed you in the hall and pause to bow and say hi to you. You know this is going to be an embarrassing habit to break when you re-enter your respective home countries.
8. You know the top K-pop groups or songs. Even if you're adamantly against K-pop and its sheer manufactured pop, you know the groups. And you know how seriously your female students take those groups. EXO ring a bell?
9.  You've mastered the art of public transportation. Subway systems, bus systems... You know the drill. You probably spent a lot of money on taxis your first week getting lost and trying to figure out where everything is. But now you know. The bus doesn't stop at your stop unless you explicitly ask him to, and you know you pay after your bus ride when leaving your city and before your bus ride entering the city. 
10. You question the Korean diet constantly. They're so thin, right? But there's so much processed foods, rice, sugary coffee packets, snacks, peppero... Eetokke? It's gotta be that kimchi.

Anything I'm missing? I've only been here for two months so far!

Down by the Old Train Station

Ah this is a bit old. It's from my first weekend here! One of the girls, Roslyn, has a really nice camera, and she wanted to take advantage of the last few days of warm weather to do a photo shoot by the old train station. You know how I am with photo shoots, nice cameras, and good weather. Four us rode our bikes to the train station (along with Karina's dog, Buster), and amused the Koreans hanging out while we took photos. It was also pretty cool because the way we all prepared for the photo shoot with our clothes or concepts pretty much represented our personalities!

 

The DMZ

Unless you live under a highly uneducated rock, you're very much aware that Korea is currently split between the North and the South. You should also be aware than I am in the South, and the North is the place that instills the most fear among those who only know of it as that communist country with the crazy, kooky looking dictator (otherwise known as Kim Jung Un). The country is split along the 38th parallel and along that parallel is what is know as the DMZ, or the demilitarized zone. It is considered one of the tensest places in the world. (I wrote a little about the basics here)


Well, this past Saturday a group of us waygooks decided to visit it. Before you think we just caught a taxi and strolled around the border, that is probably the farthest from the truth. In order to even get close to the border, you must book a tour through one of the many DMZ tour agencies. It's not cheap, and I didn't do the tour when I was here my first time, but I decided visiting the border is one of those things I have to do while I'm here. Is it commercialized? Of course, this is Korea. Everything was heavily regulated, we were given a sort of agreement to sign, and we were told things like, "Don't point" or "We may get to the southern border of the DMZ and be told to turn around if things are too tense." We used Tour DMZ, and were given a delightfully sassy tour guide.

Let me just say it was a long but incredibly interesting day. After my alarm didn't go off at 5:00 a.m., I woke-up at 5:44 a.m. to the sounds of someone coming down the stairs. Keep in mind, we had to be at the bus station at 6:00 a.m. I got ready in about 3 minutes. Luckily I thought to pack my purse the night before, but my phone was unfortunate collateral damage in the process (hence all of these pictures from friends). We got the station in time, and boarded the bus for Seoul. I pretty much passed out the whole three hour bus ride. After a quick breakfast at Starbucks because a) everything near Lotte World was closed until 10:30 a.m. (including Lotte World...) and b) other nearby coffee shops only had sweet food, we met our guide in Lotte Hotel.

Us actually in North Korea, it's fuzzy, but you can see
the border line behind us.

We then set off the hour ride to the DMZ, stopping first to have lunch at a very small, traditional Korean restaurant that I'm pretty sure only has business from these tours. It included rice grown within the DMZ, a pretty cool fact we learned later. After lunch we headed off to Camp Bonifas within the DMZ, a United Nations military camp named after an American captain, Arthur G. Bonifas, who was killed by North Koreans in one of the tenser moments of the border, At the camp, there was a visitor's center, including a gift shop (told you, commercialized), and we switched our tour bus with a DMZ regulated bus for the five minute drive to the actual 38th parallel.

There we were actually face to face with North Korea, and inside a JSA building, we were able to step over the border into the North. It's kind of insane to think about it--I've stepped a foot into North Korea. The experience of that moment was well worth the price, the commercialization, and the crazy four hour commute there and back. It sounds like a super tourist-y thing to do, but I highly recommend doing it just for the experience of seeing North Korea and this strange part of history that seems to persevere even into today.

{Foodie} El Olivo in Seoul

As I mentioned in my previous post, Elissa and I met up with another girl who studied with us in Spain, Boreum, at a Spanish restaurant in Madrid (technically it was in Gyeonggi-do, but you can still get there with the metro and maybe a five minute walk). We went in around maybe 1:30 and probably didn't leave until close to 5:00 p.m! I think it's been so long since any of us have been able to just use our Spanish for just some charlando that we had so much to say. Plus I hadn't seen these guys in at least two years, so there was a lot of ground to cover. 

A S(e)oulful Reunion

Casual kimchi making

This past weekend I finally made my return to Seoul. It's been over three years since I've stepped foot in the city again, and I think I've missed it every moment I've been away. It's kind of a strange experience being back after three years. 2011 was a very different time than 2014. I'm different, Seoul's different, the people are different... All in a good way, of course. 2011 me was fresh off her first year of college, full of ideas bouncing around, poor, and very pulled in by the manufactured glitz of K-pop. It was my first time leaving the country on my own, I could barely read Hangul, and I knew very little about Korean culture and everyday life outside of K-pop and what I saw in dramas and variety shows. I relied heavily on the group of friends I made, many who were at least semi-conversational in Korean. I was thinner and younger and yet filled with more insecurities than I am now. I think cheerfully naive would be the best description.

[The Traveling Teacher] Middle Schoolers

So, last week was the elementary school festival. This week it was the middle schools' turn! In Korea, the schooling works a little bit different. Elementary is 1st-6th (6-11) while middle school is technically 1st-3rd again (so you'd say you're in 1st grade when in the States you'd say 7th). My middle school was 6th-8th, but I know other schools were 7th-9th, so I think it varies. Anyhow, the festival was more or less the same, but they did make some of it different! My group was a bunch of city students, and we won in our section! I think I'm gonna use my 10,000 won gift card on Kyuhyun's new album....

Our group!

Don't worry, I scraped off the almonds.

Tea manners

Finally got the girl version!