Living in South Korea

Reflecting on My First Year in Korea

By the time this is published, it will be a year since I started the physical journey to move to South Korea. On January 1st, 2021, I packed up the rest of my belonging (throwing away some things that couldn’t fit) and my cat into my Honda Civic to drive back to my parent’s houseContinue reading “Reflecting on My First Year in Korea”

Jinju Lantern Festival

Tucked away in the south western corner of Gyeosangnam-do 경상남도 on the eastern side of South Korea. Jinju 진주 is a small city that has always been a center of life for the surrounding farming communities. Before it was a modern city it was a Fortress in the Jeosan Dynasty, the Silla Dynasty 신라 新羅Continue reading “Jinju Lantern Festival”

Must Have Apps for Traveling in Korea

1. Naver Maps and KakaoMaps Ditch Google maps and use Naver Maps and KakaoMaps instead for the most accurate way to get around from bus times to driving directions your set. *hint* If you can’t find something, try searching using Hangul, the Korean alphabet. 2. The COOV app and for those here long term withContinue reading “Must Have Apps for Traveling in Korea”

Small Town Living in South Korea Featuring A Cult, Mud, and Some Chickens

Somedays, I feel like describing where I live is like telling a tale of two Cheonggye’s 청계면. A 30 min busied north of Mokpo in Muan County 무안군, Cheonggye is a farming community, a fishing community, and a college town nestled between mountains and the sea in Jeollanam-do South Korea. I live in the centralContinue reading “Small Town Living in South Korea Featuring A Cult, Mud, and Some Chickens”

Lies About Eating Cheap in Korean

Grocery shopping is everyone’s favorite chore. Some of us wake up early on the weekend or go after work to try to beat the insufferable crowds. The crowds full of screaming children (maybe yours), people leaving their carts in the middle of the aisle or ramming them into you, the chaos and madness of wanderingContinue reading “Lies About Eating Cheap in Korean”

The Wildest 24 Hours of My Life: My First Hoesik

They told me I was going to Boseong 보성군. I did not sign up for what happened next. Since covid, the Korean Hoesik 회식 has been canceled. Hoesik is really any gathering of people to eat, get drunk, and marry; however, it has become synonymous with workplace culture in Korea. Pre-covid, you were expedited toContinue reading “The Wildest 24 Hours of My Life: My First Hoesik”

A Lasting Impression, Busan Part 2

After a night of rest and a strong coffee in the morning to melt the discontent with our run-in with the law the evening before, my friend and I set out on a long bus ride from Haeundae 해운대 to Gamcheon Cultural Village 감천문화마을. The bus ride took us past the ports and Chinatown andContinue reading “A Lasting Impression, Busan Part 2”

A Lasting Impression Busan Part 1

I’ve started and stopped writing this blog several times. For a city that I have been excited to visit since before I even came to Korea I’m having trouble speaking about it. There is one thing that happened on this trip that has really changed my outlook on my future here in Korea, but IContinue reading “A Lasting Impression Busan Part 1”

Weddings in Korea Part 2

Yep, I said yes to a second wedding after promising never again, but when my co-teacher asked me, I did not have the heart to tell her no. So I woke up early on a Sunday, the weekend after the first wedding, to hop on a bus and take it two hours to the otherContinue reading “Weddings in Korea Part 2”

Weddings in Korea Part 1

After the last wedding I attended/was a part of, I promised myself I would never participate in another one again. Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely believe that it’s an honor to be invited and participate in a wedding. Having a deep bond with someone, even semi-obligatory because they are a blood relation, is specialContinue reading “Weddings in Korea Part 1”