Every blog post about Seoul and Seoul-related things!
After 3+ years living in rural South Korea, I’ve picked up lots of tips for learning Korean quickly, mostly from needing to understand my coworkers. Having moved abroad without even being literate in Korean, I cannot understate how intimidating it can be to try and navigate a new life in Korea without knowing Korean. Unless … Read more
Last week my travel school students, whom I had not seen in three weeks, took me hiking, even though I showed up to their school in my usual work skirt and pantyhose. It may be more accurate to say that I was guilted into hiking by the other teachers, though, since low English level ten-year-olds … Read more
If you’ve ever been to Seoul, you’ve seen the evidence of thousands of coffee shops, one or two per corner. Over the last couple of decades, coffee has also managed to invade the homes of millions of Koreans, and stage several annual coffee festivals in Seoul and all across Korea. Korean coffee culture has gained … Read more
It’s now been exactly three months since my laser eye surgery in Korea, and I am officially out of the danger zone. *November 2021 update: four years after the initial operation, I started needing a little support in my right eye, but I still don’t need glasses for it. Big ups to Haneul Clinic in Gangnam! … Read more
You’re always growing into different levels of respect in Korea, even if you’re not really growing as a person. The Basics of Korean Social Hierarchy In the US, you have to earn respect in the hierarchy, for the most part, and this tends to result in a more egalitarian view of others. One’s 80-year-old racist and sexist uncle is … Read more
Seoul is bursting at the seams with people and palaces (we’ve got 5) and places to eat. We must have at least one citizen from every country— sometimes we even send them to represent their embassies at trade shows. But when that trade show is for fine chocolate, well, you know you moved to the correct … Read more
Have you seen a foreigner today? Since moving to rural Korea over a year ago, I’ve seen one every morning when I look in the mirror. I’ve become the foreigner for most people I meet. This new and constant out-of-place sensation has made me seek to understand it, leading me to then research Korean culture … Read more
Halloween in Seoul is only a weekday affair if you’re a kid, and especially if you have American English teachers, who are notorious for week-long celebrations of the holiday. So two weeks ago, all official dates for the holiday were disregarded and the adults took their turn, on the weekend. Halloween in Seoul was upon us. Heading … Read more