Month: February 2012

Vietnam Hearts Korea

Having been away from Seoul for a few months now, I tend to find myself “homesick” for Korea these days. In addition to missing friends and loved ones, I often have kimchi cravings and strange desires to jam out to K-Pop. I yearn to hear the fluid sounds of the Korean language and go shopping …

Tiger Moms and Their Cubs: On Parenting in South Korea

Yesterday I got in touch with a former co-teacher at the hagwon (private academy) I most recently worked at in Seoul. I was curious about how my students were doing and how things were going at the school. The kindergartners had just finished their end-of-the-year production in which classes perform plays and dances for their …

The Malaysian Melting Pot

Kuala Lumpur is a city of contrasts. Go there and find yourself in awe of architectural feats like the Petronas Towers. Walk some more and stumble upon stunning colonial buildings. Wander a bit further and end up in the middle of a rain forest. It’s a place that keeps visitors curious, wondering what will be …

Thaipusam: No Pain, No Gain

At some point during a journey, it is inevitable that one is subjected to one of those “I’m not in Kansas anymore” moments that throws him or her into a realization that he or she has wandered far down that yellow brick road, no longer close to the normal or recognizable. I found myself having …

Same Same, But Different: Korean Adaptations of American Fast Food

McDonalds’s. Dunkin Donuts. Pizza Hut. Burger King. Just a few names that one might associate with American fast food. While it’s true that these companies may have been born in the land of golden arches, today they can be found all over the world. When I first started traveling, I refused to enter a Mickey …