Of my 25 birthdays, three of them stick out in my memory. My 16th: celebrated with an extravagant coming-of-age party with about 20 other girls from my class, it was a day that marked the beginning of freedom and the chance to finally drive without a parent in the car. My 18th: I officially became …
It would be wrong in every sense of the word to maintain this blog without writing an entry dedicated entirely to Korea’s national dish, kimchi. It would be like leaving out the Eiffel Tower in a travel guide to Paris, or ignoring the conical hats in a description of Vietnam. So much of Korean life- …
My days are slowly coming to an end in Korea. I’ve tried to compile a few ‘transformations’ I’ve noticed in myself or others after living in Korea for quite some time. So, I give you… “You know Korea is your home when…” – Western fusion food tastes good.– you don’t notice the fellow wagooken passing …
I love Seoul. I really do. But I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve started to find myself doing the same things over the past few months. I’ve always been adamant about using my time here in Korea to see all there is to see, but as far as Seoul is concerned, I’m running out …
Rain, rain, go away. The downpours have been non-stop since the beginning of June and by the end of July, I thought I was going to go crazy if I had to stay indoors any longer. I was eagerly looking forward to my vacation in Jeju-do, Korea’s own subtropical island, but was a bit upset …
Pizza topped with corn. Pasta served with sweet pickles. Tacos drizzled with anti-sour cream. Korea has never really done western food well. In the past, one would have to travel all the way to Itaewon to get decent but overpriced European/American cuisine. Even then, the restaurants are mostly foreigner owned. Fortunately, things are changing. Recently, …
In Korea, appearance is everything. While this fact applies to all aspects of Korean life from business representation to food presentation, it’s especially true in one’s personal looks. Plastic surgery is the norm, as it is believed it will give one the edge in landing a big company job or will catch the eye of …
When thinking of ways to best describe Korea, multicultural isn’t exactly the first adjective one conjures up. In fact, Korea has always been known to be a homogeneous society whose citizens take great pride in their seemingly pure ethnic roots. In doing research previous to my arrival in Korea, I found that many foreigners had …
May is one of the best times to visit Korea. The weather is delightful, the countryside is green, and the people seem to be happier this time of year. There’s always something going on and the festivals around the country are seemingly innumerable. With Children’s Day and Buddah’s Birthday being national holidays, I decided to …
In middle school, I used to dream of being a pop star, as I am sure many girls of that age do. I even formed a singing group with two friends (coincidentally named 2AM) and demanded regular rehearsals for non-existent gigs. Despite my lack of actual talent, I used to pray for a chance to …