What I liked about Korea after 5 years

I am not a list maker on this blog. If you look back through the years there have been only a few times where I have made lists. But I think it is important to "list" in some way what I have liked about living in Korea for this long. I am sure whatever I mention here might be useful to the newcomer to Korea and also help them see what makes living here worthwhile.


Getting around: You could be freezing your ass off outside in the icy temps or roasting hot in the summer, but the busses and trains will always be there. Seoul provides many means of transportation that generally come on time and get you to your location quickly. It's one of the benefits of living in a compact country and certainly doesn't hurt your wallet after using it often. Even traveling outside of Seoul one has subway and bus options. If not then a taxi will do!

Healthcare: For the longest time I told myself I couldn't leave this country because I get great healthcare. I have an auto-immune disease that requires medication and doctor's visits. Three months worth of my medicine costs me no more than 30,000 won. Plus my Doc visits were also cheap. I can't help but say I will miss the healthcare, however at the same time relent that it's not worth staying in the country for. However, it's a great service and shows how functional a National Health Insurance plan can be.

Networking: I learned a lot about how to open up to people and share your lives with them. Starting on the grounds of just being expats people seemed more open minded to be your friend. I really liked getting to know the artist community here, along with the KOTESOL folks. It seems there is always something happening where you can meet new people who share similar interests.

Access to Contemporary Asian Art: I really enjoyed being able to visit galleries, museums and exhibitions featuring contemporary Asian art. Mostly because you can't have such access to this back home, and also it was all in Asia. I felt like I had a better time understanding the works by living here. I'm sure I'll find a way to fill this void back in Seattle, but nothing beats the plethora of art on display here.

Food: Of course I can't avoid mentioning this. I love Korean food! I crave a warm boiling pot of dweanjang jiggae in the winter and cold naengmyun in the summer. I may not always want to eat Korean, but the food is so delicious and unique here I know it's going to be hard to find good places back home. If you have any doubts of coming to Korea because you might not like the food, well don't worry!

Neighborhoods: As you explore Seoul and other areas you start to get to know different neighborhoods. Like Hongdae or Jongno. For me I really enjoyed Samcheongdong and other parts of that area. Mostly I liked seeing neighborhoods expand and change throughout the years. Insadong is definitely not the same when I first got here. However, I think that's what made living here so lively. I could return to a part of Seoul I hadn't been to in a long time and discover something totally new about it. I wonder how much will change when I leave.

The Rural Route: Getting out of Seoul and seeing Korea as it is without the tall buildings and bustling streets is a really great site. I explored out of Seoul both on my own and with Ex's, and every time felt like I was getting a taste of real culture. People are really welcoming and friendly in this country and you can explore it with a beginner's hand at Korean. I am quite fond of my recent trip to Damyang and will always look back at that experience as a very positive way to enjoy Korea. Also not to mention my trip to Munkyeong and their tea bowl festival.

You know I could probably keep listing more and more, but I'm sure I've mentioned stuff elsewhere. If you have anything to add, please do!

Some fun time around Konkuk University

Even though my time is ticking away here in Korea I still hope to spend it with friends and exploring around town. I met up with a new friend last Sunday to enjoy an early movie, lunch and just looking around the Konkuk University area.

At the small independent theater run on the campus we saw "First Position", a documentary about young talent making it into the the dance world. It was a good movie and it flowed well as sometimes documentaries can get stuffy. For the most part I became inspired by the stories and also ignited my feeling to return to America. The tales of some immigrants who are trying to make it in America, makes me want to jump over and help them. I don't think you need to see this movie in the theater and can easily watch it at home and still enjoy it.

After the movie we headed across the street to 우마이도, which was an amazing and splendidly delicious Japanese ramen restaurant. The menu was by far the most simplest of things I have ever seen, with just two main choices and side dishes. I ordered the "regular" one where you could have ordered the "spicy" version.

What you see here is, and sorry the color isn't just right, a bowl full of fresh noodles, pork slices, hard boiled egg and green onion seasonings. The broth is what makes Japanese ramen unique and they did a really great job. For a cool end-of-fall day this hit the spot!

Next my friend suggested we wander around the Konkuk University campus and so I enjoyed the peaceful scenery. I didn't even know there was a small lake on the premises.

The lake came complete with geese who were eager to get some crackers or something off the visitors.

Sharing time with friends in Seoul is timeless and the walk around the lake quite memorable. But things were starting to get cooler and so we headed towards the downtown area, where I knew of a cat cafe.

This was my friend's first time to a cat cafe and I enjoyed watching his reaction. As for me I've been to many and so sized up the place.

The ...

고양이다락방 건대점

was a good cat cafe as it had many cats who were friendly and playful. Also the owners of the place weren't too strict on people and politely corrected where needed. It was a nice balance of sleeping cats vs. playful ones. 

I even managed to get one to sit on my lap and get a photo taken.

We stayed in this warm and cozy environment for a good amount of time, soaking up the sights of cats and people interacting with them. It came time to leave and on the way out I spotted the door covered in cat drawings, which was awesome. 

The rest of the evening was having pizza at a place nearby and then heading home to rest before starting the work week. It's great how there is still many places to discover here in Seoul before I leave. I certainly feel like I fit into this city and country and leaving is going to be quite an adjustment. But I'm confident the transition won't be too difficult. ;)

Fall's Last Moment: Around my neighborhood

When most of the leaves are on the ground and not up in the trees, you know fall is practically over. Yet it is all still beautiful and I couldn't help but grab the camera and meander around my neighborhood capturing this moment.

The fate of these leaves is to end up in bags piled up high around the 'hood.

Fruits for sale adding their own natural fall colors to the scene.

I also enjoyed the architecture alongside the scenery and a full trash bin.

It was all a nice distraction from everything and imagery to hold on to as the temperature drops and the trees become stick figures.

The red berries and green leaves in this picture made me feel a little Christmasy, and all end with that picture on this post as this holiday is around the corner.

Fresh air with the kiddos: Field trip to the Korea National Arboretum

Some wonderful Fall foliage pics here to share with you as I talk about my final field trip for this semester. The kiddos were sent to the Korea National Arboretum up in Pocheon, which is slightly north of Seoul.

Our day was blessed with little cloud cover, warm air and wonderful colors along the way.

You might be asking yourself, "What is an arboretum, that sounds familiar?" Well this is likened to a collection of trees, so in essence this park was a tree-park. What does every tree park need? A museum to enlighten you on the varieties of wood out there and it's many uses, of course!

In one exhibit they reminded viewers the destruction that Japanese occupiers left on the forests here, which was kind of sad. However, the organization of the museum was quite nice and it also had a lovely lingering smell of fresh cut wood.

Also in the museum was a gallery space with shadow boxes full of hand crafted sceneries made from wooden items.

After our stint around the museum we headed over to a greenhouse for some humid air and to take a look at some greenery.

The most of this trip was spent wandering through the many paths admiring the changing colors in the leaves, and mostly for me taking in the fresh forest smell.

In fact the fresh air and Fall foliage reminded me of my small-town home back in California, so I became a bit homesick and nostalgic at the same time. But the kids constantly kicked me into remembering where I was, and Fall in Korea is certainly a special time.

We enjoyed lunch in a opening under the trees, where unfortunately bees also had a good time checking out what we brought.

For the final leg of our trip we walked up a trail admiring the forest once more, before heading back to the busses.

Now is the peak time for fall foliage it seems, as the trees are in full bursts of color. I can't help but think by the end of next week the trees might look like sticks, and winter will be around the corner. Time surely does fly!