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A One Year Old & Lessons of Raising a Multicultural Child in Korea
While I would probably raise my child very similarly to my sister if I were married to a fellow westerner, I'm married to a Korean man and so blending our cultures to make us both comfortable is a huge priority around here.
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Haengjusanseong Fortress Wall: Views From Deogyangsan Mountain
If you bike west along the northern side of the Han River in Seoul, eventually you come to what looks like the end of the path though it really just heads inland and shoots towards Goyang, a suburb of the metropolis Seoul, Korea. Goyang has a lot of places to see, things to do, and many of them are off the beaten path to Seoulites and travelers who don’t realize they’re missing out. The bike paths lead around the base of Deogyangsan Mountain (덕양산), easy to spot with a monument at the summit proclaiming victory for all to see. This is a great mountain to head up and you can…
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Korean Food: What to Know About Oritang
While it looked similar and it had duck as the main ingredient, it wasn't as thick as the oritang that I had become accustomed to eating in the north. My father-in-law explained that this was actually oritang and what I had wanted based on my description was oribaesuk (오리백숙). I had never heard of the latter and was sure that my teacher friends had always ordered the former, but it seems there is quite a difference.
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Every Single Day: Rocking Out With a New Album
My husband, Jae-oo Jeong, has been super busy lately in the studio with his bandmates jamming and recording new songs as well as collaborating with other bands on old songs for an upcoming sixth album, Nothing of it. To get people pumped, they’ve been releasing a couple digital singles each month for the past two months and will continue to do so for another couple until they release their entire album at the end of November. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.) Every Single Day has worked…
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Yeonji Park’s Lake in Gimhae
While most people probably don’t head out of Busan to the nearby city of Gimhae unless they’re going to the airport located there, my in-laws live in that ‘burb so I am always on the lookout for places to go around town when my mother-in-law is not trying to fill our bellies. On previous trips, we’d stumbled upon the dilapidated and abandoned Gaya Land Amusement Park, learned about the historical relevance of the area at King Suro’s Tomb and enjoyed Dongrimsa and Eunhasa Buddhist temples located nearby. While there for Chuseok this past weekend, we decided to find a park so that the little one could enjoy some swings and…
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What To Do If You’re Staying in Seoul for Chuseok 2024
(UPDATED for 2024) Chuseok, one of the biggest holidays in Korea, is coming up and many Korean families will head to their family homes to be thankful for the good harvest by eating lots of food and playing traditional games. Often tourists and foreigners in Seoul are left wondering what will be open during Chuseok and what they can do. Here are some ideas for what to do this year for Chuseok in Seoul which is a five day holiday that spans September 14th to September 18th. Chuseok, or the Korean Thanksgiving, is one of the best times to STAY in Seoul in my opinion. Seoul is a fairly new…
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The Gyeongui Line Forest Park: An Urban Park Near Hongdae
I'm sure by now you've heard of the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail Park that was just completed near Hongdae. This park stretches from Hongik Subway Station exit 3 back to Hongjecheon Stream which could lead you south to the Han River or north to a waterfall if you continued a walk in the area.
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West Seoul Lake Park: A Cool Place To Go In Seoul
Urban renewal projects in Seoul, Korea make for some really interesting places to visit and see. There are parks that have been regenerated and culture spaces that used to be for wartimes. It’s really interesting. There are a lot of different spots to check out and West Seoul Lake Park, or Seoseoul Lake Park (서서울호수공원), is one of them. If you’re in the southwest area of Seoul or just want to take a little trip to see something different, then this is the park to find. It’s also a great stop if you’re headed to or from Gimpo International Airport. Take an adventure and enjoy the views: (This post contains…
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Yangyang-gun: Paradise On Korea’s East Coast at Naksan Beach
Gangneung is one of the most popular areas for people living in Seoul, Korea to head each summer when they’re seeking a beach getaway. Most people focus on Gyeongpo Beach BUT Naksan Beach headed toward Sokcho is DEFINITELY one of the best beaches in the area and exactly because it’s often overlooked. The waters are clear and beautiful shades of blue and the sands are soft and white. It’s easy to get to the east coast and as of 2018, the train built for the Olympics has now made it even easier and a bit faster too. Hoping the beaches in the vicinity would be just as beautiful, I came…
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Taean-gun: A Guide To The Beaches, Forests, and More!
Summer in Korea can be hot, humid, and a weekend away to the coast is an absolute must to cool off. During the summer, the humidity can be so immense in Seoul that taking a walk is more like swimming through hot heavy air. The only cure to really get that deep breath is to find a coast with breezes blowing this way and that and calming ocean tide sounds. While I usually recommend heading to the gorgeous beaches with white sand and emerald blue waters on the east coast of Korea in the Sokcho and Gangneung areas, the west coast has some hidden gems too like the rocky seaside…
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Korean Food: Dakgaejang Is The Spicy Chicken Soup You Need To Try
Always preferring to stop at an actual restaurant with good food over the nearest highway rest area with so-so fare, while still in Chungcheongnam-do on our way back from the coast in Anmyeondo, Korea, we decided to make a pit-stop in Dangjin for dakgaejang (닭개장) or spicy chicken soup. While you may not have heard of this spicy soup, you’ve probably heard of her big brother yukgaejang (육개장) or spicy beef soup. If you like yukgaejang, I bet you’ll love dakgaejang. This spicy Korean chicken soup is refreshing and if you happen to see it on a menu, order it I tell you! (This post contains affiliate links, which means…
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What’s A Mother To Do? No Changing Tables In Korea
It's fairly easy to take her out without causing much of a scene, but one thing I've noticed again and again is that wherever we go, if she were to need a changing, there wouldn't be anywhere to do it. Bathrooms just aren't equipped with the necessary changing table and though in the past five years bathrooms around Seoul have generally seen a big upgrade in cleanliness, they are far from clean enough to change a baby if there isn't a changing table available. What's a mother to do?
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The Ugly Truth About Being Married To A Korean Musician
From basically having a soundtrack playing to my life every day to fan girls not understanding boundaries, here are the good, the bad and the ugly points about being married to a Korean indie musician.
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Maybe Doesn’t Mean Maybe In Korean
Maybe is one of those words that loses its meaning, or the subtlety of the word, in translation. While most English speakers will use 'maybe' to mean 'possibly but most likely no', Koreans will generally use 'maybe' to mean 'yes'.
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Yes, I Have a Mixed Baby. Thank You For Noticing.
I wasn't one of those women that had a love-at-first-sight moment with my infant when she was born. Afterward, I wondered if that was one of those things that women that have babies tell women that don't have babies in order to make them get excited or look forward to what will inevitably be the most painful moment in their lives.
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International Lifestyle: Moving Abroad In Your 20’s
Last year I was approached by some fellow expats in Thailand about writing a chapter for a book they were putting together. Laura Gibbs and Jason Berkeley wanted to compile stories from people that had moved abroad in their 20s. They wanted to give some perspective to those students back home just graduating and considering the big move abroad. What is expat life like? What are the great possible outcomes and of course the inevitable detriments? One major purpose of their book was to explain why moving abroad in your 20’s is by far the best time in one’s life to take advantage of such an adventure. The book was…
