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13 Best Things to Do at the Han River in Seoul
The Han River is an iconic natural symbol that runs through the center of the city of Seoul. The construction projects that began in the 1980s to give the Han River a needed makeover have been rather successful and now there are plenty of things you can do to enjoy the scenic waterway. Don't be left out. Here are 10 ways to experience and enjoy the Han River in Seoul from summer to winter either on or along it.
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Raising Kids In Korea: Blunt Comments From Ajjummas
It's often said that Koreans are blunt. I don't recall hearing any Koreans say that but plenty of foreigners that come to the Land of the Morning Calm do. I imagine if you grow up here, what we consider blunt is considered normal and what we consider polite and non-confrontational could be considered passive and aloof. Going out into public with the new baby is something I look forward to while at the same time brings a nervous jittery feeling I never had before when faced with stepping out my front door.
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After Giving Birth in Korea: Birth Certificates, Subsidies, and Vaccinations for Foreign Parents
We’d made it. We had our bundle of joy, gave birth in Korea, and were no longer the expectant couple. We were now a trio ready to face the world… well sort of. Giving birth in Korea can be daunting and there is so much going on from finding doctors, going to hospitals or birthing centers, to setting up the home to be baby friendly. It’s easy enough to think that once the baby comes, everything is done. But it isn’t! One of the first things to do is to get the birth certificate and yes, you should get both the Korean birth certificate and the English birth certificate. There…
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My Top Ten Adventures of 2014!
This year was full of new adventures for me and for my husband and not all of them included travel. I used to think traveling someplace new was all an adventure could be but, this year I learned that adventures can come in all shapes and sizes and experiences. 1. New Orleans, Louisiana: For our trip home this year we didn’t exactly go home. Instead of heading to my home state of Ohio, we headed to the Big Easy with my family to celebrate some big birthdays. We enjoyed the beautiful historic buildings and homes that lined the streets of the French Quarter and filled our bellies with the very filling…
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A Night Out In Korea: The 5 Rounds and How To Survive Them
Whether you’re looking for a riotous night out or just trying to keep up with Korean colleagues or friends, a Korean-style evening is a lot to handle if you don’t know what to expect. The basic plan for any night out in Korea is to last five rounds, five different locations, often five different drinks, and food at almost every stop. It may sound like your basic college bar hop, but it is significantly more structured. If you don’t know the expectations going in, you might go hard at the first venue, hit a wall, and end up home in bed before the night has even started by Korean standards.…
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Dating In Korea: How I Snagged a Korean Musician
Dating in Korea might be a bit different than whatever you’re used to. I’m not sure what you’re used to, but I can say none of it is as romantic as it is in Korean dramas. I think that should be obvious already, but for some reason, a lot of foreign women in Korea don’t seem to get that. Just like American dramas, dating in the US isn’t the same as a drama or as hilarious as in the sitcoms. You can find your partner in Korea, but you might not. Dating in Korea can be different. Here are some things to expect: (This post contains affiliate links, which means…
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Korean Post-Natal Hotel and Postpartum Care: Tips For New Moms In Korea
One of the first decisions Korean women make after having a baby is whether to stay in a post-natal hotel, referred to throughout this article as a PNH. In Korea, these are the standard postpartum recovery option. Most women attend for two to three weeks after birth to recuperate and learn to care for their newborn. Those who don’t typically stay with their mother or mother-in-law, or have an elder woman come to them. This is not something that exists in most Western countries, or if it does, it isn’t widespread. If you’ve spent time in Singapore, Malaysia, or Hong Kong, the closest equivalent concept in English is “confinement,” the…
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Pregnant In Korea: I’m Under Construction!
Eleven months ago we decided it was time to add a member to our family and the next thing we knew, just a month later, I was pregnant. Though my mother warned me multiple times this was something that couldn’t be planned, we somehow managed to plan it pretty well. Anyone that reads my blog may have noticed by now that I am a planner. It’s not that I can’t handle unplanned events or occasions but, I always figure it’s better to have a plan going in and even if things change, I’ll have some sort of idea of how to adapt and cope with the changes. It’s all about…
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Changdeokgung Palace & The Secret Garden Everyone Is Talking About In Seoul
Changdeokgung Palace (창덕궁), translated to mean the “Palace of Illustrious Virtue”, was the principal palace for many of the Joseon kings and sitting just up the street from the more famous Gyeongbukgung Palace, it warrants a visit any season of the year with one of the most beautiful gardens in the city. This palace in Seoul Korea is actually said to be the most beautiful in each season and needs to be seen in each season… so I hope you’re ready to go at least four times. Looking for some specific information? Skip around: (This page contains affiliate links. That means if you click on them and purchase something, I…
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A Look Back: Our Korean Wedding Ceremony
Three years ago at the end of October, my family from the States arrived to Seoul and we made our way down to Busan to prepare for my first wedding ceremony to my husband. Though it’s not our “official” anniversary because we chose our subsequent American wedding ceremony date in January, that doesn’t stop us from receiving a card yearly from my grandmother wishing us a “Happy Anniversary” in October. Every year about this time, the leaves begin to change colors and I am taken back to images of the colorful Hanbok that I wore for our ceremony surrounded by family and friends outside on a gorgeous day with blue…
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Korean Pregnancy Traditions and Superstitions: What to Really Expect
When I found out I was pregnant, excitement, joy, and a fair amount of nervousness all arrived at once. Being pregnant in Korea comes with real benefits, but being a foreigner navigating pregnancy abroad brings an entirely different set of questions on top of the usual ones. What are the benefits of giving birth in Korea? What pregnancy superstitions should I know about? Where do I even buy maternity clothes that fit? When I was pregnant, there wasn’t much English-language guidance available online, for any of it. My expectations for pregnancy came from movies and growing up and hearing stories. The stories were more about my grandmother rushing to the…
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The Yangnyeongsi Herbal Medicine Market: Experience Herbal Medicine In Seoul
Pharmacies, pharmacies everywhere, but did you know there are also herbal medicine markets and more holistic medicine places you can go in Seoul too? After living in Korea for many years, I become very interested in some of the more holistic ways that they take care of pain. After birthing, Korean traditional medicine recommends staying in very hot rooms and eating seaweed soup to produce more milk. When I have headaches or indigestion, my husband were ask where it hurt and then push on pressure points in my hands the way his other would do to him. Why take medicine when you don’t have to? Anyway, if you’re looking to…
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Seoul Fireworks Festival 2026: Dates, Times, Free Viewing Spots & Paid Seating
The Seoul International Fireworks Festival (서울세계불꽃축제) is a yearly event in Seoul that takes place in the Yeouido Han River Park area each autumn and it is stunning! Massive crowds arrive using all modes of transportation and not only is the Yeouido Han River Park packed, but the bridges are as well. Want to know how to see the fireworks in Seoul? Have a picnic before the fire flowers, as they call them in Korean, explode, or just have some fun near Han River? Here is what you should know to plan an amazing outing to see this festival in Seoul that is a must see event each year. This…
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My Korean Husband Attended Our Baby Shower
Baby celebrations in Korea are a bit different from in the United States, where I’m from. Koreans don’t usually have baby showers, so I thought it was important to invite my Korean husband to my baby shower and let him enjoy this cultural celebration. It was a great way for him to see how we celebrate the impending birth in the States with silly baby games, gifts to help us prepare, and friends that love us. Of course, we would do other celebrations the way Koreans do later, but this was an introduction for him on how we prepare for a baby in the US. (This post contains affiliate links,…
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Saying Goodbye to Summer with Blooming Cosmos
The winds have shifted and the cooler breezes have been blowing in to say autumn is here and winter is on its way. With autumn comes some amazingly colorful mountain views but also to delight, the cosmos bloom. It’s a flower that holds on until the end and seems to wave goodbye to summer and welcomes us in to autumn. It’s one of the last flowers to enjoy before the plants begin to wilt and turn brown winter ice and snow make their own beautiful scenes to view.The pinks and white of the blooms conjure up memories of the recent spring and summer fun we had frolicking outside with bare feet…
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Haedong Yonggungsa Temple: Busan’s Famous Seaside Temple
Buddhist temples are not terribly difficult to stumble upon while in Korea. There are temples in the middle of Seoul daring those that enter to just try and find quiet solitude and there are temples dotting the mountains across the country so any hike becomes that much more interesting with the addition of a tour of one. Rarely, though, do you find a seaside temple in Korea. Haedong Yonggung Temple (해동용궁사), which means Korean Dragon Palace Temple, is probably the most popular and widely known seaside temple in South Korea and it truly does live up to the hype that brings so many visitors to its gates in Busan, Korea.…
