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caFACE: A Selfie Obsession Of The Latte Variety
In a selfie obsessed world, why not dive in and start sticking that face on every other thing under the sun including the latte that you savor in the cafe up the road? I’m not anti selfie, do NOT get me wrong. I’ve been known to take a few. Hey, I took a selfie of myself holding a latte with a selfied photo of me in this here post. How often can one even do that? I dare say the chances are slim that most will ever be able to do this but if you’re in Seoul, then you’ve got better chances than most. A Seoul cafe with the sole…
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The Soul of Seoul Tours: The S(e)oul Derby Recap
On July 17th, fourteen teams came together to set the pace and win that race… if they could. The weather wasn’t superb, but the drizzle gave everyone a little push to move and groove and get indoors that much sooner. The teams included expat teachers, Koreans, service people and families looking to do something a little different with their Saturday afternoon. The premise of the event was that The Soul of Seoul Tours would give out a list of scavenger hunt clues which included things like finding someone walking around in a Hanbok, piling into a phone booth, making funny faces, hunting for kimbap and a host of other cultural, quirky and…
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The S(e)oul Derby: Sign Up Now!
Come for some fun. With clues in hand, teams will race to find as many locations as possible from cultural hot spots to traditional architecture and even some friendly local eateries too. The event will be a cross between scavenger hunt searches and amazing race-esque missions. How much do you know about Seoul? Come test your knowledge with some great people and if you have the stuff, you can even win some fabulous prizes. There are more than W1,000,000 in prizes! The event will kick-off near Hapjeong Station and will culminate at 3 Alley a local expat owned pub in Itaewon where we will tally the points while you sit…
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The OTB Lounge in Walkerhill Has Hit Its Stride
A new no-limit off track betting lounge run by the Korea Racing Association (KRA), was recently opened in the Sheraton Grand Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul, Korea and boy is it chic. This lounge specifically caters to foreign customers and allows them to bet more than the maximum per race bet limits that are enforced at the race courses and at other existing OTBs. This is one of thirty-two OTBs that are operated around Korea in addition to the actual race courses in Seoul, Busan and Jeju. Not only is the lounge chic, but the hotel itself is beautiful so you could make a weekend of it, and have a grand…
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The Soul of Seoul Tours: Hanboks, Tea & Gold Recap
This past weekend, The Soul of Seoul Tours held our Hanboks, Tea & Gold event and boy was it fun, not to mention beautiful! The group started at a Hanbok rental shop at 10:00am and was dressed head, and some, to toe in traditional Korean clothing. Each person chose from a selection of brightly colored skirts and tops, changed and then had their hair done. They had the option to carry a provided purse as well so the whole outfit could be in the style of traditional Korea. After the group was dressed and good to go, we headed to Unhyeongung Palace or royal residence. The residence provided a chance…
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Gastro Tour Seoul @ The K-Style Hub
This past week, I was invited by the founder of Gastro Tour Seoul, Veronica Tae-Ahn Kang, to attend a tour at the new K-Style Hub. I’ve of course heard about Gastro for a few years but just hadn’t had the chance to go on a tour so I jumped at the invitation. The K-Style Hub is the new tourist information center downtown and is really modern and chic inside, a great step up from the previous location. The three floors that make up the hub are split into a floor for all the info a tourist could possibly need from culture and history to medical tourism as well. Not only…
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Scavenging For S(e)oul
Here is an event you won’t want to miss! Come for some fun. With clues in hand, teams will race to find as many locations as possible from cultural hot spots to traditional architecture and even some friendly local eateries too. They’re all in the mix. How much do you know about Seoul? Come test your knowledge with some great people and if you have the stuff, you can even win some fabulous prizes. The event will kick-off in the famous Gwanghwamun Square and will culminate at Beer O’Clock a local expat owned pizza pub in Sinchon where we will tally the points while you sit back and relax to…
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My Top Ten Adventures of 2015!
Much like 2014, not all of the adventures I undertook this year involved traveling yet this year managed to be extremely adventurous and full of first time experiences. I love looking back at my year and appreciating everything that I’ve done. It’s always fun to reminisce and be thankful for the experiences, events, people and more that I have had, gone to and met. I hope that everyone takes the time to recall their year as we near the end and I hope that everyone has at least a few moments to smile upon and be grateful for. Here are my top ten adventures of 2015! (This post contains affiliate…
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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…
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A Crazy Multiply Sketch Night Is a Hit!
The Crazy Multiply Art Collective once again hit it big with the recent Transcribe/ Coalesce sketch night. With Crazy Multiply Transcribe/Coalesceeverything from musicians, installations, performance art and craft beer to boot, it would have been difficult not to enjoy the people and the space.
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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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The Military Invasion of Jeju Island
Most people that head to Jeju Island, known as the peace island, go with the intention of seeing the beautiful scenery from waterfalls and green tea fields to black lava sand beaches and palm tree lined lanes. Honeymooners go for romance and tourists go for scenery. With the tallest mountain in the country being the biggest draw by far for everyone from the avid hiker to the average Joe just out to get a jaunt and see some views, it’s a wonder that there hasn’t been more done to protect the island from military invasion. Though protesters in the small town of Gangjeong, meaning “Village of Water”, on the southern…
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Bitter, Sweet, Seoul
If you have an hour to spare and I hope you do, this is what you should watch today. Culling together clips from over 11,000 videos submitted, directors Park Chan Wook and Park Chan Kyong, known together as PARKing CHANce, made this movie using 141 clips from Korean and international submissions to represent Seoul and I think they did an amazing job. It’s not just the pretty view of the city or even the pretty people of the city, it’s real life and real moments with black and white clips of historical moments in Korea from archives to today. There are the kind people we meet on the streets and…
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It’s Our Cotton Anniversary & Finding A Home In Korea
Today is our second wedding anniversary! Time really flies when you’re having fun. I hadn’t even realized the cotton anniversary was upon us until it was here. Has it really been two years? Yes, it has and this year we’re thankful for not only each other but also moving into a new place where we can cozy up on our couch in our pajamas together to call our home for the foreseeable future. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking. These funds go to maintain the site. Thank you for your support.) Waking up in a place…
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My Top Ten Adventures of 2013!
2013 was a great year for traveling. Not only did I get to see some fantastic places in Korea, but I also enjoyed quite a few trips abroad. Here are the top 10 places, here and abroad, that I saw in 2013. What a year! 1. Fukuoka, Japan: We started off the year with a trip to Fukuoka, Japan in February. It seems as the end of winter nears we always start to get a little cabin fever, not that we live in a cabin, or that we completely hibernate all winter, but we just need to get away. I had been to Fukuoka before, as had my husband, but this…
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Crazy Multiply!
Crazy Multiply is an art collective based in Seoul, Korea that promotes contemporary Korean and international artists. They aim to bring artists and musicians together and explore different themes in a variety of mediums. According to Amy Smith, one of the founders and curators, Crazy Multiply started from a desire to show their own work. A friend departing Korea wanted to have an art show before departure and a roommate suggested paring it with some music and thus an idea was born. The first few shows went so well, Amy Smith along with Olivia McNair and Laura MacDonald chose a name and the collective was established in the hopes that…
