Seoul Journals

Quote: We spent a short 5 days in Seoul exploring the sights at our own leisurely pace. Having been on a regular diet of Korean dramas for the last few years, Seoul was at once vaguely familiar and yet, foreign to us. It was a rejuvenating trip for my weary soul.

Quote: In my way back to the US from Bangkok, the flip-flops of modern days flights forced me to stop in Seoul. For the third time I was at almost parachuting distance from Tokyo, and missed it.

Quote: This ever-changing metropolitan city has become fashion forward and culturally conscious. Boutiques, designer cafes, and amazing restaurants have popped up all over the crowded city...here I share a few of my favorites.

Quote: We were caught in transit in Seoul for a mere 48 hours in freezing weather and no car. How we survived.

Quote: With only a couple days in Seoul on our Korea trip, we sampled its palaces, people, museums, and shopping markets.

Quote: For one year, I taught English in a Hogwan (private language school) in a small town called Taean about two hours south of Seoul.

Quote: A lot has changed since I last visited the Korean Folk Village, known to native Koreans as Minsokchon. Twenty years ago, I remember a quaint town of yesteryear. Today, it resembled a miniature Disneyworld. American culture has pervaded the world, even in a folk town meant to be authentic.

Quote: The home of one of the ferocious Asian tigers of South Korea, Seoul is home to 10 million people. Located in the northern part of South Korea and just a stone’s throw away from the world’s most militarized zone, Seoul vibrates with a force that one must experience for oneself.

Quote: I haven't been back to my birthplace in eighteen years. I went to visit my very ill grandmother for possibly the last time. It was also an opportunity to catch up with relatives that I hardly ever see and to practice my poor Korean. "Uh, does anyone here speak English?"

Quote: Teaching English in South Korea is like flipping a coin: you've got a 50/50 chance of getting it right. Life is grand for 50% of English teachers, but for the rest of us, life can be downright ugly.