As Christmas approaches, since I do not have my family here to celebrate, I compensate by just becoming even more of a disgusting glutton than normal. In South Korea, food is my family during the holiday season. Yes, that is an incredibly depressing picture, and if you have images of me sitting in the corner of my dimly lit apartment shoveling in food and listening to Josh Groban’s Christmas album, your imagination is not too far off the mark. Anyway, 'tis the season to overeat, and what better way to begin that quest for the food coma than with a trip to Costco!
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Tags:
teaching in Korea,
saving money in Korea,
food in Korea,
Costco
As I was preparing to move to Korea, I kept reading online that it was actually cheaper to eat at restaurants than it was to eat at home. This can definitely be true, but I still wanted to cook at home. It took me a while to fully suss out all of my grocery options without getting discouraged -- veggies and (especially) fruits can be significantly pricier here, as are things like ground beef. But, if you know how and where to shop, it's easy to find good deals and not break the bank while trying to cook at home.
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Tags:
shopping in Korea,
food in Korea,
markets,
market day,
Costco,
traditional market,
groceries,
convenience store
So I’m sure everyone has his or her own reasons for teaching English in South Korea. Many people come just for the new experiences and the chance to immerse themselves in a foreign culture, but there is a significant portion of the Chungdahm community using their earnings to pay off student debts. With that financial mountain looming over many of us, we are all looking for ways to save money. Personally, I am not one to spend all my nights staring at my computer screen, depriving myself of fun just for the sake of frugality. But I still do make an attempt (some months I am more successful than others) to save a decent chunk of my paycheck, and here are my strategies for doing so. Don’t worry, they don’t require burning whale oil, living off a ramen and water diet, or using smoke signals to communicate with your friends.
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Tags:
money in korea,
cooking in korea,
eating out in Korea,
Costco,
eat in korea,
Kimbap,
Spoiled by Korea,
Transportation in Korea
Living abroad has its surprises. Some aren’t pleasant, but most are. I try to focus my blogs around topics of interest and depth. Sometimes, however, a pleasant happening or surprise is brief without much to say about it. I’ve decided to compile a handful of these into one incohesive blog post. I present some tidbits from Korea.
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Tags:
a year in Korea,
Korea,
events in Korea,
food in Korea,
eating out in Korea,
cultural experience,
cultural differences,
Good times,
Costco
As much as I adore Korean food, sometimes I just need a break from all the rice and kimchi. The availability of western brands and products in the regular supermarkets is definitely respectable, but there are just some things the likes of Lotte Mart, Home Plus, and E-Mart don't carry. Luckily, Costco does exist in Korea, and it's basically a mecca for Westerners who need to stock up on some favorites from home.
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Tags:
a year in Korea,
eating in Korea,
cooking in korea,
shopping in Korea,
food in Korea,
Costco,
what to buy in Korea,
foreign products,
groceries
