In the US, Halloween is a pretty popular holiday. In Korea, it is a new holiday. It isn’t nationally recognized. However, you’ll spot stores selling costumes and Halloween themed goods. Mainly, Halloween has been adopted as an advertisement strategy. For example. clubs hold exclusive and/or limited time Halloween themed nights. I don’t care much for the clubs though. What is exciting about for me is that amusement parks have decided to adopt horror nights! One of the most popular amusement parks, Everland, celebrates Halloween from September to mid-November. This year, the theme is Zombie Buster: Blood City 3.
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Tags:
things to do on the weekend,
halloween,
western culture in korea,
having fun in korea
If staying fit and active is one your goals and priorities while enjoying your life in Korea then there are many options to meet your personal needs. From lifting weights and yoga classes at a local gym to cycling along the Han River, Korea has great ways to have fun and socialize while breaking a sweat. I will go into some more detail about some of your options to remain active, healthy, and looking your best while still enjoying the exciting nightlife, delicious food, and relaxing drinks.
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Tags:
life in Korea,
fun,
having fun in korea,
fitness,
Cycling,
gym,
taekwondo,
Cycling in Seoul,
working out,
culture,
exercise,
health,
leisure,
bike paths
Last week I wrote about why I think Korea is amazing, and this week I have even more reasons to share with you.
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Tags:
trend in korea,
facts about Korea,
a year in Korea,
eating in Korea,
ex-pat life in Korea,
drinking,
cultural differences,
having fun in korea,
Activities to do in Korea,
outdoor activities,
Nightlife in Korea,
Korean society
Before I came to Korea, I was not much of a hiker. However, soon after arriving, I realized that hiking is a major pasttime here. There are tons of hiking supply stores, and everyone, especially older Korean people, have their own gear. Hiking shoes, shirts, hats, pants, walking sticks; Koreans know their hiking tools. So although I'm not a huge hiker, I wanted to explore more of the Busan's nature than the beaches. There are tons of trails, but my friend personally recommended visiting Geumgang Park, both for the spectacular views, and the ride up on the cablecar!
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Tags:
things to do on the weekend,
Exercising in Korea,
hiking,
Buddist Temples,
having fun in korea,
hiking in korea,
Hike
When Aclipse helped me get placed at a Chungdahm branch in Incheon in November 2011, I immediately started doing my research. I was pleased to see that it's the third largest city in Korea and it's next door to Seoul -- meaning popping into the city for weekend adventures would be a cinch. However, I quickly noticed that there's a serious lack of Incheon-coverage in the blog world. So, I present, in no particular order, my top 5 spots to check out in Incheon!
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Tags:
islands,
sorae,
icn,
jayu park,
incheon airport,
korean fashion,
teaching in Korea,
a year in Korea,
tourist spots in Korea,
things to do in Korea,
things to do on weekend,
things to do on the weekend,
festival,
festivals,
Trips in Korea,
what to do in korea,
life in Korea,
shopping in Korea,
food in Korea,
cultural experience,
incheon,
cities in Korea,
soraepogu,
fish market,
cheap goods,
camping,
applying to teach English,
what to see in korea,
having fun in korea,
Activities to do in Korea,
Chinatown,
teaching at Chungdahm,
tourist attractions in Korea,
muuido,
bupyeong,
What to do Korea,
cultural activities,
Beaches in Korea,
Weekend activities in Korea
As I've said before, I'm not crazy about the cold. Yes, I'm from New England, but no, I don't really ski, so winter for me is about the first magical snow (just one please, that's enough) and then of course the oh so mature Christmas countdown. Sometimes January and February can leave me in a kind of funk. But this really hasn't been the case in Korea.
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Tags:
a year in Korea,
winter in Korea,
food in Korea,
cafes in Korea,
what to see in korea,
having fun in korea,
Cafe,
juice,
beetlejuice,
juice bar,
Activities to do in Korea,
Weekend activities in Korea
I live for live music. A perfect night for me consists of a few friends, an awesome outfit, a cold beer and front row standing room at a concert, preferably one with a performer who doles out dance-worthy beats. As soon as I started teaching English in Korea I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Seoul is a hub of fantastic music venues. I snatched up Lady Gaga tickets for the first show of her Born This Way Ball in late April, I aced 'KPOP 101' when my friend brought me to an exclusive taping of Inkigayo in Seoul, I ventured out to Nami Island to dance with Korean hippies and listen to Jason Mraz sing sweet nothings in June and I jumped for joy when I realized I could attend Seoul's Super!Sonic show in August. I originally thought I would have to miss the two day music festival because it was scheduled for mid-week (Tuesday and Wednesday) in Seoul, but I soon realized the Wednesday was not just any Wednesday, it was Korean Liberation Day, so I had the day off and attended my first mid-week music festival at Seoul Olympic Park.
Super!Sonic is the sister festival of Japan's famous Summer Sonic. I missed the festival's first day line-up (due to work) which included The Smashing Pumpkins, Gym Class Heroes, Idiotape, Soulwax and more. As much as I wanted to see The Smashing Pumpkins, Wednesday's line-up impressed me with New Order, Gotye, The Vaccines, Tears For Fears and Foster The People. What was supposed to be another rainy and humid summer day in Seoul turned out to be surprisingly sunny and comfortable. My friend and I spent the day shuffling in an orderly fashion (that's how it's done in Korea) between two stages where bands performed back-to-back sets.
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Tags:
a year in Korea,
things to do in Korea,
seoul,
Korea,
free time,
events in Korea,
Concerts,
2012,
music,
having fun in korea,
Activities to do in Korea,
Olympic Park,
Super!Sonic,
Foster The People,
dance,
Gotye
Last weekend I celebrated my 25th birthday. This was the second birthday that I have celebrated since moving to Korea to teach English. Every year I try to think of something creative to do for my birthday. Last year, 2 of my good friends flew to Jeju for the weekend. Because this was my 25th birthday, I decided that I needed to do something out of my element for it. Since I have never been the biggest fan of heights and I knew that I didn’t want to go bungee jumping and I couldn’t find a skydiving place where teach English in Gwangju, paragliding was seemed like the perfect idea.
The biggest challenge that I faced (besides the actual jump) was setting up the event. With a lot of help from one of our desk staff members, I was able to find a paragliding school with 15 minutes of my house. For some reason, I was not able to just call in a reservation in order to reserve the date and was subsequently forced to use a Daum account to register online. Another issue that we faced was with the logistics of bringing such a large group. Figuring out transportation for 13 people was quite a challenge as none of us posses an international drivers license. Long story short, it really helps to have good Korean friends who can help you navigate confusing websites and procedural issues.
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Tags:
birthday in Korea,
things to do in Korea,
having fun in korea,
sports in Korea,
Weekend activities in Korea
If I wasn't so busy trying to take advantage of my weekend trips while teaching English in Korea, I would get myself a dog in a heartbeat. I have a dog back in America and I miss him so much. Sometimes I have an urge to go and get a dog, but I end up stopping myself by planning a trip.
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Tags:
dogs in korea,
teaching in Korea,
what to do in korea,
having fun in korea,
dog cafes in korea
