Spring is my absolute favorite season in Korea. What is there not to love about the sweet smell of cherry blossoms and the return of warm weather! It is during this time that Korea, comes alive and people are able to enjoy festivals like Tulips in Taean, Cherry Blossoms in Yeouido and strawberries in Nonsan. While these are all great festivals I highly recommend attending during your time teaching in Korea, as a current Seoul resident I wanted to provide you with my five favorite Spring activities in Korea's capital city.
Read More
Tags:
Namsan Mountain,
Olympic Park,
Spring,
Seokchon Lake,
Spring Time,
hiking in seoul,
Biking in Seoul,
teaching in seoul,
things to do in seoul,
seoul daytrip
The Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, starting on February 9, 2018, will be the second Olympic games hosted in Korea. The first Olympics, hosted in the summer of 1988, rocketed South Korea into the lime-light of the world, showcasing that they were truly a first-world nation. Since Korea’s first Olympics, the country has developed much further, and has become even more of an economic powerhouse. South Korea has become a country with one of the best transportation systems, one of the strongest democracies, maintains a strong international presence, and boasts the fastest internet in the world. So, with the upcoming Olympics, South-Korea, internationally known for its dramas and K-pop, will once again be cast into the lime-light, drawing
international investment
once more. And while many countries have suffered economic loss because of the Olympics, there is strong evidence to support that the games will boost South Korea in multiple ways. In this blog I will talk about how Korea still utilizes some of the venues from the 1988 games, along with tips for ways you can enjoy the upcoming Winter games during your time teaching in Korea.
Read More
Tags:
Olympics,
Olympic Park,
Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018
As the 2016 Summer Olympics came to an end, the tiny nation of Korea celebrated another victorious Olympic games and began looking forward to hosting the 2018 winter games in Pyeongchang. Korean athletes did their nation proud as they accumulated 21 medals and placed their nation 8th overall! This is rather impressive for a small nation, against its larger competitors, China and Japan. Korea dominated in Archery and Taekwondo, winning 5 medals in each, and 4 gold medals in Archery. The whole country was suspended in awe and anticipation as the final rounds of Archery was being televised on the local network, KBS. It was definitely the highlighted topic at Chungdahm Learning among my students, during the Summer.
Read More
Tags:
Olympics,
olympics korea,
KTX,
future plans,
life in Korea,
Gangwondo,
social life,
sports in Korea,
Olympic Park,
Transportation in Korea,
adventure,
winter olympics,
snow,
snowboarding,
skiing,
pyeongchang,
Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018
Living in Seoul can be a dream for any sports lover. The opportunity to indulge in outdoor running and cycling in a safe environment is a dream. The city is built to accommodate professional and non-professional athletes with its bike paths, sidewalks and bike lanes. The amount of mountain trails are endless and the opportunity to run in a forest and climb to the top of a summit is conveniently placed at every close subway exit or bus stop. Korea is all about being practical and suiting the needs of it's cities' inhabitants. And it is because of this that athletes and sports lovers alike would love living in Korea.
Read More
Tags:
Teach English in Korea,
Teach Abroad,
Teach in Asia,
things to do in Korea,
seoul,
Activities to do in Korea,
sports in Korea,
Olympic Park,
63 building,
Hangangriverpark,
Hanriver,
Jamsil,
Recreational activities,
fitness,
Running,
Cycling,
Walking
Coming from the desert, the only seasons I remember were hot and cold. That's why I am so glad to be here in Korea because we get all four! And I'm going to take advantage of this amazing weather by spending it outside. One of the best outdoor places in Korea to get your exercise and get your culture on is at Seoul Olympic Park.
Read More
Tags:
what to do on the weekend,
Exercising in Korea,
staying active,
staying fit in Korea,
Olympic Park,
running in Korea,
places to see,
dating in Korea,
outdoor activities,
Places to go,
london olympics,
bike,
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.
Read More
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
Looking for a place where we could stretch our legs, Neil and I went to walk around the Olympic Park. In 1988, Seoul hosted the Summer Olympic Games with such pride and success. Neil told me it was the Olympic Games which brought about a movement towards democracy for South Korea. It was President Park Chung-hee who first proposed the idea for hosting the Olympics, wishing to receive international approval for his authoritarian leadership. Even though he was assassinated in 1979, South Korea’s efforts to win the bid for the Olympics continued.
Read More
Tags:
Korean culture,
staying fit in Korea,
Activities to do in Korea,
Olympic Park,
parks in Korea
