Traveling to a new country can be challenging and hard. Now imagine navigating with language barriers and a culture different from your own. Living and teaching in Korea is a unique experience that requires the right mindset and an understanding that things can go often not the way you expected.
From experience, any person living in Korea will tell you to prepare yourself mentally and do research. Reading blogs and tourism sites about what are must-have apps and must-see things to do will help prepare you for life in the Korea. However, having lived in Korea for a few years now, I thought it would be a good idea to write a blog about five essential tools, that you may not find during your research, that will make your life a lot easier during your time abroad.
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things to do before leaving korea,
ex-pat life in Korea,
things to do,
life in Korea,
Navigating Korea,
travel,
tmoney,
essential things for Korea,
kakaotalk,
navermaps,
tourism hotline
Having lived in and around Seoul going on three years, there are number of places that are near and dear to my heart. Since I have the goal of visiting as many places as possible during my time teaching in Korea, I would like to bring to your attention one of my favorite places to see, Namsan Tower.
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things to do in Korea,
things to do on the weekend,
things to do before leaving korea,
seoul,
top things to do in Korea
When you travel to a new country the ultimate idea is to immerse yourself into a new culture, “a new way of life”. When living and teaching in Korea it is easy to become comfortable doing your usual routine without experiencing any unique cultural opportunities right on your doorstep. This is why you should write-up a Korean Bucket Listof things you would like to experience during your time in Korea to challenge yourself to complete them! Push yourself to be a little bit more adventurous and try-out the unique enlightening activities you would never be able to experience back home. These will become the most memorable ‘travel-moments’ you will remember for a lifetime. Below are some of the bucket list items I wrote down and have since completed:
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things to do in Korea,
things to do on weekend,
things to do before leaving korea,
korea bucket list,
life in Korea,
bucket list,
sightseeing,
adventure
One thing that I really love about living in Korea is the history that's simply everywhere. With Korea's rapid modernization, fancy cities have sprung up around old structures, creating a really interesting contrast of the new against the historical. One of the coolest examples of this is Suwon's Hwaseong Fortress. It's right outside of Seoul, easily accessible via the subway, making it an excellent daytrip that you should check out this summer!
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tourist spots in Korea,
things to do on the weekend,
things to do before leaving korea,
what to do in korea,
hiking,
Activities to do in Korea,
hiking in korea,
suwon,
hwaseong,
hwaseong fortress
Cafe culture in Korea is taken seriously -- cafes are on every corner in my neighborhood. In addition to your run of the mill coffee shops, cafes with specific themes abound. I've posted previously about my visits to a board game cafe and the Mustoy cafe, but I have to admit, when I came to Korea, I was the most excited about the availability of a cafe theme I hadn't encountered before: animals.
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tourist spots in Korea,
things to do before leaving korea,
coffee in Korea,
cafes in Korea,
Cafe,
Activities to do in Korea,
tourist attractions,
coffee shop,
coffee,
cat,
dog cafes in korea,
doggy cafe,
Dr Fish,
Cafes
Last week, I posted part one of my blogs on the annual Lotus Lantern Festival, thrown in honor of Buddha's Birthday in Seoul. After we spent some time last weekend walking around Jogyesa and taking billions of photos of the lanterns, it was time for my favorite part of the festival: the Lantern Parade.
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things to do before leaving korea,
festival,
festivals,
korea bucket list,
cultural experience,
bucket list,
Buddhist Temples,
Buddhism,
tourist attraction in korea,
tourist attractions,
Korean traditions,
Buddha's Birthday,
lotus lantern festival,
cultural activities,
Buddhist,
Holidays in South Korea,
Weekend activities in Korea
Always one for exploring museums and learning about history, I finally checked off a spot I'd really been interested in visiting: Seodaemun Prison History Hall. During my time in Korea, I've been very interested in any opportunity to learn more about the country's past, and friends have told me this museum was not to be missed. Now that spring has sprung, it seemed like the prime time to walk around the prison's grounds in Seoul and take in the history of the place.
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tourist spots in Korea,
museum,
things to do before leaving korea,
seoul,
things to see in korea,
museums,
museums in Korea,
history,
seodaemun,
Weekend activities in Korea
Springtime in Korea is without a doubt my favorite season. It's often far too short for my taste, but while it's here, it's wonderful. Green bits of grass are finally popping up, new leaves are sprouting on the trees, and the cherry blossoms are blooming in full force. To me, the cherry blossoms officially herald the beginning of sunny, warm days, and making time to see them is always on the top of my spring to-do list.
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things to do before leaving korea,
events in Korea,
Spring,
cherry blossoms,
parks in Korea,
Weekend activities in Korea
Well, I should amend that title by saying these are my favorite spots from my first visit to Jeju... I'm sure future visits will introduce me to other places that are equally awesome. My recent Jeju trip was over the Lunar New Year holiday, which was a four-day weekend. The end of January isn't ideal Jeju weather, but it didn't stop us from touring all over the island and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Here's the best of what I saw...
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islands,
teaching in Korea,
tourist spots in Korea,
things to do before leaving korea,
jeju,
Jeju Island,
things to do on the weekends,
what to see in korea,
tourist attraction in korea,
island,
island of Jeju,
Weekend activities in Korea
Korea has a real knack and penchant for festivals, which is something I've really come to love about living in this country. It seems like nearly every weekend there's something going on, and I've tried my hardest to check out as much as I can. But as November rolls back around, the Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul lights up with fancy lanterns, signaling the start of one of my favorite festivals in Korea.
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things to do before leaving korea,
festival,
festivals,
lanterns,
lantern festival,
seoul lantern festival,
events in Korea,
cultural experience,
Activities to do in Korea,
cultural activities,
Weekend activities in Korea
