Seoul-stagram Goals: 씨스루 C.THROUGH Cafe

Itaewon to Noksapyeong I moved to Kyunglidan (Kyungridan?) at the beginning of March, 2017.  Having spent so much time up in Uijeongbu I haven’t meandered the backroads of the hill between Noksapyeong and Itaewon.  There are so many incredible little surprises along those backroads!  We took a perfectly sunny Sunday in Seoul and set out to…

Expats in Korea – Seoulcialites: Gillian Witter

In January and February I was doing a lot of…Seoul searching.  I was deliberating between heading back to Canada, traveling, and staying in South Korea.  I had been nursing a broken heart for a couple of months and felt like I really didn’t know where to turn.  Fellow blogger, Gillian Witter came to my rescue one…

Expats in Korea – Seoulcialites: Anuj Madan

Expats in Korea: Seoulcialites Being an expat in Korea, we’re often pigeon-holed into 2 categories: Teacher or Military.  There are so many people doing original and interesting things in Seoul!  In this new series, I’d like to introduce you to some creative people I’ve been lucky to meet.  They may have started their professional journeys as…

Great Spring & Summer Date Spots in Seoul

The blogs I read before coming to Korea all had one particular common post that kind of irks me now that I live here. The majority of them stated that a single, straight woman over the age of 21 or 22 would have a tough time dating.

Why TEFL Now?

What are the differences among TEFL, TEYL, TESOL, TESL, CELTA, etc.? In the simplest of terms, they are different levels and methods of teaching English to non-native English speakers. TESL certifications are widely regarded as methods for teachers of non-native English speakers and immigrants to English speaking countries. TESOL and TEFL are geared more toward those who want to teach English in non-English speaking countries. Bingo! That’s me!

Losing Weight and Keeping it off while Traveling

Before I left Toronto to teach ESL in Korea, many of my friends (some leaner than others) told me that I would drop weight like crazy in Korea since the diet is so healthy and full of fermented dishes. While it is true that the traditional dishes can be quite healthy, they they aren’t always, and the ones that are also lack flavour.

…and they’re off (-track Horse Racing at Walkerhill)

Let’s Run: A case where going “Off Track” is a good thing.

The new facilities at the Sheraton Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul, which opened Friday June 3rd, 2016, are clean and quiet. This is a far cry from what I would have imagined having been to some of the casinos throughout Asia. A few juicy details to note before jumping into the nitty-gritty.

Candidly Kate: Where to Teach in Korea

In a country the size of Indiana, you would think that the two largest cities would have similar lifestyles. After spending a year in Busan I thought I have conquered Korea enough to hit the capital. Could I have been more wrong?

Jogyesa Temple – Lotus Lantern Weekend Part ii

Korean couples love to get dressed up and wander around the old, traditional towns, as well as the Palaces and the Temples. All this was amplified by the hoopla of Buddha’s Birthday Weekend which has been celebrated as a festival since the Unified Silla era over 1,300 years ago. Yep – he gets the whole weekend, the festival, the parade, and all the beautiful lantern displays at nearly every temple the month leading up to his birthday and for for many, the weeks beyond (at Jogyesa they’ll be around until May 22nd). I guess it’s like leaving your Christmas lights up on your front porch all year long, just a lot less honky-tonk and a lot more beautiful!

Lotus Lantern Weekend – Part I

After a very relaxing day meandering around Sincheon, we ventured up to the subway and along the green line to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park. This area is one of my favourites already, even though I’ve only explored it for the Indian food (well, Nepalese), and for Seoul Fashion Week. The area is particularly modern because of the architecture surrounding the big Dongdaemun Design Plaza by Dame Zaha Hadid.

Jindo: Puppies, Pink Cherry Blossoms, and the Parting of the Sea

We had seen the sea parting once, not knowing it would part two more times again by sundown. Some of us (self included) were a little worried about getting seasick on the boat out to Modo Island, so instead of braving the sea we actually ended up having a leisurely morning getting ready (after a well-deserved, post-parting nap!) before heading down the cherry-blossom lined paths and street over to the festival.

Take me out to the Ballgame

When talking about things vacationers must see and do in Korea, I always suggest a baseball game. This is a great way to see a little K-Pop (they have K-Pop dancers as cheerleaders for the baseball team) and the theatrics and displays typical of every day Korean life.