Year 1 After Korea: Things That Make Me Feel Normal Again

I can’t believe it’s been nearly a year since I bid farewell to Seoul-si, spent 2 weeks in Bali, and flew back to Toronto. As anticipated, the year has certainly had its ups and downs. Finding employment wasn’t easy, but I was open to anything and everything. I even spent a day working in a…

The Secret: How to Make Money Blogging (Without EVER Writing)

How to Make Money Blogging Ever since I moved to Seoul, South Korea, I have had a number of people ask me how to make money blogging.  Some of these people were talented writers without URL’s, some were experts in the field of Korean beauty.  Most of these people had a variety of things in…

Seoul Food: Homeboy Seoul: Pop-Up Round II

The Toronto Seoulcialite team is a HUGE fan of HOMEBOY Seoul.  Tuesday April 17th they hosted their 2nd pop-up in Itaewon at Vatos Urban Tacos’ event space in Seoul: Urban Collective.  We recently interviewed HOMEBOY Seoul founder Matt Lee in advance of this pop-up.  Michael Jun-Hyuk Lee was on hand at the event last week…

Expats in Korea – Seoulcialites: Matt Lee HOMEBOY Seoul

 HOMEBOY Seoul (Part of 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 teachers…

Living Abroad & Coming Home: Coy Canada, Please Take Me Seriously

Living Abroad and Returning Home: Oh, Canada! I’m back in Canada.  After a year in Busan, 2 in Seoul, a questionable first week in Bali, blissful 2nd week in Gili Trawangan, and a lengthy journey back home chock-full of nasi goreng, kimchi, and caesars, I’m back, Beaches.  To be clear, I’m not quite back in…

Seoul Food: Homeboy – Pop-Up by Manimal & KiKi Chanting

Homeboy Seoul Pop-Up In case you missed it, Tuesday January 9th was the latest and greatest (well…only for me thus far) pop-up from the Manimal Team.  From the people who have recently brought us KiKi Chanting, Homeboy Seoul (by Junki, Sanyoon, Mili, and Matt) was a feast of “Asian street food bites with unique cocktails”.  Great…

Zombie House: Seoul Trick Eye Museum’s Winter Exhibit

Seoul’s Trick Eye Museum Since moving to Seoul nearly 2 years ago I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the Trick Eye Museum in Hongdae 4 times!  It’s amazing to see how this Seoul tourist attraction has changed even just over the past year.  Dedicated to the user experience, the Trick Eye Museum has made several…

Repatriation Fears: 10 Reasons I’m Afraid to Leave Korea

As my plans beyond my final contract in Korea begin to solidify, so do my repatriation fears.  Surviving “reverse culture shock” is daunting, and a very real challenge.  I’ve been reading articles with titles like “Moving Home with Dignity” and “Top Tips for Repatriation”.  I just want to live on an imaginary beach far away…

Cya Later, Seoul: Things I’ll Miss About Korea

So Long, Korea! My life here has been incredible, but even in Neverland you’ll find you have your ups and downs.  Last week, to the dismay of many on Facebook, I wrote about the things I hate about living as a foreigner (expat) in Korea.  This week, on a more positive note, I’m sharing just…

Seoul Food: New Burgers @ The Workshop & Hidden Cellar (HBC)

The Workshop & Hidden Cellar (Itaewon/ HBC) If you’ve been paying attention to the HBC/ Itaewon group or the Restaurant Buzz Seoul page on Facebook you’ll already know that the Workshop and Hidden Cellar in the Haebangchon area of Itaewon has been busy.  With the renovations finished, a new brunch menu, drink specials, and live…

Seoul Food: Gino’s Pizza – Gangnam (Apgujeong)

New York Pizza in Gangnam? Café Kudeta (카페쿠데타) in Apgujeong Rodeo area closed recently, much to my friends’ chagrin.  I work between the Apgujeong and Rodeo subway stations.  Even though we have an hour for lunch, it’s not always enough time to have a Korean meal.  We have grown tired of many of the Western-style restaurants,…

MangWon-derful: Zapangi 자판기 Treats and Colourful Streets

 Zapangi 자판기 In an effort to feel like we were on a proper vacation, Hallie from The Soul of Seoul and Amanda from Seoulody Smiles and I ventured out to Mangwon!  The weather has been amazing.  Between sunny skies and colourful walls all around Mangwon, we had tons of opportunities for tasty eats (Bali in Mangwon)…