Do you ever just dive head-first into some things? That's probably me 95.75% of the time, and surprisingly... I usually don't regret my decisions (unless it's food - which I'm EXTREMELY indecisive about). Probably because I don't allow myself anytime to think about regretting. And once I do have time to reflect, enough time has passed where the optimistic side of me seeps through and I'm able to see the blessings in disguise and eventually talk myself out of any sort of self-pity or feelings of regret. With that said...me making the decision to move to South Korea to teach wasn't exactly impulsive, however; I did jump at the first opportunity that was presented to me because I was SO desperate for a change. And if packing up your life and moving half-way around the world isn't a big enough change, I'm not quite sure what is. I just knew I needed a new beginning for myself. Perhaps an emotional/soul searching cleanse? When I first landed in South Korea over a year ago, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't have any friends here nor did I know anyone living here. I just knew I was gonna be going on an adventure. And although I came here to teach, I looked at it as if I were on a year long paid vacation and a chance to grow. I get to to fulfill my professional desire by teaching, while also living in and experiencing life in another culture. I've been fortunate enough to travel through Asia while I've been here, but I've also made it a point to explore as much of Seoul as I possibly can and making my weekends count...AND a year later, there's still SO much of Seoul I haven't seen or done yet. Which only means there's still a lot more exploring for me to do! But first...we'll start off with some of my explorations throughout Seoul. Happy Foundation Day in our Traditional Korean HanbokSo if you ever come to Seoul, one of the must on your sight-seeing list should be palaces, which South Korea is far from being short of. But I will say, once you've seen one palace, you've basically seen them all. So if you're visitng South Korea and short on time, I'd suggest just visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁), which is arguably the most beautiful and the largest of the 5 surrounding palaces. And if you'd like to add some umph and embellishment to your palace visit, you can rent a Hanbok starting at 10,000won for 4 hours. Might as well get in touch with the culture while you're here and fully immerse yourself, right? My girlfriends and I found a Hanbok shop in Insa-dong that rents beautiful Hanboks. There were some outside of the Gyeongbokgung Palace, but they weren't as pretty. And we figured it was perfect to rent our Hanboks in Insa-dong since we wanted to wear it around the palace as well as around the Hanok Villages. So we spent Korea's Foundation Day being extreme tourist and exploring Seoul in our Hanboks...which were surprisingly very comfortable and quite breezy if I don't say-so myself. Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insadong, & Korean Folk Villages...still so many things I want to see, feel, experience...and EAT!Insa-dong is so culturally rich! You have to visit this area of Seoul and see it for yourself. Not only are the Hanok Villages in Insa-dong, but there are also so many great traditional restaurants, tea-houses, and shops in the area as well. A little view of the Hanok Village. Both of these places are located on the 4th floor of the Ssamziegil Mall in Insa-dong. The first 4 photos are from the Minsok Folk Village. The second 4 photos are from the National Folk Museum of Korea. Myeong-dong Street FoodIf you're a foodie or even if you aren't a foodie, YOU HAVE TO GO TO MYEONG-DONG and try the street food. WARNING - go on an empty stomach. You WILL undoubtedly want to eat EVERYTHING. Or at least I do whenever I go there. Namsan Tower & ParkEvery major city has a major tower, and you can't visit the city without seeing the view of the city from the top. The view of both the tower and the city are beautiful at night and if you're able to, I'd suggest getting to the top of the tower right before sunset so you can enjoy the view. I've tried on several occassions to hike up to the Namsan Tower early enough to catch a sunrise view, but have failed epically each time. It's still on my SKbucketlist and I'm determine to make it happen before I leave here. In the year that I've lived in South Korea, I've got to see and experience so many wonderful things that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to do. I got the chance to fully immerse myself in that whole, "get comfortable with being uncomfortable" situation. From being lost countless times in a country I can't speak the language of to just putting myself completely out there to meet new people and make new friends. Going out by myself isn't a strange concept...in fact, it's kind of empowering, and going on excursions or arriving on a field alone in hopes that someone from a flag football team would pick me up isn't as scary or nerve-wrecking as it seems. I've realize that so many expats that arrive here are in the same EXACT situation as I am, and I guess that makes it less scary to be vulnerable here. But even if they weren't, I've gained enough confidence through my experiences here to just do whatever I love and whatever makes me happy and I'll continue to meet AMAZING people that won't think I'm weird...and if they do, well...that's okay too.
You just gotta do you. Keep exploring, keep soul searching & eventually I'll find whatever it is that I'm looking for. Yours truly, Cery
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AuthorJust a girl with a wandering soul and a burning heart filled with desire to discover the world around me and within myself. Archives
January 2017
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