Author: Austin G
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New Years in Gwangju, South Korea
I feel like every year I skid over the finish line of the last year battered and bruised but eager for more. That statement was never more true than this year. Nicole and I found ourselves at First Alleyway, a foreigner bar downtown exhausted and worn out. Nicole couldn’t walk and I couldn’t talk, but…
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Christmas in Gwangju, South Korea
I expected when I first came to Korea that Christmas would be nonexistent here, or at the very least, a much smaller affair. However, Korea embraces Christmas wholeheartedly, see Korean Santa. There are a few twists on the classic Western Christmas though. In Korea, Christmas is more of a couple’s holiday, like Pepero Day, only…
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Birthday Weekend in Seoul: Lotte World
This is the second of my two part Birthday Weekend in Seoul. If you missed the first part, read about it here! Nicole and I woke up early in Sinsa-dong and grabbed some smoothies at Smoothie King. It’s crazy the franchises that make it over to Korea. There was one in St. Pete, and that…
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Birthday Weekend in Seoul: Good Beers
The month is November. Nicole and I are running ragged from too much work and not enough fun. Our bodies are ravaged by illness and runny noses, but hark! What is that in the distance? It’s December! The last month of the year and an oasis of vacations in an otherwise bleak desert of work weeks.…
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Pepero Day Korean Valentine’s Day: A Guide
Hey everyone, November 11th is upon us and, as I’m sure you’re all aware, it’s the day before my mom’s birthday. HI MOM! It’s also a very special day in Korea; it’s Pepero Day. Pepero Day is like Korean Valentine’s Day, not to be confused with Valentine’s Day in Korea which is also a holiday (2/14). I…
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Halloween in Korea: Costumes and Mummies
Halloween is a whole different beast here in Korea. It seems to have spread to Korea through word of mouth and some sort of long-distance, cross-cultural game of “Telephone.” Some ideas came through and other ones clearly got lost in translation. In short, not many people dress up and there isn’t a lot of candy…
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Gwangju Kimchi Festival
I haven’t posted in a while. Sorry about that everyone. After Japan, Nicole and I took a weekend off to just relax and recoup. We were worn out from Japan travels and ready for a break, but after a weekend off, Nicole and I were itching for something fun to do. Luckily the Gwangju Kimchi…
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Sports Day – Trail of Tears
Every October 9th South Koreans observe Hangul Day, a national holiday, commemorating the creation of the Korean alphabet by King Sejong the Great. For most Koreans it means a day off and a chance to rest and relax. For my coworkers and me it meant a forced march up a mountain in the rain, but…
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Japan Vacation – Returning to Korea
One Last Train Ride [photogrid ids=”2922,2925″ captions=”yes” columns=”three” fullwidth=”yes” ] Nicole and I woke early, cleaned our room, and took a train back to the Osaka airport. The ride was early and uneventful. The often crowded subway was sparsely populated with random Japanese people and the odd tourist with a suitcase making the same trip…