Abundance Found: 3

Let's go exploring the KBlogosphere for some random yet insightful things people have posted. It's another round of Abundance Found!

1. Bathhouse Ballads: Fun name there right? Certainly just the name of this blogger's site gets you interested. I looked back in their archives and found this post about Korean apples. What's so special about them? Well they taste great and have other delicious qualities. Checkout their post to find out more. 

 

2. Annyoung!: From delicious apples I will take you now to something a little bit less yummy. Well for some that is. In this post we get to see three different kinds of food in Korea that are quite strange. Go check out the post and learn a thing or two about oddball foods Korean people eat. 

3. A Seoulful Life: From the tasty corner of the world I now take you to the more contemplative and transportative realm. In this post you can see a ten minute bus ride of what it is like to ride along the streets of Korea, and during the rainy summer time. I too enjoy the bus ride (when the interior is comfy) and looking out onto this land.

4.아름답다, ah-lum-dahp-dah: A great blog and one you should check out more. For today I bring you a post she wrote about her trip to a dog cafe. Not a clue what that is? Well go take a look and find out. Certainly a very warm and fuzzy one.

I hope these finds today show you the vast array of experiences and tidbits on life here in Korea.

Abundance Aid: Coffee Machines and Shopping

As a blogger in Korea you want to not only share your daily life but also give advice on how you tackle everyday things. Today's "Abundance Aid" post will show you how some bloggers shared their tips on working through several average aspects of Korean life.

1. Mountain and Field: In this post, she shows us a typical coffee machine that you find in restaurants. In the west having a dessert option on the menu is very common, but in Korea there is practically no such thing at restaurants here. Except of course "western style" restaurants. Instead of a dessert menu I think Korean folks get by with something sweet after dinner by having tea or coffee. Actually, at many restaurants I have been to they sometimes give you a small cup of traditional tea after the meal. The standard, though seems to be a coffee machine at the entrance area of the restaurant. Check out her post, where she tells a few secrets and how-to's of this great machine.
2. The View From Over Here: Who would have thought that shopping at a supermarket would be so complicated? Globalization should make things easier right? Well shopping at Korean supermarkets can be very mesmerizing. Not only are they usually crowded but there are employees giving out free samples, meat sellers yelling at the top of their lungs and sales like "2+1" that for the first time shopper can make you dizzy. Thankfully her post can give us some insight on all this and a few tips on getting around Korean supermarkets.

3. Talking to Myself: Sometimes shopping can also bring happy surprises. In this post he highlights how when you go to a mini-convenience store and buy one thing you sometimes leave with more than you expected.

As you can see, as time passes during our journey here in Korea, we figure out things little by little. If you are a blogger in Korea I would suggest giving us a few posts about the little things in life that you figured out. I know I could think of some for my blog.

Abundance Buzz: Konglish

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Konglish! Korean + English = Konglish. It can happen on towels (as seen above in Seoul Patch's collection), on pencil cases and even out of Korean's mouths. For the most part it is highly amusing towards us expats, but at times also a little disturbing. The following are a small collection of bloggers who have written about their encounters with Konglish, be it either good or bad.

• "I Am Saja's Mom": Seems to find Konglish a fun way to add to her wardrobe. She usually posts for us fun Konglish-fashion finds that she recently purchased. Check out a current one on this post.
• "Jane's Daily Blah": Can you get philosophical about Konglish? Well in this post, Jane tries to do just that with the great puzzle that is Konglish and why it exists.
• "Paul Ajosshi": Usually has a Konglish showing up monthly on his blog. They often show the bizarre and uncanny side to this phenomenon. In a recent one I think his mind started to wander.
• "Kiss My Kimchi": Took a spin on things and made a contest out of it. You can check it out here.

Personally, I just find Konglish really amusing and I too want to purchase a shirt that totally annihilated what it meant to say. What I find most of all crazy is seeing people wearing shirts with obvious scrambled English, but they are oblivious to it. I suppose it is similar to people in America wearing clothes with Chinese characters on it and not really knowing the meaning.  Anyways, if you have any takes on Konglish...do share.