Abundance Buzz: Halloween Fun

Even though this holiday has passed I think some folks are still looking back at the good times they had. Or maybe thinking just how much candy they gave out to their students. Since living in Korea for 3 years now I can definitely say this holiday has picked up steam here. On the academic side schools tend to have some kind of event for their students. And on the "free time" side many bars and clubs host events for people to take part in. Costumes, both in the kid and adult department, have come along way too.

I for one don't really do something special for this holiday, but have seen other people do it. I thought I would share with you guys what happens in Korea around this time of year.

1. Annie Around the World: In this post you can see how during the day one gives Korean children a dose of what this holiday is about, and at night how one celebrates. Some cute costumes!

2. Stupid Ugly Foreigner: Here he hits the point that holidays abroad aren't really the same as they are back home. But you try to make the most of it. You get to hear about how he developed into a Zombie and spent the night away as such.


3. Elyse Marie: Another fun mix of work and play in this post. It makes you wonder how this holiday will develop in years to come.

4. Kiwi Wonju: Just a nice post here about how work is affected by Halloween, drawn up in 2008. Maybe looking at this post and then comparing it to earlier ones you can see some changes. For sure many schools like teachers to decorate the rooms for the festivities.

How was your Halloween this year? Anything special happen at work or outside of it?

Abundance Buzz: Chuseok

Chuseok is here! A time when Korean people celebrate their culture and family heritage. For us expat folk it means several things, for one we get time off from work and another an opportunity to experience this aspect of Korean culture. Today I will take you into Kbloggeres experience of Chuseok in the past. I for one had a memorable time when my ex took me to his family gathering in the mountainside.

1. Plate Full of Onions: For these folks the holiday meant gifts and dressing up. The pictures show how colorful this time of year can be with people wearing hanbok.

2. The Harrington Times: Chuseok means vacation to most of us and with that said you can go and do anything. Also this time of year has a lot of festivals, but people like to gather and go places. This blogger went on a hiking trip, which turned out pretty nice.

3. Wonju Wife: Although no longer in Wonju she does bring us a post from the past about a family experience of Chuseok. She visited her husband's Grandma's house in Cheong Sang a place apparently famous for apples. Take a look at the post for some great photos and a good story.

The air is getting cooler and there might be some rain this Chuseok, but whatever you do enjoy this special time in Korea.

Abundance Buzz: Cat or Dog Cafes

Purrrrr! Woof! Woof! Being far from home you know you miss your parents and friends. But you might not expect that you miss those furry pals in your life. With the lack of back or front yards and our houses usually being the size of shoe boxes, having a pet might seem like a bad idea. Although, many folks do have pets in Korea. Yet if you are craving some fur ball love than there are places to go that can help you get your fix. These are called cat or dog cafes, and I believe they got their start in Japan. In fact my first experience at a cat cafe was in Japan, and I was really blown away at how awesome the concept was.

Since my three years in Korea I have seen cat and dog cafes blossom around Seoul and elsewhere. The following are Kblogger's encounters with pet cafes.

1. Eleonora's Life in Korea: In Hongdae you can find the Geo Cat Cafe, which is one of the better known cafes. Here the writer had a good time playing with some cats and enjoying the atmosphere.

2. Seoul Searching: If cat's aren't your thing than maybe you would be interested in a dog cafe. Another Hongdae location and called the "Bau House" here you can pet dogs and play with them, for a small fee of course.

3. Karori to Korea: Perhaps you don't still get the gist of what a cat cafe is like, than why not check out the videos in this post to get a better visualization.

4. Coco in Korea: She takes us to "Hello Cat" in Cheongju where you not just pet pretty kitties but also sip on some yummy drinks. She remarked on how the place smelled clean, which is to show that these places are not really as dirty as we may think.

As for myself I practically live in a cat cafe, except so far the occupancy is just one cat. But I like to get out to these places as it is fun to watch the animals play and do whatever it is they do. (Mostly sleep)

Have you been to a pet cafe? If so do share!

Abundance Buzz: Korean Baseball Games

Although I have yet to attend a baseball game in Korea I know for sure that if I went it would be a great time. How do I know? Because over time many Kbloggers have written about their wonderful experiences at a Korean baseball game.

Here for you today are a few Kbloggers who have been to a baseball game in Korea and shared about it on their blog.

1. Coco in Korea: She attended a game last year but it was pretty memorable. She gives a tip on where the best seat should be, so why not go check it out?

2. The Harrington Times: Who knew that you needed specific reasons to go see a baseball game. Well I suppose when you see one in Korea there are particular cultural reasons that make it worthwhile. Here the blogger shares with us some great pointers including, "Experiencing the kind generosity of Koreans with gifts of squid, pigs feet and warm beer -- maybe even a kiss on the cheek!" Take a peek at the post to read more.

3. The Seoul Patch: I knew I couldn't leave him out of this topic. I have seen him talk about good times at sports events in Korea. I believe he knew the magical spot to sit at during the game since his pictures prove what fun he had. Check out the post to see what the experience is like at a Korean baseball game.

4. Seoul Eats: Dan usually blabbers on about food and great restaurants but now and then he has posts about cultural experiences. One line that captures it all is, "The energy at the game is always electric."

So if you are wondering what to do this summer and want to have a good old time, why not head out to a baseball game? Hopefully I too will have my first experience one of these days.

Abundance Buzz: Encounters with Buddhism

Today marks another passing of Buddha's birthday here in Korea. A day for celebration and prayer amongst devotees, but also a day off for hard working Koreans and most English teachers. Whether you visit temples during this time or make your way to the Jogyesa temple near Insadong, you cannot escape life in Korea without seeing or experiencing some sort of Buddhist element. The following are a list of some Kbloggers who have taken the time to see Buddhist relics or participate in rituals personally.

1. Kiwi Wonju Blogger: In 2008 he spent some time taking a bike tour around Uljin where he encountered a cave and a famous Buddhist temple. Go over and see what fun places he found while traveling on a bike.

2. Coco Busan: In a post title, "Tiny Monks, Big Temple" you get a nice snapshot of the Yonggungsa Temple which has a view of the sea. For those living up here in Seoul it gives you a look of the great treasures to be found, down near Busan. Check the post out for more details.

 

3. Tigers and Magpies: A blog I just only discovered today, but with a plethora of temple visits. Here I chose to show you one he took to the Tongdosa Temple. In this post he shows us great temple shots and also some history. It come's highly recommended so why not go check out the post and find out for yourself.

4. Onion has a what?: Another new blog I just discovered and one that offers not just perspectives on teaching but also her ventures into Korean culture. In this featured post she talks about a temple stay and things you do while there. It definitely is honest and also a great look at this unique tourist aspect in Korea.

Whether or not you care for Buddhism seeing the relics and culture, that is here in Korea, certainly allows for one to get a broader sense of world religion. I highly recommend you check out the above posts and then end up going to a temple yourself and seeing it all in person.

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.

Abundance Buzz: White Day

Temperatures are finally warming up these days and that's a good thing. Another warming site to see is the love being shared on Korea's "White Day." For the couples out there in the blogosphere there were some who got something special from their loved ones or other people. Let's see who they are:

• The View From Over Here had a lovely dinner with her boyfriend and got some special treats from students.
• Coco in Korea received little sweets from her students as well.
• I Am Saja's Mom got a really nice ice-cream cake, go check it out in her post.

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If you didn't get anything lovely for White Day well don't fret at least you saved on calorie consumption. Let's not forget next month is Black Day!

Abundance Buzz: Back to Work

February signals, for mostly public school teachers, that it is back to work time. December and January are usually the time for camp and vacation. As March approaches, February is that in between month before the students graduate. Although there is usually not much to do at work since materials are finished, you find yourself with not much to do. If you are an elementary school teacher you will find that 6th grade is particularly unruly at this time of year. They are pre-teens and so already don't want to listen to adults, but knowing that they will move on to middle school means that grabbing their attention is especially difficult.

In this series,"Abundance Buzz" I am going to highlight how there is a notable buzz out there on the Kblogosphere. The first one in this series shows how several expats are going back to work from their cushy vacations and having to put their teacher brains back on.

The Buzz:

• I Am Saja's Mom: In this case, "Saja" is her cat. She is a veteran here in South Korea having had a few jobs already. This time around she found herself facing the "desk-warming-blues" from coming back to work. She countered this by digging into her treat drawer and watching downloads, in this post. Definitely having tasks to do during those slow times makes the job feel less alienating. However, eating snacks and watching shows is fun let's remember to throw some planning in there as well. ;)
• I'm No Picasso: I have been reading her blog for some time now, and enjoy her honest and very frank posts. In her recent post, "Back and Raring To Go" she talks about the woes of going back to work and returning to Korea after being abroad in an "English speaking country." Definitely check this post out for what it feels like to switch back to work and Korean life.

"...get yourself in a state fit to attend work on Monday morning and you start to feel the way you did sometimes in the first year, where you were a bit lonely and acutely aware of being in a foreign place. "

• Lola O in Seoul: Lola writes in a very descriptive and captivating way on her blog. The post, "Comes and Goes" really highlights the feeling of vacation ending and work beginning. When visiting family for vacation it can be hard to say goodbye all over again, and get back on the plane. As strong as we expats are there are times when homesickness can get the best of us. Lola encapsulates this in her post but also shows her strength, "This is my life right now, for the next year this is my life and I am going to embrace it. I'm going to enjoy it. I'm going to live it. As I got to the bus stop by my place my friend came to help me with my luggages." Check it out.
• Jungle Onion's Diary: Isn't that a cute name for a blog? She got back from her vacation, did a little work and then found herself with nothing do. Check it out all here on her post, "February!".

That wraps up this Abundance Buzz topic for today. February, for many also signals the last month at their school or their expat life. Since March is when the new semester starts many teachers will be finding themselves packing up, selling off their stuff and saying goodbye to their friends in Korea. It is also a time when newbies are going to start pouring in and having the whole experience from the start. I am constantly amazed by the thought that expats in Korea are constantly on this cycle of "in" and "out". Perhaps, come March I can find some newbie blogs and we can see what expat life looks like to fresh eyes.