Tag: expat advice

With South Korea’s cute fashion sense and incredibly cheap market clothes, it’s no wonder that haggling has become an unofficial second language. I’ll be the first to admit that the thought of haggling is a terrifying concept to me. My first month in Korea I refused to try and shop anywhere where prices weren’t fixed, but after receiving a few tips from Korean friends and co-workers, I finally faced my fears and tried my hand at haggling.

As we move further and further into the technological age we are finding more and more ways of keeping in touch and share our lives with the world. One avenue for sharing is Instagram. Not everybody uses this snapshot tool to post just selfies, some people have taken to putting a specific focus to their accounts. Below are 5 of the best accounts to follow that will give you an insight into life in Korea.

For those new expats who moved to Korea with the August 2014 intake, the one month mark of your big move is only days away. The whirlwind of your new adventure is only just beginning, and although it may seem like you’ve just begun to learn about the new culture in which you’re now immersed, there are some cultural changes you’ve already undergone without noticing to better blend into your new surroundings.

If you know me then you will know that food is a big deal to me, hailing from a family of chefs I have always been raised around different kinds of foods and I am a far cry from a fussy eater. Breakfast is also a big deal to me, it’s the fuel that starts this engine in the morning and I don’t take that lightly. When I came to teach English in Taiwan I was excited to see what people ate for breakfast here. Living in a western breakfast bubble of toast, cereal and the full English breakfast I was ready to have my bubble popped and eyes opened to the delectable delights that the mysterious Taiwan had to offer.

This carnival post will not focus on the people I met along the way, as much as the past few paragraphs may have you think. Instead I shall be focusing on the person that was there with me for the most part of my travels. She has been my best friend for a very long time and it has been a roller-coaster of a time travelling with her, she is my very good friend, Hannah.

If any one word best describes the generation of modern Koreans, it’s trendsetters. Seriously, I’ve yet to see another country so amazingly on point with their fashion game. Each season, Korea brings fresh new trends and revamps old ones with an almost unbelievable amount of originality.

I believed a hyped lie before I moved to Asia, and that lie was that most men wear beauty products as casually as women do in South Korea. The strange thing is that all I felt was a sense of excitement. Call me crazy, but I don’t think that hiding a few blemishes with concealer or foundation makes a man any less of a….well, a man.

The three things you’ll quickly learn to be true while living in South Korea go as follows: kimchi is a cure all, your elders must be respected without question, and a beautiful face can get you through any tough situation. With these three nuggets of wisdom, I’d say having a beautiful face is the most important.