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Dragon Hill Spa

13 Jan
Dragon Hill Spa

Dragon Hill Spa entrance

Traveling abroad is no picnic in the park, as even the most seasoned travelers will tell you.  Between figuring out your way around, trying to understand the foreign language, and constantly participating in the activities and events that brought you there in the first place, life gets incredibly hectic.

Then, you have to add in the fact that you are living in a strange place.  No bed that you recognize, often times (especially in Asian hotels) no bath to soak your weary bones, no familiar comforts of the home you’ve left behind.  After awhile you just need a break.

Well, it took much bravery on our parts, but this past summer, me and three other friends decided to try out one of Korea’s famous relaxing “Saunas” (also called the “Baths”).  One of us had been given a coupon to the Dragon Hill Spa, and, after looking at pictures online, we decided to try it out.  In the end, I would highly recommend the Dragon Hill Spa to visitors to Seoul.  It is an amazing experience, and it truly was the most relaxing thing I did.  As an introvert, I greatly needed a place to rest, and this was exactly what I needed.  Great place!! Continue reading

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Train Manners!

3 Dec

Train Manners!–Vintage Tokyo Subway Manners Posters.

Hahahah!  Nice!  🙂

Bringing Light to the World: A Little Drop of Kindness At A Time

1 Dec

It’s summer, and I’m flying out of Chicago to visit South Korea for the first time.  Chicago is the same as it always is.  People rushing about, bumping into one another, everyone too hurried to stop and think about those around them.  The experience is horrid, the flight via American Airlines not particularly fun.  The attendants are rude and have no time to get me the requested drink, my query as to its location an hour later answered solely with a huff and impatient “just wait a minute.” Arriving at LAX is no more enjoyable; no one will stop so I can ask for directions, the check-in attendants ignore all my questions.  Getting slammed into and having people walk all over my stuff as I tried picking it up doesn’t help any.  

But everything changes once I move in Korean Air’s territory.

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Coex Mall & Aquarium

27 Nov

Gangnam Style!

This past summer, a Korean song artist, Psy, produced what would become almost an instant hit–“Gangnam Style.”  Snappy, Fast-paced, Easy to listen to, the song captured the world’s hearts and minds (literally, that song is stuck in your brain once you hear it).

As the song professes, Gangnam (a district in Seoul located on the south side of the Han River) has a life all of its own.  Well known for its particularly high level of wealth and standard of living, Gangnam is basically the Korean version of Beverly Hills or upper-class NYC.  It houses many of the financial centers of the world economy, as well as the central offices for several international companies.  Naturally, the attractions are as amazing as the rest of the area; it is definitely one of the best places to wander around if you are a visitor.

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Travelling in a 외국의 (foreign) Land

8 Nov

Travelling–the great journey into the unknown.  Dun dun duunnn…  They tell you the world is vast, and you sort of understand that when you begin to travel.  But nothing quite seems to prepare you for that first step off the runway and into a whole new world.  Luckily, at least in the countries I have visited, that new world has seemed just familiar enough (they had normal American toilets and a Dunkin Donuts. . . always a plus) that I wasn’t completely dumped into culture shock.

However, I was recently asked by my supervisor to draw up some tips for fellow  students visiting countries where the language is a barrier.  I got to thinking about it, and I decided to focus on what I learned on my most recent visit to Korea.   By miracle alone, I had the luck to be roomed with a local girl for the first two weeks, or I have no idea what I would have done.  Travelling in a new country without the benefit of language proficiency is difficult, but there are a few things that can make your life so much easier.

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