hair

Many of the kids at school get perms. Even the 6 year olds. Their hair goes from being pin straight to luscious waves. In Seoul, fashion/beauty is really no joke- it starts at a young age. Heres an example:

Before the perm...

After...already resembling a k-pop star

Moo.

Happy Birthday Moomoo! Wish I could be there to celebrate with my favorite Chip + Dale. A few kids wanted to wish you a happy birthday...

"Happy Birthday Hannah Teacher's grandmother!" love- Kiwi Class

Only a few short months until I will be home! Enjoy a pint of Hagen Daz for me :)

Love you and miss you so much!

big hugs and kisses ♥

Ramyeon

I've always been a huge fan of ramen. Its fast, cheap and delish but my love for it has extended since living in Seoul. Ramyeon 라면 is found EVERYWHERE in this country. There are at least 20 different kinds at any variety store. Usually you can find people eating ramyeon in and out of these convenient stores at all times- including breakfast. At every store there is boiling water, so you can eat your ramyeon instantly. At the grocery store there is an entire isle dedicated to the noodles. Although it's loaded with calories and sodium, its hard to resist late at night or after a long night of drinking. Most of the ramyeon is spicy but you can find a variety of flavors including beef, chicken, kimchi (of course), spaghetti, and my latest discovery... CHEESE. May be even better than kraft dinner. looove.

Fall Feeling

Weekend trip to Seoraksan National Park located in eastern South Korea. The third highest mountain in the country.

Enjoy. xx

Bronze Buddha of Sinheungsa

hand + bird

fall leaves

cable car

ajumas kickin' ass

The Power of Kimchi

There is a 'cabbage crisis' in Korea. Shut the front door. The country is running out of cabbage. Who would have thought this would be so devastating? Heads of napa cabbage are going for $10-$14 each due to the mass amount of rain we've had in the past couple of months. Usually a head of cabbage is around $4. This is a disaster for the country because Koreans, literally, cannot live without their kimchi. Apparently, a man outside of Seoul was arrested for stealing 10 heads of cabbage-now that is dedication.

Kimchi usually consists of cabbage, which is fermented in chili paste and garlic. It is a side dish (banchan) that is served everywhere, at every meal- for free. It is even available to the kids at lunchtime. I think it is their favorite part of their lunch. Koreans are obsessed with the stuff. They eat it hot or cold, in soup or mixed with rice. Instead of smelling coffee in the morning when I walk into the office- what do I smell? You guessed it- fermented cabbage.

I'm not going to lie- I like the stuff; but Korea better get their hands on some cheaper cabbage soon- otherwise, we're in for some real problems.

Bambi

On Sunday, I stumbled across a petting zoo full of deer in Seoul Forest. Conveniently, there is deer food for purchase and you can casually feed and pet the deer that are behind a metal fence. Sad for the deer, but win for everyone else.

D.A.N.C.E.

I was unsure whether or not I was going to attend Global Gathering a few weeks ago, but I am so glad I did. Global Gathering is a massive electronic music festival which tours around the world. I was never a huge fan of electronic music but this show blew me away. With great artists like Fatboy Slim, Justice and Armin Van Buuren-it was well worth the money. On Saturday we prepared ourselves with a little galbi and soju around 3pm and 5 hours later arrived at the show. Twelve hours had gone by since I had left and I stumbled into my apartment (around 4AM), body aching and with a new collection of glow sticks. Here's a few pics from the night: