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Culture & Community, Driving Tips, Education, ESL/EFL Educators Welcome Packet, International Student Welcome Packet, New Arrival Information, Public & Private Transport, Smart Phone App Quick Tips, Tourist and Traveler Welcome Packet, USA Military Welcome Packet
Nav App Hack: Phones not Address
One of our main goals at South of Seoul (SOS) is to empower our readers and users to explore Pyeongtaek on their own and share the things they love with others. This sounds easy, except that the language barrier and maps issues make this far harder than it should be. How in the world do you quickly and easily share a business location when you can’t read anything or talk to anyone? We have the hack for you! All you need to know are numbers. This is possibly the best-kept…
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Culture & Community, December in South Korea, Education, Holidays In Korea, Kids and Family, SOS South Korean Seasonal Guide: Winter
Christmas In Pyeongtaek
Additional Article(s) You May Find Useful: 3 New Year(s) Options in Pyeongtaek Every December in the South of Seoul group (Pyeongtaek Food & Fun) new arrivals ask about Christmas experiences they can have in the area. Every year we think, “We should write a blog about that”. Well, this year we’re finally writing one! So, grab a hot cup of cocoa, put on your favorite Christmas carols, curl up on your couch with a cozy blanket and prepare to be disappointed. Yes, you read that right. Maybe add some booze to…
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Culture & Community, Culture Shock Tips, Education, New Arrival Information, Physical & Mental Wellness
5 Tips for Conquering Culture Shock
Culture Shock isn’t just an English punk band. It’s also a very real thing we all deal with while living abroad. It’s part of the territory and it’s something everyone needs to be very aware of in order to live their best life. It starts out small and builds over time, sometimes ripping through our lives with very painful consequences and other times hiding in the shadows waiting to knock us off course when we least expect it. It can even cause intense depression, destruction of relationships, uuncharacteristic bigotry and racism,…
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How to get Better Service in Korea
Let’s talk about how to get ‘better’ service in Korea. I put ‘better’ in quotes because service looks different in different countries since each culture has its own expectations. Such differences may feel like ‘bad service’ since they don’t meet our own social expectations. Let’s look at what this might mean. About My Life In Korea I am a US military spouse living in Korea with my family. I have a few kids who are homeschooled and we spend a great exploring Korea off base. I’m also half Korean but…
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Useful Phrases for Getting an Exchange or Refund
Sometimes a product you purchased doesn’t work out the way you want it to. Instead of getting frustrated, try some of these phrases to help you get an exchange or refund. Christi ClineChristi Cline holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and a Korean American. She proudly served in the US Marines and worked as a police officer before moving into social media and online content. As a Cultural Liason and Content Creator with South of Seoul, Ms. Cline reported on Pyeongtaek news and helped to coordinate youth camps with the…
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University Life Update
When we started at Namseoul University this spring we truly had no idea what to expect. It’s a new program and we didn’t know anyone who had attended before so we had a million questions: What exactly would studying in Korea in an English language program look like? What kind of professors would there be? Were we going to be cramming for exams like we see them doing in Korean high school? What are the students going to be like? How big were the classes going to be? What would…
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Our Graduate Adventure: Getting Started
Starting next week we (my husband and I) are taking my South of Seoul adventures to the next level and beginning graduate at the aptly named Namseoul (South Seoul) University. It’s a private Christian school located in northern Cheonan, about 20 minutes south of Camp Humphreys. We will be studying for a Masters in International Teaching, which is taught in English, through the Global Studies department. We are super excited! For years we’ve wanted to continue our education but had given up on the idea since we didn’t want to…
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찜질방 Jjimjilbangs: Don’t be scared
Alright, to be clear, I’m addicted to jjimjilbangs/public baths. Sometimes I wonder if I should just move into one and stop paying rent on my house. It took me about nine months to get up the nerve to give one a try, and immediately felt like it was nine months of my life I had wasted. Maybe I’m weird, but I can’t see why anyone would say no to a 9,000 spa day. I encourage everyone to give it a try at least once. However, jjimjilbangs are very different from…
