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Culture & Community, December in South Korea, Fun & Entertainment, Holidays In Korea, Indoor Activities, Kids and Family, Outdoor Activities, SOS South Korean Seasonal Guide: Winter
3 New Year(s) Options in Pyeongtaek
Just like Christmas and all the other holidays, New Years is celebrated a little differently in Pyeongtaek than what you might be used to. Whereas you might stay up until midnight to celebrate the New Year, in South Korea it’s all about waking up early (or staying up all night) and welcoming in the sunrise on the first day of the year. 1. Pyeongtaek Lake Sunrise Celebration (2019 평택호 해맞이 행사) If you would like to join a local cultural experience that isn’t promoted to foreigners at all, this is…
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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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Rules & Laws: Coffee Shops & To Go Cups
Have you been to a coffee shop lately and been told you can’t stay in the coffee shop with your to-go cup? Feeling angry because it all seems so foolish that you can’t just sit in the coffee shop with your paper or plastic cup? Well, if it makes you feel any better, they aren’t singling you out or trying to be jerks. It’s the law in Korea. Like many of the worlds leading countries, Korea is taking a look at what it can do to reduce waste. One of…
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April in South Korea, Fun & Entertainment, Hiking in Korea, July in South Korea, June in South Korea, Kids and Family, May in South Korea, Outdoor Activities, Physical & Mental Wellness, September in South Korea, SOS Seasonal Guide: Spring, SOS Seasonal Pyeongtaek Guide: Fall
Top 3 Pyeongtaek Hikes
Did you just move to Pyeongtaek and want to find the top 3 Pyeongtaek hikes? You’ve found the right post. About Hiking in South Korea Some might call hiking Korea’s national sport. It’s a country that loves a good walk outside. Thousands of marked and unmarked hiking trails exist across the country. You can find many marked trails in Naver Maps which includes hiking routes in the maps app. Also, in South Korea, they consider walking trails and hiking trails. Sometimes you might find a Korean hike to simply be…
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2018 Beach Bus Reservations Have Started
2018 Beach Bus Season Has Arrived! For the second year in a row, South of Seoul has ride-share buses leaving Pyeongtaek on select Saturdays, headed to beaches. Bus travel is wonderful because you can avoid the stress of traffic, driving home exhausted, not being able to have a drinky drink while at the beach. Heck, we even have cars but we still go on these buses because it makes the experience so much more relaxing. Not only are they the easiest way to get there, but the buses are surprisingly affordable. One-day trips…
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August in South Korea, Fun & Entertainment, July in South Korea, Kids and Family, SOS South Korean Seasonal Guide: Summer
Pyeongtaek Summer Splash Pads
Public Pyeongtaek splash pads usually open in July and August. Keep reading to learn more about splash pads including locations and rules! Updated: July 2022 Splash Pads in South Korea Many cities and private malls across South Korea have invested in splash pads to help families beat the summer heat. Splash pads are often free to use and very popular with community families. Splash Pad Seasonal Operation Hours The splash park schedules may vary depending on if they are city or privately owned: City-run splash pads often run on a…
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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…
