Finding a sense of community is one of the most important parts of feeling at home. In our home countries we know how to do that based on habits and cultural rules. We have the usual places we go and the usual things we do. As we move around from town to town we can usually recreate these experiences since we all share a culture and a language. However, when we move abroad all this changes. It becomes harder to find those centralized experiences that bring us together with others. This is why PIEF and their events are such an important part of our community here in Pyeongtaek. They give us a place to gather and build community. Two weeks ago they launched their latest gathering called the “Traditional School Celebration” and we went to check it out. We don’t have kids and we’ve seen just about all the cultural things there are in Korea so we weren’t exactly sure what we would get out of it, but doing all the things is what we signed up to do when we started this blog and then the app. So exhausted from our busy schedules and, honestly – less than enthusiastic – we set off. As usually, we enjoyed ourselves far more than we thought we would. Was it the coolest thing we have ever done in Korea? Nope. Was it packed full of experiences that changed our lives? Absolutely not. “So why did you love it?”, you might find yourself asking. We loved it because it was beautiful and community focused. We loved hanging out with our friends and watching kids play. We loved seeing local martial arts folks demonstrate their skills. We enjoyed making things in the tents and talking even more with our friends. We loved being outside. We loved slowing down and taking time to just be present in our community. We loved the fact it wasn’t too much, it was just enough and we didn’t have to run all over damnation to do it. We loved that this was just a super chill Saturday event that didn’t leave us exhausted. Parking was easy, the events are in a confined space, you can bring a picnic, and you can just relax and be entertained. If we had kids we would totally bring them here on Saturdays to run amok while we chat with our friends. This is what we need more of in our lives. Those Spiderman socks. It’s also just a very cool opportunity to have an up-close and personal look at how people in our area used to live. In Pyeongtaek there are only two traditional Korean schools that still exist. One is in a rural area kind of near Songtan, and the other just happens to be in the middle of Paengseong near Camp Humphreys (where this event is held). These schools are no longer used for regular classes, but instead host Confusion rituals throughout the year. So this is a pretty unique chance to be close the history. It’s a very unique opportunity PIEF has opened up for our community and I, personally, am very grateful for the experience. This event isn’t about hype, it’s about a wonderful healthy way to get out of the house and go meet people. Please, grab your kids, your friends, your date and just go spend a few hours here hanging out. Meet people. Start conversations. Make some friends. It’s the perfect place for it. WAZE PIN/ID: Buyong Elementary School You can download the South of Seoul App from:

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Our stretch of road. We are excited to announce that we are supporting the wonderful blogger Sig Flips the Table in presenting Pyeongtaek’s First Annual Earth Day on Saturday April 22nd. The City of Pyeongtaek has been fabulously supportive of this event and will be providing free trash bags to all participants. They can be collected at Pyeongtaek International Exchange Foundation in Paengseong or Songtan. Read Sig’s the full article HERE: http://sigflipsthetable.com/2017/04/10/earth-day-pyeongtaek/ to learn the details and then join a local Earth Day team or sponsor a team of your own. Team SOS will spend the afternoon cleaning a section of country road that runs between Songtan and Paengseong. This stretch of road is rural but also heavily trafficked by US military personnel and local fisherman. It’s a beautiful area with excellent pick-nick locations so it should be a lovely day. If you would like to join us we would love to have you. We will start from the public parking lot located across from the large power plant. Just send us a message at southofseoul(at)gmail.com so we know how much stuff to bring. Video blogger On Your Mark World will also be there to document this very cool event and make sure everyone knows that they missed. Looking forward to seeing all the photos and hashtags on the 22nd. Let’s get out there and clean!! When: 10am Where: 평택시 오성면 안화리 47-3 Lunch Plan: Let’s have a picnic together. Everyone bring something to share. What you need to bring: Work gloves Water Clothes that can get dirty Comfortable walking shoes A snack to share A food item to share for lunch What SOS will bring: We will pickup the bags from PIEF for the group We will bring extra water Items need for setting up the picnic (eating utensils, cups, plates, etc) Please share the posters below and the Sig Flips the Table’s Blog with as many people as you can. This is our chance to show Pyeongtaek residents “Thank you” for their warm and understanding hospitality by pitching in and helping make the area shine.

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Here is what you need to be doing tomorrow, Saturday October 29th, the MATO Festival. Trust me, it’s pretty darn delightful. It’s good, old-fashioned classic fun. Think small town festival with the simple delights of childhood. It’s heart warming. Even though I had seen the posters and such, I didn’t actually go one until this summer. Now I’m sad I missed all the others. Also, I didn’t even go on purpose. I was coming back from Costco and stopped off to grab a bite to eat only to discover a big old party happening on the shopping street outside of the Camp Humphreys walking gate. To be honest, I had even avoided the festival up until this point because the fliers and signs looked boring and I need real motivation to do something like leave my house on a Saturday. Well, I was wrong and I admit it. This is a lovely and fun event because it’s so darn community focused and makes you feel more connected. So I am encouraging you to get out there and be a part of this wonderful community party. Dress the kids up. Eat too much candy. Do the crafts. Hangout with your friends and drink in the streets (at least that’s what I do at festivals). There will be live music, dancers, booths, crafts, cotton candy and more. The perfect thing to do with a family on Saturday. This won’t be too big or stressful and English is everywhere, this is the perfect event that lets you mingle with your neighbors and entertain yourself and the kids. ALSO, tomorrow just happens to be the fall MATO Festival and they have coordinated it to coincide with Halloween. They will be having a costume contest for the kids and adults. Here is the information for those looking for an awesome Halloween event for the kids. There will also be trick-or-treating at local businesses but I don’t have the information on that. Get you there and celebrate fall before winter hits and you don’t want to go outside for three months.

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