A YEAR IN KOREA

It's hard to believe our year in Korea has come to an end. There was a lot more on my to-do list but our time in Korea was cut VERY short. We came here for a "two year assignment" and 7 months in we came down on orders. Gotta love the Army! I know there are several families that are just arriving, or are possibly on projected orders over here. Either way, I wanted to share some insight and some of our favorite things to do in the country. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to move to Korea so bad was the travel opportunities, and I also wanted to showcase more of the Korean side. I've seen so many other travel bloggers and military spouses that have the opportunity to live overseas but they only focus on traveling the other surrounding countries and not the main country itself, if that makes sense. 

A little backstory (and if you've followed me for a while I've mentioned this before), I started "begging" my husband to pick Korea about 8 years ago. We had just moved to Fort Riley, Kansas after living in Europe for three amazing years. We were so excited to finally be back stateside but immediately I started regretting that decision, lol. Sure, having Target and Chick Fil A were amazing but I began missing living overseas, experiencing different cultures, different food, and travel opportunities galore. Every single military spouse that I've crossed paths with that was on orders to Korea was terrified of the thought. I would often ask why? Many would say it was living in a different country, being away from family, the language barriers, etc. While I do love creating travel content, I wanted to focus on the positives of moving here and what this country has to offer. Even if I wasn't associated with the military I would 100% still have an interest in exploring Korea. While I agree that traveling isn't for everyone, there are plenty of things to do around different parts of Korea.

Some of the things we did were....

STARFIELD CO-EX MALL, AQUARIUM, + LIBRARY

This aquarium was so cute! It's Octonauts themed which our toddler loved. We had a great time. Located inside the mall. Post on libraries here.

STARFIELD MALL LIBRARY - SUWON 

Post here.

SEOUL SKY TOWER

Overlooks Seoul from the Lotte tower. Very cool experience.

LOCAL TEMPLES : 

Gakwonsa. 30 mins from Camp Humphreys area. Near Costco too, fyi.

 

 

 We never made it out here to see the temple surrounded by cherry blossoms so if you can do that, I would! I've seen photos and it's beautiful! 

BUKCHON HANOCK VILLAGE

Another about must for our first time in Seoul. It gets very crowded so be mindful when taking photos. There will be many people dressed in hanboks. Which brings me to my next point, rent one and take photos! They have a bunch of places locally that will allow you to rent the hanboks (adult and kids sizing), and they will even do your hair.

THEMED CAFES 

There are so many different themed cafes all over the city. Barbie, animal, superhero, etc.

POST ON OUR FAVORITES HERE 

SEOUL 

Gyeongbokgung palace

MYEONGDONG :

The place to be for shopping, cafes, etc.

COOL ALLEYS FOR PICS

(EULIJIRO BREWING)

(Art Monster Gangnam)

Itaewon! 

Good shopping, cafes, and food.

Also, this Fried chicken speakeasy restaurant in Itaewon was a must. You pull the giant paintbrush to enter.

(Jogyesa temple)

LOCAL CAFES IN PYEONGTAEK  (BLOG POST HERE)

GWANGMYEONG CAVE

A little south of Seoul, but worth a visit. Lots of colors and lights. There is also a wine tunnel inside where you a purchase bottles; not sure about a glass. The dragon was pretty cool.

GAMAKSAN SUSPENSION BRIDGE 

Located around the Dongducheon area.

OTHER THINGS YOU MUST EXPERIENCE AT LEAST ONCE:

CHERRY BLOSSOM SEASON (BLOG POST HERE)

PINK MUHLY GRASS SEASON (BLOG POST HERE)

OTHER LOCAL FAVORITE PLACES:

STARFIELD ANSEONG MALL (30 mins Camp Humphreys) - they have Zara and H&M here :)

AK PLAZA (train station/bus station + lots of shopping, restaurants, and movie theatre)

DAISO - comparable to dollar store/five below but better quality items!

FIRST VILLAGE - shopping "outlets" but not really outlets. Just a bunch of stores in little sections of the building. There is a nice home store here, children's clothes, adult shoes, clothes, sporting items, etc. There is also a brand new Daiso here across the street. There is also a really good Italian restaurant here   across the street that we enjoyed. It's called "ROSMARINO". (My favorite dish was the spicy cream pasta :) )

OTHER THINGS I LIKED:

I grabbed a bunch of these handbook bottle covers because they're so cute. They come in many colors and designs.

FAMILY BATHROOMS

I loved using these family restrooms. These are all over Korea and Japan. Why does everywhere else in the world make more sense than the USA? 

CONVIENIENCE STORES:

Go to all of them! 7 eleven, GS25, CU. These ice cups and drink pouches were so good! Emphasis on the ice cups! Again, why does everywhere else in the world make more sense!? MY favorite was the peach iced tea. Coffee ones were pretty good too, especially when you mix in the banana milk!

The viral banana milk. I'm not really a milk drinker but this stuff is bananas! So good! If you add it to the hazelnut coffee it's also pretty good.

This ramen! Super spicy but oh so good.

Also, the use of T Money cards! T money cards are prepaid cards you can use for transportation. You purchase a card at a convienience store, or the train station in AK plaza, I believe the card is 5,000 won, and you need cash (won) to put money on it. You can use this to tap for the train, busses, taxi's, and you can even use it to pay at the convince store. I would load the kids' cards up and let them hold them.

LOCAL MARKETS

I know Camp Humphreys Ville has the 3-8 market which happens every day that ends in 3, or 8. Super easy right? Produce is SO much cheaper at local markets. I would bring my tote bag and shop away. This one is also located near Joy Mart which was my go to place for snacks!

I also just want to add: 

If you are new to a location, or maybe you're new to the military life, put yourself out there. You can volunteer with USO, ACS, and the red cross. I've been associated with the military for almost 20 years now and I'm still learning new things. I had no idea that if you volunteer with the red cross they train you for those volunteer positions. If your spouse's unit has a SFRG you can volunteer with that as well, trust me any help is appreciated. Also, if you didn't know, you can use all of that volunteer experience in your resume for a job. 

Another important thing: don't be afraid to travel without your spouse! If you constantly wait for your spouse to travel you may not see as much as you would if you were to just go on your own while they're deployed or training. Look up your local MWR. They more than likely do day trips and some overnight ones. Those are perfect for solo travel if you're overwhelmed with trying to figure out the train system or don't know your way around yet. I take advantage of those trips myself when it's just me and the kids because I rather not drive and have to deal with the hassle of parking. (note: if you fly anywhere, always take a copy of your spouses orders, with your name(s) listed too, and your correct travel documents). The local bus was also very easy to figure out. You can type in the bus number directly into the naver app and it shows you the bus route and when to get on and get off. I used the bus plenty of times to go to AK plaza, the mall, and the local markets.

Remember: 

this is just a small portion of your life that you'll probably never get to experience again. 

Enjoy it while you have it ❤