There is so much excitement in the air as the Seoul Lantern Festival and the G20 are taking place in downtown Seoul for the next two weeks. Even more exciting is that the Seoul Lantern Festival marks the 50 day count down to the 2010-2012 Visit Korea Celebrations. The Seoul Lantern Festival is one event that is a must in the month of November. If you can’t make this event, you have to make the Lotus Festival in May which is even more popular. The festival takes place from Nov. 11 to Nov 22; and all of my students have told me that this years lanterns are better than ever.
I have never experienced such organized chaos in my life. Yes there are thousands of people trying to get an up-close glimpse of the traditional and modern lanterns which are standing on platforms in the Cheonggyecheon Stream. But there is so much security and organization that by the time you get down to the stream you actually have room to breathe as you walk up close to the lanterns. There is a line which begins at the middle of City Hall. Luckily it moves the entire time, and only took me about thirty minutes on Sunday night. Just deal with the adjumas (grandmas) poking you in the back and before you know it you will be free again.
My favorite lanterns were the ones towards the beginning of City Hall, and the end of the event. There is everything from traditional lotus flowers, to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and The Statue of Liberty.
This is definitely one event that you need to dress warm for. Expect to be outside for anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. Bring a cup of coffee and your I-pod and you will be even happier while strolling down the stream’s sidewalk or standing in line. And don’t forget your camera to capture all of the beauty!
To see events and times happening at the Seoul Lantern Festival visit The Official Site of Korea Tourism Organization. To get there simply take the subway to exit #5 of Gwanghwamun Station (line 5) or take exit #2 at Euljiro 1(il)-ga Sation from line 2.
If you have any questions or comments about The Lantern Festival in Seoul please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
Many people have been wondering what my apartment is like in Seoul. This video will show you the atmosphere of a Korean apartment in detail while filling you in on the basics of an apartment building in Seoul. I live in an office tel apartment. They are all studios and some people work in them, while others like me live in them. Because it is an office tel apartment, my building is much quieter at night because the only people coming and going are those that live there. To learn more about finding an apartment in Korea visit finding an apartment in Korea to read more articles.
If you have any questions or comments about "My apartment in Seoul: a virtual tour" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
No offense to the government wanting statistics, but I am totally creeped out by Census workers, especially Korean Census workers! Only three short months ago my mom told me to ignore the Census people that showed up at my family's doorstep in California. Apparently avoiding them didn't work, because they decided to get on a plane and find my Korean apartment!
Yes, the Census is taking place in Korea for the next two weeks. The internet method took place from October 22-31, and the interview method is currently taking place from November 1-15.
Once again I tried to ignore the Census workers here in Korea. I figured that they wouldn't have an English version of the form anyway. However I quickly realized the women assigned to collect data from my apartment was never going to give up, and she came to my apartment a total of six times! 7 Reasons why Census people creep me out:
1. They always talk about some random things like your outfit or the weather, and then they finally tell you that they are working for the Census. 2. They will chase you down hallways, and wait for you to fill out questionnaires. 3. They will wait at your apartment until you arrive home. 4. They are probably watching you sleep. 5. They want to know exactly how many centimeters your apartment is. Um, I don't know the metric system because I'm a dumb American. 6. Why does it matter if I have warm running water in my apartment? 7. Is that weird little alien man on the front of the questionnaire really necessary?
5 attempts to get an English Census form:
Attempt 1: I first saw the Census ladies in the elevator. They were extremely nice to me, and complimented me on my winter coat. She mumbled something else in Korean and I couldn't understand them and said goodbye. I figured they were just some nice old ladies living on my floor or visiting someone.
Attempt 2: About fifteen minutes later I received a knock on my door. The ladies were standing outside ranting in Korean about something I could not understand. I told them again that I do not speak Korean so they finally left me alone.
Attempt 3: Three days later I received a note on my door. The sticky note looked official and had Census written in the corner. I figured out that there was a time that they would come back to talk to me about the forms.
Attempt 4: The next day a young women was in my hallway. She noticed the sticky note still on my door and chased me to my apartment. Here she handed me a paper which told me that I should fill out a Census questionnaire. I thought I was in the clear because she only had Census forms in Korean, but....
Attempt 5: About one hour later the women returned to my apartment with a Census survey book in five different languages; English was one of them. She then tried to speak English to me from a hand out but failed. She was so cute, so I looked at her paper and it had questions such as "how are you today?" and "You should participate in the 2010 Census." At the very bottom the paper read, "what time should I come back to pick up your questionnaire?" So finally I gave in, I felt terrible that the woman went through so much trouble to get me a lousy 3 page book in English. I told her to come back the next day and pick to pick it up and sure enough she did!
If you have any questions or comments about the 2010 Census in Korea please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
Although Halloween is an American holiday, Koreans and expats all over Seoul party even harder then the American's back home! Of course Itaewon which is an expat heaven was a popular destination. However, all of the video footage above was taken in Hongdae which is home to several universities in Seoul. The young college crowd provides a great atmosphere and there are tons of clubs and restaurants which offer costume contests and drink specials. Seoul is clearly the place to be for Halloween as many expats and Koreans travel from throughout Korea to celebrate.
Halloween recommendations in Seoul:
1. Make a costume- Finding Halloween costumes in Korea can be difficult. Get creative and made a costume. For example you can be the three blind mice. Simply buy 3 of everything: a gray H&M sweatshirt for 20,000, a gray head band 2,000, round make up puffs 2,000, pink paper 1,000, a swiffer mop from Daiso 3,000. Glue the round make up puffs to the head band and attach cut outs of the pink paper for the mouse ears. Twist the handle of the swiffer mop loose and attach red or purple tape to the bottom for a blind person walking cane. Wear your sweatshirt and dark sunglasses and walk around pretending your a blind mouse!
2. Buy a random costume the day of Halloween- Although costumes are hard to find, there will be tons of stands on Halloween Day selling weird masks, hats, and all sorts of crazy costumes for those that weren't planning on dressing up. This is totally last minute, so expect to pay a bit more for your costumes. A horse head mask will cost around 20,000 to 30,000 the day of Halloween.
3. Ride the Subway- Riding the subway to your destination is one of the best ways to get a close look at some of the crazy costumes; and you will be surprised at how much effort some of the Koreans put into their costumes! Plus, who wouldn't want to see a chicken sitting on the subway, or a Korean guy dressed up as sleeping beauty!
4. Get a window seat- At some point in the night you will need to sit down to recharge that dancing battery. Get a window seat at any restaurant on the main street, this might even be worth waiting for if there aren't any open. People watching from inside the restaurant on Halloween is amazing, you might even get a window full of scream faces like in the video above!
If you have any questions or comments about "Halloween in Seoul" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
As I have said many times, crime in Korea is very low. That is why I was shocked when two men were fighting in the middle of a busy intersection in downtown Seoul! The men clearly had a little too much soju to drink, and at first appeared to be bickering. Then the next thing I knew, one of the men yanked his belt off and started waving it around in the air at the other guy. Immediately I knew this would make a great video and so I started recording.
My favorite parts of this video:
1. The guy waving his belt around. 2. The second guy ripping his shirt off. 3. The fact that they are fighting in an intersection in downtown Seoul! 4. At the end of this video I abruptly stopped recording because I looked up from my camera and some old guy was standing with his face a good foot away from mine not saying a word! I thought that he was mad at me for recording the two Koreans fighting. But he was simply curious about me. He looked like Frankenstein and I immediately screamed and turned away. Frankenstein was so drunk he waddled down the street like a turtle that had no chance of catching up with me. I only wish I had the guts to catch this on video!
If you have any questions or comments about "Kung fu Koreans" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
This weekend I went on my first tour in Korea with the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch. RASKB truly stands out of the crowd among other expat English speaking tours. This is because of their excellent coordination and tour guides.
To be completely honest, I am still new to Korea and was a little sketched out by paying for the tour via a wired bank account transfer. However, just by looking at the company website and giving the guides a phone call you can tell that they are trustworthy. RASKB is non-profit organization that seeks to spread knowledge of arts, customs, history, and literature of Korea. According to their about us page, the RASKB has over 1500 members in more than 20 countries!
RASKB tours are much smaller and low key than Adventure Korea tours. This is nice because you are not dealing with the stress of traveling with a big group. We all know that waiting around for other people can be annoying. I highly recommend RASKB tours for those that want a smaller and more intimate tour experience. My tour had its own private bus which seated about 20 people.
Most people on the tours are much older than myself which was nice. Personally, I did not want to be with a group of young and loud party animals all day long on my one day off of work. Also because we were traveling to such a peaceful and serene location! Some peace and quiet was definitely nice for the one day Danyang tour to Woraksan National Park, Gosu Cave, and Chungju Lake.
I would definitely go on another RASKB trip in a heart beat! My tour guide Ms. Areum Choi was very nice, and kept the group moving so that we did not get behind schedule. Areum speaks English very well as she studied in Australia and just returned to Korea recently. She currently the assistant to Sue Bae who is the regular tour guide on most of the RAS tours. Although I did not meet Sue, many of my fellow tour members said that she is great at keeping the tour organized and fun.
Thanks RASKB for a wonderful Sunday in North Chungcheong Province!
If you have any questions or comments about The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
Gone Seoul Searching's diploma! As of September 2010 a notarized copy of your diploma with an apostille is now required to receive an E2 visa. (This is also required if you are already living in Korea with an E2 visa!)
Luckily this process is less time consuming than the FBI National Criminal Background Check. Now you just have to get a copy of your diploma notarized by a notary public. Bigger universities might have a notary right on campus. Most of the time a statement must be included from the notary in order to receive an apostille on your notarized diploma copy. Find out if your secretary of State requires this. The Califonia Secratary of State requires this statement along with the ORIGINAL notarized document.
Attention: Some States such as California require the original notarized document in order to receive an apostille. Thus a copy of your diploma is not sufficient for the apostille! However, a copy of the diploma is sufficient when turning in the notarized documents to Korean Immigration. This means you do not have to mail your original diploma overseas anymore.
Getting an Apostille in California: information provided from the California State Secretary
1. Authentication requests can be submitted by mail to:
Mailing Address
Notary Public Section
P.O. Box 942877
Sacramento, CA 94277-0001
The processing time is typically three to five business days from the date the request is received in the Sacramento office.
When submitting a request for authentication by mail, please include the following items:
The original notarized and/or certified document(s). A photocopy is not acceptable.
A cover letter stating the country in which the document will be used.
A check or money order for the authentication fee of $20 per authentication certificate made payable to Secretary of State and payable in U.S. dollars.
A self-addressed envelope for the return mail. If you wish to use a mail tracking service, please provide a pre-paid air bill. If you do not use a prepaid service, our office will mail your document(s) by U.S. Postal Service regular mail at no charge.
If you have any questions or comments about getting your diploma notarized and apostilled for the E2 Visa please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
