Korea: Chuncheon Mime Festival

Korean FestivalsAs we made our way through the paper-draped entranced, we were greeted by white-jump suited men holding metal-detector wands. We raised our hands in compliance as they traced our bodies. There was a beep and then one of them said “yes, radioactive, you must drink makgeolli for cure” as he pointed to a nearby table covered in cups full of the rice-wine alcohol. Nope, this wasn’t going to be the typical Korean festival. Read more “Korea: Chuncheon Mime Festival”

Korean Baseball Games

Baseball Games in South KoreaAs we enter the second half of the season in Major League Baseball and teams are working harder than ever to reach the post-season, it seems only fitting to talk about baseball games in South Korea. Baseball is one of four sports that have professional organizations in Korea, the others being football (or soccer as we know it in North America), basketball, and volleyball. Korean Professional Baseball is made up of 8 teams and is expanding to 9 in 2013. A number of professional Korean baseball players have played in Major League Baseball, including the very first Korean player Chan Ho Park, and the only current Korean player, Shin Soo Choo of the Cleveland Indians.

Both Arienne and I love baseball, both watching and playing the sport, so we were very interested to see how a baseball game in Korea would compare. And boy were we in for something very unique… Continue reading to hear what our first experience at a Korean baseball game was like. Read more “Korean Baseball Games”

Korea: Boryeong Mud Festival

Boryeong Mud Festival Korea
Tristan gets muddy at the Boryeong Mud Festival

The Boryeong Mud Festival, or Mudfest as it is commonly called, is one of the biggest festivals in Korea, attracting around 1.5 million people during the 2 weeks it runs. It is held on the west coast of Korea at Daecheon beach in Chungcheongnam Province. It is by far the most popular festival amongst foreigners living and traveling within the country as people look forward to a weekend of muddy shenanigans. Read below and check out our video from Mudfest 2011 to see what the festival was like for us. Read more “Korea: Boryeong Mud Festival”

Korea: A Guide to Konglish Terms

A Guide to Konglish Terms in Korea

Konglish – “the use of English words (or words derived from English words) in a Korean context. The words, having initially been taken from English language, are either actual English words in Korean context, or are made from a combination of Korean and English words. …”
-wikipedia.org

Konglish words are abundant in the Korean language. As an English speaker, the first time you hear them you might think that the person you’re speaking with knows some English. Hooray! But don’t be fooled…while it may sound English there is a big difference between what a Korean speaker understands the word to mean and what you and I (native English speakers) know it as, and you could be left scratching your head trying to figure out what the person is trying to say.

There are two main types of Konglish terms; ones where English words have changed their original meanings and others where two English words have been combined to create a new ‘English’ word. Here’s a guide to the most common Konglish words Tristan and I came across while living in Korea. Read more “Korea: A Guide to Konglish Terms”