The Orange Backpack

With the exception of our neighbors to the north, South Korea is without a doubt, the most homogeneous country in the world.  So, you might be surprised to know that for over 30 years, Korea has been slowly luring foreigners from around the world to live, work and raise families within its borders. The result of […]

It’s been a while now since PSY’s  “Gangnam Style”   became a viral hit on Youtube and made it’s way around the Internet. The song eventually became number one in over 30 countries, and even the North Korean government has gotten in on the fun, using it to parody South Korean presidential hopeful Park Geun-hye in the […]

I’ve seen a lot of interesting vending machines in Korea offering things like books and printing cartridges. In the US  I once saw one selling the acne clearing system Proactive and then there are the ubiquitous vending machines  in airports around the world selling anything from headphones to Rosetta Stone. But I’ve never see one […]

 So I haven’t posted in a while and truth be told I have no decent excuse other than lack of inspiration. My first year in Korea I did so many things that I decided to start this blog and post some of them. This year I have been less inclined to share….at least until now. […]

  I dont know why I’ve never seen this anywhere else because it has even occurred to me, a single person responsible for no one but herself, that this would be a great idea. Only here in South Korea have they actually implemented it. TINY TOILETS! How many times have you seen a mother and […]

The Hwaesong Fortress in Suwon is one of the most famous fortresses in South Korea. It was built in the time of King Jeongjo, over 200 years ago ,and represents a sordid historical past that makes the Tudor family look like “The Muppets”. Built using the most cutting edge technology of the time, it put […]

If you have ever traveled in a developing country you most likely have had an experience similar to this, but in Korea, a highly advanced and wealthy country I have to admit I was a little surprised. Even more surprising was that it appeared to be the woman’s pet. Are chickens the new Chihuahuas? or […]

  vperkins @ flickr I walked into the room. Where were the lights? The fast talking dealers? The buzz? The wait staff running around in their cute little uniforms? It looked like a casino, but it definitely didn’t feel like one.   I’ve been to casinos in both Busan and Seoul and as you may […]

This week, I think there is pretty much only one thing worth writing a haiku about and it’s not the holiday season  and it’s not the wretched Korean winter and it’s not even then end of my contract with my school. As I always I used wordcalc.com for my haiku and submissions are always open. […]

    I just got punched in the bum. The minotaur from the new film “The Immortals” fell on his bum and I got punched in mine. Not hard – more like a little baby sized fist with a bit of strength. Not too long before this the main character, Theseus, fell into some stagnant […]