SeoulNicole 서울니콜

Perhaps the most famous street in Korea, Sejong-ro with Gyeongbokgyung Palace in the background.  Wow - the only photo of my time in Korea where I'm not throwing up the V sign. Some habits I've internalized after living in Korea: I like to sit on the floor (nothing beats sitting on the floor with a blanket and 온돌/ondol floor heating in the winter in Korea ooooooh it's so good I've even fallen asleep). The chopstick habit. Soup? Noodles? Meat? Birthday cake? Chopsticks. I cover my face when I laugh. I bow to everyone (hostesses, cashiers, extended family, ATMs...nothing is safe). Conversing via Kakao emojis (who needs words?). How long before these habits erode away in a different cultural environment? It makes me sad to think the day will come where I don't bow to the ATM.* >.< My observations about American life feel refreshed since I've been living outside this culture for so long. Here are a few things I've noticed since being back...

Pro Tip: Facemask-o'clock and Beer-o'clock should always coincide. The "I'm Sorry for my Skin" brand can be found at Love Health + Beauty (LOHB). Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting old but Facemask Happy Hour + Kdrama is becoming a favorite routine. Alcohol dehydrating you, facemask reviving you, alcohol making idiotic plots in Kdramas more bearable - it's really a great combination. I just finished  Another Oh Hae Young  which I actually enjoyed overall, but the female protagonist would whine and throw tantrums even beyond the acceptable Kdrama quota (which is already really high).  OKAY ANYWAY! Some of the skincare I stockpiled and mailed to America before I left Korea. Not pictured: my empty wallet  Living in Korea exposed me to amazing skincare and cosmetic products as well as the advantages of having a skin care routine. My favorite store is OliveYoung  which I described in a previous post as " sort-of what you would get if you...

Okay everyone: 2 days until the first Olympic events begin in PyeongChang and 3 days until the opening ceremonies (at 6 am Friday morning EST: information to stream the opening ceremonies ). Personally I am SO EXCITED, but I may be in the minority here. Rumblings about  the lack of enthusiasm around the Olympics  have surrounded the event in recent years. In my case, it's fair to say that if the Olympics were being hosted elsewhere, my interest would decline. ( Check out my previous post to read about my trip to PyeongChang). Well, I can't write anything about Korea without referencing Kpop it seems. Nike and Kpop have combined in the video below to get us all hyped for the Olympics, because Kpop + corporate sponsorship + singers + athletes + timely release before the Olympics is a successful formula. Nike is capitalizing on the Olympic buzz with "Run It" by Jay Park featuring Woo Won Jae, Jessi and Korean athletes in this new song/cam...

WARNING: Sentimental post ahead. You've been warned! 4 years in Korea. 4 birthdays. 3 different apartments. 2 cities. 2 jobs. 16 seasons.  I find myself thinking about these things. As though breaking my "Korean experience" down into something quantifiable will make it easier to understand. I want to mentally compartmentalize my time there so I can try to make sense of my experiences. I recently returned to New Jersey after 2 years in Jamsil, Seoul. (This is my second "homecoming", as I lived in Suwon for 2 years, then moved back home, then back to Seoul for round two from Feb 2015- March 2017).  Despite this being my second time saying "goodbye" to Korea, the reverse culture shock is hitting me much harder than I anticipated, since I've already gone through this before. Right now I'm trying to relax in my home country before deciding if I should go back to Korea or try and put some roots down in America. For anyone who recently re...