An update!

For those of you who are new here to my blog, my husband (Farmboy) and I have been teaching English in a small town in the South West corner of South Korea since June last year. We packed up our first little home after getting married in 2012 and decided to head out here to build a nest egg and do what we love doing most, traveling and adventuring together. We were here in Korea back in 2010, as a dating couple in the bustling metropolis of Daejeon. After finishing up one year we headed back home to South Africa to get married and get a feel for the job market (which obviously wasn't very exciting as here we are again!). This time around we are able to put a lot more money away as we now live together and share expenses (we chose not to live together before we were married) and because we are in a very small town out in the country. South Korea offers many benefits to their English Teachers (free housing, return flights, renewal bonuses, extra pay for being out in rural areas and for being at multiple schools and relatively inexpensive living costs). Farmboy teaches at 4 schools, whereas I am lucky enough to be at just one, an all girls middle school. It has been an amazing experience so far, and we have, as planned, decided to stay in our same town and at our same schools for at least another year. 

Since June last year we have been to Malaysia, Vietnam, had to cancel a trip to Mongolia and traveled extensively around Korea. There have been highs, and a lot of lows (being in a country where EVERYTHING is done so differently from your home country is difficult. The food is strange, the people can be strange, the way that a school is run is strange, the kids can be terrors and you will miss your family and friends more than you can ever prepare yourself for. But, at the same time, if you don't throw yourself head first into situations like these you will never find out how strong you are as a person and how much you are really able to handle. And then there are the positives too (our jobs aren't exactly rocket science and in most cases we are treated really well by our schools). There are days when all I want to do is go home, have babies and spend all day photographing them while baking up delicious chocolate treats. But then I am reminded that this opportunity here in Korea allows us to save for a house back home, meet interesting new people and travel the world.

You can follow more of our adventures and see more pretty pictures on my lifestyle blog...CityGirlSearching, or by following along on Facebook.

Have a lovely week!

Bonito Coffee {Buan, South Korea}

Here are a few Instagram snaps (you can follow along @roxypearce for more) from the delightful little coffee shop right in front of our apartment in the little town of Buan.

As with all the coffee shops here in Korea, the decor is lovely and they also stock boutique clothing items. The make a mean hot chocolate too!

Happy Liberation Day South Korea

{source}

Thursday 15th August marked Korea's 68th annual liberation day. 

Liberation day (or 광복절) is held to honour Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War Two. Buildings and homes are encouraged to proudly display the Korean Flag.

For us, we spent the day in Daejeon with friends, passing many South Korean flags along the way. 

Happy Holiday South Korea!

HoaBinh Vietnamese Restaurant {Jeonju, South Korea}

Farmboy and I were needing a little break from Korean food and stumbled across this delightful little Vietnamese Restaurant in Jeonju. 
We weren't blown away by the food. It was after all, Vietnamese food made Korean style, but it was still a nice break from kimchi and soy beans.
Here is a link to their website (it is in Korean) but gives you a general idea of whats on the menu.  Prices range from W8 000 all the way to W40 000 for the monster platters.
Its tucked away on one of the side streets in Gaeksa, quite close to the Olive and Young. If you do stop by, let me know if you enjoyed it. Please do leave me a comment of any other places/restaurants to explore in Jeonju.

{Buan} Exploring the neighbourhood

Here are a few photographs from a Sunday stroll around our little town, Buan. It's pretty small, but it has everything we need to get by. With it being a rural town, there are beautiful mountains to explore just behind our appartments. As with most Public School placements here in Korea, you can't choose where you'll end up and so remaining positive and making the most of what your situation becomes as important as learning the bus numbers to your school. We may not have a cinema, department store or HomePlus, but we are only 30 minutes away from the beach, and are surrounded by birds and mountains. Its the little things :)

So go out exploring, take your camera, jump on a bus you've never been on and see more of the place you now call home. You never what treasures you might uncover.