**GHD's** in Korea

So...we are both back safe and sound on South African soild, but I'm still feeling itchy to blog about stuff to help out those South Africans (and of course everyone else too!) living in Korea :)

Here is some info on GHD hair-straightners that I was researching just before we left..hope this helps any one trying to find info on it too!

In my opinion, GHD's are the bes thair- straighteners ever **although other people might disagree and say they just happen to have the best packaging and this ultimnately leads to everyone thinking they are the best** but enough with the digression! Click here for their official website and see for yourself *plus loads of free videos and tips for styling your hair!*


After some web surfing I came accorss some comments from other GHD fanatics. Apparantly the starightner goes by the name "B2Y" in South Korea. Umm, why? Who knows. But apparantly, the work as well if not better that the GHD, and at a price of +-W118 00 (R740) they are about half the price of GHD's in South Africa!


You can get your hands on one on gmarket *click here*. For more info on how to use Gmarket, *click here*.


Happy Shopping!

**GHD's** in Korea

So...we are both back safe and sound on South African soild, but I'm still feeling itchy to blog about stuff to help out those South Africans (and of course everyone else too!) living in Korea :)



Here is some info on GHD hair-straightners that I was researching just before we left..hope this helps any one trying to find info on it too!



In my opinion, GHD's are the bes thair- straighteners ever **although other people might disagree and say they just happen to have the best packaging and this ultimnately leads to everyone thinking they are the best** but enough with the digression! Click here for their official website and see for yourself *plus loads of free videos and tips for styling your hair!*

After some web surfing I came accorss some comments from other GHD fanatics. Apparantly the starightner goes by the name "B2Y" in South Korea. Umm, why? Who knows. But apparantly, the work as well if not better that the GHD, and at a price of +-W118 00 (R740) they are about half the price of GHD's in South Africa!

You can get your hands on one on gmarket *click here*. For more info on how to use Gmarket, *click here*.

 

Happy Shopping!

**16 000** strings of honey??

On a recent trip to Seoul, we found this guy performing/selling 'The Kings Dessert", a traditional Korean honey candy :)

*Myeongdong* and *shopping* and *food* oh my!

In our previos post on Myeongdong, we recommend going there if you could just go ther for the shopping. Well they have loads of cool restaurants and things to see too :)

Here were some of our highlites:

Lunch at this crazy delicious Indian & Nepalese Restaurant called Om Dristi

Then shopping up a storm at Forever21

And then coffee in the ultra posh area of Sinsadong

Finally ending off with supper at *most* people's favourite watering hole when your in a rush and strapped for cash:

All in all a very successful day in Seoul!

**Shipping stuff** Korea to South Africa

There are two ways that this can be done; by air or by surface mail.

Airmail takes between 1 and 2 weeks and costs about W244 000 to send a 30 kg box. *it is cheaper to send lighter things as the cost is measured by weight*

Surface mail, which is by ship, takes between 2& 3 months, and the biggest box you can send can hold a maximum of 20 kg's and costs about W50 000.

here is a picture of the biggest size box (max. weight allowance = 20kg's)

Farmboy and I have already shipped 2 boxes home, and will be sending another one soon. So we cannot say for sure that it is 100% reliable until the box arrives. But I have been assured by friends that it *will* get home!

Other than that, I have also sent 2 small packages home, each weighing about 1 kg.

I sent them airmail, which only cost W25 000 each. And they arrived safe and sound no problem in about 2 weeks.

Each time, I have been issued with a tracking number, and the people at the Post Office here in Korea have been super super helpful!

With sending bigger items, you have to buy the boxes from the Post Office (they are very cheap, the biggest costing W2 400, pictured above) and then once the have been filled, bring it back to the Post Office where they will tape it up for you : Cool hey.

Then there is a green form to fill in, which will be given to you by the Post Office... very easy and in English...fill in your address, the receivers address,  a box to check what kind of stuff is in the box (merchandise, gift etc) , a place to write what's in it and give the value of each item.

More **Cup Cakes** in Daejeon!

Got a bit of a sweet tooth? Craving something decadent? Head down to Ari's Cup Cakes, which is right at the Jugangno Subway Station Bus stop, and grap yourself a yummy treat.

And then after, why not head underground for some shopping or head to the delightful SumSimDang Bakery for dinner :)

[cincopa A4HAgfKSpSZy]

Directions:

By bus to Jungano Subway Station: # 1, 101, 103, 201, 201, 317, 511, 613, 615, 701

*Myeong-dong* Seoul

So living in/visiting Korea would just not be complete without a trip to the massive shopping district that is Myeong-dong.

Of course you've got to also see Yangsan Electronics market to pick up some cheap technological, Seoul Tower (we are still to go!!) and a host of the other awesome cool markets like Insadong for traditional Korean souvenirs,Namdaemun & Dongdaemun as well as Hongdae for a bit of a student vibe and cheap & funky places to eat...but really...if you only can go to one place for your shopping, go to Myeongdong!

Why not make a few days of your explorations of Seoul. Here are some great backpackers to stay at:

Blu Guest House close to Hongdae

Hong Guest House in the Seogyo-dong area

Banana Backpackers in near Insadong and their other location near Namdaemun

Directions

1. From Exit No. 5 of Euljiro Ipgu Subway Station (Seoul Subway Line No. 2), walk 10 minutes.

2. From Exit No. 5, 6, 7, or 8 of Myeong-dong Subway Station (Seoul Subway Line 4), walk 5 minutes

Getting **Glasses** in Korea

One of the first things we noticed after arriving in Korea was the number of people wearing glasses. Hmmm we though, ok, maybe Koreans have really bad eye sight. But, then I started noticing some rather odd things.

Most of the glasses people were wearing, had no lenses! They were purely for show. Loads of loads of cool frames, with no lenses. Ingenious! Who doesn't think they look smarter with glasses (and now you don't have to walk around squinting because the strength of the lenses is too much for your eyes and you just want to look cool.

Well, here in Korea, you can get your eyes tested for free (yup! Cool hey!) so just in case you actually do need them; and the get yourself kitted out with some awesome new specs (minus the lenses if you wanna be part of the lenslessspectaclerevolution...your choice :)

All for the neat price of somehwere between W30 000 and 70 000 *depending on the frames you choose*. Neat hey :)

I got mine at a store in Seoul called "Alo", but there are eye wear shops on every corner here in Korea.

Feeling uber Korean right now :) But like they always say, if you can't beat 'em...join 'em!

P.S. Don't forget about our latest (and last...well at least that is here in Korea) giveaway! Just click here to answer one easy question and stand a chance of winning a super awesome package of Korean goodies! *see below for an idea of what will be in there!*

 

Hellolulu ~ *Fabulous laptop/camera bag's*

Looking for a new laptop or camera bag??  Then check out the awesome new range from

**ive got my eye on this one...just got to find the right camera to fit it**

and maybe this one too (also have to find the right lap top to fit!)

Take the light-hearted mood of a holiday. Mix it with sleek, streetwise design. Add the functionality required by the global traveler. Put it all into a bag, and the result is Hellolulu: simple, fun, user-friendly carrying solutions.
Stylish and durable by design, Hellolulu puts lightness into your luggage, and brightness into your bags. Live our dream of affordable style, without the fluff.

Hellolulu Products

Laptop Bags
Bold, bright, and stylish, our laptop bags an inspired response to an overly masculine market

Travel Accessories
Helloulu travel accessories are thoughtfully designed to lighten the load of the traveler by minimizing packing anxiety and organizing your suitcase

Camera Bags
The latest addition to our collection is Camera Bag line, a fun and stylish alternative to the universally black camera bag

Their online store is still undergoing some construction, but hopefully I'll be able to get one of these babies shipped to me before too long :)

S.dot *Mega Stationery Store Eunhendong*

Korea is full of amazing clothes and interesting people and **intriguing food**. But the best thing, in my opinion, has got to be the *S*T*A*T*I*O*N*E*R*Y*!!! Korea has the cutest, most exciting, adorable,  beautiful,  charming, delightful...I could go on and on...but I won't. Instead I'll leave you with some pics of Daejeon's biggest (*well at least the biggest one I've come across so far) stationery store, the 5 floors that make up **S.dot** just behind the tantalizing SungSimDangBakery!

And of course, we made a few purchase's...

What do you think??? I think I've got to head there again...like now :)

Directions:

By subway~get off at Jungang-no  station (number 105 just before Daejeon Station), and then just follow the hoards of people! Take exit 4 *the sign will say Sung Sim Dang* and then just follow the pwople. Its a bit of a maze in there but just look for the big Holy’s coffee, its just behind it.


By bus to Jungano Subway Station: # 1, 101, 103, 201, 201, 317, 511, 613, 615, 701 (then just go underground via the big green stairs in front of you) and take exit 4 *the sign will say Sung Sim Dang* and then just follow the people. Its a bit of a maze in there but just look for the big Holy’s coffee, its just behind it.

**P.S.** It's nearly home time for us as our year in Korea draws to a close, sniff sniff. But watch out, if you liked some of the cool stuff in the this post, we will be having one last giveaway, just for justs! So keep those eyes peeled!

Getting your **nails** done in Korea

Today marked a very special day for Citygirl here in Korea. It was "treat" day whereby Roxy and her awesome Texan buddy Christina,  headed off to get their nails done (something they swore to do every 2 weeks but have actually only done  so twice before).

Getting your nails done in Korea is really really cool, with loads of designs and colours to choose from and for only W15 000 a pop (about $15), it's not too bad :) Of course mine ended up being a little more,  owing to the fact that I just had to try the  "gradient" design  and I may have had a nail that needed fixing (they do this here too, super cool) ending up rounding off to W30 000. The cherry on the cake for me? Cashing in my "nail voucher" which Igot from Farmboy for my birthday...what an amazing boyfriend hey *:)*

We go to a great little nail bar at our local HomePlus supermarket, they seem to have them at every Lotte Mart & HomePlus...

Choosing the right colour can be a stressful process you see...

The "gradient" painting process :) *yes, it is a process involving layers and layers and sponges and sponges!*

But in the end...totally worth it!

So what are u waiting for! Go and treat yourself ~you deserve it!

"Hey Christina, how was my Texan rally girl impression??"

:)

*Questions* what to pack for South Korea

*weheartit.com*

For those about to make the long haul over here to South Korea, and who are in need of some help as to what to pack click here.

And here is a message we got from a fellow South African with a few questions Im sure you will have been thinking about...

Hey Roxy!
Thanks for helping me with this! Almost everything is organised. I heard from them about getting a contract a few weeks ago. They still want a second set of transcripts with my final marks on them and confirmation that I've passed my honours degree but TeachKorea only told me about that today and the RU offices have closed until 3rd Jan.
Bummer.

Anyway, I have a tendency to want to be as prepared as possible, including knowing what odds and ends I should bring with me, should order online or should put in a care package for myself which my Mom can then send me. So here goes....

~I know you guys struggled to find a good church and I wanted to ask what you found most difficult/different about the churches there compared to what we're used to here.

~I've heard various stories about whether or not herbs and spices whcih we use in our cooking are available. Could you maybe take a look at your supermarket (or remember back to any trips you have taken into other cities/to Costco, etc) and see if one can buy (dried, fresh or as a plant): Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage,  Origanum/Oregano, Cinnamon, Cumin and Cayenne pepper.

~Is is possible to get Earl Grey tea? Mustard? Peanuts? Vanilla
essence? Wholewheat flour? Chutney? :-b

~I have heard both positive and negative responses to the question of whether or not one should bring your principal and co-teacher gifts. What is your take, yes or no?

~I'm a very fond baker and cook (if you hadn't guessed already) and I was wondering if it is possible to buy a small oven (convection oven) and stick blender at appliance stores there since they don't normally come standard in an apartment?

~I also wanted to ask about bedding. Did you bring your own over or did you buy it in SoKo?

Really great questions I was most definitely wondering about before I came here, so here are my answers to the above:

Hey!

I still haven't given my degree to EPIK, Or The government here in South Korea! And it was not my fault at all. My mom only got my degree from Rhodes a month ago! So I thought it was just too much hassle to get it here at this late stage anyway. But they had academic transcripts and a letter from The admin at Rhodes saying that I had graduated :) So don't stress too much about that!

Church....

We looked around for ages, but all it comes down to at the end is just looking through the internet. Korea has churches everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE! The problem is just finding a church with an English Ministry...they have them but they are harder to find. We have found them also pretty different what from we were both used to back home, but we have come to realise that as long as you find somewhere that you feel like you belong, and you can understand most of what is being said, and most importantly that you can connect with God...then thats the most important thing! So don't worry about that :)

Herbs and spices are available, they are a little more expensive and the selection isn't very varied, but you can find the basics, so I definitely would not waste space on those things (we have Basil, Rosemary, Salt, Pepper, Meat Spices, Oregano). Also Costco definitely has these things, as well as the local marts.

I got my mom to buy little South African gifts for my Principles and Vice Principles...but to be honest, all they want is Whisky (Which you can pick up at Duty Free) I'm not kidding. My mom spent hours and a good amount of money finding thoughtful things for me to give to them, and the response when they saw the packages "Roxy,, Whiskey!!???". As for my co-teachers, I buy them little things throughout the year, but this really depends on your relationship with them. One of my co-teachers has become my best friend, so when I went to Cambodia, I found here a nice scarf and some perfume from the airport :) For the rest, Im buying pizza today for the office (they love things like that...snacks etc from the local marts is prefect!).

As for baking/cooking...my apartment didn't come with a microwave, Dales did. But lucky for me I don't do much in the line of cooking, but I do love to bake. And the ovens here are really cheap if you get them online (they are small cute ones). Have a look at this site:

www.gmarket.co.kr and just click on English in the top right hand corner and do a quick search there. I found one for W40 000, so thats about R250 :) easy peasy!

Bedding:

Both of our schools supplied us with brand new bedding, and Im sure your will do the same. And I have bough sheets here for the beds, so you can easily find them at Lotte Mart and Homeplus. Also, when they have big sales at Lotte Mart/HomePlus I have bought some new bedding and blankets for really really cheap!

So there you go!  hope that helps!

Toasty Toes...

Image from *weheartit*

As being in my English classroom at the moment  is just like stepping into an *igloo* I have had to invest in something to keep my little tootsies from falling off! And I have found the perfect thing.

AND....what I didn't realise before is that us Teachers can wear slippers inside (as long as that don't look too 'slippery' like)! Yay for us cold Teachers!

So here is what I have found to combat the problem, and for only W9800! (about $9!):

You can order yours on Gmarket here and say goodbye to that ice cold feeling in your toes!

*Costco* wholesale shopping at it’s best here in Daejeon

Farmboy and I headed off on a little adventure this Saturday. When I left my house the sun was shining, and it looked like it was going to be a lovely day (but I had my trusty brollie *umbrella* with me just in case the weather man was right about the days weather).

Well... by the time I got to Farmboys bus stop ( a mere 7 minutes away) there were gale force winds, and it was pouring with rain...probably not the best weather to head off exploring in.

Anyway, we had heard mixed reviews about the infamous Costco here in Daejeon, and thought it was about time we head on over there to check it out. I had obviously misheard my super friend Holly in her previous account of their trip to Costco, as I thought she had said the membership fee was W300 000 (about $300), and so we thought we would just have a look around as you need a membership card to shop there. Well, I didn't realise you actually need a membership card to even enter the building! Ridiculous! Well, luckily i realized my mistake, minus a zero from my initial idea of the membership fee, sign up, realise you can only pay with cash, spend ages trying to find the stairs to get to the basement to draw some cash, head back upstairs to pay with cash (unless you own a fancy smancy Samsung Debit/Credit card), say cheese and hey presto...you are now the proud owner of a Costco card!

We were bowled over by the size of the place and by the number of foreigners. I was a little disappointed as I soon realise that the everything was for sale in BULK (duh I know but I didn't really think about this before) and so I really have to need for 4 liters of maple syrup when I just need about 500ml. But it was a great experience, they had loads of things to try...so lots of snacking for us...yay!



And lunch was good too...especially when we looked around and realised why so many foreigners come to Korea and end up piling on the pounds...the picture belows explains this:

The size of one pizza slice! I know this is a common thing in the States, but in South Africa I've never come across 1 piece of pizza being so darn big! But Farmboy said it was really yummy and my hot dog was pretty good too, so I guess good things also come in Really Large packages too :)

If your looking for good old *tasty* cheese, salami, sauces, spices, great looking meat and *normal* tasting bakes good head over to Costco :)

Membership

W30 000

Directions

Costco is right next door to Seo-Daejeon Train Station (map)

By bus: 612 goes right past, and Bus's 119, 201, 202, 314, 612, 613, 701 go very close. You will probably get dropped off infront of Say Department store. Then just  follow the signs for Seo-Daejeon Station.

Subway: Seo-Daejeon Subway stop, follow the signs for the Station. Its about a 7 minute walk from the subway

Hours:

• 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Monday - Sunday
• Closed : NEW YEAR'S DAY,
LUNAR NEW YEAR'S DAY,
CHUSEOK
• We close at 7:00 pm on
NEW YEAR'S EVE,
LUNAR NEW YEAR EVE,
and CHUSEOK EVE.