5 Cultural Boundaries that I Overstepped in South Korea
I’m an American expat, and I’ve been living and working in Korea for the past year. At this point, I’m aware of Korean cultural standards and etiquette. However, when I was an exchange student in Seoul in 2009, I was relatively ignorant to many aspects of Korean culture. At times I scoffed at foreigners who...
Korean Socks of the Day
If my socks could predict my week, this is what would happen: SUNDAY: Lounge around in sweatpants and work on your blog in your hungover state. Distract yourself by continually staring at the face on your socks, making tea and eating strawberries. Write some pitches to travel magazines, but get frustrated and watch South Park...
Do Ho Suh: a Korean artist encourages viewers to analyze the concept of home
I recently viewed the Korean artist Do Ho Suh’s (서도호) solo exhibition, Home Within Home, at the Leeum/Samsung Museum in Seoul. I can honestly say this is one of the greatest contemporary art exhibitions I’ve ever seen. (I even walked through the entire exhibition twice.) His work is innovative, concrete, and elegant. Also, the viewer can...
On Buying Oranges in Seoul
As I scour my refrigerator after work, I find a mere bag of garlic cloves, half a bag of kimchi, jars of condiments, Spanish olives and chewy strands of jellyfish, a homemade gift from a co-worker. I grab a reusable shopping bag covered in black hieroglyphics and, after hearing the electronic locking system on my...
Pimp your travel photos with Android: PHOTO ART
PHOTO ART is the second photo app in the Pimp your travel photos with Android series. I’m drawn to this app for a couple reasons. First of all, as you can see in the photo above, the app allows me to begin with a black and white version of the original photo and pull...
Korean Couple Attire
I’ve been drawn to the Asian couple t-shirt fashion trend since my first week in Korea as an exchange student in 2009. My Korean roommate and I were casually walking around the vicinity of our university when I noticed a couple wearing matching blue sweatshirts with anime characters on the front. I grabbed my roommate’s...
A Traditional Japanese Wedding Ceremony at Meiji Jingu
On a mild February day in Tokyo, I set out to see the elaborate costumes and anime character look-a-likes that Harajuku has to offer. I wanted to verify what Gwen Stefani raved about in her song, “Harajuku Girls.” Although I saw many elaborately dressed young females with stage make-up caked on their faces, I spontaneously...
Strolling around Lotus Lake in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
I visited Kaohsiung, a city located in southern Taiwan, to couchsurf with my host, Alicia, and her family. Alicia is 25 years old and has lived in Taiwan her entire life. I was quite surprised to hear her speak flawless English with an American accent! Since I couchsurfed during the week-long Chinese New Year vacation,...
Snapshots from Taiwan
I spent two weeks in Taiwan last January. Although two weeks is not a lot of time, I traveled to three different cities (Taipei, Taichung and Khaosiung) and explored areas around those large cities. I glimpsed local Taiwanese culture by staying with a family for four days via couchsurfing, and I met friends in hostels...
Follow Mapping Words