Hongdae graffiti

One of the reasons why Hongdae is my favourite neighbourhood in Seoul is because there is so much incredible art and graffiti everywhere. It really fits the whole vibe of this university area. I love it.

Leeum Samsung Museum

The Leeum Samsung Museum in Seoul is my favourite museum in Korea. The permanent exhibit walks you through a history of Korean Art, and the modern art exhibits artwork by both Korean and international artists. The temporary exhibits are always good, too! The only photos I took inside the museum were of the awesome staircase, but there are lots of really amazing sculptures outside, too! If you are ever in Seoul, make sure you check it out.

Spring in Seoul

I LOVE Seoul. It is one of my favourite cities in the world. I miss being able to catch a cheap 55 minute flight to this city on the weekends.

Seoul is such an incredible place to explore, to eat, and to shop. We were so lucky to get to spend a long weekend there this time last year. It was this trip that I bought my Holga 120N, which is one of my favourite cameras (see photos here and here). We made some of the usual stops: brunch at La Bocca and lattes at Neal's Yard, both in Itaewon (and pictured above!) La Bocca, an Italian restaurant in South Korea, has the best brunch I've ever had (which I think is kind of hilarious). We also stopped by the Leeum Samsung Museum, wandered around our favourite neighbourhood, Hongdae, for hours, enjoyed the best makgeolli at Wolhyang. I'm hoping to write a more comprehensive Seoul guide soon!

Working and living in Korea

In August of 2012, Aaron and I packed our lives into a few suitcases and hopped on plane to Korea. We had decided long before then that we wanted to take a year off after we graduated, and we wanted to spend that year having an adventure. And it was the most incredible adventure I could have hoped for! Initially our plan was to teach English as a Second Language somewhere. Since Aaron and I both get so many questions about the process as well as what it is like to work abroad, I thought a post about our experience would be useful to some people. 

Holga (Volume I)

Last spring in Seoul, Aaron and I bought a Holga 120N. I love the photos this camera takes. You never know what you are going to get when the film gets developed. These cameras are famous for producing light leaks, vignettes, and double exposures. Some people would probably hate this, but I think it's really fun and exciting to see how your photos turn out. I love using this camera, but unfortunately, I haven't really had the opportunity to use it lately, as film is more than twice as expensive here as it is in Korea. If anyone knows where to get a good deal on 120 film in North America, let me know. Anyways, here are some of my favourite Holga photos I've had developed.

1. Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia 2. Collection of plants 3. Lake Auburn in Auburn, Maine 4. Spring Flowers on Jeju Island, South Korea 5. Herbs from my patio garden in the summer 6. A major light leak and me at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea 7. Nippo Lake in New Hampshire 8. Aaron on the beach in the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia 9. Beach on Jeju Island in South Korea 10. Spring flowers on Jeju Island, South Korea 11. Tree in Victoria, Australia 12. Aaron in the forest in Jeju Island, South Korea 13. Double exposure of sunflowers and Trinity Church in Boston 14. Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Cat Café

One of the things I miss most about living in Korea is spending hours at cat cafés. All of the above photos were taken at Tom's Cat Café in Hongdae. The first time I visited a cat café, I was at first overwhelmed with how many adorable kitties there were to play with. This thought was quickly followed by my delight at how immaculately clean the establishment is. The cats' health is one of the top priorities, and patrons must sanitize their hands and arms, abandon their shoes and wear provided slippers, and place all purses, backpacks, and coats in the large garbage bags that are provided. From there, you have a choice of buying a ticket or buying a coffee. The coffee is a bit expensive, but it all goes to cover the cost of caring for the animals. We always opted for coffee, as coffee in Korea is ridiculously delicious. At Tom's, I highly recommend the red velvet latte! All the coffee is prepared in a bar area isolated from the kitties. Once you have either purchased a coffee or a ticket, you are free to play with the cats! Cats who do not feel like being bothered can escape through cat doors into a separate food where they eat. All the cats are so lovely, and they rarely seem to fight.  It was always nice to spend time with some animals after being away from pets for so long.
I would love to open a cat cafe in Halifax, or wherever we end up. Montreal just opened the first cat café in North America. Paris has also hopped on the trend. Hopefully, it's only a matter of time before cat cafés are the norm in North America.