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The Chemist and the Counselor

A year of adventures in Korea

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Recent Posts

  • The Last Korean Road Trip: Celebrating Buddha’s Birthday in Busan October 31, 2021
  • The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Busan October 17, 2021
  • The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Hahoe Folk Village September 26, 2021
  • The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Songnisan National Park September 12, 2021
  • Finding a New Normal: What We Miss Most about Korea September 5, 2021
  • Returning to “Normal”: Hitting the Easy Button on Stateside Life August 29, 2021
  • A Chemical Mystery: Navigating the Unpredictable Course of Research August 22, 2021
  • Daily Life,  The Counselor

    “Are You Bored?” Inquiring Minds Want to Know

    September 27, 2020 / 10 Comments

    Since the chemist began working at the lab every day during the first week of September, many of you have asked what on earth the counselor is doing? Here is a ramble through my rambling days, complete with my “real-world” photos. (In other words, I promise to get you back to the chemist’s much prettier photos in the next post!) The truth is, my days look pretty different from my usual life, which is not the easiest transition but is part of the point of this year. What’s the good of living in another country if you try to make your life look exactly the same as it always did?…

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    mledare

    You May Also Like

    Korea Winter Trekking in a Nutshell: Seoul

    April 18, 2021

    Hate is a Virus: A Foreigner’s Perspective on the Pandemic in South Korea

    March 21, 2021

    A Chemical Mystery: Navigating the Unpredictable Course of Research

    August 22, 2021
  • Sites in Seoul,  The Counselor

    Urban Hiking Challenge on the Baegak Mountain Trail

    September 24, 2020 / 6 Comments

    Before we left the U.S. for South Korea, we told a group of friends that even with our 250-pound luggage weight limit, we were going to make room to pack our hiking boots. Even in COVID times, hiking is still open and (mostly) free. Well, it’s finally cool enough in Seoul to do some real hiking, and those boots are getting a workout! Seoul City Wall We prioritized hiking the Seoul City Wall (Hanyangdoseong) as a way to see as much as we can within the city. The 18.6 km-long wall originally was built in 1396 across the four mountains surrounding Seoul: Baegaksan, Naksan, Namsan and Inwangsan. Called Seoul Fortress…

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    mledare

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    Noryangjin Fish Market: This Post May Not Be Suitable For Vegetarians

    September 16, 2020

    Royal Scandal and Tragedy at Changgyeonggung Palace

    January 17, 2021

    How to spend your first ‘real’ weekend in Seoul

    August 18, 2020
  • Daily Life,  The Counselor

    “Have you guys voted yet?” It’s more important than ever.

    September 21, 2020 / 2 Comments

    If you’ve been following along with us since August, you know our voting process has taken some research and some effort. We did request absentee ballots, but with the USPS having difficulties over the past weeks, we became concerned about whether our mailed ballots would ever make it to Pennsylvania. For that matter, we were unsure when we would actually receive our requested absentee ballots. Rather than waiting for them to arrive, we opted to complete and send the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot, which overseas voters can use if they don’t get absentee ballots in time to vote. In another bid to ensure our votes arrive in the U.S. and…

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    mledare

    You May Also Like

    Finding a New Normal: What We Miss Most about Korea

    September 5, 2021

    A Series of Unfortunate Events: Korea Edition

    September 12, 2020

    A Chemical Mystery: Navigating the Unpredictable Course of Research

    August 22, 2021
  • Food,  Sites in Seoul,  The Counselor

    Noryangjin Fish Market: This Post May Not Be Suitable For Vegetarians

    September 16, 2020 / 3 Comments

    Just across the Han River from Yongsan-gu, our home away from home, sits the futuristic glass and concrete building housing the Noryangjin Fish Market. I think it looks like a cruise ship from above, and it certainly houses enough sea life to make this a fitting image! The old Noryangjin market was an outdoor, covered market, but in 2016 this updated, indoor version was opened. Parts of the old market still operated until very recently, but now the old market is gone and just the new building remains. It was easy to walk through the wide, well-lit aisles. We never felt crowded. I can imagine the old market felt much…

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    mledare

    You May Also Like

    Jeonju Blooming: Places to See in Jeollabuk-do (Part One)

    June 13, 2021

    Where in the World is Yongsan-gu?

    August 13, 2020

    Jeju Island: Christmas Eve on the South Coast

    February 28, 2021
  • Daily Life,  The Chemist

    A Series of Unfortunate Events: Korea Edition

    September 12, 2020 / 1 Comment

    I am so sorry to tell you that, as is so often true, nice travel photos don’t capture the complicated reality of traveling to and living in a new country. So here is your (Lemony Snicket-inspired) warning about this post: these stories are all about the inability to be truly understood, the endless waiting around for the slow-grinding wheels of bureaucracy, and the frequent annoyances caused by sheer bad luck. You will most probably slip into an unbreakable spiral of depression and anxiety while reading this post, so just go ahead and skip to another post that I have kindly decorated with pictures of brightly colored temples and delicious food…

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    Peter Graham

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    Hate is a Virus: A Foreigner’s Perspective on the Pandemic in South Korea

    March 21, 2021

    Finding a New Normal: What We Miss Most about Korea

    September 5, 2021

    “Are You Bored?” Inquiring Minds Want to Know

    September 27, 2020
  • Sites in Seoul,  The Counselor

    Surviving the Last ‘Dog Days’ of Seoul Summer

    September 9, 2020 / Comments Off on Surviving the Last ‘Dog Days’ of Seoul Summer

    Staying outside as much as possible is a necessity in Seoul’s current semi-lock-down, but wow has it been hot and humid here! There’s no option to escape into a cool museum or a pool. It has been a time to get creative with planning! So what is there to do outdoors in Seoul in these last days of summer? Ansan Jarak-gil Trail Ansan Mountain looms over the former Seodaemun Prison, now a museum surrounded by Seodaemun Independence Park. The museum is closed because of COVID right now, so I won’t say much about it as hopefully we will get to visit it someday. The Independence Park is a monument to…

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    mledare

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    A Night to Remember at Gyeongbokgung Palace

    January 2, 2021

    Is there anybody out there? Traveling through quiet Seoul.

    August 20, 2020

    Royal Scandal and Tragedy at Changgyeonggung Palace

    January 17, 2021
  • COVID travel,  Food,  Sites in Seoul,  The Counselor

    A Private Tour Of Changdeokgung Palace and VIP Dining

    September 6, 2020 / Comments Off on A Private Tour Of Changdeokgung Palace and VIP Dining

    When we arrived for our tour of the Changdeokgung Palace’s Secret Garden, we were welcomed by this sign: We had booked our tickets in advance after reading that it can be very difficult to get a tour, especially if you want the English-language version. Well, just prior to Seoul’s COVID shutdown our tour looked like this: Don’t get us wrong – we do not wish a COVID outbreak on any country for any reason. However, in the ‘making lemonade out of lemons’ category, the current situation here has meant that anything open is also empty. If we can see it outdoors in relative safety, we’re going while we can. For…

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    mledare

    You May Also Like

    Where in the World is Yongsan-gu?

    August 13, 2020

    What is Seollal? How We Spent Our Lunar New Year

    April 11, 2021

    Anmyeondo Island: Trekking on the Road of Sunset

    October 7, 2020
  • Sites in Seoul,  The Chemist

    High Drama at Lotte World Tower: Fear, Vanity, and Greed

    September 2, 2020 / 4 Comments

    Walking out on to the Sky Deck at Lotte World Tower was terrifying. I did it, but I did not look down. Our recent visit to the tower took us to dizzying heights, but also led us to explore how and why the tower was built and the soap-opera story of the Lotte tycoon and his family. Lotte (low-tay) World Tower is currently the world’s fifth tallest building. It stretches 556 meters (1823 feet) into the air and is the tallest building on the Korean peninsula. By comparison, its roof line is a bit higher than the pinnacle of One World Trade Center in NYC. Compared to other super-tall buildings,…

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    Peter Graham

    You May Also Like

    Artful Seoul: Sites in the City and Around

    December 19, 2020

    How to Have a Cheap Date Night: Street Food for the Win!

    August 24, 2020

    Good Grief! What’s so Shocking about Culture Shock?

    January 31, 2021

Recent Posts

  • The Last Korean Road Trip: Celebrating Buddha’s Birthday in Busan
  • The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Busan
  • The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Hahoe Folk Village
  • The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Songnisan National Park
  • Finding a New Normal: What We Miss Most about Korea

Recent Comments

  • Nancy on The Last Korean Road Trip: Celebrating Buddha’s Birthday in Busan
  • The Last Korean Road Trip: Celebrating Buddha’s Birthday in Busan – The Chemist and the Counselor on The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Busan
  • Rose on The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Busan
  • The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Busan – The Chemist and the Counselor on The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Hahoe Folk Village
  • The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Songnisan National Park – The Chemist and the Counselor on The Last Korean Road Trip: Adventures in Hahoe Folk Village

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