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“Have you guys voted yet?” It’s more important than ever.
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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Getting tired of 2020? 투표하다! (VOTE!)
Many of you have expressed concern about whether Peter and I will be voting absentee this November. The short answer – yes! Of course, as we quickly have discovered, few enterprises are simple when trying to accomplish them from overseas quarantine. While possible to request a ballot, it was not quite as easy as I expected. It required perseverance and a little technical skill. Peter had easily requested an absentee ballot in the U.S. before we left for Korea, but then we discovered that there is a different procedure for having a ballot sent to an overseas address. Lots of googling for information led me to two helpful resources: The…
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Ancient Temples of Gyeongju: Bulguksa and Seokguram Grotto
The birthday of the historical Buddha (according to the Lunar calendar), will be celebrated on May 19 this year, so it’s a good week to continue our theme of exploring Buddhism in South Korea. Buddhism originated in India and was introduced to China via the Silk Road in the 1st century CE. It then spread to the Korean Peninsula in the 3rd century and subsequently to Japan. Korean Buddhism is a distinct branch in the Mahayana tradition, having developed its own line of thought distinct from the ideas that originally traveled from India. The Jogye and Taego Orders represent most of Korean Buddhism. With the rise of Confucianism during Korea’s…
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U.S. Election Week: A Brief Update from the South Korean Front
“So… Donald Trump is winning the election, right?” Thus began several conversations with our acquaintances here circa Wednesday (EST). As I write this post, ballots are still being counted in a number of key states, and the results of the U.S. Presidential election are unknown. Despite living 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, we were disappointed to discover that we are not privy to learning election results any earlier than the rest of the world. We have been following the news closely this week and feel justified in all our efforts to ensure that our ballots would reach Pennsylvania in time to be counted. In other words, I didn’t…
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Top 10 Most Surprising Things About South Korea
Just as with any major life event, we approached our Seoul adventure with a certain set of expectations. Because we are planners, we did a lot of research about what to expect and how to acclimate to life here. We are also seasoned travelers and were prepared to experience those things you can’t plan for. We learned when we lived in Canada that even moving to a neighboring country comes with its share of complications. Indeed, every time we have traveled overseas something unexpected has happened. Plan as much as you like, but there will always be surprises! Here are some of the things – both pleasant and unpleasant –…
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Paju Imjingak Peace Gondola, the DMZ, and a New Friend
Did you know that the Korean War has never officially ended? Before the onset of a global pandemic changed everything, many people who heard us talk about the possibility of going to South Korea inevitably asked, “Aren’t you scared of North Korea?” While we haven’t felt afraid, it is an unsettling feeling to live in a country that has existed in an uneasy armistice with its sister nation to the north for 70 years. Currently, the closest you can safely get to North Korea is to visit the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and the closest such point to us is at Imjingak, about 50km north of Seoul. We were able…
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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…
