Chuseok Korean Thanksgiving

The first week of September was a Korean holiday known as Chuseok. It is compared to Korean Thanksgiving. The holiday was from September 6 to the 10. From what, I experienced it wasn’t really like an American Thanksgiving. It was more like paying your respects to your family members or relatives who have passed away. That day was full of delicious food after the early morning ceremony at the Baekryeonsa Buddhist temple in Seoul. 

When I say early, I mean early for me…haha I had to get up at 5am in the morning.. I literally found out by my Korean friend when she asked me what I was going to do during that break. My co-teacher is always a bit late telling me when a Holiday or school event is happening. I would like to know ahead of time so I can plan for a exciting trip in Korea, but there is a language barrier. I understand but at the same time, it gets on my nerves…grrr….

Anyway back to my Chuseok holiday, I arrived in Seoul on Saturday morning. I stayed at my friend’s house until the very last day of the holiday break. I didn't want to leave Seoul. I ended up getting her parents some plums...you know you are a real Asian when you don’t go emptied handed to a friends house…especially her parent’s house.. Her parents were adorable, loving and very caring… Her mom even invited me to come visit them every month…Her family is very loving and warm…They even invited me to go to a jimjilbang together. Her parents are in love with jimjilbang.When I say they love it, I mean that they go every weekend...hahha<3…I love Seoul a lot. I’m a city girl. However, I was placed in a small town in S. Korea but I don’t mind it. My town is very pretty with lots of nature, rice patties, apple orchard farms, permission farms and lots of other farms. I could say I am satisfied with the place I’m placed in. I’m running off topic again….but in Seoul the first day, I got my natural eyebrows and eyeliner done. 

My eyes were a bit swollen but I wore a hat to hide my sore eyes…but I stick out like a sore thumb everywhere I go anyways…but seriously thoo…6’3 female Asian is rare…lol..After that, I did some major shopping on clothes because I didn’t bring my entire wardrobe from the states because it would be way to much. I bought pieces majority for the fall seasons…which I will do a outfit of the day…(ootd)… once I catch up with blog… Shopping was a major stress reliever for me. I had a good friend in college that showed me the best cheap places to shop in Seoul. I was a bit worried because I thought I would have a difficult time finding clothes my size. I am not a normal typical petite Asian...I'm tall, curvy and a little extra to love. hahhah but they have my size here in Korean clothing...We went to Garden 5 Plaza, Myeong-dong, Hongdae, Seoul underground shopping terminal and another large underground shopping area, which I don’t recall…. So for the couple days I in Seoul, it primarily consisted of sleeping in until 10-11 am and shopping until 6pm…My friend and I forgot to eat lunch every time when we went shopping that is how hardcore shopaholics we are….hahaha..Technically, we are not shopaholics at all, but we have those urges for a shopping binges when we don’t have enough clothes, are clothes are falling apart, or clothes are stained and etc…During my Chuseok, I had an urge for a shopping binge….After shopping for hours until almost 5, we ended up getting a light snack…and that is when I tried my first Gong Cha!!! I wished I tried this place sooner but in my small town there is not much so you have to go to the larger cities. I was in heaven....Hallelujah bubble tea heaven....I went to the king of bubble tea!!! Gong Cha is a popular bubble tea chain booming in Korea right now…  I will do a dedicated blog on Gong Cha…sooon…and link it here. 

Snacktime!!! Deliciousness!! 

 Garden 5 Plaza!!! Love this place!

I was enjoying my time in Seoul a lot… I had a friend to keep my fashion trend in check when choosing out the pieces. And we chatted a storm every day. I love the subway transportation system. It is very sufficient and easy to use. After 2 and a half day of shopping, I was exhausted…shopping is not easy…you have try out the clothes and see what you can match it with…etc…However there was not a lot of trying on clothes in Korea when you are shopping underground, it was more like estimating…(putting against your body to see if it fits..hahha) For the most part, all the clothes I picked out fits perfectly but there are 3 pieces that I want to get altered.

The last day I stayed in Seoul was relaxing and being lazy…My friend and I had lunch and than headed to the Seoul train station for coffee. We talked until it was time for me to depart back to my town… I didn’t want to leave her or Seoul…and she told me to just move to Seoul and find a position there…I was laughing…lol

Glimpse of my meal...Delicious Galbi-jim!!!

Side dishes of spicy side dishes.

Spicy salad...

Galbi-jim...delicious!!!

It was great, she was trying to encourage me...it was tempting, I have to say but I told her I didn’t want to leave a bad impression…hahah and I don't mind where I live. I had to board the train (ToT) and there we said our goodbyes until next time.. After a couple hours, I was back in my good old joly town.

until next time xoxo- chuiee <3