On the first day I got more nudges in the streets of Busan than my month in Japan. Welcome to Korea, the fatherland, the other half of my bloodline, and a place where I start to wonder. How Korean am I? Or is it just a coincidence? 

We didn’t have a lot planned for Korea and Anais pulled through with the last minute planning. This was the trip, the Song sisters going to their roots trip. Yet I didn’t really plan or research anything. The type B traveller in me is coming out slowly. So I guess I didn’t have many expectations. Just the delicious Korean food that my grandma would make for us, is a majority of what I knew about Korea. 

Things that surprised me in Korea: 

• No google maps here, you have to use Naver Maps or Kakao Maps
• The chopsticks are metal and flat, it took me some getting used to to use them 
• Lots of older folks in the cities and taking public transport, no wonder they are so fit and healthy. 
• The bus drivers drive like crazy, they will just pull up real quick on the curb and the doors will shut a millisecond after you get off 
• Public transport cards can only be refilled with cash, for such a high tech country you would think that you could refill your transportation card with a card
• When Koreans say no they make an ‘X’ with their fingers or with their arms like NO ‘X’
• Waiting in line in Korea, you might be nudged, pushed or someone might cut you in line
• The portions are bigger than Japan, reminding me of the US

Steal our Busan itinerary: 

Stay at Dante House Hostel; such a cute hostel with a cafe next door by the same owner and the owner is so sweet.

Walk around the Choryang Traditional Market & food; you can get some cheap food here. Like a whole bowl of noodles or rice soup for 3,000-4,000won.

Walk around China town

Doko- Dosi Nongga Cafe; absolutely must try the sweet potato bread & the cheesecake

Walk around the Busanjin-gu area and eat some street food

Visit Dadaepo beach;walk around, lay on the beach and have a nice cry if needed.

Eat at Soban Vegan restaurant; typical korean food, all vegan made by a lovely korean woman

Matcha & madeleine at Connoisseur cafe

Instagram video our our time in Busan-

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We made it to Gyeongju, and at this point I was tired, sick, and sad. We pulled up to this large building with what you could tell many people had come through, and Mr. Clint, the hostel owner who quickly became like a grandfather figure to us welcomed us and we talked about his life and some good Korean advice he was giving us. The weather started to get cold. I will be honest, I did sleep a good amount to try to recover and took it easy. I was reflecting on how many people I have met share their wisdom and they mention that life is like a wave, a cycle, like the seasons. I was channeling my hibernation and winter-esque moment. Letting myself cry a bit too. 

Nevertheless, I still went out there and did some fun things. Gyeongju is known as the museum without walls since there is a lot of history there and beautiful nature. I really enjoyed hiking, especially seeing the leaves and seasons turn into fall. 

Steal our Gyeongju itinerary: 

Stay at Hanjin Hostel; hostel by Mr. Clint the sweetest human ever and he has many stories to tell and korean advice

Explore: 

Visit the Observatory & walk around the park; you will find fields of sunflowers 

Gyeongju National Museum; here I expereinced watching Korean families visiting museum in masses. It’s kinda funny, they rush towards the exhibition usually not reading all of it, take a photo and leave. Also pretty loud for inside a msueum too.

Walk through Golden street 

Visit the Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond; there is an entrance fee, I would recommend going arouund susnet so you can see it during the day and the night

Hike from Bulgaksa temple to Seokguram Grotto; a nice uphill hike that felt nice with the fall leaves and fresh air on our faces

Food: 

Eat the traditional Gyeongju bread; we went here, you may need to wait some time, we waited 3 hours until our batch was ready. Also where the Koreans got pushy in line (read more below).

Eat pizza at Domi; a delicious pizza place working with local farms around and the staff was super friendly! A good option when you crave some good thick pizza.

Yella Vegan restaurant; cute retro style place that I got take out at. I got the fried ‘chicken’ curry with eggplant. It was super tasty!

Korean restaurant with rice in a squash pumpkin. I saw this place online and I really wanted to try the rice in a pumpkin dish. We went there after our hike and walked in the cold. They tell us we need a reservation. Then I begged them, please we walked in the cold, etc. Then they ask where we are from and we say the US. Then the lady was like okay come eat. We got the meat-less menu though. So if you want to eat here, make sure to make a reservation. The food was really good and they had a sort of pumpkin porridge that was delicious!

Instagram video from Gyeongju-

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After Gyeongju we crossed Korea horizontally to the west side and arrived at Jeonju. We found a cute homestay in the countryside in Wanju (about an hour by 3 different buses from Jeonju). As we knew we would be in Seoul for our last 2 weeks in Korea, we needed this down time to reset and revitalize, especially because at this point I was still sick  

It was such a cute homestay filled with books from floor to ceiling. The family that owned the place were all super friendly, on the first couple of days they were making kimchi as this was the season to make kimjang and kimchi all across Korea in order to have their stash of kimchi for the rest of the year. It was a magical experience, having a huge tarp as big as 2 tables, huge buckets to mix the paste into the cabbage. We were like yes, this is exactly what we want to experience. 

Wanju- 

On our last days, we found out that there is a nice rock climbing spot about a 10min drive away and there is also a ceramics place/cafe. There are actually a lot of very cool things to do in Wanju! 

Next time I go, I would want to bring my climbing gear, probably rent a car, do some ceramics workshops and other health tourism in Wanju. We did a day trip to Jeonju one day, and had a blast. 

Jeonju video-

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Steal out Jeonju itinerary: 

Bus into Jeonju 

Visit the Hanji Paper museum; it is an industrial place where they make paper, free entrance, and at the end you get to make your own hanji paper! This was such a cool experience because we learned the history behind hanji paper making, and learnt how to make it too! 

Hankook jib; Jeonju is known for its bibimbap so we had lunch here. They also serve tartar meat for meat eaters. I got the normal bibimbap and just took the meat off.

PNB Bakery; honestly not my favorite, apparently the chocolate cookies are supposed to be good, I didn’t really like them, the best one was the green matcha flavor one.

Hanok village; traditional Korean village the area was super cute 

Jeongdong Cathedral

Gyeonggijeon Shrine 

Bingsu tea house; cute traditional tea houses with very nice teas and tradition

Omokdae viewpoint; after village we walked up to this viewpoint and it was nice to see Jeonju from here

Jaman mural village; after the viewpoint walk over to the village here to see some cute wall art, remember that people actually live here so be respectful of the locals by staying quiet

Walk by the river; then we walked by this river during sunset and ended up on a very cute road with many cute shops. On this street

Then we visited Temple at night 

Back home (last bus!)

Seoul-

Us visiting our grandma’s university!

Farewell countryside, time to make it to the city of Seoul. Where my dad was born. 

We made it to our volunteering for the next 2 weeks at Time Travelers Relax Hostel; I highly recommend going here for a chill time, it’s quite social as the common space is small, the owner DJ is super friendly, if you want to volunteer the work is pretty chill with 3 different shifts a day. If you can sing or play an instrument, come here and you will probably be asked to play in the morning, kind of like a tiny desk concert. 

I absolutely love Seoul so far, the coffee shop culture is quite interesting, and makes you want to go to literally every coffee shop! It definitely feels more like the US here where the portions are a lot bigger than Japan, and in Seoul consuming things feels more normal. Oh and the skincare world with the Olive Young stores everywhere is interesting. I absolutely love how there are hikes and nature spots around the city that are accessible by public transport. 

Aaaah it’s snowing in Seoul!!! I got to experience the first snowfall in Seoul and it was absolutely magical! Like an actual fairytale. The weather was freezing, yes and the sky most of the time was blue and some sun shine unlike other big cities like Paris. Sorry Paris, Seoul has been a lot less grey and more sunny!

Steal our Seoul recommendations: 

Stay at Time Travelers Relax Hostel; we volunteered here for 2 weeks and this is such a cute and cozy place where you will meet lots of travelers, DJ the owner is also so friendly!

Activities:

Ansan Mountain + extension; I got lost taking the bus to the mountain and ended up in a neighborhood park and then I joined this trail. It took me about 2hrs and at some points was very steep.

Bukhansan Mountain; I did the Jungseongmun- Daeseongmun- Hyeongjebong trail on all trails. It took me about 3 hours, the views were so beautiful. Apparently this is not the highest peak, follow the main route of Bukhansan Mountain if you want to do the highest peak. Depending on where you stay in Seoul, it might take you an hour to 2hrs to get to the starting trail head. There are tons of hikes that start at Bukhansan National Park. Great if you want to end in a different spot than you started with amazing views.

Gayatri Yoga; nice spot for traditional yoga, classes can be taught in English, Boram the yoga teacher is very knowledgeable and kind!

DMZ tour; definitely a must do if you are visiting Seoul. I learned a lot about the culture and history behind North Korea & South Korea. It was crazy to be so close to the North Korean border, note that there are areas where no photography is permitted. The guides have limited time in the DMZ area so make sure to follow the times to be back at the bus! I really enjoyed seeing the tunnel, and the observatory where you can see North Korea. You will do lots of walking!

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art; this was fun to do on a cold day, entrance is free for those 24yrs and younger or students. I really enjoyed the exhibitions and there was an Artist Award section from YoungEun Kim who did an audio exhibition. I really enjoyed the one called ‘Go back home’ portraying how Americans that don’t look white are told to go back to their home country. As a multicultural human, I felt heard.

Christmas Market at Lotte World (only in December); if you want a feel for a European christmas market and some korean food. It was cute.

Beauty Lounge; okay so Korea is known for the amazing skincare and facials too. I am not a huge skincare girly but I wanted to try to get some sort of facial. I did the simple Aquapeel, basically they use some sort of suction device to suction out the blackheads and whatever else you got in your pores and then put a face mask on. If you have any piercings on your nose or face, take it off before going. I was glowing after. Felt good.

Seoul Forest Park; nice stroll around, went in December and all the trees were dead, I’m sure it is a nice place in fall or spring. Also many old folks working out, roller balding, or walking barefoot   

Starfield Library; huge iconic library, nicely decorated for christmas, usually pretty crowded. Nice spot to take photos or find a place to read a book.

Hyundai Department Store for shopping or eating. Many options, I ate some naemeyong (korean cold noodles)

National Museum of Korea; free entrance, very interesting to learn about the prehistory, crafts like ceramics, gold, steel, etc. You could easily spend 8hrs here if you read everything!

Namdaemun Market; nice market with a little of everything, you can also find the famous hotteok filled with chapjae (vegetable glass noodles), red bean paste or others. 

Food:

Avek Cherie; omg the best and first salt bread we tried. We had the red bean and butter one with a literal slice of butter on top, with red bean all in a salt bread. I was like this is me if it were a pastry. I love butter (I used to monch on the stick of butter as a kid), I love red bean paste and it’s like a Korean croissant. Helllooo korean/french pastry, merci.

Artist Bakery; they usually have a line out the door, less wait time if you take it to go.

Tea Therapy; a cute spot to grab some herbal teas, they have a nice tea menu for anything you need, I had some digestive issues and the plum tea helped me out. I also bought a citrus peel tea to bring home

Sulbing; a nice bingsoo place to get a sweet with friends. They have many falvors!

London Bagel Museum; this is the bagel version of artist bakery, the flavors were so goood. We got the cream cheese chive, the honey cheese, cinnamon pecan, and redbean! The flavors were included inside the bagel and not just on top.

Figments cafe; we had the sukkcha latte (mugwort latte). It was good, it kinda had the consistency of buckwheat and we had a chestnut pastry. Yum.

Meal Bakery; got a yummy red bean, chestnut pastry and then a honey bread dipped in chocolate! It was delicious, but a bit pricey. 

O’pato; cute, cozy, and warm brunch spot with thick french toast, avocado toast, soup. They also have an early breakfast menu from 8-10am. The vibe is very nice inside. 

Veg places/veg options: 

As a vegetarian traveling with a non-vegetarian and still wanting to eat traditional foods, I have found that most of the time it is easier to just order the food as it comes and then discard the meat (if possible) or order whatever on the menu is already naturally vegetarian. 

Plant; nice western vegan spot if you are craving hummus, tempeh, bowls or wraps. The carrot cake was so good too!

Chicken in the kitchen; chicken place and they have a vegan chicken option. It’s okay, nice if you are going to get food with others who eat meat 

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Identity- who am I?

I met the first half french, half korean here at our hostel. I was like whaaat they exist, we are a bit of a rare breed haha. He told us that there is a whole group of half koreans, half frenchies. I was like whaaat a whole other world. Apparently we are even more rare because most half korean half french people, it’s their mom who is korean and the dad who is french. In our case, our dad is Korean. So I guess you could say, we are quite the rare breed. Putting all that aside, it is kinda sad to not even be able to speak korean YET. I am determined to learn Korean. I will learn Korean. 

Another thing is that, most of my life and still to this day I have identity crises. Like, I grew up in the US, half french, half korean. Tri-cultural = trilemma

The most frustrating thing is when people ask me, 

“Where are you from?”. 

I then reply “I am from the US”

Then they say either “Oh really?” or “No, like where are you actually from?”

And I’m like, “Oh you mean what’s my ethnicity?”

“Yeaaah”

“I’m half french, half korean, grew up in the US”

“Ohhh wow, that’s interesting/rare” or something along those lines. 

Yet, when I go to France, I am not fully accepted. Even members of my family have said “You will never be French”. Well, to that I say, I got the french passport tho haha. They have a point though, I am not fully French, I don’t get all the jokes, the references that a French kid has that grew up in France. Yes I am fluent, yes I do have an accent, yes I sometimes speak franglais and that’s who I am. 

And now, coming to Korea, I feel a bit nervous sometimes when people ask where we are from… Yeah from the US, and I am half Korean, half French. 

“Oh so you speak Korean?”

“Euuh no, I speak more arabic than Korean…”

“That’s weird”

“Yeah…”

Thank goodness for our halmonie (grandma in Korean) who kept her traditional Korean mannerisms, cooking, and culture around. Yes I wished that I was taught Korean at a younger age. I know that my dad has his reasons why he didn’t, he immigrated to the US when he was 5 years old and I think he was the only asian kid in his class, he didn’t understand English. All he wanted was to fit it. This isn’t my story to tell, and I know my dad did lots of healing for himself when he raised us. 

“Parenting is often a self-rehabilitative opportunity in which the caretakers reeducate themselves about what they missed growing up.” –Laura Day, except from ‘The Prism’. Maybe he missed someone speaking English and that’s what he taught us, which I am so thankful for. So if you are reading this and currently raising a child and not speaking to them in a language you know, do it, speak to them pleeeeaaase! Or send them to a language school or something. They might, probably will hate it at first, I think that later they will thank you. At least this is what I hope to do if I ever have children, and I know that I too will reeducate myself if I ever have kids. Okay that was a long side note. 

This tricultural mash up is confusing, exciting, and a little nerve racking. As my sister told me, there is beauty in it too. I was like oh yeah true, let’s look at the bright side and see the beauty. 

We probably would have never come to Korea with such an intention, to try to understand and learn what type of Korean blood we got. 

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Little story time: 

When we were in Gyeongju (the city nicknamed “the city without walls” because of all the beautiful history, especially the ancient Silla Kingdom), we went to get the iconic red bean buns. We wait patiently behind the counter behind the person who is being helped with some distance. A small korean lady skips in front of us… I was like uh girl what. Then all of a sudden lots of people came into the shop and lined up behind us. And after this lady cuts in front of us, I try to take a step back to give her some space. Oh no! I was bonking whoever was behind me haha. I noticed the Koreans are impatient, pushing me like ‘hurry! hurry!’ When pushing is not going to make the red bean buns come out of the oven faster. In hindsight, I knew this before coming to Korea. I was told in Japan you can wait in lines and people will wait their turn when in Korea they will definitely try to push and skip and all that fun. Then I asked our host of our hostel in Gyengju, Mr. Clint, 

“Why are Koreans always in a rush, especially waiting in lines?”

He had an interesting reply, he was saying how it goes back to Koreans fleeing from the war and fleeing from North Korea… I was like ohh, hm that kinda makes sense. He then said to not take it to heart and people will be people like that. 

I love to rush to do things too, go go go, do more, be better. I do question, oh is this my Korean side coming out, or is this just who I am? 

I realized other things that I do and that Koreans do, which in a way has helped me understand how I am the way I am (or that is what I am telling myself for now). 

Anyways, there is my long summary of our time in South Korea that has definitely opened up a whole lot of questions and some answers. Relating to who I am and who I might not be either. Off to a new country and adventures ahead.

I’ll talk to you soon! ❤