A guide to Gwangju (광주), and to a lesser extent South Korea.

A guide to Gwangju (광주), and to a lesser extent South Korea.
A definitive guide to Gwangju (광주) and South Korea is impossible as a lot businesses don't last long.
Places pop up and disappear faster than the cherry blossom bloom so this guide is going to go over the broad strokes and focus on bigger establishments than tend to last longer.

Transportation:
The public transport in Gwangju is pretty good and easy to use.
What you need is a "hanpay" card that you can use on both the subway and buses.
You can pick one up from any convenience store (7/11, CU, G25) and charge it at the store, subway stations and even online. Note, this card is for Gwangju and you'll probably need something similar if you travel to different cities in Korea.
https://www.hanpay.net/

(Image from www.gwangjunewsgic.com)

Supermarkets
There's the big 3; Lotte mart (lottemart.com), E-mart (emart.com) and Homeplus (homeplus.co.kr).
All these stores are basically departments stores with sections for food, electronics, clothing etc.
However, they are relatively expensive and you'd be better going to a local mart 마트 (SMmart - www.smmart.kr) for food. In addition, be aware the big 3 don't open the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month.

School / Household Supplies
The best place to pick up anything for the house or school is a dollar store type place called Daiso (다이소)
www.daiso.co.kr

(Image from seoulistic.com)

Clothing / Electronic Stores
There are many clothing shops in the Gwangju city center. The city center which can be reached via the subway station 금남로4가 (Geumnamno 4 Ga). There are many local shops but also big brand stores such as H&M, Uniqlo and Zara with staff that general speak more English.
There is also high-end clothing at Sejong Outlet which is right next to the Sangmu subway station.
In addition, there is also U-Square which is the biggest mall in Gwangju and houses the bus terminal as well.
For electronics there is a huge department store called Kumho World near U-Square. www.ikumhoworld.co.kr

Banks
There are many banks you can sign up with but we'd recommend KEB.
KEB (or the Korea Exchange Bank - 외환은행) www.keb.co.kr/main/en is a bank that specifically caters to foreign business thus has more English speaking services and even online banking.

Cinema
There are many cinemas that you can visit in Korea, including Lotte Cinema, Megabox and CGV.
We personally recommend CGV (http://www.cgv.co.kr/reserve/show-times/eng/).
CGV tends to have more English speakers and most have ticket machines with an English option.
There is also this great site http://cineinkorea.com/movie/index.php that provides times in English.

Doctor / Dentist
For a dentist there is
http://mediphildent.com/
Next to usquare/shinsegae. There is a footbridge close to shinsegae on the main road. Cross the bridge and you will see a bank. The entrance is where the IDk Bank is and on the 6th floor.

Fitness
There are no big gym brands in Gwangju so most places are local.
We go to Star Fitness which is located on the 6th floor above SMmart.
It's only 5 minutes from Sangmu subway station.











Karaoke
There are many great Korean Karaoke/Singing rooms or locally called Noraebang 노래방.
In the city center there is an 'Alien' themed room which is is in the building next to the Burger King where the arcade games area is (35.147004, 126.916903).Below is a guide to the controls that you'll find in the different rooms:
http://www.korea4expats.com/article-noraebang-machine-functions-english-translation.html

Other Resources:
The best resource for life in Gwangju is the GIC Gwangju International Center (eng.gic.or.kr)
We personally recommend their Korean Classes.
Social media is also a great resource, especiaaly the Gwangju group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2330675731/

Immigration
Address: 광주출입국관리사무소행정실 광주광역시서구쌍촌동
627-1 Gwanju Immigration Office Seo-gu, Ssangchon-dong, 627-1
Relocation Date: Monday November 4th, 2013
Phone Number: +82 62-605-5333
Public Transportation -
Bus #16, 19, 69, 72, 760, stop @ Honam University Entrance (호남대입구) - Subway stop @ Uncheon Station (Honam University) 운천역 (호남대입구), Exit 4
Hours:Open from Monday to Friday from 09:00 am until 18:00 pm. Closed for 1 hr between 12:00 pm and 13:00 pm for lunch. Open on Saturday from 09:00 am – 13:00 pm. Closed on Sundays and Holidays.
*TIP* Smiling and being friendly seems to speed things along considerably. These people have a difficult job…try not to make it more so by yelling at them.
-Fingerprinting, if you need it, can be done at any of the large police stations…not the little “on the corner” ones. Print out the card from your government’s website and head on down. The one I know many people go to is at the end of Art Street nearest the Culture Center construction. Big place with a wall around it.
-Immigrationis where you go to renew your visa. You will fill out a form at the desk when you go in. Check the “Extension of Sojourn” box. Take a number for Residence and wait. Cost: 30,000 won. Bring your passport, copy of contract, and your school’s business license. Many schools will take care of this for you…this is for those that don’t.
-You can also get a new ARC here. Same form as the renewal, different box. Will cost @10,000. Bring a picture on a white background. They have a photo booth outside the office if you forget.
-Same form for changing your address as the above two items.
-If your Visa is an E-2, it is tied to your place of employment. You work in Korea with your school’s permission. Working at another job without it is illegal. Some programs like EPIK have understandings with other schools. Other opportunities may come up through your school. Try to find out what your school allows. Private tutoring is generally not allowed unless you are an F visa holder.
(great guide from Brian Burgoyne)

Facebook:
Below is an awesome list from the (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2330675731/) gwangju fb group.

A small collection of groups around Gwangju (with which you may become involved):

Nerd Culture:

The Collective: https://www.facebook.com/groups/235702633253214/
Gwangju Tabletop Players:https://www.facebook.com/groups/509676919069734/
Gwangju Game Exchange:https://www.facebook.com/groups/164667410313238/
Gwangju Board Games Club:https://www.facebook.com/groups/178693872194160/
Gwangju Magic Players:https://www.facebook.com/groups/633049646715191/
Gwangju Wargamers:https://www.facebook.com/groups/483058101793674/
Gwangju Chess:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/197097030362009/
Gwangju Cosplay: https://www.facebook.com/groups/622858204469349/

Arts and Entertainment:

Gwangju Photography Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gwangjupc/
Gwangju Artist Collective:https://www.facebook.com/groups/217124318293/
Gwangju Writing Groups:https://www.facebook.com/groups/199740556849330/
CREATE and GIFT: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CreateAndGift/
Gwangju Juggling: https://www.facebook.com/groups/383709831711493/
Gwangju Performance Project:https://www.facebook.com/groups/247670875342672/
Gwangju NaNoWriMo:https://www.facebook.com/groups/462935570403859/
Gwangju Euchre Lovers:https://www.facebook.com/groups/225019097581700/
Gwangju Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/68487510072/
Gwangju Stitch & Bitch (knitting/crochet/etc.):https://www.facebook.com/groups/307669809622/
Petit à Petit  쁘띠 따 쁘띠https://www.facebook.com/groups/petitapetit/
Language Lounge in Gwangju: https://www.facebook.com/groups/languagelounge/

Buying/Selling/Trading:

Gwangju Currency Exchange:https://www.facebook.com/groups/714253218601199/
Gwangju Home Businesses:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1374527246151182/
Jeolla-do One Stop Flea Market:https://www.facebook.com/groups/thejuonestop/
Gwangju-Jeolla Second Hand Store:https://www.facebook.com/groups/404333959670566/
Gwangju Freecycle: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gwangjufreecycle/
Gwangju Book and Magazine Sellers and Traders:https://www.facebook.com/groups/587114221340945/
Gwangju Housing and Rentals:https://www.facebook.com/groups/530396783676298/
MacPC Guys (computer parts/repairs):https://www.facebook.com/groups/KoreaMacPCGuys/

  

Athletics:

Gwangju Climbing Team:https://www.facebook.com/groups/178981185621680/
Gwangju Inter FC: https://www.facebook.com/groups/70583932242/
Gwangju Running Club:https://www.facebook.com/groups/113340165347695/
Gwangju Cricket: https://www.facebook.com/groups/238905016227191/
GIST Volleyball Club:https://www.facebook.com/groups/225583140964871/
Gwangju Basketball Club:https://www.facebook.com/groups/260555600667322/
Taekwondo: https://www.facebook.com/groups/443567179032931/?ref=br_rs
Gwangju Ladies' Soccer:https://www.facebook.com/groups/161750414018652/?ref=br_rs
Gwangju Ultimate Frisbee:https://www.facebook.com/groups/185585458154674/?ref=br_rs

Gwangju Hikers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/895350487188528/?fref=nf

Restaurants/Cafes/Taphouses:

Tequilaz:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/tequilazr/
Corona Mexican Food:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/146972625500831/
The First Alleyway:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/345509095224/
Alley Tap House: https://www.facebook.com/allytaphouse?ref=profile
Able Taphouse: https://www.facebook.com/abletaphouse?ref=ts&fref=ts

Voyagers: https://www.facebook.com/voyagersgwangju?fref=ts

Jobs:

Gwangju-Jeolla Job Bank:https://www.facebook.com/groups/154136797947014/

Community:

Global Families of Gwangju:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1415320322015004/
Jeolla-do Travel Advice:https://www.facebook.com/groups/551274054925072/
Gwangju-Jeolla Pet Sitters:https://www.facebook.com/groups/138227567287/
Gwangju Language Exchange:https://www.facebook.com/groups/258201910995284/
Gwangju EPIK Teachers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4951693838/
Ladies of Gwangju and Vicinity:https://www.facebook.com/groups/gwangjuwomen/
Gwangju Korean Learners Club:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/338781432841101/
GIC Talk:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/191633644281304/
Jeollanamdo Readers & Speakers Club:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/152066238290044/
Gwangju Heath Care: https://www.facebook.com/groups/519690444837832/
광주동부 "피해자 전담경찰관" Victim Support Officer (Gwangju Korean Police Officer for Crime Victim Support): https://www.facebook.com/victimsupportcop?fref=ts

Gwangsangu-ers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/129079153968737/345627412313909/?notif_t=group_activity

Gwangju Community Builders: https://www.facebook.com/groups/452871204866054/

 

Ecology:

Gwangju Birds Korea:https://www.facebook.com/groups/birdskoreagwangju/
Gwangju Window Gardens:https://www.facebook.com/groups/572225996206954/

Clean Gwangju: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CleanGwangju

Lifestyle/Well-being:

Gwangju Meditation Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/408348579191780/
Reiki Exchange:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/421194037972085/
Gwangju Veggie Club:https://www.facebook.com/groups/241128392567698/
Gwangju Foodies: https://www.facebook.com/groups/372251809476685/
Gwangju Yoga: https://www.facebook.com/groups/102721549793483/
Jeolla Safety Alliance:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/531604226867515/
Gwangju Energy Community:
https://www.facebook.com/gjenergy
Gwangju Fitness: https://www.facebook.com/groups/540385619327509/

A Sangmu (상무) guide.

We've been in the Sangmu (상무) neighbor for about a year (2015) so I've put together a quick map of all the key locals that we frequent.

Osaka Part II

For the rest of the trip, I'm just over the moon. Making the trip even more special was that we booked our last two nights in Osaka at the Ritz Carlton hotel. It was so posh and fancy and it made our trip that much more celebratory! We also spent the last two days at Universal Studios, one of which was at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was the best trip!

At the Ritz Carlton, we got a room on the 37th floor and they have this corner in the room where the window meets so you can overlook the city with nothing but glass. It had a great view. The room had a really old-school charm and sophistication. The bed was large and one of the most comfortable one I've been on. The washroom was 1/3 the size of the room with a bathtub, separate shower and toilet. They have a turn down service where someone comes to remove all the decorative pillows on your bed, pull down the corners of the cover, put bottles of water on the bedside table, fill the ice bucket and refill all the tea and coffee packets. It was really nice. We did a video of a tour of the room :)

Universal Studios

We spent the first day walking around the park and going on various rides. It was super hot and there's not much shade so Neil had to get this cape-like towel to put over his shoulders and head. Almost everyone in the park was sporting one of these in various characters. Neil had a spiderman one. It was great because it's a towel you can use to wipe your sweat. The bad thing about theme parks are the lines. There are lines everywhere for everything and you really need to pick and choose what you want to do or you'll spend 60% (20% walking around) of your time just lining up. We only did a few rides including Back to the Future, Spiderman, Jaws and watched a musical show about monsters. Most of the narrative in these rides were in Japanese so it was quite funny since we couldn't understand at all. While in the BTTF ride, Neil hit his head several times while in the Delorean. Good thing the musical was in English so we could understand it. With the heat we were quite exhausted so we picked up some dumplings and takoyaki and brought it back to the hotel. Then we relaxed for the rest of the night because the next we're going to be early to see the Harry Potter theme park.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I still remember how excited I was when I heard that a HP theme park was opening in Orlando. I wanted so bad to go there but never had the time and money. Then I found out they had one in Osaka (opened last year) I had to go! I've been waiting for this day for a very long time. We got there bright and early so we could line up and get our entrance tickets. We arrived at about 9:30am and lined up for about half an hour and finally got a ticket to enter at 10:40am. We sat down at a cafe had a small bite and waited to enter. Since we were quite early there wasn't that many people, which was awesome. The path into the theme park was everything I hoped for. The decor inside was amazing. It looked soooo good. We went to have some food right away because it was definitely going to get busy later. My first taste of the iced butter beer was magical! It was so creamy, caramel-y and delicious! I was just so enamored the whole day. To make our experience even more special we both got a wizard/witch robe. Neil with his Sythlerian and I with Hufflepuff. We got our fill of seeing everything but there was only a few rides in there. And each ride had very long line ups. We decided on the ride that takes us into Hogwarts Castle. We lined up for 3 hours! But even so, the ride was super awesome so it was at least worth it. But by then we were both exhausted and didn't want to be stuck in anymore lineups. We headed. I know that it would look really amazing at night but unfortunately we're too tired, so we headed home. We had some Bubba Gump before getting back to the hotel. It was everything I wanted and more!

This trip will go down in history as one of the best :) A trip that changed our lives!

Osaka Part 1

Our long awaited trip to Japan finally began on Wednesday July 29th. We went to the bus station the night before to buy our tickets in order to make sure we get to the airport on time.

Wednesday July 29

I could hardly sleep the night before and we got up bright and early at 6:30am to cath our 7:30am bus ride. The bus ride took just about four hours getting us straight to Incheon Aiport. When we got there, we had to wait half an hour to check in and then found out our flight had been delayed for an hour. Since we were already at the airport and there's not much to do so we just sat by the gate and waited.  Finally, the plane arrived and we got on. The plane ride was only 1.5 hours! We arrived in Osaka at about 8:00pm and then waited another hour going through immigration. We've been traveling for well over 12 hours by now. We bought a two day subway pass and boarded the subway.

The Osaka subway has many lines and it was overwhelming and complicated the first day but eventually we got the hang of it. We ended up not taking the direct train out of the airport so that took about an hour from the Airport to hit Namba station, which is the center of the city. Our hotel is still a ways away and rather than taking the subway we opted to grab a taxi. It was dark and super hot already. (maybe 30C) The taxi ride took about 20-30 minutes and cost about 30,000 yen. It was an expensive ride but we were tired and just wanted to get there quickly. 

We checked in at the U Community Hotel and settled in. It's a nice hotel with all the amenities we need. It's not super fancy but definitely no hostel. There was a Chinese restaurant in the lobby but we didn't have a chance to try it. We went out to a nearby restaurant and had some food before calling it a night.

Thursday July 30

We woke up around 10am and set out for our first destination: Osaka Castle. Of course, before that we had to grab some quick breakfast. We got a simple bento box at a nearby restaurant. It's fairly easy to just point and order. It was very yummy. 

Our subway pass was good to ride for the entire day unlimited. It was a scorcher and I wish I had a parasol to keep the sun away. We made our way to the right station and got off to walk to the Castle. It was not a long walk, but in the heat it felt like an eternity. When we got to the park (outside the castle) we used one of the vending machines to grab a drink. Then proceeded to walk around the moat and entered the gate.  It's almost noon and there were a lot of tourists around but this place was huge! We took many pictures and opted to walk up the 8 floors rather than wait in the long line up for the elevator. Surprising I was not as tired as I thought I would be, it was nice to have a bit of A/C too. We got the observation deck and checked out the views. It's a shame there was so much smog that you couldn't see all the surrounding mountains that clearly. Every floor of the castle had a different display of Japan's history. The most interesting to me was the clan war that took place there. I didn't get to read much because there was so many people but I planned to google it when I got home. 

We made our way back down the castle and was ready to head to the next destination: Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium. At least I was ready. Neil insisted on finding a good view of the castle and taking pictures. At one point I stood in the shade to wait for him because I didn't want to go, but he insisted and I went to him. Little did I know he had a different plan.  A plan that involved a ring and a bended knee. (story below)

After Osaka Castle we headed to the aquarium. It was very easy to get the and stopped in a restaurant to grab some lunch. Our lunch consisted of okonomiyaki, beef steak and some sides. Everything was cooked right in front of us and it was super delicious! After refueling, we made our way to the aquarium. The wind picked up and there were sounds of thunder so we hurried inside in case there would be a storm. We spent an hour or two exploring this place. There were so many things to look at and it was well designed. The main attraction for us was to see the Whale Sharks. There was a huge tank built into the middle of the aquarium so many people can see this beautiful animal from all floors and area. It was great! We bought some magnets to commemorate our trip. Neil even got to pet a sting ray! 

The Proposal

Shortly after we had taken our pictures with the Osaka Castle backdrop in this very secluded area, Neil said to me, "Wait, one more thing," like an English Columbo. I turned around and asked, "What?" He had one hand in his pocket fishing for something and started to say, "Fanny Ly, you are my cup of tea..." I had a pamphlet in my hand as a makeshift fan, which was now covering my mouth. "...you complete me, will you marry me?" I quickly responded with, "Oh my gosh, are you serious?" With a wry smile, Neil answers, "Yes, will you marry me?" And pulls a case out of his pocket and drops down to one and knee while holding out the shiny ring and repeats his question again. I repeated my question again, "Are you serious?" Then he replied, "Yes, and you really do have to answer me." I threw my arms around him and said, "Yes! Of course!" He got up and proceeded to put the ring on my left ring finger. I was ecstatic and shocked and unbelievably happy for the rest of the day and trip and really for the rest of my life. :) 

One year in Gwang-ju, South Korea

July 23rd marks the one year anniversary of us arriving in South Korea. It's the first time we have been here and for Neil, the first time he's been in Asia. This day flew by like any other day, in fact, we had forgotten about this date. It was a Thursday and nothing significant happened. Here's a list of things I've liked and disliked in the one year I've been here: 

The Good...

- cheap taxi fares! coming from Vancouver where it'll cost me $7+tips to get from downtown to chinatown, it's unbelievably cheap here. For a 15 minute ride, it'll cost me around $5. And most of time going from the supermarket to my apartment is only $3. 

- keyless locks! In my first and third apartment, we got keyless/pinpad locks and they are amazing! No more forgetting my keys :) Some even come with an intercom so you can see who is at the door. 

- cheap kimbap and street food! You can easily get a kimbap that fills you up for $2 here and hurricane potatoes is only $1! All those times I've pad $5 for them at night market - I feel so ripped off! In the colder months, they even sell a cup of corn with cheese and peas for $2. Mmmm There's also this rice burger that's filled with tuna, kimchi, tuna and cheese that I like to get for only $2.50. I love cheap and delicious eats! 

- food home delivery! Most things here are available for delivery, including McDonald's. The website to order McDonald's is super easy and we've done it a couple of times :) Some other popular dishes to order for home delivery is fried chicken, sweet and sour pork, pork hock withe lettuce and sliced pork, black bean noodles, dumplings, pizza and burgers. We're limited to an app called Yogiyo because it's easy to use and I don't need to order over the phone. If I could order via phone, the choices would be even better! 

- korean makeup and free samples! There are always sales everywhere I look. The number of Korean brand makeup is also endless. I've tried only a couple so far such as Innisfree, The Faceshop, Tony Moly, Etude House, and Skinfood. There's so much more....Oh and every time you buy something, there's always so many free samples. These are great for quick weekend getaways and to give away. I love it! 

The Not So Good...

- terrible driving! people are constantly talking on their phone while driving, and I've seen instances where children sit with no seat belts on. Also, I've been toddlers held in the laps of adults in the passenger seat. Not only is it bad inside the car, but cars will drive reckless and fast. They don't always obey traffic lights. Many instances where cars are halfway into the intersection and decide to change their minds amid sounds of honking. I've had close calls with drivers and I love glaring at bad drivers and mouth "wtf" to them. But seriously, be extra vilgilant on the roads as a pedestrian! 

- expensive fruits and foreign goods! let me reiterate, fruits are expensive here. I haven't had many since coming here because I've been too cheap to splurge. And I can't eat it fast enough since Neil doesn't like it that much. I understand why it needs to priced where it is but I don't like it! Some things like canned beans, bbq sauce and other things are not easily found in local supermarkets so we always have to trek to the larger ones. Right now, I can't even find cauliflower! 

- air quality and humidity! I didn't realize how good I had it back in Vancouver. I miss the crisp, sweet air that you can bottle up and drink! The air quality here sucks. In the summer time, the humidity makes me feel like I've been roasted alive any time I step outside. There is no movement in the air, it's so stale. We don't have an A/C unit in our apartment so our two fans are working overtime. 

- late start = late hours! Our working hours are from 1:00pm to 10:00pm every weekday. I'm not motivated enough to head out during the day and then come back and prepare for work. In fact, it's because it takes so long for me unwind after work and dinner that I don't go to bed til 2am every night so I just sleep in. Sighs. It's a vicious cycle and makes me feel very unproductive. 

The Strange...

- sweet breads! First thing we noticed was how the bread here are mainly sweet. Sure there's some savoury ones, but they have a hint of sweetness. 

- large statues in front of most buildings! (art?) This could just be my observations but outside every building, there is a weird statue of some sorts. I think Gwangju is trying to be more artsy? It's weird. 

- obsession with 'honey butter' fad! Almost any snack these days can be found with 'honey butter' flavour! From chips, to milk to cookies. This has to stop somewhere right? I loved the original chips from Calbee but enough is enough. 

Overall, in the one year we've been here, we've learned to finally adjust our lifestyle to meet our needs and work. It's taken us about 6 months to get the hang of teaching. Now, it's time to incorporate other hobbies into our lives. We're here for another 10 months and hopefully this time around, we'll get to go out and do more things and enjoy these next months in South Korea!