One Heart Spring Fest 2017 - Stitch & Bitch

This weekend we are going to be at the One Heart Spring Fest in Anjeongri. It turns out that this festival is actually like two festivals in one. The Spring Fest is put on by the US Military and it happens on the US Military Base (see information below to see what you need to access this section of the festival). The One Heart Fest is organized by the City of Pyeongtaek and PIEF.

Camp Humphreys Spring Fest

12 - 6pm Inside the Gate

-Saturday, May 20: SpringFest 2017 from Noon – 6:30 p.m. at Independence Park. Korean-American friendship and cross-cultural understanding. Enjoy live entertainment, children’s games and crafts, inflatable bouncers and slides and food and beverage sales throughout the day. Not authorized at this event: pets, oversized bags, weapons, hard-sided coolers, food and alcohol (available on-site for purchase), fireworks, pop-up tents and shade structures. For more information, call DSN 753-8820.

RULES for getting on base to see this section of the festival:

"All Korean Nationals and non-USFK foreigners who want to go through the Humphreys main gate to attend the Spring Fest on May 20th from 1200-1830 need a photo ID: KID, ROK Driver's License or Passport. Children up to 12 years old do not need an ID. Teens from 12-18 need their school ID to enter the garrison on normal business days but I did not get confirmation if they need it for Spring Fest. Have teenagers bring their ID's just in case." Sig Flips the Table

Pyeongtaek One Heart Fest:

1 - 10 Outside the Gate

Pyeongtaek International Exchange Foundation (PIEF) is hosting the "12th One Heart Spring Fest” which is an interactive event for the participants, in hopes of promoting mutual understanding between the Koreans and foreigners residing in Pyeongtaek. No special ID is required for this part of the festival.

South of Seoul and

Sig Flips the Table host a

STITCH & BITCH

1pm - 7pm

For our part, we are partnering with Sig Flips the Table to host a craft / information booth at the One Heart Festival. We will be sharing information about navigation apps, catching taxis, calling daeri drivers, and more while we stitch friendship squares. The final result will be displayed at the PIEF Center in Paengseong. Our booth will be located across from Hwa Hwa. Be sure to come see us :) 

You will be able to find us across from Hwa Hwa Korean BBQ (use the search feature to quickly find the location). It's in the South of Seoul app (available in Google Play and the Apple App Store). Their is a direct link to both WAZE and Kakao Navigation available in the listing. It's nearly impossible not to find us :)

BRIX Delivery now in Songtan

BRIX Delivery

OPEN 10am - 10pm CLOSED ON TUESDAYS

Cash only. Won or Dollars

For those living near the Osan Air Force Base main gate who have struggled to find enough delivery options, your life is about to get a lot better. BRIX Delivery has launched expanded service in your area.

For a 5,000 won/$5 they will pick-up from any of the restaurants or cafes in the SED to and deliver it within 2km of the Osan Air Force Base Main Gate.

Want some Thai food? No problem. Feeling life fish tacos? They can make it happen. Need some cake and coffee stat? Just give BRIX a call.

Since we at South of Seoul feel like this is a service that needs to stick around, we are partnering with BRIX to make it super easy for you to figure out where you can order from. Here is what you need to do:

Grab your smart phone, open the South of Seoul app and then...

• SEARCH for BRIX Delivery in the Pyeongtaek Food & Fun section of the app.

• SELECT the restaurant you would like to order from.

• CALL directly to BRIX Delivery via the app by clicking on the black scooter icon.

• SEND BRIX a picture of your address. You can find this on a utility bill. Keep this in your phone for future orders.

• PRESENT your app to your delivery driver who will validate your delivery via the BRIX Rewards program in the app. You will recieve the 11th delivery FEE free.

Now those living in Songtan can get burritos, tacos, pasta, kebabs, pad thai, adobo, sushi and much more delivered right to their door.

You can download the South of Seoul App from:

PIEF: Traditional School Celebration

Finding a sense of community is one of the most important parts of feeling at home. In our home countries we know how to do that based on habits and cultural rules. We have the usual places we go and the usual things we do. As we move around from town to town we can usually recreate these experiences since we all share a culture and a language. However, when we move abroad all this changes. It becomes harder to find those centralized experiences that bring us together with others. This is why PIEF and their events are such an important part of our community here in Pyeongtaek. They give us a place to gather and build community.

Two weeks ago they launched their latest gathering called the "Traditional School Celebration" and we went to check it out. We don't have kids and we've seen just about all the cultural things there are in Korea so we weren't exactly sure what we would get out of it, but doing all the things is what we signed up to do when we started this blog and then the app. So exhausted from our busy schedules and, honestly - less than enthusiastic - we set off.

As usually, we enjoyed ourselves far more than we thought we would. Was it the coolest thing we have ever done in Korea? Nope. Was it packed full of experiences that changed our lives? Absolutely not. "So why did you love it?", you might find yourself asking. We loved it because it was beautiful and community focused. We loved hanging out with our friends and watching kids play. We loved seeing local martial arts folks demonstrate their skills. We enjoyed making things in the tents and talking even more with our friends. We loved being outside. We loved slowing down and taking time to just be present in our community. We loved the fact it wasn't too much, it was just enough and we didn't have to run all over damnation to do it. We loved that this was just a super chill Saturday event that didn't leave us exhausted. Parking was easy, the events are in a confined space, you can bring a picnic, and you can just relax and be entertained. If we had kids we would totally bring them here on Saturdays to run amok while we chat with our friends. This is what we need more of in our lives.

Those Spiderman socks.

It's also just a very cool opportunity to have an up-close and personal look at how people in our area used to live. In Pyeongtaek there are only two traditional Korean schools that still exist. One is in a rural area kind of near Songtan, and the other just happens to be in the middle of Paengseong near Camp Humphreys (where this event is held). These schools are no longer used for regular classes, but instead host Confusion rituals throughout the year. So this is a pretty unique chance to be close the history. It's a very unique opportunity PIEF has opened up for our community and I, personally, am very grateful for the experience.

This event isn't about hype, it's about a wonderful healthy way to get out of the house and go meet people. Please, grab your kids, your friends, your date and just go spend a few hours here hanging out. Meet people. Start conversations. Make some friends. It's the perfect place for it.

WAZE PIN/ID: Buyong Elementary School

You can download the South of Seoul App from: