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

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Earth Day 2017: Wrap Up

Before we begin, we want to make sure to thank the City of Pyeongtaek for donating the trash bags, PIEF for their consummate support, to PUB 210 for donating a prize and of course Sig Flips the Table who brought this idea to life and brought us all on board with her vision. We look forward to catching the video of the event from On Your Mark World in the near future.

When Sig Flips the Table decided to head-up the First (hopefully annual) Earth Day Pyeongtaek we were really excited to support her efforts. We are big lovers of the earth and all it's air and other cool stuff the keeps us alive. Plus, we love getting together with people and working. Nope, neither of these things are a joke. We love Earth and work.

Since we are sort of in charge of documenting and sharing what's happening around town, our Earth Day was a bit longer and more busy than most of the groups. We started in Paengseong and then moved over to Songtan. We were super excited to see a variety of different groups out picking up trash and bringing the communities together.  It was pretty inspiring to be honest. Here are few of the Earth loving folks who pitched in.

Here you can see a before and after of the magic that we worked. It took four trash bags to clean up this particular lot.

However, in Songtan (nearish Osan AF Base) we found a different story.  Despite the fact the SOS group seemed to be the only ones active in the area on Earth Day, the place was super clean. The residents do an amazing job. The business area needed some work, but the parks and residential areas were nearly spotless. Even the empty lots weren't that neglected. We felt very proud of adopted neighborhood. It's defiantly loved by it's residents. In an hour we only managed to fillup two bags between three people.

It was fabulous to get to meet people we've only seen online, give back to the community that's given us so much support for the last seven years, and support the wonderful tradition that Earth Day as become over the years. Hopefully next year even more people will get out and celebrate together here in Pyeongtaek.

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Now Booking: Bus to the Daejeon Barefoot Festival

TICKETS: 18,000 won roundtrip

Sunday May 14th, 2017 

Let's get our feet dirty and celebrate the coming summer. South of Seoul;s and Bundang Social Club are teaming up to sponsor a bus to the Daejeon Barefoot Festival leaving from Jeongja Station at 7:50 AM and the back side of Pyeongtaek Station at 8:50AM. This is one of South of Seoul's favorite spring events. The path is stunning and the mud delightful. 

The festival has a great variety of fun activities, including traditional music, dancing, walking barefoot through tranquil mountains, fun performances, hand crafts, a 7km walk, and even a 13km "marathon!"

This trip is not a tightly planned affair. You will be on your own during your time at the Festival. No one is telling you what to do or where to go. Just freely enjoy yourself and your time in the forest. 

CHECK OUT THE FACEBOOK EVENT HERE

SIGN-UP FOR THE BUS HERE.

First Annual Earth Day Pyeongtaek

Our stretch of road.

We are excited to announce that we are supporting the wonderful blogger Sig Flips the Table in presenting Pyeongtaek's First Annual Earth Day on Saturday April 22nd. The City of Pyeongtaek has been fabulously supportive of this event and will be providing free trash bags to all participants. They can be collected at Pyeongtaek International Exchange Foundation in Paengseong or Songtan. Read Sig's the full article HERE: http://sigflipsthetable.com/2017/04/10/earth-day-pyeongtaek/ to learn the details and then join a local Earth Day team or sponsor a team of your own.

Team SOS will spend the afternoon cleaning a section of country road that runs between Songtan and Paengseong. This stretch of road is rural but also heavily trafficked by US military personnel and local fisherman. It's a beautiful area with excellent pick-nick locations so it should be a lovely day. If you would like to join us we would love to have you. We will start from the public parking lot located across from the large power plant. Just send us a message at southofseoul(at)gmail.com so we know how much stuff to bring.

Video blogger On Your Mark World will also be there to document this very cool event and make sure everyone knows that they missed. Looking forward to seeing all the photos and hashtags on the 22nd. Let's get out there and clean!!

When: 10am
Where: 평택시 오성면 안화리 47-3 

Lunch Plan: Let's have a picnic together. Everyone bring something to share.

What you need to bring:

• Work gloves
• Water
• Clothes that can get dirty
• Comfortable walking shoes
• A snack to share
• A food item to share for lunch

What SOS will bring:

• We will pickup the bags from PIEF for the group
• We will bring extra water
• Items need for setting up the picnic (eating utensils, cups, plates, etc)

Please share the posters below and the Sig Flips the Table's Blog with as many people as you can. This is our chance to show Pyeongtaek residents "Thank you" for their warm and understanding hospitality by pitching in and helping make the area shine.

Pyeongtaek Summer Beach Bus Details & Dates

Updated: Click Here for Updated 2018 Blog

We are really SUPER excited about offering buses, leaving on select Saturdays, headed to beaches South West of Pyeongtaek. Bus travel is wonderful because you don't have to stress about traffic, worry about driving home tired, drinking beer, etc. They are also surprisingly affordable here so it's high time we gave this a try. The beaches where we are going are far more remote than most you will visit in Korea so they offer way more peace and relaxation than places like Busan.  

Going to these beaches is not for those who are looking for an experience just like the US or something like that. Korea is it's own world and it's a beautiful delightful world that we love living in because of these unique things. It's not for folks who are scared to be alone in a foreign country. Nobody will be holding your hand. It is for those that love peaceful adventures filled with sand and BBQ.

 

Dates                      Seats      Beach Cost

June 10, 2017         25         Mallipo  SOLD OUT

June 17, 2017         25         Yeonpo  18,000won/$17  CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

July 8, 2017            25         Mallipo  18,000won/$17  CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

July 22, 2017          25         Kaloom  18,000won/$17 CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

August 5, 2017      25          Mallipo  18,000won/$17  CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

August 26, 2017    25          TBD       18,000won/$17

******To pay in US Dollars: ******
OPTION 1: Go in person and leave cash with SAM at Attractive Coffee near Camp Humphreys. His shop is in the SOS app.

Sign up here: https://southofseoul.wufoo.eu/forms/kdkv6fb1bobbkq/

******To pay in Korean Won:******
OPTION 1: transfer directly to KB account 468601-04-118306 Name: Rivers-Woods
OPTION 2: Drop off cash with Sam at Attractive Coffee in Anjeongri. He has kindly offered to help with this. His shop is in the SOS app.

Sign up here: https://southofseoul.wufoo.eu/forms/kdkv6fb1bobbkq/

It's unfortunate that we must say this. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN-UP IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO PAY or there is a chance you won't follow through! This system works off of trust. Signing up and then not paying will cause our volunteers excessive amounts of extra work. It also means trips may be cancelled last minute and people who relied on you to follow through are left hanging. Please be polite, kind and civic minded.  Not following through does affect real people in your community negatively. 

Sign up here: https://southofseoul.wufoo.eu/forms/kdkv6fb1bobbkq/

WHY A BEACH BUS?

Pyeongtaek is close to a number of delightful beaches, yet they are surprisingly hard to get to because there are no direct express buses. I want to change that. Since many people in Pyeongtaek are interested in going to the beach, but few have cars, I’m going to help by scheduling 6 buses headed to different beaches in Taen starting in June and finishing in August. I’m not a travel company. I don’t want to be a travel company. I just want folks to have options.

 

IS THIS A TOUR?

Nope, it’s not a tour. It’s a bus to the beach. There won’t be interpreters, no hand holding, no special stops, or pre-made meals. The bus driver picks us up, drops us off, and we explore the area. You are going to love it. Bring all the things you need to just sit back and relax. They will not drive us to lots of different places along the way. We go from Pyeongtaek to the beach and back.

 

WHO CAN GO?

Anyone can go on the bus if they pay for a ticket. It’s for families, single travelers, teachers, military, friends, etc. You can be from Songtan, Anjung, Paengseong, Suwon, Dongtan, Yongin, etc. It’s also not just for foreigners. Bring all your friends no matter where they are from. It’s about having a beautiful time together in the summer. If you have a group that wants to go together (language meetup, church group, kids whatever, etc) just be sure to buy your tickets early so everyone can go.

 

WHERE WILL THE BUS PICK ME UP?

There will be three stops: Songtan Station, Pyeongtaek Station, and in front of Camp Humphreys walking gate. You will need to be there on-time. I am trying to make it as easy as possible for everyone involved.

 

ARE THERE DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR (fill in the blank)?

No, there are not. The bus costs a base amount. I’ve based the tickets on that price. I’m not a tour company. I’m not affiliated with the military. I’m not affiliated with anyone who gives me money to help make this all happen. So prices, are prices, are prices.

 

WHAT ARE THE BEACHES LIKE?

The beaches on the west coast of Korea tend to be shallow with very small surf and often no surf. This makes them really fun for kids because they can play like crazy in the water. When it rains or there is a storm at sea it will affect the clarity of the water. No way around that. It’s how the ocean works. Over the last few years we have seen clear blue waters as well as silty / muddy waters. Just depends on the weather around the time you visit. The beaches are sometimes a mix of rocky and sandy. There tends to be lovely tide pools and lots of little crabs to chase around. This is not Hawaii. It’s not South Florida. It’s not Mexico. It’s not a comparison game. I am sure that at some point in your life you went to someplace totally different than this and it was so much better. We aren’t going to the beach because it’s the best beach to ever exist in the world. We are going because beaches are awesome and these are the ones we have.

 

WHAT SERVICES ARE THERE AS THE BEACH?

There are always restrooms, places to rent floaties, a snack shop, maybe a restaurant, and often showers. 95% of the food is Korean since this area is not heavily visited by tourists due to the lack of public transportation. If you don’t like Korean food, be sure to pack a picnic for the day. However, there will always be a convenience store for drinks, chips, water, etc. If we get there and you did not bring food and also don't like Korean food, this was your own personal choice to go hungry. Korea has done nothing wrong by having it's own food at beaches visited by Koreans.

 

WEATHER

If there is a massive storm coming in and we know it 7 days before, we will cancel the trip and issue refunds. However, it the weather arrives at the last minute and we can’t cancel, the bus will be rerouted either to cool, unique location that’s fun in a storm. The alternate locations will be given in advance. Since we can’t control the weather and the bus is booked, we might as well go do something fun somewhere dry.

 

CANCELLATIONS

Due to the fact I’m not a travel agent and I’m just renting some buses to make life in Pyeongtaek more fun for the community (I have a car and can go on my own so this really is for the general community), the rules have to be pretty strict. If the bus isn’t reasonably full 7 days before the trip it will be cancelled. That means you must cancel 10 days before the trip if want a refund. Seriously folks, don’t joke around and leave folks hanging.

 

REFUNDS

Since I’m going to personally be responsible for paying for this bus, if you can’t go the day before I can’t give you a refund. What I recommend doing is finding somebody to take your spot. No, I can’t find somebody to take your spot for you. I literally have zero extra time in my day after coordinating everything so it’s going to have to be a group effort of personal responsibility to make this Beach Bus thing happen.

 

CAN YOU HELP ME WITH (fill in the blank question on the trip)?

No, not really. I will go on as many of these trips as I can. However, I’m not going as a tour guide, translator, or as information. I’m just another person going to the beach to relax. So, although I will be helping getting passengers loaded and making sure we don’t leave folks behind, that’s the extent of it. Due to the fact all the South of Seoul stuff has to happen around my full-time job, I have to be very strict about how things operate. I can manage the workload as long as everyone involved has a strong sense of community and personal responsibility. I don't have endless time to dedicate to this so please read everything before you ask questions. 

  

IF YOU AREN'T THERE WHAT WILL WE DO?

When I can’t make these trips there will be a designated person to contact who will be able to work with the drivers and be sure you get from Point A to Point B to Point A. 

You can download the South of Seoul App from:

October 29th Fall MATO Festival In Front of Camp Humphreys

Here is what you need to be doing tomorrow, Saturday October 29th, the MATO Festival. Trust me, it's pretty darn delightful. It's good, old-fashioned classic fun. Think small town festival with the simple delights of childhood. It's heart warming.

Even though I had seen the posters and such, I didn't actually go one until this summer. Now I'm sad I missed all the others. Also, I didn't even go on purpose. I was coming back from Costco and stopped off to grab a bite to eat only to discover a big old party happening on the shopping street outside of the Camp Humphreys walking gate. To be honest, I had even avoided the festival up until this point because the fliers and signs looked boring and I need real motivation to do something like leave my house on a Saturday.

Well, I was wrong and I admit it. This is a lovely and fun event because it's so darn community focused and makes you feel more connected. So I am encouraging you to get out there and be a part of this wonderful community party. Dress the kids up. Eat too much candy. Do the crafts. Hangout with your friends and drink in the streets (at least that's what I do at festivals).

There will be live music, dancers, booths, crafts, cotton candy and more. The perfect thing to do with a family on Saturday. This won't be too big or stressful and English is everywhere, this is the perfect event that lets you mingle with your neighbors and entertain yourself and the kids.

ALSO, tomorrow just happens to be the fall MATO Festival and they have coordinated it to coincide with Halloween. They will be having a costume contest for the kids and adults. Here is the information for those looking for an awesome Halloween event for the kids. There will also be trick-or-treating at local businesses but I don't have the information on that.

Get you there and celebrate fall before winter hits and you don't want to go outside for three months.

PIEF is Having KIMJANG!!!! Do ITTTTT!!!!!

Thursday, November 3rd 11am-2pm

 To Participate CLICK HERE and fill out this form

MollaKorea Recommended Event

It's that time of year again, time to make kimchi! and you need to sign-up for PIEFs upcoming event. Really... not joking... do it.

Kimjang / 김장(making kimchi as a community) is one of the most important experiences you can participate in while living in Korea. It's not about the food so don't skip it even if you don't like kimchi. This is about the community and working together to make something people will cherish throughout the year. It's a fulfilling and enriching experience that you can't quite put into words and I consider it the best thing you can do while living here.

So, why do I love it so much? Although I had made kimchi at home before, I can't say I understand it's value until I gathered with a large group of people to make it together. The first time I experienced it was when I went home with my bosses family for the weekend to help her aging parents make it for their family. Who knows what I expected, but it wasn't what I found. First of all, it's hard work to make kimchi for the year. It took two days and fifteen people to do everything the old fashioned way. During that time stories were told, dinners were had, and bonding was done. It was beautiful. It was real.

Up until that point I had sort of dismissed the larger kimchi events hosted by government programs as just another publicity stunt, but after my own experience I realized these mass kimchi making events aren't just about show, they are also about heart. It's an expression of love and companionship. To invite someone to make kimchi and to accept the offer is a beautiful point of bonding and agreement. It brings you together.

If you are going to do one thing while you are here, do yourself a favor and go to a kimchi making event. Embrace it even if you don't like kimchi. Slow down. Let go of what you believe you know about this country you live in and be in the moment. For one day, don't be jaded. A whole world of experiences can be found stuffing cabbage leaves with special sauce.

(You can see photos of our first kimjong here)

Find the Details on MollaKorea.com

Anjung / Pyeongtaek Chili Cook Off

After a busy weekend of tests, Halloween, jjimjilbangs and friends we topped it off by attending the Chili Cook Off being held near Anjung-eup. Despite not actually attending the church, the BBQ's, birthdays, Cook Offs and other intercultural events hosted by Deakwang Church of the Nazarene are a big part of our lives here in Pyeongtaek. We really enjoy the congregation and staff, many of whom have been close personal friends the entire time we have lived here.  It's a stable, supportive, and inclusive community.  

This particular Cook Off was both a potluck and a cooking challenge, so in addition to sampling five delicious posts of chili, we also chowed down on Indian, Filipino, Korean and American dishes.  

Sadly, this year we only contributed to the potluck and not the Cook Off due to our poor planning and lack of beans. That said, we would like to congratulate Ronnie for his wins as best overall chili and spiciest.  They were well deserved. Hoping that this will be annual event and next year we can give you a run for your money.

If you are interested in being part of these events, you can join their group on Facebook at Daekwang Church of the Nazarene,