What I did today: Mecenatpolis Mall (메세나폴리스 몰)

I haven't updated about my travels in a while because I took a week long trip around the country! If you follow me on instagram, you might have seen a few of my photos. I went to Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, Geoje, and Jinju, but came home a couple days early because I was too tired to continue. 

I took a lot of photos with my phone but not my camera, because I was too busy enjoying the sights in front of me :) I personally prefer to experience traveling by looking through my own eyes instead of a lens, which is why I haven't been documenting everything I do. Taking photos with my phone is a lot easier for me though, so soon I'll upload some shorter posts about what I did while traveling.

Yesterday, I returned to Seoul. I think I had two levels of home-sickness while traveling. One for my goshiwon in Seoul and another level for my hometown in Texas. I enjoyed seeing more of the country, but being back in Seoul feels so good!

Today, I treated myself to a small shopping trip and brunch!

Cafe Gaene 카페 개네 [ Myeongdong Cafe Review ]

I recently became acquainted with a sweet, fun girl from England at a hip hop concert and we decided to meet at 명동 (Myeongdong, a popular shopping district) for coffee and shopping! She recommended a dog cafe there and even though I'm more of a cat person, I really wanted to check it out.

Seoul "Forest" (서울숲)

Recently, I took a small trip to Seoul Forest. My experience was mixed, so I thought I'd share it here so you can check it out yourself and perhaps form a different opinion! I am categorizing it under "Korea Budget Travel Tips" because the park is free and some extra things to do inside are cheap :)

To start off, I made a video of my small adventure to give you a feel for the place. Overall, it was very peaceful, not crowded, and a nice place to take a long walk (or jog!).

Tour of my Goshiwon in Seoul + Tips for Living in a Goshiwon

I just wanted to start this post by explaining what a 고시원 (goshiwon) is.  It's a small room with typically only a desk, a bed, and a closet (also mini refrigerator and some shelving) which students usually rent to focus on studying. There's a communal bathroom and kitchen for residents to use and basic food is usually supplied (eggs, kimchi, rice, ramen). In this style, prices range from ₩200,000 - ₩400,000 per month ($175 - $345).

imi [Hongdae cafe]

It's been a while since I posted! I am indeed now in Seoul, but have been too busy to write up a decent blog post. However, I do regularly post small updates on my facebook page, so please give me a like if you haven't already!

I'm still working on the video tour of where I'm staying now, but until then I thought I'd post a review of a cafe I recently went to. The photos were all taken on my phone, so please bear with me ^^;

I liked this place because it wasn't crowded and the decor was simple, yet quirky and had personality! The name of the cafe is imi and it's located in Hongdae.