
Ulsan Family Loses Everything
Local UK expat Peter Muffet, his Korean wife Mia and their 2 children (ages 1 and 8) are dealing with the most unimaginable tragedy that unfolded on February 12th. Their family home was engulfed in flames for nearly an hour which destroyed everything they own. There are no words to express the shock and sorrow their family is feeling. Mia and the children were unharmed however Peter sustained significant burns covering nearly half of his lower body and a lot of his back, which will require multiple surgeries. He is still being heavily medicated to deal with the excruciating pain and will be for the foreseeable future. His recovery time is expected to be 3 to 6 months with no guarantee of regaining full range of motion. As a result, he is not able to work, play with his children, or even leave the burn unit at the hospital. Click here for the Korean News article on the house fire Peter is a very caring, loving and generous man. He regularly wore funny costumes at work to make a point of making new kids feel welcome in his class (like Patch Adams). He especially loved families and children, and was the kind of guy who invited all of the children from his daughter’s kindergarten...
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Korail Talk: An Essential App for Traveling in Korea
For many years people have relied on this site for a lot of their travel information. Bus and train times in particular, continue to be a top search term despite being kind of outdated. One of the reasons that I have not included a detailed schedule of the KTX train and whatnot is simply because the Korail app and site do the job much better. Also why add the extra step to complicate the process? I prefer the app over the website for the simple reason that it is mobile and the app acts as your ticket. There is no need to print anything or go to the counter. The other thing is that the app has saved me from so many headaches as you can book and cancel tickets on the go. This to me is worth it’s weight in gold. Getting Started The first thing that you are going to want to do is download the app from the play store or the app store, depending on your device. When you first load up the app, it will be all in Korean. Don’t let that scare you, it takes just a couple of clicks to switch the app into English. Download for Android Download for Apple iOS First, click the 3 little...
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ReLEx Smile: The Future of Laser Eye Surgery
In 2019 we’re not yet in the business of space exploration or active stem cell therapy, however, we are at the forefront of the exciting and incredibly advanced changes in the field of vision correction. The newest revolutionary technique providing patients a new eyesight in a fast and effective manner, is called the ReLEx SMILE surgery. With the minimally invasive treatment, it is now possible to perform an eye surgery through a keyhole operation, without the need of separating...
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Surviving Christmas in Ulsan
Christmas can be a hard time for us all. Whether this is your first Christmas away from home or your 15th, it can have it’s ups and downs. Recently, Ulsan and surrounding areas have been getting more and more into the Christmas spirit. This makes it a lot easier to get into the spirit of the holidays here. That being said, Christmas (and much of life here in Ulsan) is what you make it. The ingredients are all here...
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BGN Eye Hospital
Nowadays modern society is unimaginable without smartphones and computers, and while more and more people find themselves inseparable from them, cases of eye problems are also increasing. Myopia, Astigmatism and Hyperopia at a younger age, and Presbyopia, Cataracts and Glaucoma at an older age create a greater need for professional and affordable eye treatment. BGN Eye Hospital is a general eye hospital that provides all kinds of ophthalmological treatment including LASIK&LASEK Laser vision correction, ICL surgeries, cataract surgeries, presbyopia...
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The Ulsan Metropolitan Library
April 2018 The Ulsan Metropolitan Library recently opened it’s doors near Samsandong. This modern library is a great addition to Ulsan and an extremely functional space for the public. What makes this library great is the fact that they made great use of the space making something that is enjoyable for all ages with modern up-to-date features. Getting a Library Card In order to take books home, you will need a library card. You can use any computer in...
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How to Renew Your Passport in Ulsan
There may come a time when you have to renew your passport. Being in Ulsan, makes this a little more difficult than places like Seoul or even Busan. If you are travelling to countries like China, you will need 6 months or more on your passport to get a visa. Thus, you may find yourself trying to figure out how to renew your passport easily in Ulsan is a must. This will be an ongoing article as we collect...
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Staying Warm in Korea
Winter in Korea is no laughing matter, even for those of us from Canada. Heating an apartment no matter the size can get extremely expensive. Not to mention, the Korean floor heating system or “ondol” can also be a bit confusing. Hopefully this guide can help you stay warm this year and keep your bills in check. Mastering the Ondol One of the hardest things to master in Korea beyond the language is the heating system. When I first...
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Guide to Online Shopping 2017
A lot has changed in the time that I have been here. One of the biggest changes (and a welcomed one) is the recent ease that one can order items off the internet and have them shipped right to your door. While Korea is arguably lightyears ahead of many places with regards to domestic online shopping and their amazing taek-bae delivery system, as foreigners we often suffer when trying to order items from home. In recent years, things have...
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Ulsan: Then and Now
It was almost this time way back in 2003, when I stepped off the plane and met the recruiters who brought me to my first hogwan. It was located in Samsandong and although it has changed names a few times the school is still there. Looking back, it was an interesting time because I was a new teacher and living in an area that was not the most cosmopolitan of places at that moment. Ulsan was still primarily a...
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