As a Kdrama fan of more than a decade now, traveling to South Korea has always been a dream of mine. I've always wanted to experience first hand their culture and visit their historical tourist spots. Now that Kdramas and Kpop are so popular here in the Philippines, it's not surprising that a lot of us here have the same dream. To be honest, the journey of getting an approved Korean Visa here in my country is truly difficult and challenging so being given this opportunity is such a blessing. A blessing that shouldn't be missed and so the planned winter trip with a college friend pushed through. 

Honestly, I was quite worried of how I will be able to adapt with the winter season for a week since I'm not used to the cold weather. But yes, I survived and I was able to go to lots of places without any hassle. As we go around Seoul and also several provinces nearby, there's a lot of things that I noticed about their culture and how their locals go about their daily lives. I've listed some of them below.

1. Though South Korea is not an English speaking country, they can actually understand some words or common phrases. Make sure to follow it up with hand gestures for better communication with the locals. But the most challenging part is reading signages in Korean characters so Google image translate will be your best friend.

2. To be able to navigate around Seoul, Naver maps and Kakao maps are two useful apps that you need to download on your phone. Google maps is not reliable in South Korea so definitely skip on that one.

3. For a Filipino like me, my first impression of Seoul is that it's like a bigger version of Bonifacio Global City or Makati business district. You'll find so many high buildings and skyscrapers everywhere. 

4. South Koreans seems generally nice. We met some nice, helpful people too who offered directions when we looked lost. Some store owners who can speak English did engage a bit of conversation with us. There are also a few gentlemen who will actually wait and hold the door for you when you're behind them while entering establishments. I was actually surprised with the gesture and at the same time grateful to the locals I've encountered.

5. As someone who lives in a tropical country, visiting South Korea during their winter season was kind of scary and worrisome but surprisingly, you'll get used to it after some time. Maybe it also helped that during our travel date, they were about to transition to Spring. So just be prepared and wear proper and thick clothing, suitable for Winter. Though mostly, there are heaters when you get inside public transportation and establishments.

6. I noticed that it's common for women in Korea to be fond of drinking alcohol too. Maybe because of their cold weather and a part of their culture. So those seen in Korean dramas with the female leads getting drunk at times are true for we came across tipsy women walking along the streets at night twice. I guess it's okay for generally, it feels safe walking around Seoul even at night.

7. People in Seoul loves to socialize a lot even on weekdays which kind of surprised me. Here in Manila, people would normally socialize and drink with friends or co-workers during weekends. 

8. Their love for coffee is evident with so many coffee shops and small coffee to-go stores everywhere. Coffee lovers like me will love the fact that you can get your coffee fix anytime, anywhere. Also yes! they do love drinking iced americano a lot. What surprises me is the fact that they can even drink it while walking outside during winter.

9. Most of the shops and establishments everywhere opens at around past 10 am or 11 am. Sorry early birds! Only a few are open really early in the morning. But around night time, the locals can stay out until late even on weekdays and their night scene in most areas are very lively.

10. What I admire the most about their country is their efficient transportation system. But be prepared to walk a lot so I highly suggest that you wear comfortable shoes. To blend in, just wear a pair of nice rubber shoes. I also love how their system integrates transfers between trains and buses through T-money.

11. The city of Seoul is actually surrounded by five mountains. Some roads can also get high and steep. Now I understand why some Koreans loved staying in Baguio city before. Staying there must have reminded them of home.

12. You will notice how much they value their history and culture. You will even find restored historical places and palaces in the middle of the city. Even their locals continuously visits their palaces from time to time.

13. South Koreans are also fond of fortune telling. I noticed a lot of fortune telling booths around Hongdae, which is known for its youthful vibe given it's near location to several universities.

14. We noticed that being in a relationship or going out as a couple seems important in their culture. It's quite common as well to see young couples showing their affection in public.

15. Prices in Gangnam are really higher as compared to other places. But honestly, I can't feel the difference aside from that since other parts of Seoul seems the same for me. Even the other districts in Seoul houses high buildings all around.

17. Locals use credit cards more often as compared to cash when doing payments or purchases. Cashless transactions is the common practice there.

18. Locals are mostly glued to their phones a lot especially when commuting. It might be because it's a general rule to be quiet inside trains or buses. Generally, it is safe to use your phone or even just hold it in plain sight whenever you're outside. Surprisingly, locals even leave their mobile phones on cafe tables to reserve seats.

19. To line up for one's turn is a norm there which I find really polite. We noticed that even the locals take their sweet time to line up in order to buy food from some stalls or wait for their turn to get a table inside the popular restaurants. So if you want to know where to eat really good food, just look around for restaurants or shops with lines outside. Patience is definitely the key though.

20. Koreans seems fond of transforming small alleyways and old structures into really nice themed cafes and restaurants. Their love for restoring and maintaining their Hanok styled houses is really evident.