Seoul is a city of colors and sounds. The place is teeming with activity. You walk around at night and the place is as busy as during the day. South Korean society is a paradox in itself. 

On the one side the traditions are very important. For instance, there are different ways of addressing a person according to his or her rank in society. Also age is very important. When young people meet they always ask what year the other is born in - only if you are from the same year can you be considered a peer. When entering most restaurants and bars you are required to take your shoes off. The list of old traditions goes on. This is what gives the Korean culture so much character.

My friend from Belgian recently returned to her Korean roots and showed me around Seoul. This is her and her friend. They say the main things that represent Korea are : IT and advanced technology, food 
(Korean barbecue is a must!) and... Fun stationary and cool socks... Yes, very random but it's original to say the least! :-)

Then on the other hand, the country is very advanced in modern technology. Youngsters are crazy about social media and all the technology that enables it. Bloggers are stars. The need to share is very strong. The happiness for these people is being creative and sharing their lives with as many people as possible. 

We were lucky to meet some of these superstar bloggers and share with them too. They gave us the most amazing gifts: an mp3 player with their favorite music, a photo album with pictures taken by them, a t-shirt illustrated by them. I must point out that we have encountered so many generous people who have given us presents and things to remember their country by. We are very lucky and honored to receive such special gifts and always feel bad having nothing to give in return… apart from a bottle of Coke!