Aside from the many memories, photos and letters from students, I did buy some keepsakes to ‘remind’ me of my year of living in South Korea. Always keeping my eye out for pieces that I love, souvenirs are such a special objects that I hope I can have a place one day to display them all.
One of the good things about South Korea is that they still have a strong manufacturing industry so many items are still made in the country. For me, having items made in the country is a big factor when buying souvenirs.
We are Suwoner keyring
I lived in the town of Suwon and always thought that I should find something that reminds me of the town. At first, I thought that I could buy myself the local soccer team shirt but 1) I know next to nothing about soccer 2) they are always made of polyester so I never reach for them and 3) I never seemed to be around to catch the games (where I could go to a store at the stadium to buy a shirt). Towards to end of my stay, I was roaming around the cafes around the fortress walls when I came across a small cafe that was selling this keyring. The cafe name is something else though so I’m not sure if it’s actually from a local designer or just a happy coincidence that it is just ‘We are Suwoner’ but I thought it was still a nice momento to keep as a reminder of the beautiful city that I loved to call home.
Small ceramic set
I picked up this set of vases from the art district of Insadong. Celadon (pottery items made of this green colour, which is also celadon) spread from China to parts of Asia including South Korea. During the Goryeo dynastry, celadon became the traditional Korean ware and was also the time of peak high quality production. Obviously these important artefacts are in the museums but there were small pottery pieces being sold in Insadong. Moon jars are also famous in South Korea which were made during the Joseon dynasty. You can find small moon jars and magnets in Insadong too. I thought this was a nice reminder of the history of South Korea and portable enough for me to bring back home.
DIY iron on pouch
A nice and easy souvenir was a store where you could make iron on pouches, bags, keyrings and pencil cases. They had plenty of Korean themed iron on patches and I decided to choose the flag as a little reminder. I think I was one of the few big kids in the store who was making something for myself and not a gift for someone else! It’s handy to keep any loose essentials in my bag together and easy for me to move from bag to bag if needed.
Set of prints from Busan
Attracted by the colours of these prints, I bought this set of prints from a small gallery in the Gamcheon Cultural Village. In both prints, the artist included the Gamcheon Cultural Village and to me, both prints signify adventure, daily wonder and human connection (isn’t that what life is all about?). One day in my future place, I’ll have these hanging side by side.
Pouch, bookmark and Busan magnet
The pouch and bookmark were the first 2 souvenirs that I bought in South Korea. The pouch has proven very useful so far. I’m not sure why I bought the bookmark, I have some bookmarks lying around but for some reason, I’ll use a piece of paper as a bookmark instead. I need to swap these pieces of paper out. The busan wooden magnet I bought was from another cultural village in Busan. To me, it is also a nod to Soju, one of the national drinks of South Korea.
Do you have any favourite souvenirs you use or see daily?
Lingo in Transit 
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