Hello World, and welcome to the beginning of this breathtaking journey that I’ve embarked on, you are all very welcome to join.

If you haven’t read my About Me page, let me quickly introduce myself. My name is Jana, I’m 26 and currently living in Seoul, South Korea.

I get often asked what made me just suddenly quit my job, pack my bags and move to South Korea, effectively pressing pause on my life and my career for a year. Many expect a dramatic answer: a nasty split from a boyfriend (nope), getting fired from my job (wrong again) or a quarter-life crisis (that’s a little more like it, but still no). The more boring answer is that it was a long time in the making.

I’ve been wanting to take a year off to travel for many years now. First I wanted to do it after graduating high school, but I thought it would be better to study first. Then I thought I could do it after finishing studying, but I got offered a job right out of college and I took it. At some point it hit me that my window of opportunity for a working holiday was closing, and that I was working in a job, where I didn’t see myself staying for decades to come. I was single, had no responsibilities other than myself and knew if I didn’t do it now, I would never do it, and I’d regret it for the rest of my life.

The second question I get asked is “Why South Korea?”

When people think of working holidays, most people picture working on farms in Australia and chilling on the beach in your off-time. While I have a lot of friends who did you just that and enjoyed it immensely, I knew it wasn’t for me. I wanted a culture shock, I wanted to get something more out of it than just a fun year abroad, I wanted to have something to show for once I’d go back to ‘real life’, some assets like a new language, new work experience, great adaptability…To make it simple I wanted a challenge. And oh boy, I got it…

The choice landed in the end on South Korea, thanks to some friends who introduced me a little to this fantastic and vibrant country.  South Korea, right now, is more famously known for its flamboyant K-Pop industry and for their dramas. While I do enjoy some good K-Pop bops and a few dramas, I wouldn’t go as far as to label me a K-Pop fan, nor a koreaboo…

So with this blog I want to take you all along with me on this journey, so if you want to learn more about South Korea, working holidays and my other travels, stay tuned!