Join me and my dog for cultural exchange, cooking, and creative garden projects in Tongyeong, South Korea

Details

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  Description

  [Welcome to My Creative Workshop in Tongyeong]
  
  1. My Style & Hobby
  
  I am an economist based in Seoul. My passions are nature, animals, and DIY projects.
  Whenever I visit my second house near the sea in Tongyeong, I enjoy bringing creative ideas to life through gardening, DIY projects, and creating unique outdoor spaces. My garden is always evolving, with new ideas and projects in progress.
  
  2. Creating Together
  
  This is a personal hobby project, not a business. I host Workawayers because I enjoy meeting people from different cultures and believe that the best ideas come from sharing different experiences, skills, and perspectives. Creating something together allows us to make something that one person could never create alone.
  If you have your own creative idea, I would love to hear it. Let’s make it happen together.
  
  3. Projects Overview
  
  Hidden in the heart of downtown Tongyeong, just 100 meters from the sea, my house is surrounded by a garden with centuries-old heritage trees. Some of these trees are older than Van Gogh himself. Walking through this historic garden, I began to imagine: "What if Tongyeong's 200-year-old garden had met Van Gogh?"
  This simple question became the beginning of my creative project. The warm seaside atmosphere of Tongyeong reminds me of southern France, where Van Gogh, Cézanne, and other artists found inspiration from sunlight, nature, and coastal landscapes.
  I hope to gather people who share this imagination and transform my garden and house together into something unique.
  This is a place where art, gardening, DIY, cooking, and cultural exchange come together. Every project is an opportunity to learn from each other while creating something that could never be made alone.
  
  3-1. Creative Garden
  • Small World Lantern Garden Creation
  • Gardening & Landscaping
  • Pergola transformation inspired by Van Gogh's "Café Terrace at Night"
  
  3-2. Creative House
  • Artist-themed room styling
  • Fragrance and aroma workshop using scents and extracts from 200-year-old heritage trees
  
  3-3. Yokjido Island Creative Farm (Long-term Project)
  A sea-view natural farm project on Yokjido Island.
  • Developing natural farm spaces
  • Raising goats and creating homemade goat milk products (artisan cheese, yogurt, and natural soap)
  • Building outdoor cooking spaces and traditional BBQ experiences (Pizza oven, Asado grill, smokehouse)
  This project is suitable for people who want to stay longer and create something meaningful in nature.
  
  4. Daily Life & Travel: Exploring Korea from Tongyeong
  
  We usually work together for around 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. Weekends are free so you can explore Korea.
  After daily work, we enjoy dinner together and exchange stories about our countries, languages, travel experiences, Korean culture, and sometimes economics or business if you are interested.
  The rest of the day is yours to relax and explore Tongyeong. You can discover hidden alleys, local markets, and seaside cafés.
  
  4-1. Our Location: The Perfect Base in Tongyeong
  My house is located in the heart of Tongyeong. Most tourist attractions are within walking distance, and the ocean is only 100 meters away. Tongyeong is famous as the birthplace of many Korean artists. Its beautiful seaside scenery has inspired painters, musicians, and writers for generations.
  Tongyeong is also a great base for exploring Korea. From here, you can easily visit islands, countryside areas, and big cities.
  Busan is only about one hour away by bus, and many beautiful places in southern Korea can be visited as easy day trips.
  
  By staying here, you can travel more and save money. You can leave in the morning, explore another city or island during the day, and return to Tongyeong at night without paying for another hotel.
  This is a special opportunity to experience different sides of Korea — cities, countryside, and islands — while using one comfortable place as your base.
  
  5. My Promise: Your Second House in Korea
  
  If you stay for around 3–4 weeks and become part of this project, I hope this place will become your second house in Korea.
  As the lantern garden grows, I hope participants who spend meaningful time here can leave their own wishes and memories inside the lanterns.
  When you return someday, your lantern will still be here, carrying your memories and waiting for you.
  You are always welcome to come back, relax, and visit the spaces we created together.
  
  6. Preferred Volunteers & Duration
  
  I especially welcome independent solo travelers aged 30+ who enjoy creating, cooking, gardening, or simply sharing ideas and life experiences.
  This project works best when we have enough time to know each other and create something meaningful together, so I normally ask for a minimum stay of 3–4 weeks. For Yokjido Island, longer stays are especially welcome.
  
  7. How to Apply
  
  Please send me a message introducing yourself, telling me about your interests, experiences, and why this project speaks to you.
  I look forward to creating something meaningful together.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Self development

  

  Pets

  

  Charity work

  

  Farming

  

  Culture

  

  Carpentry

  

  Writing

  

  Plant care

  

  Photography

  

  Gardening

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Books

  

  Animals

  

  Sailing / Boating

  

  Team sports

  

  Adventure sports

  

  Nature

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Camping

  

  Hiking

  

  Cycling
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You can also visit my farm house on Yokji Island, about an hour away by ferry. You can enjoy fishing, kayaking, or simply relaxing by the sea.

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  Help

  What I’d love to learn or share with you.
  
  wood-oven pizza, smoked BBQ, Japanese oden & ramen, Mexican tacos, asado, Homemade pies, ice cream & sausages, Korean comfort food (which I can teach you!)
  
  💡 Preferred Volunteers
  Preference is given to people who have experience in cooking, baking, or café work. but more than skills, I’m looking for someone who truly enjoys cooking and loves sharing food and culture with others.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Japanese: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  I love cultural and language exchange through food and daily life. I can help you practice Korean, and I’d love to learn your language while we cook and talk together.
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  Accommodation

  Accommodation & Meals
  
  You’ll stay in a clean, comfortable private or shared room (1–2 people per room) with heating, air-conditioning, and Wi-Fi.
  
  We always share meals together like friend— and sometimes local neighbors or friends drop by to eat with us, too.
  
  It’s a warm and friendly home environment, not a workplace.
  You’ll have your own quiet time to rest, and we often enjoy good food and conversation together in the evenings.
  
  There, you can experience fishing, kayaking, or simply relax and enjoy peaceful island life surrounded by nature.

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  What else ...

  On your days off, you can explore Tongyeong by riding my e-bike and visiting local markets, hidden alleys, and seaside cafés.
  You can also walk along the beach with my friendly border collie and enjoy the peaceful harbor view.
  Sometimes we take short ferry trips to nearby islands or visit my second project on Yokji Island.
  Life here is quiet and warm — we cook, talk, and share stories with local neighbors and travelers.
  Please keep the place tidy and respect others’ space, just like a family home.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  The house has a strong Wi-Fi connection and several quiet spots to work — you can use the living room, terrace, or garden area depending on the weather. Many digital nomads enjoy working here in the morning and joining our cooking or cultural activities in the afternoon. The environment is peaceful, surrounded by trees, sea breeze, and birdsong, making it easy to focus and relax at the same time.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  choco

  type youtube "border collie choco"

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