SAMANTHA YPMA: I flew from Edmonton with a connection in San Francisco, I flew with United Airlines. The flight from San Fran to Seoul was a long one, 12 hours!
PR: Do you take that travel pillow with you, like some people on planes? You must admit they are badly needed sometimes.
SAMANTHA YPMA: Luckily the airline provided everyone with a pillow and a blanket which was awesome; I needed the sleep for sure.
SAMANTHA YPMA: Seoul’s airport wasn’t too complicated but I sat beside a fellow Canadian on the place who helped me out and showed me where to go so it was pretty easy to figure everything out.
PR: Do you ever do some duty free shopping on airports?
SAMANTHA YPMA: Duty free is my favorite!
SAMANTHA YPMA: I am represented by DCM Agency in Seoul, it is my first and only agency in Asia.
PR: Have you been to other Asian markets, or do you plan on going to some later on?
SAMANTHA YPMA: I have not been to any Asian markets other than Seoul. I have no plans of heading to another Asian market right now but who knows where the future will take me!
SAMANTHA YPMA: The model apartments are great! Very nice area of the city and a lot of space which is really nice.
PR: How many castings per day did you have there? Is it a busy market?
SAMANTHA YPMA: The market has been pretty good, I didn’t really know what to expect but the work has been good. The first day we came here we had 10 castings.
SAMANTHA YPMA: I have always enjoyed Asian food but I had never eaten Korean food before coming to Seoul.
PR: What was your favorite?
SAMANTHA YPMA: I don`t know what it was called but I had a really good rice noodle and vegetable pasta in a spicy sauce, and the spicy soups are really good as well!
PR: Seriously, what were you eating there???
SAMANTHA YPMA: I have mostly been cooking for myself but I have been to a few little Korean places. I also went to a Bulgarian restaurant called Zelen and I have to say, that was probably the best meal I have ever had!
SAMANTHA YPMA: Yes I do love my chicken salads! I like it with:
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lettuce
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onions
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green red and yellow peppers
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mushrooms
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jalepenos
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and chicken of course!
SAMANTHA YPMA: There were a few little supermarkets really close to the apartment which was great.
PR: At the supermarkets, are there also some common Canadian or American products that you recognized or is everything Asian?
SAMANTHA YPMA: There really hasn`t been a lot of Canadian or American foods that I recognized. That was one of the hardest part: trying to figure out what I was buying because most of the things were in Korean.
SAMANTHA YPMA: The fashion is great! Everyone is always dressed so nicely, even if it is just to go to the supermarket, I really love it!
PR: Did you spot any trends that can be also spotted in Canada?
SAMANTHA YPMA: Most of the basics are the same as in Canada although people there definitely dress up a lot more than they do back at home, I really enjoyed that! I think people In Seoul are more into fashion than where I come from for sure.
PR: What are your must have items for this fall/winter season?
SAMANTHA YPMA: For fall I am really into military jackets, chunky boots, and camel anything!
SAMANTHA YPMA: Neither haha, I`d really rather just go to the gym but if I am choosing one I`d say pilates.
PR: What gym did you go to (in Seoul)?
SAMANTHA YPMA: In our agency building, which is about a five minute walk from the apartment, there is one of the biggest gyms in Seoul.
SAMANTHA YPMA: There were really no places I was warned of, even walking around there late at night and even into the morning people are all around, I’ve really felt quite safe everywhere I’ve been – which is great.
