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83 S o m e t h i n G f o r e v e r y o n e Places like the Jeonju Diner are just one of the things that makes Jeonju so appealing to expats and why they stay so long. If you find yourself in Korea lost and unsure of what it is you want from your time here, Jeonju is unique because it can be whatever the hell you want it to be. You want to party? You got it. You want nature? They’ve got that too. Adventure sports? Yep. A little slice of Seoul in the countryside? New Hyoja-dong is just that. Jeonju actually has something for everyone, which makes it such a great community to live in. But a community is nothing without the people to make it what it is. Walk into Mad Hungry, the current hot spot for drinks, and most nights of the week you’ll find the loquacious Stuart Scott willing to share a story or two. Find Bart Messina, who can show you the best trails for mountain bikers. Look for Lyndon Capon, a 12-year veteran who will take you flying at one of the best paragliding sites in Korea. Do yoga on a Sunday morning with Shelly Apsden. Or you could just drink a lot of soju and eat to your heart’s content with some of the people who have been here for years as they tell you why Jeonju is such a great place to live. Just make sure you don’t have any other plans for the foreseeable future; you could be here for a while. It’s not uncommon to find expats on their third, fourth and even fifth contracts. “Walking the streets in Seoul or Busan, you can go for months without seeing the same expat twice,” says Leon Rose, a resident of Jeonju for over 13 years. “Not in Jeonju. It’s a smallish, close expat community. If you don’t know a person, you can be sure one of your friends does. Jeonju has been good to me. People like each other in Jeonju, people help each other in Jeonju and, as a result, expats stay in Jeonju.” e x t r a S e r v i c e Jeonju United’s main sponsor is the Jeon- ju Diner, a restaurant that owner David Van Minnen describes as a “reasonable facsimi- le” of a diner he used to frequent in Canada. He’s been here for over a decade, and it was his idea — no, passion — to bring a de- cent burger to the city. But it’s not just serv- ing burgers in a down-home environment that he seeks. He wants to help the com- munity in as many ways as possible. “People come to the diner for more than just food,” he says. “Sometimes it’s job search assistance, purchasing bulk products, having things shipped to this place as a kind of post office, even ordering things with the diner’s credit.” Since its opening, the diner has become a hub for foreigners. Whether it’s hosting Jeon- ju’s trivia night or giving up its kitchen for the day so local charities can raise money for their causes, Van Minnen strives to be an asset to the expat community. “This town is getting better, but it’s still not really that easy for foreigners to navigate and get what they want and need. I’ve always done whatever I could to ease that sense of isolation and frustration.” A Jeonju Diner burger and beer on his patio on a sunny day certainly does just that. ‘there are other teams in the league that are more talented, but none of them have the heart and desire that our team has.’ steven o’hara, Jeonju united manager MorE Info j Jeonju Players present “Comic Sans” When: Dec. 6 & 7 @ 7:30 p.m. Where: Johnny B. Studio in Jeonju www.fb.com/jeonjuplayers