There’s something I really haven’t understood in all my travels. Let me set the stage. I’m in Ao Nang, Thailand, walking along a street comprised of the same tacky t-shirt shops, restaurants, tailors, massage parlors, and pubs. I’m wearing my Korean “the foreigner is coming/leaving” shirt with my Nakhon Si Thammarat Buddha pendant. I’m...
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The Boryeong Mud Festival is being held on the west coast until July 24th. I had the chance to take off work early Friday, hop a bus to Pohang, and meet up with a crazy group of people to bus it over to the infamous party. Check it out.
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It’s the 4th of July today, an American holiday celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Rather, the draft of the Declaration was signed on July 2nd, but the parchment which now sits on display in Washington DC is the transcribed copy we now consider the cornerstone of American history. In any case,...
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I throw my opinion into the ongoing debate for incoming English teachers: public schools or privates (hagwons)? Most of the time, it’s a no-brainer: public schools for better vacations, stability, and sick days. But there are some reasons why you might want to risk a hagwon.
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…at least in terms of teaching English as a foreign language. In fact, I have (thankfully) not yet tried to devour any of my students, no matter how many invitations they seem to give me. When you’re teaching and want to provoke certain answers, sometimes you just choose questions so ludicrous that students have...
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When I first stepped off the bus that Saturday afternoon last August, I found myself in a small little Korean town, one that I could see from end to end. Nothing too complicated, no big surprises. The biggest noises were from protestors’ loudspeakers outside the nuclear power plant… but they haven’t showed themselves in...
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I’ve been getting a little frustrated with teaching lately. Part of the reason is my students’ growing disrespect: - One boy in my blue class actually pulled out a Harry Potter book (in Korean) and started to read in the middle of a lesson. - A gold class student lied right to my face...
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Why travel by ferry when there are other options? Cruises. Flying. For me, it comes to comfort. Ferries take a little longer, but there’s more amenities on longer trips, like table tennis. And even if the ride is longer than a few hours, the overall commute is just… well, easier. Consider someone in Seoul...
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Completely unrelated to this entry is an event that happened today. You know what I’m talking about, English teachers, or anyone who’s worked abroad… the dreaded “in OUR country, we do things this way” or “this is part of OUR culture”, as if Korea has a license on certain cultural values… some would be...
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Health Insurance Just like the Japanese, Koreans enjoy two types of insurance and pension plans: the national plan, which covers all citizens by default, and the employee plan, which is only available for companies that employ five or more workers. As an employee of a small hagwon (학원), I only qualify for the national...
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