The Aclipse Blog is produced by current teachers in Korea!

        The “happiest place” on South Korea is definitely Everland. Nestled in between mountains just outside of Seoul, I really felt disconnected from the city and away in another world.  Coming from Los Angeles, California to Korea to teach English, I didn’t expect Everland to be all that great compared to Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Six Flags Magic Mountain. I was proven wrong.

As English teachers in Korea, it can be hard deciding how to spend your free time. Sometimes it feels like there is just too much to see and do in Korea. The weekends are just too short to fit in everything that I want to do. If only there was one place that combined all of the things that I would like to do in a weekend.

In the Winter you will have the chance to see Korea’s beautiful snow capped mountains. My boyfriend came to visit me here during his Winter break, and we went on a trip to Yongpyeong Ski Resort. Yongpyeong is Korea’s largest ski resort with 31 slopes, and has been selected as the host of the 2018 Winter Olympics. My boyfriend and I chose not to go skiing this time around, instead we went mainly to relax and enjoy the scenery. 

 1. The Foreigner:Korean ratio in Seoul

        One of the great things about teaching English in Korea for Chungdahm is that instructors have the opportunity to make extra money during the students’ summer and winter breaks.  During this time, Chungdahm offers Winter/Summer Workshops which are three hour classes in the morning usually from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Depending on your branch, class schedule may be a bit different. The class subjects range from basic reading, listening, and comprehension to TOEFL test preparations.

                                                  Halla Hospital, the biggest hospital on Jeju

                                                 My newest form of transportation!

When I first arrived to teach English in Korea, I was worried about how much Korean would be spoken in the classroom.  To my relief, here at Chungdahm, there should be no Korean spoken in the classroom.  While this is a constant battle, here are a few tips to help keep an English only classroom.

For women coming to teach in Korea, you will need to find a women’s clinic you can rely on and feel comfortable going to. After reading other blogs on peoples’ experiences with finding the right women’s clinic in Korea, I began to get nervous. Many girls said they felt like they were being looked down upon, and felt awkward as if their privacy was being invaded. They claimed that in Korea there is a lot of stigma towards women having sex before marriage. However, this upset me because women should be getting regular check ups with an OB/GYN even if they are not sexually active. My coworker recommended this hospital to me because there is an English speaking doctor. I was welcomed and treated very respectfully with smiles all around.

        Before coming to Korea to teach English, I didn’t think the winter here would be this freezing!  Coming from sunny side Los Angeles, I was spoiled. I thought the winter in Los Angeles was cold enough. Boy was I wrong. Korea’s winter is a true winter with REAL snow. Outside of the common ways to stay warm, I picked up a few tricks and ways to stay warm.