Cindy Ung is a ChungDahm Learning alumnus whom I met during our training week back in the winter of 2011. Not only have I had the privilege of being friends with Cindy, she also introduced me to Aclipse Recruiting. Originally from New York City, Cindy studied at Rutgers University where she was able to learn about teaching opportunities in Korea. Wanting to broaden her perspectives of the world, she lived and worked for ChungDahm in Seoul for two years and since leaving ChungDahm over 3 years ago, she has become a successful real estate agent in New York City. However, every year during her vacation she always opts to come back and visit Seoul for the week. When I ask her why doesn’t she go travel to another country, she always says that that Korea has become her second home. For many of us teaching in Korea, I think Korea will always have a special place in our hearts just like hers. Below are Cindy’s top 5 reasons why she continues to come back to Korea.
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korean fashion,
ewha womens university,
shopping in Korea,
food in Korea,
friends,
partying in Seoul,
hongdae,
party,
Cafe,
Gangnam,
myeongdong,
internet cafe,
fashion,
Seoul partying,
dog cafes in korea
It is summer of 2016 and I have been teaching in Korea and living here for almost 5 years. I thought I would only be here for 1 year and head back to the U.S., but I kept finding myself wanting to stay. Some of the reasons I’ve decided to stay are for financial reasons while others are for personal reasons. Below are the top four things that I’ve learned while living abroad.
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Korean culture,
saving money in Korea,
friends,
Money,
Korea friends
Just like in America, bowling is a popular sport here in Korea. Within a mile radius of my home, I have about 4-5 bowling alleys nearby that are usually packed during the night time. Luckily for us teaching in Korea, Chungdahm’s Event Planning Team was able to reserve an entire alley (20 bowling lanes) for our company so we could have Chungdahm’s Second Annual Bowl-O-Rama!
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bowling,
events in Korea,
hanging out with friends in korea,
friends,
teaching at Chungdahm,
chungdahm
Thanksgiving is a new and exciting holiday for us South Africans. Over the past four years that I have taught in Korea the more I get involved in different cultural events the more I have come to adopt festivities that are not my own. I really look forward to American Thanksgiving, Canada Day, Chuseok, Chinese New Year and Halloween. This is the great thing about traveling, the longer that you live abroad the more diversified and global you become.
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Tags:
Teach English in Korea,
Teach Abroad,
Teach in Asia,
teaching in Korea,
things to do in Korea,
friends,
dinner,
abroad,
Activities to do in Korea,
Thanksgiving,
festive season,
groups,
friendship
A big thing that most foreign teachers fear is missing out on all their favorite Western holidays. Especially the idea of living in Asia and knowing that most of the East’s holidays are not aligned with the West’s. In Korea, the major holidays are Chuseok (Korean thanksgiving) and Solnal (Korean New Years). If you live in the countryside, Koreans don’t really celebrate big Western holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you live in big cities however like Seoul, Busan or Daegu then there will be Koreans who celebrate Western holidays and who enjoy partaking in them.
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Teach Abroad,
Teach in Asia,
teaching in Korea,
a year in Korea,
things to do in Korea,
halloween,
friends,
abroad,
Activities to do in Korea,
Thanksgiving,
Korea friends,
Teach English in South Korea,
Holidays in South Korea
Back home gathering on towering skyscrapers is not something I am accustomed to. But while living in a bustling country like South Korea it is an activity I have come to love, and a weekend I look forward to. Rooftop gatherings can include relaxing sun bathing days, mini-pool excursions, fun parties, chilled dinners, and breathtaking night time views.
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summer in korea,
living in Korea,
friends,
cities in Korea,
entertainment in Korea,
rooftop,
outdoors,
Activities to do in Korea
One of the awesome things about working for Chungdahm Learning is that there are many opportunities to branch out and experience other aspects of the company besides just teaching English. I have been fortunate enough to have the chance to teach the Summer Photography Class for the semester, which consists of a tremendous group of Chungdahm instructors. Recently, the photography class had an outing to the famous Pulitzer exhibition currently showing in Gangnam, Seoul.
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things to do in Korea,
friends,
Activities to do in Korea,
teaching at Chungdahm,
photography,
exhibition,
outings,
instructors
The friends you make in Korea are probably friends you’ll make for life. Most expats who have lived and taught in Korea can generally agree that Korea bonds friendships in special ways. It has something to do with the Asian factor, the shared teaching experiences, or the adventurous learning moments. The Korean experience shares similarities with the well known term ‘the traveling bond’, yet the major difference being that your friends in Korea are more than just friends… they have or will become your Korean family.
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Tags:
teaching in Korea,
foreigners in korea,
friends,
family in korea,
friends in Korea
So it comes that time again to talk about “renewing my contract.” It’s been another six months teaching since my term break and my manager approached me this week asking whether or not I will sign again, hoping that I will sign again of course. Giving me just two weeks to decide, it’s a tough going for sure. There is still so much that I want to do in Korea that I feel like I haven’t yet. I am also lost in the transition of whether or not I want to teach forever or go back to my New York roots. With that said, this week has been difficult for sure. There’s been a lot of thinking, laughter, and tears with family and friends discussing the issue.
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Tags:
friends,
teaching at Chungdahm,
memories,
term end
I won't lie, this week in Korea has been rough. I should be elated for the upcoming weekend forecast of warm weather and birthday celebrations for yours truly, but my heart's a little crushed. A handful of fellow teachers have departed or are preparing for the long journey back to their respective countries and I'm just now realizing how much they've influenced my time abroad. I mean, come on, they basically made it.
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Tags:
Korea,
friends,
abroad,
goodbye,
teacher,
expat
