Teachers Share their Experiences While Living Abroad!

Attending a Korean Wedding

Posted on Thu, Jun 11, 2020 @ 12:00 PM

All cultures have different wedding customs and it has been a great experience to attend a few Korean weddings during my time in Seoul. Korean weddings greatly differ from the weddings I’ve attended in the US. Also, to give some perspective, I come from Mexican heritage, so I have experience attending Mexican style weddings and American style weddings - both of which are very similar to each other not that I can compare the two with Korean weddings. 

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Tags: love, Korean culture, things to do in Korea, Korean cuisine, things to do on the weekends, Korean traditions, Weddings in Korea, Korean food, Korean fun

Monica's Favorite Places in Korea

Posted on Tue, Aug 27, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

Before moving to Korea, I had to decide where I wanted to apply for/live. I decided on Busan because it’s a little bit smaller than Seoul but still a big city with many things to do. I also wanted to live in Busan because it has a lot of beautiful beaches. After living in Busan for almost a year and a half I’m happy with the decision I made! Busan is a great city and I’m really glad I live here. In spring and fall, there are lots of mountains to hike around Busan, in the summer there’s always a new beach to explore and in winter there are lots of spas, shopping, and nightlife options.

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Tags: Korean culture, Teach English in Korea, Teach Abroad, moving to Korea, Teach English overseas, Teach English abroad, things to do in Korea, busan, things to do on the weekends, top places to travel in Korea

Tips and Tricks for Classroom Management

Posted on Tue, Aug 20, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

When I started teaching over a year ago, I didn't know very much about the working culture and educational culture in Korea. When I first started at iGarten, I was really surprised by the amount of workbooks and worksheets kindergarten students had to complete every month.

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Tags: preparing to teach in Korea, on arrival, Korean culture, Teach English in Korea, Teach Abroad, moving to Korea, Teach English overseas, Teach English abroad, things to do in Korea, busan, iGarten

My Experience Moving Abroad as a Couple

Posted on Tue, Aug 13, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

About 6 months after my boyfriend Colin and I started dating I asked him if he'd be interested in teaching abroad. I'd always wanted to live abroad and I knew he wanted to travel as well - I was so excited when he said he was open to the idea of teaching in Korea! Almost a year later we moved to Busan. I’m so thankful to Aclipse for making this all possible and finding a school where we could both teach and work the same hours. Moving overseas as a couple has a lot of perks, and I have been so thankful for this experience! Having lived in Busan for over a year, I've met lots of single people, people who started new relationships while abroad, and other couples who moved abroad together. Regardless of your relationship status, living abroad is an unforgettable experience. I'm especially grateful I was able to share these memories with Colin.

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Tags: preparing to teach in Korea, on arrival, Korean culture, Teach English in Korea, Teach Abroad, moving to Korea, Teach English overseas, Teach English abroad, things to do in Korea, busan, iGarten

Discovering My Heritage

Posted on Tue, Aug 06, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

Discovering My Heritage

By Rebekah Alcalde

“Where are you from?” the nail salon owner asks. She tilts her head when I say, “America.”

“Oh, but you look Korean,” she says confused. “I am,” I try to clarify. “I’m here teaching English.”

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It’s a conversation I’ve had a few times since I arrived in Korea five months ago, armed with little more than a few Korean words and phrases and scared absolutely stiff. I was born in Busan but adopted to the United States by an American family when I was a baby. I’ve had very little experience with Korean culture, and I was very anxious about it.

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Tags: Korean culture, teaching at CDL, Traveling Asia

Why I Chose Korea

Posted on Tue, Jul 30, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

Why did you choose Korea? That’s a question I get asked often - both by foreigners and by Koreans. I knew early on that I wanted to live abroad after university. I just didn’t know where. Often people are surprised by my response. I guess they assume that I’ll see I was a huge fan of some K-Pop idols and/or watched a lot of Korean dramas. However, my appeal of Korean culture came in a very different manner. 

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Tags: preparing to teach in Korea, Korean culture, moving to Korea, teaching in Korea, teaching at Chungdahm

Take the Plunge, Make Life Richer

Posted on Tue, Jul 16, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

 

Uprooting your life, whether to a neighboring state, or internationally, and trusting it’s the right move, is never easy. There’s money to be saved, perhaps for that overpriced U-Haul, or in our case, for a flight to Seoul. There’s goodbyes to be had, some easier than others, even if they are just temporary. Luckily, a few are permanent - I’m sure you have your own list of culprits. We all do.

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Tags: Korean culture, benefits of living in Korea, living in South Korea, korea history

Hanbok Experience in Seoul

Posted on Fri, Jul 12, 2019 @ 04:46 PM

Recently, a long time friend visited me in Seoul. It was great to have the opportunity to be a tour guide. Also, it was a chance to feel like a tourist myself. One Saturday, my friend and I decided to explore the northern part of Seoul in hanboks. Hanboks are Korean traditional clothes. Like the colorful, vibrant, elegant, gorgeous and regal looking clothes one sees nobility wearing in historical Korean dramas. This was so exciting for me! At that point I’d lived in Seoul for a year and a half, and been a Yonsei University exchange student for a semester in the past, but still hadn’t worn a proper hanbok. I’d only work the top of one for a photo booth session with friends as a student. I want to share the highlight of this day - from my hanbok selecting experience to the two places I explored in my hanbok.

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Tags: Korean culture, hanbok, top things to do in Korea

Cherry Blossoms Everywhere:The 5 Best Festival Locations in Korea

Posted on Fri, Apr 06, 2018 @ 12:19 PM

It’s finally that time of year again - spring! The weather is nice out, the sky is clear, and the sun is shining. What marks the beginning of the season the most in Korea is the long awaited and short lived cherry blossoms blooming. I live next to a main street lined with these amazingly beautiful trees. Walking to work these days has been very peaceful and relaxing due to the sight and smell of cherry blossoms.

The cherry blossom forecast date predictions occur about a month before its time for them to bloom. Depending upon which area you are living in, the time frame to enjoy the cherry blossoms is slightly different. Unusually, the time to see cherry blossoms when they are the most enchanting is in early April. Being informed about when the expected cherry blossom season occurs in advance is a must, so that one can plan accordingly considering the experience only last about two weeks. Only two weeks. Sad. I know. Still, these two weeks are when traveling around Korea on fun weekend adventures will result in the best photos that you can show off with.

The following are five locations around Korea that offer the best cherry blossom festival experiences. Enjoy!

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Tags: parks, nature in Korea, Korean culture, life in Korea, outdoors, Spring, cherry blossoms, outdoor activities, korea spring, things to do in seoul, leisure

Need to Know: Korean Holidays (PART 1)

Posted on Tue, Apr 03, 2018 @ 09:23 AM

You know about the BIG holidays in Korea, such as Chuseok, and Seollal. But there are a lot of other holidays that are a big part of life here. Usually, Koreans work very hard. They study hard, they work long hours at work. So, that means that when they get free time, they use it to the best of their ability. This leads to some really culturally enriched holidays that are relatively new. They are important for the younger generations, and people are getting into them more and more with each passing year. For example, Christmas used to be seen as only a religious holiday for Christians, and then a couple's holiday. But these days it has become more accepted as a much larger holiday. The same goes for Halloween. Before, only foreigners used to celebrate Halloween. However, now it is becoming a much more significant part of Korean culture. Like these two, there are a variety of interesting and unique holidays, and also some variations that you should know before coming to Korea.

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Tags: Korean culture, Valentine's Day, Holidays in South Korea, holiday gifts, korean community, holiday season, White Day

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