Few people out of all the world’s population have the privilege to travel…and exceptionally fewer choose to act on this opportunity or circumstance. My name is Linda Gaida and I'am from Spartanburg, South Carolina, and I graduated from Washington and Lee University in Virginia. After the experiences I had during my undergrad years, traveling to different places in Europe, Asia, and South America, and witnessing varieties of opportunities available to people, I knew three things. First, I wanted to be valuable for others. Second, I wanted to be valuable for myself. And lastly, I wanted to travel or move. As a result I decided to pursue education.
Read MoreTeachers Share their Experiences While Living Abroad!
First Impressions of Living and Teaching For ChungDahm in Busan
Posted on Thu, Jan 12, 2017 @ 11:12 AM
Tags: markets, April Institute, busan, chungdahm
Market Shopping: How to wisely spend your money on groceries in Korea
Posted on Thu, Aug 14, 2014 @ 11:18 AM
Although Korea saves you money in many areas, grocery shopping is not one of them. Buying fruit and vegetables in Korea can be really exorbitant and possibly on par with European prices. It’s probably because as foreigners we are craving all those delicious products from back home such as strawberries, cherries and walnuts. We are used to cooking with certain items and eating certain foods. One of the toughest parts of living in Asia is learning a whole new way of cooking and having to try new vegetables and fruits that seem foreign to us.
Tags: eating in Korea, shopping in Korea, food in Korea, markets, Market, market day, local market, Fruit, Vegetables, Activities to do in Korea
As I was preparing to move to Korea, I kept reading online that it was actually cheaper to eat at restaurants than it was to eat at home. This can definitely be true, but I still wanted to cook at home. It took me a while to fully suss out all of my grocery options without getting discouraged -- veggies and (especially) fruits can be significantly pricier here, as are things like ground beef. But, if you know how and where to shop, it's easy to find good deals and not break the bank while trying to cook at home.
Tags: shopping in Korea, food in Korea, markets, market day, Costco, traditional market, groceries, convenience store
Korean street food. Three words that will always, without a doubt, get my attention. As someone who's constantly hungry, the delicious options at the street food carts in Korea won me over instantly. Imagine my excitement, then, when a friend suggested stopping by Gwangjang Market in Seoul for dinner, telling me it offered basically every kind of street food imaginable...
Tags: things to do in Korea, what to do on the weekend, what to do in korea, food in Korea, markets, Market, traditional market, cheap eats, Weekend activities in Korea
One of the things I've learned about Korea is that Korea loves markets. While I think I've done a good job of exploring as many markets as I can in the past two years, I'm kicking myself for just now making it over to the Seoul Folk Flea Market. It's kind of amazing, offering a glimpse into the past with a slew of antiques and vintage items, and you should go check it out as soon as you can.
Tags: seoul, shopping in Korea, markets, Market, flea market, seoul folk flea market, traditional market, tourist attraction
Imagine a warehouse with tiny booths packed so full of beads and yarn and fabrics they look ready to explode. Then imagine narrow little aisles sprawling out into an impossible maze. Multiply this by a thousand and put it into six floors of a building. Voila, you have Seoul's Dongdaemun Fabric and Craft Market. It's a total sensory overload of colors and textures and people, but for the crafty DIYer, it's basically heaven.
Tags: seoul, Korea, shopping in Korea, markets, traditional market, art, tourist attraction, tourist attraction in korea, dongdaemun, crafts
This past weekend, Osan hosted their monthly traditional market, so some fellow Chungdahm teachers and I went to check it out. Traditional markets are very common in Korea, and any length of time spent in this country needs to include a visit to a market. So what makes Osan's market so special that we traveled a couple hours to get there? Well, according to the great internet, it's been around for over 200 years. A mention of it exists in a publication from 1792 called Hwasong Kyolriji, proving it's been around for a very, very long time.
Tags: american brunch in korea, Korea, south korea, what to do on the weekend, what to do in korea, markets, Market, market day, traditional market, osan, osan market, brunch, Weekend activities in Korea
To quote my favorite show, Girls, "You tend to over-think things and that's an issue for you." I do tend to over-think things, particularly when it comes to my creative endeavors. I paused for two years post-college contemplating the perfect writing platform and waiting for the proper 'experience' to come along that would prove to be blog worthy. Teaching and living in Korea helped me to realize that I could learn to write about anything anywhere and I could no longer wait around for perfect circumstances. I needed to write as much as possible and only then would I become a better writer.
Tags: electronics, camera, Yongsan Electronics Market, Yongsan, seoul, shopping in Korea, markets
Middle school exams are coming up and this gives English teachers in South Korea more time to explore.
Tags: teaching in Korea, food in Korea, markets, diet in korea, eating healthy in Korea