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.
Read MoreTags: 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
Going to a new country can be intimidating. There’re so many things to prepare before departure, and the added pandemic made things even more difficult. High death tolls back in the States, flights being cancelled, supplies difficult to come by. I was very stressed before coming to Korea. I was wondering if I would still be able to make it considering all that was going on in the world. I hope this article will answer some questions about what it was like arriving in Korea. The honest answer is it was perfectly fine.
Read MoreTags: teaching in Korea, things to do in Korea, applying to teach English, teaching at Chungdahm, growing with Chungdahm, pandemic, COVID-19
While in late February, the world may have looked down on Korea for being the first country outside of China to face a covid-19 outbreak, it didn’t take long for the world to see how the Korean government and people have handled dealing with this pandemic. Now, many world leaders from powerful countries around the world turn to South Korea for knowledge and supplies to overcome the outbreaks being faced in their homelands. My family no longer expresses concern for me being in Seoul, and much like I’ve heard from colleagues and fellow expats, they now advise me to stay in Korea. While I can go down a rather impressive list of reasons why I feel I am in the best country to live in during this pandemic, I will condense my list down to my top three main reasons.
Read MoreTags: teaching in Korea, things to do in Korea, teaching at Chungdahm, growing with Chungdahm, online learning, pandemic, COVID-19
"I just don't understand why they do it that way." This was probably my most used phrase during my first month in Korea. It wasn’t my first time abroad, but I was experiencing a lot of new things - like the traffic rules, the banking system and a new style of management at work. My first few weeks in Korea was a time of huge change. It wasn’t just eating kimchi with most meals - in fact the new cuisine was something I really loved about Korea. It was more about feeling out of place and accepting a new way of doing things.
Read MoreTags: preparing to teach in Korea, Teach English in Korea, Teach Abroad, Teach English overseas, things to do in Korea, things to do on the weekend, cities in Korea
Cheonan is a growing city about 30 to 40 minutes south from Seoul on the KTX. Among many Koreans that I met, it stays in their mind as a small, rural city. But coming from a truly suburban and rural city in California, it is hard to categorize Cheonan as a truly small city anymore, most parts from the KTX station to the Shinsegae mall are pretty urbanized and connected by subway or busses.
Read MoreTags: preparing to teach in Korea, Teach English in Korea, Teach Abroad, Teach English overseas, things to do in Korea, things to do on the weekend, cities in Korea
I know what you’re thinking, “What an exciting title!” But trust me this article contains important information to help you navigate a topic that you wouldn’t normally think would be confusing. Recycling and waste disposal in South Korea is actually pretty different than in North America and other Western countries. Prior to moving to South Korea,I had no idea that there were any major differences with trash and recycling but I was very mistaken! Hopefully after reading my article you’ll feel more informed and prepared for the changes to come.
Read MoreTags: preparing to teach in Korea, Teach English in Korea, Teach Abroad, Teach English overseas, things to do in Korea, things to do on the weekend, restaurants in korea, busan, garbage, trash in korea
It’s about to be a full two years since I began living and teaching in Seoul. I started my journey by applying to Aclipse. While I am so grateful for my luck finding Aclipse, I am particularly grateful to my recruiter Colette. The reason I am especially grateful to Colette is that she not only helped me find employment at my current branch in Gangnam, Seoul, but that she recommended me as someone to join the Aclipse team.
Read MoreTags: teaching in Korea, things to do in Korea, things to do on the weekend, teaching at Chungdahm, growing with Chungdahm, career, aclipse
Before moving to Busan, I didn’t know very much about Korean food. I did very little research and was surprised when I got there and realized that most Korean food is very meat-centric. I used to be a vegetarian and have never been a really big fan of meals centered around meat (aside from burgers!). I quickly tried to find a couple restaurants where I could enjoy foods from back home, here are a couple of my favorites!
Read MoreTags: preparing to teach in Korea, Teach English in Korea, Teach Abroad, Teach English overseas, things to do in Korea, things to do on the weekend, restaurants in korea, busan
In Korea, I feel like I'm able to live and afford a better lifestyle than I had back home (in the U.S.) because the cost of living is very cheap here! In this article I'll break down some of the biggest costs and the price difference between Korea and the U.S. I've lived in Busan for over a year, so some of this information might not be accurate for other locations - for example I've heard Seoul is a little bit more expensive.
Read MoreTags: preparing to teach in Korea, Teach English in Korea, Teach Abroad, Teach English overseas, things to do in Korea, things to do on the weekend, busan, Beaches in Korea, cost of living
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.
Read MoreTags: 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