Teachers Share their Experiences While Living Abroad!

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. 

For those who enjoy visiting scenic spots, enjoy nature and like a light workout, then making a stop at Haneul Park should be on your to do list. Haneul translates to sky. It truly fits this park, because one truly has to put the work to rise into the sky in order to get to this location. The park is located in the top of a small mountain. There are three ways to get to the top of the mountain - ride a golf cart, walk the hike or take the stairs. I opted for the hike. While I would of prefered the golf cart ride, I didn’t want to miss out on the chance to enjoy the nature on the way up. Also, there was a long line in order to wait for a golf cart to take me up. I choose the hike over the stairs, because while the stairs look very cool, they look challenging. 

These days it is so cold in Seoul! It’s mid-winter and the outdoor activities are limited. If you are an active and adventurous person like myself, then you’ll be happy to know that there is an indoor game and sports experience spot right outside of Seoul. The place is called Sports Monster. It is located at one of Korea’s largest shopping malls Hannam’s Starfield, which is about an hour and a half away from Gangnam by bus. It is significantly faster if you go by car or taxi. There isn’t a direct subway line that goes out to Hannam. So, I suggest planning a trip out there in advance to account for the transportation time it takes to get there. 

The summers in Korea can be rather hot and humid. While I was born and raised in sunny California, the difference is the humidity. In California are hot and dry. Thus, as the humidity is finally coming in at full strength, I quickly planned a weekend trip to the coast! 

In the past, I’ve traveled to several popular coastal locations - Gangneung, Samcheok, Yeosu and Jeju. However, this time I wanted to seek out a lesser known area. Thus, I choose Taean - specifically Anmyeon! It is only two and a half away from Seoul’s Express Bus Terminal in Seocho-gu, Seoul. So as I like to do, I’ll break down the highlights of the trip.

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.

In my first year in Seoul, I left the city approximately five or six times. The city can get a bad rep for being too crowded, too commercial, or too concrete. Call me biased, but I tend to disagree. It’s easy to do so when the Han snakes through the city’s half and Bukhansan plops right in the middle. But don’t get me wrong--leaving Seoul once in a while is good for the spirit and for the lungs. One of my favorite places to venture to is perfect for a day trip. It’s peaceful, expansive, and right off Line 4 on the subway. After a long winter, my friend and I decided to make our way down and it ended up being one of my favorite days of the year. 

When I first came to teach in Korea in 2013, now four years ago, I was naive about the world. I had always been taught to put limitations on myself, and my experiences. I was taught that I can’t do things. That some things are not safe. It reminds me very much to those living in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Shire. Much like a Hobbit, I was afraid of the outside world and ignorant of what was out there. But putting my feet outside of the U.S. was the best decision I have ever made. And if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be able to achieve any of the wonderful things that I have already, and will achieve in the future. One of the things I was able to achieve and cross off my bucket list during my time abroad was attending the Winter Olympic Games in Peyongchang last weekend.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever be able go to the Olympics, but thanks to some good fortune this dream became a reality.

Hiking is one of the most popular recreational activities to do in Korea, and one of the best times to do this in during the Fall.  During the Fall in Korea, not only is the temperature cool enough to make the hiking conditions comfortable, but the foliage also provides for many scenic and colorful views.  It is for this reason  why on a recent Saturday morning in Seoul, my girlfriend and I had signed up for a trip, through meetup, to visit MunGyeong SaeJae, which is located in the heart of Korea.  Despite it lightly raining and the temperature being on the chilly side, we dressed warmly and got on a bus which would lead us to our hiking destination.  This would be my first hiking trip I have taken during my time teaching in Korea, and I was especially excited for this adventure as the outdoors were currently filled with warm fall colors.

My name is Benjamin Kelsey and I’m from Chicago. I graduated from Olivet Nazarene University in 2014 with my degree in Elementary Education. Upon graduation I wanted to go to live and teach in Korea because I had never travelled anywhere before and my wife Jessica told me about the possibilities of working with Chungdahm. After applying and interviewing through Aclipse, I eventually received a contract to teach for ChungDahm and in November of 2014, I moved to Geoje with Jessica and we taught English together at the Geoje Chungdahm campus. and lived there for a year.

After moving back to Chicago for year and half, my wife and I became bored and we yearned to go to Korea to begin teaching again.  After applying through Aclipse again, we recived contracts this past May to work for ChungDahm at their Seodaemun branch in Seoul.  While we love living and working in Seoul, we wanted to make you all aware of the amazing year we had living on Geoje.

It's finally warm enough for a cold-blooded person like myself to go camping! And that's exactly what my friends and I did to celebrate a birthday! The birthday girl chose to travel to Miryang, specifically for Hobakso Pond. Miryang is just a little ways northwest of Busan, so still very much in the southern portion of South Korea. Hobakso Pond is said to have been a spiritual place where people would come to pray for rain many years ago. We read that today, people still visit to enjoy the waterfall, the fairly-deep swimming hole, and the large slabs of white rock faces and boulders.  In this blog I will recap my camping trip in the woods and tell you why you should get a way from the city one weekend during your time teaching in Korea and do the same.