Teachers Share their Experiences While Living Abroad!

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.

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Tags: olympics korea, things to do on the weekends, Weekend activities in Korea, winter olympics, Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018

ESL teachers are motivated to teach in Korea, because of the large amount of savings they can accumulate.  One such example of how you can save money while teaching in Korea is that the country is known for having cost-effecting housing utilities such as electricity, gas and water.  All year round Korean utilities are low, ranging between 70,000W-130,000W. However, Korean Winters’ are the exception. If you are not careful you could be surprised with a 200,000W-400,000W bill!

Korean Winters can be super chilly, often hitting temperatures of -18C in the January months. Icicles hanging from the trees, slippery roads and the ruthless Siberian wind that will cut through your clothes.  You will find yourself willingly turn up the heat in your apartment and repeatedly leave it on for the entire day. Over the years, I have figured out how to lower my Winter utility bill and often save more money during the Winter months than in the Summer months.  Now that the Fall season is starting to transition to Winter, I wanted to use this blog I to offer three tips which will help lower your utility bills in the Winter months and not force you to break the bank. 

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Tags: life in Korea, winter in Korea, winter olympics, save money, save money teaching English, winter, save, cold

Now that we are about to enter December and the weather has gotten cold in Korea I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about my favorite winter activities.  One of the perks of living and teaching in Korea is that you can experience all four seasons and although the weather can he harsh at time, there is still plenty of fun activities you can do. Below are my five favorite winter activities.   

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Tags: international, china, winter in Korea, food in Korea, Activities to do in Korea, cultural activities, winter olympics, snow, snowboarding, skiing, Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018

As the 2016 Summer Olympics came to an end, the tiny nation of Korea celebrated another victorious Olympic games and began looking forward to hosting the 2018 winter games in Pyeongchang. Korean athletes did their nation proud as they accumulated 21 medals and placed their nation 8th overall!  This is rather impressive for a small nation, against its larger competitors, China and Japan. Korea dominated in Archery and Taekwondo, winning 5 medals in each, and 4 gold medals in Archery. The whole country was suspended in awe and anticipation as the final rounds of Archery was being televised on the local network, KBS. It was definitely the highlighted topic at Chungdahm Learning among my students, during the Summer. 

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Tags: Olympics, olympics korea, KTX, future plans, life in Korea, Gangwondo, social life, sports in Korea, Olympic Park, Transportation in Korea, adventure, winter olympics, snow, snowboarding, skiing, pyeongchang, Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018