I have a little bit of a love/hate relationship with Korea today. These moods go on and off throughout the months, but I feel like today it's especially warranted. Yesterday Derik was T-boned by a driver completely not paying attention to where he was going. As you all know by now, road laws in Korea are more of a suggestion than actual laws. Because of this we have to be extra careful drivers to avoid stupid accidents. Yesterday Derik was driving down a main road when someone pulled out quickly from a side road and rammed straight into the back quarter panel of Derik's car (yes I know what a quarter panel is…thanks to my year of working for ERAC). Thankfully the man wasn't going that fast, and they were both not injured. If that ... Read More
Springtime in Geoje
If you haven't noticed from my Instagram feed lately, I have a slight obsession with spring. Call it the warming temperatures, the blue skies, or the blooming flowers, I love it all. My allergies on the other hand have been working overtime to make sure I know exactly what season it is - the one that brings itchy eyes, runny noses, and constant sneezing. I do my best to forget these allergies by fully immersing myself into any springtime activity that I can (pretty sure it's actually making my allergic reactions worse #ohwell). Asia is known for it's stunning spring landscapes, and with 2014 being third one we've experienced, I can honestly say I have yet to be disappointed. I've spend a lot of time outside lately enjoying it, and it's ... Read More
Teaching ESL is Hard
Here's the plain truth: 99.9% of people don't know what an ESL teacher is, or what they actually do. The shocker? Neither do I sometimes. Some may try deceiving their relatives into thinking they have this huge important job, when really that teacher hasn't the slightest clue what's going on. Welcome to my world. Sigh. Here are a few disclaimers about this post: a. I've never worked in a public school, and I know 90% of their employed foreigners are legitimately putting together lesson plans, learning boards, etc. b. This is a generalized post about the stories and jokes bounced off of teachers in a social setting. Don't take this post too seriously. c. I really do love the randomness of my job. If anything it leads to a very ... Read More
Tips on Moving Abroad
There is nothing scarier than moving abroad, especially to a place you know nothing about. Before moving to Korea in February of 2012, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I would be living in a 'real' house (or if I would be living in a grass hut), eating fish heads, and having to hand-wash my underwear (wait, aren't you supposed to do that anyway). Just like every other first time expat, I had no idea where to begin with the whole 'uprooting our entire existence' thing and moving to a land completely unknown. Now, after two years of being in Korea I feel like I can impart some elementary wisdom I've learned on the subject of moving abroad, in order to shed some light for someone else. Disclaimer: I'm not ... Read More
Geoje Sculpture Park
Sometimes we get caught up in the 'travel' and 'sightseeing' part of living, we forget to enjoy the things right outside our front door. We spend so much time planning on going other places, we don't see the beauty in where we are now. Geoje Island is the very south east tip of Korea, and has been home to Derik and I for almost two years. We love it here. Geoje is filled with mountains, beaches, flowers, and surrounded by the bluest ocean. The other weekend Derik and I woke up to the most gorgeous day, and knew we had to get out to enjoy it! We decided to head over to Geoje Sculpture Park in Jangseungpo. We had heard briefly about it from friends, but had never visited. Although it's a small park, we had fun milling around and taking a ... Read More
Have I Changed?
In about two weeks I will take my first step onto American soil since Feburary of 2012. Actually, onto any English speaking country's soil. The only places I've visited while in Korea the past two years have been places in Asia. I have fears. Mostly ridiculous, but they are there-looming above me like a cloud. Not a dark cloud, because I'm not scared, they're just curious fears (that doesn't even make sense but bear with me). Don't laugh to hard, because these are legitimately serious. 1. Have I lost my knack for speaking English? I catch myself all the time saying really weird things. In an average day I make about 50 grammatical errors in my speech, and painful ones at that. Sometimes I just have to stop talking because I get all ... Read More
Korea has Taught Me…
In the (almost) two years I've lived in Korea, this country has taught me a lot. I'm beginning to learn certain customs and ways of life, and some things seem pretty bogus to me, but there are a few things Korea has given me a new mindset about. Below I've listed the top 10 things Korea has taught (the good, the bad, and the bizarre) me-in no particular order. I've mixed the bogus with the more practical…I'll leave it up to you to decide what's important to know. 1. Never to get mad at that Indian customer service representative again. This one is something I've learned while living with the crazy language barrier. Living back in the US I took speaking English for granted. People around me (as well as myself) would often complain about ... Read More
Miss/Don’t Miss (part 2)
On our one year anniversary living overseas, I listed a bunch of things I missed/didn't miss since being an expat in Korea. I decided to give this post a sequel a bit early. I was going to wait for the year two party (February 16th), but we'll (most likely ) be off in Thailand galavanting with elephants and tigers, or laying on the beach. I say most likely, because I'm not entirely sure we'll be able to leave Hawaii after living there for the whole month of January. First of all, I'm a little sick (which, in my mind, means I'm dying) with a common cold, and I'm pretty much a pansy over everything. My pansy-ness over being sick often comes out as sarcasm, so if this post is a little harsh....tough. I didn't make you read it, you willingly ... Read More
Busan International Fireworks Festival
This past weekend we finally went to something I've been patiently waiting a year and a half to go to. We went to the Busan International Fireworks Festival. Here's the deal. It took me TONS of convincing to get my husband to drive up to Busan, where over 1 million spectators would be fighting us for a prime spot to see the show. I may have let it slip earlier this month that this particular festival was the only one I've ever really wanted to go to, and it would be the PERFECT birthday present. If you don't know by now, you should probably know I have an obsession for fireworks. I explain all about it here. Somehow my birthday present thing worked on Derik. Or maybe my husband is just super stellar and would wait around for 8 hours ... Read More