I'm really happy that my first expat interview is someone I can say is a close friend of mine. We spent our first year abroad together. Sam was a fellow teacher at the Jinju Mirae Center who recently made her way back to the United States after spending a year teaching English abroad. For Sam's…
Continue reading ➞ Talking with Expats: Sam
As most of you know, Jared is not the first friend who has come to visit me in Jinju. When Hannah came, I was still new to Korea and didn't quite know what to do or where to go. But while I've gotten to know my city pretty well, there are still a lot of…
Disclaimer: Christine in Korea is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Since making the decision to move to Korea I have gotten a lot of questions. Some of these questions come…
I still remember my first two weeks of teaching. More specifically, I remember how much of a train wreck I felt like. I always seemed to have extra time at the end of class and I didn't know how to explain grammar structures in a way that made sense, nor did I include enough activities…
Day in and day out, it's easy to lose track of how much time has passed. As each day comes and goes in my new life, I sometimes forget that it's already been over two months since I first arrived in Korea: excited, hopeful, and a little overwhelmed. Now, as I sit in my 4th…
When I first applied to teach English in South Korea I had no idea how lengthy or intense the process would be. While the first few steps went rather quickly, there were many weeks spent in waiting for one thing or another before I could move further along in the process. If you have considered…
After two weeks of teaching, all I have to say is that teaching is hard. Quite possibly, it's one of the hardest things I have ever done. I tried not to kid myself going into it; I knew that my babysitting experience and time as a tutor for other college students would pale in comparison to what…
Continue reading ➞ Adventures in Teaching: My first two weeks as an educator
I'm sure you're expecting that me to say that when I arrived in Korea I was overwhelmed with culture shock. That these last few weeks have been an endless series of events that shocked and unnerved me, or even just caught me off-guard. While for many people, culture shock is common when visiting or moving…
Continue reading ➞ Korean Doctors, Elementary Night Owls, and Culture Shock
Every morning I wake up and the thrilling thought goes through my mind: I am living in South Korea. While it was a long and winding road that brought me here, I know that the underlying factor that ultimately landed me in Jinju is the fact that I chose to major in something I loved, despite the…
I can't believe an entire week has passed since I touched down at Incheon Airport in South Korea. Getting here was enough to make me avoid getting on another airplane for a long time, but I am happy to report that I have settled into my new home quite nicely. After arriving in Incheon,…
