Category: Expat Tales

Moving date is looming closer, and I bet nerves, excitement, and other strange emotions are beginning to run rampant throughout your pretty head. Don’t worry, future expat, you’re not the only one who has had doubts and worries right before leaving your comfort zone for a year. The current expats in Korea, myself included, would like to offer you some sound advice on everything and anything expat and South Korea related.

It’s lunchtime, Thursday, in the middle of the business district. A small market has taken root in an abandoned parking lot and over the last year has blossomed into a merry gathering. The nearby office workers now have more to eat than reheated leftovers. The market vendors now have a recurring weekly trade. Win/win. But…
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One of the best things about teaching in Korea is the pay. We’re all friends here, so we can go ahead and say that the nice paycheck we get monthly from EPIK is definitely one of the perks and main reasons some expats never leave Korea. I was already at the ripe age of 25 when I first moved to Korea, so I’d already had a string of jobs under my belt and some experience with handling my money. However, all of my money saving ways went out the window the moment I moved to South Korea.

So there it was, one fateful dinner with my yoda-but-not-yoda aunty had once again put me on the path to my future. So I took this new found destiny and I played with it and shaped it, stretched it, twisted it, and slowly but surely molded it into my own version of what I wanted it to be. That is how I came on to the idea of teaching abroad in ESL.

My obsession with blogs about living in Korea hit an all-time high the month before making the move myself. I scoured the Teacher Blogs tabs here on Reach To Teach and daily checked every single one of them for updates. What I found at times was a bit disheartening. Many expats had a blog post dedicated to a subject I was convinced I’d never come face to face with: life in Korea can become dull.

China is a mysterious place to most people who have never lived there. Even if you have visited China before, there are some things you just can’t understand unless you have lived and worked in the Middle Kingdom. My friends and family back in America cannot conceive of what China is really like. Here’s a little ditty to help them (and you) get a better perspective, and put to rest these 5 misconceptions about China.

Summer sunshine has finally arrived in Korea, which gives us residents an exact 2 week window before the heat and humidity begin to crush our spirits. If there’s anything that’s true about Korea, it’s that the seasons are extreme. Before I retire to my apartment for the next 2 months where I will create a dark, cool bat cave in which to hide out from the oppressive weather, I’ll give you some helpful tips on which Korean summertime icy treats will help cool you off with their tasty flavors.

Let’s go ahead and jump right into part 2 of the 10 things Korea does better! Remember, these are my picks, so if you have different choices, write it in a comment below! I’d love to know what unique things you love and will miss about Korea when it’s your time to go!