Ken in Korea

An American man's journey to South Korea to teach English.

[keninkorea]

Hey ! From what I read your living in korea si I was asking myself how was the life there. Is it hard to get along with Korean people and how is your lifestyle is it hard to adjust yourself to there culture? I'm sorry if I ask to much I'm curious

Hope you don't mind me answering this question publicly, but in answering this I think I covered some things other people have asked me about too.

Life as a foreigner in Korea is going to have its ups and downs, and it does. But I would say overall the experience is an incredibly good one. If you keep yourself open to new ideas and experiences you should have very few problems. I think a lot of the stress that people feel teaching in Korea comes from the fact that Korea is such a fast moving nation and so schedules can change at the last minute. I try to always have a back-up lesson or activity in case there's a last minute class change and I don't take it personally if there's a class cancellation. 

As for getting along with Korean people, I think a lot of the same things apply. Koreans are a very diverse group of people, even though the nation is fairly homogeneous. I live in a rural city and so a lot of people living here have a limited exposure to foreigners. It means that I feel some responsibility to not fall into the stereotypes, which can be some extra pressure when you're out in public, but I find that people are, on the whole, incredibly nice and try to work with you if you're having trouble. My experience has been that as long as you are respectful you get repaid 10 fold.

My lifestyle in Korea is pretty relaxed. It's been hectic these past couple months with the provincial cuts and trying to find a new teaching job before the start of the next semester, but that's a exception to the norm. If you do/can do all your lesson planning at school, then your time outside of your work is all your own. There are a lot of holidays that give you half or a whole day off, and if your principal is kind, they sync up with the weekend to let you go on bigger trips. Our city has an amazing group of foreign teachers and we do a lot of activities together, from pub quizzes to weekend trips. Travel in Korea is pretty cheap, so if you want you can go to a different city every weekend without going broke. I would say that I am doing some kind of activity nearly every weekend and do many things during the week after work. 

Finally, culture adjustments. Korean culture is a great mix of older traditions and hyper modern. Most of the major western culture comforts are a big deal in Korea too. I would say that the biggest adjustments for me culture-wise have been the following: 

1. You are not expected to eat all of the food you are given. This has been the hardest habit for me to break.

2. "Okay okay okay". This expression sounds to an English speaker like a dismissive or patronizing reply to a question, but actually means, "That's right!" or "You got it!"

3. This is a little grosser, but in most bathrooms you do not flush your toilet paper. The pipes in many buildings are too old and are easily clogged, so you throw your toilet paper into the basket next to the toilet. It is the one thing I will not miss when I go home.

4. Related to that, many bathrooms, even public bathrooms, will not have their own toilet paper or paper towels.  It's best to always keep a tissue pack on hand because even if there was toilet paper there last time, that's not a guarantee that it'll be there the next time.

5. How physical friendships of the same gender are. Now I say this was a big adjustment, but I find it to be one of the greatest things about making friends with Koreans. If you become close to any Koreans, you'll find that they will often hold your hand or touch you in some way to let you know that they feel a connection to you. A hand on a shoulder before you go in for an open class or holding your hand on the way to meet a new principal goes a long way.And even with your students, the ones that like you will come up and take your hand when they want to talk to you. I have been really moved when I a student I didn't think particularly cared for my class came up to talk to me and took my hand. It showed that he really cared and respected me and it will stick with me for the rest of my life.

Hope that answered your questions? If I missed anything or you want more information, feel free to ask me, I'm happy to respond.

[keninkorea]

PSY - HANGOVER feat. Snoop Dogg M/V

[PSY - HANGOVER feat. Snoop Dogg M/V] #PSY #HANGOVER Available on iTunes @ http://smarturl.it/PsyHangoveriT More about PSY@ http://www.psypark.com http://www...

One of the biggest questions I hear from people back home is, "What's drinking like in Korea?". I could actually answer this question and talk about the importance of things like, always pouring for others and not yourself, how you should turn away from people older than you when you drink, and how you shouldn't start drinking before older people have. 

But instead of giving useful information right now, I leave you with a video that seems to sum up fairly well what drinking on a typical evening in Korea looks like. So, enjoy the experience.

[keninkorea]

Cheap Flights in Korea

Air Busan

Air Busan is a great, very cheap airline in Korea, with cheap flights to cities all over Korea and Southeast Asia. The best part is that they are one of the only cheap flight companies in Korea that has a completely functioning English webpage.

Air Busan is always doing last minute deals and you can sign-up for a frequent flier club which can earn you free flights with them. It's very popular with foreigners who like to travel on 3-day weekends and holidays.

Most of their flights ARE out of Busan. So just pay attention to where the deals are leaving from if you can't get to Busan easily.

[keninkorea]

I wanted to take a moment to ask a question I've gotten from a couple of people and am finally getting around to answer, concerning Middle school ad High school EPIK contracts in Gyeongsangbuk-do.

Skip if this doesn't affect you, because this post may be quite a long one.

The cut-backs on spending that is resulting in GET job issues is ONLY for those in RURAL middle and high schools who are teaching in city schools. So if you are teaching in a "gun" you are safe with your job.

EPIK will allow those teachers who are losing their jobs to be relocated to another school within the province where jobs are available without having to reapply. From what I've been told, it seems that  if you request a difference province that you in many cases you do need to reapply.

As far as being able to get the job in the same province, the general rule of thumb (as started by someone with years more EPIK experience than myself) from the Official Gyeongbuk Facebook page is: "EPIK won't renew if the current school has a problem with the said teacher. The competition is to fierce and also a new teacher is cheaper. So from what I have gathered, if your current school likes you and are willing to recommend you (back you up with their name) then you should be safe."

More information on what you need to reapply if moving to a different province(OTHER THAN SEOUL), found in Article 11 Section 4: "Its stated in the new contracts that if you want to transfer to a new province, that you may reapply to work with/for another Provincial Office of Education or other institutions upon completing the Term of Employment with the current Employer by receiving copies of documentation required for application (criminal record check, Bachelor's degree, etc.) from the current Employer or the Immigration Office." So for anyone who is interested, you should contact one of the regional coordinators and see what the province you want to move to needs of you.

According to a person who is going through the process of switching to Seoul, "if you re-apply and you want to go to Seoul (SMOE) you need to re-apply with brand new everything. You can send them if you get accepted but know that you will need a new CRC."

If anyone is NOT on the Official Gyeongbuk Facebook page and needs contact information for their regional coordinator, here's the information.

If anyone has any other questions, feel free to ask. I don't know all of the details for everything, but I will try to find out any information I can if you need it. Let me know?

[keninkorea]

Location Fridays

Andong(안동) Hanok Village

Not to be confused with the Andong Hahoe Hanok Village (which was actually where we had meant to go).

This historical village has a cultural museum, a Confucian school, historic homes that were moved to the location to preserve them (that you can actually go into), and much more.

Located right along the Nakdong river, and nestled along the hillside, the village is quite picturesque. There is even a house that serves Andong's famous chrysanthemum tea, free of charge

If you continue past the village you can go on a lovely stroll along the river where there are great views and paddle boats to ride.

[keninkorea]

Korean Products

"My Hero" Spider-man Ice Cream Cake - Baskin Robbins

Yet another superhero marketing opportunity that has not gone to waste.The My Hero cake, comes with a price tag of US $29, an anatomically accurate Spidey made of sugar, and a total of 256kcal a slice.

I would like to take this moment to thank the Korean trend of marking calories on food items in many of the chains. Nothing helps you pick what you're going to eat like seeing how bad or not it is for you and it makes calorie tracking a lot easier.

[keninkorea]

Snack Food Wednesdays

Kernels Popcorn(커널스팝콘) - Garlic and cheese

This is my favorite snack right now. I tried it when it came out on sale and absolutely love it. They also have a sour cream and onion flavor, which I bought on accident, but it taste so much like sour cream I didn't enjoy it. But the garlic and cheese is like Smartfood White cheddar popcorn with a hint of garlic. So addictive. A bag never makes it more than 2 days in our apartment.

Rating: 9/10 great flavor and not horribly sweet like most popcorn is. So addictive if you like savor popcorn.

[keninkorea]

Korean Food Tuesdays

Bibimbap (비빔밥)

I tried to put it off as long as I could, but let's just go for it. Probably one of Korea's most famous dishes, Bibimbap, originated in Jeonju. So here's a picture of Bibimbap from the Jeonju hanok village. Not quite like how you see it in many places in Korea or abroad, but damn good.

Bibimbap is a selection of fresh and pickled vegetables served on/with rice and either egg and/or beef on top. Gochujang sauce (A chili sauce made with prune paste) is usually dolloped on top and stirred into it for flavor.

This is often a go to food for me if we're ordering in and I feel like I need more vegetables. Some places even make vegetarian versions and if you're one of the brave souls trying to stay vegetarian/vegan while in Korea, then you want to become familiar with this dish.

Later in the week I'll post up a quick and easy recipe for making Bibimbap at home which takes about 15 minutes and costs almost nothing. Tell me what you think! Any questions?

[keninkorea]

Buying Korean Language Books in Korea

A had a couple people ask me on Facebook recently about where to buy books to learn Korean while they were here. Of course you can always buy online, but if you still don't have an ARC or if you have issues purchasing from the sites you like as a foreigner in Korea, you don't have to worry.

Most major cities in Korea have at least one English language bookstore. Most of them are second-hand books, but that means that the cost is cheaper.

Also, the big bookstores like Kyobo, almost always have an English section, where in addition to being able to buy English language books, you can usually find some good learn Korean books.

I've found that the English bookstores tend to have a better selection of books to learn Korean, because that's one of the areas with the greatest turn over. I've gotten a great dictionary from Fully Booked in Busan, which in addition to books, also sells great sandwiches and has games you can play. And I got a very good set of books to learn Korean (I'll add the name when I think of it) from What the Book in Itaewon, Seoul. What the book is the largest of the English language bookstores I've been in in Korea and they have the largest selection of language books that I've encountered in country so far. I don't even like going to Itaewon, but I'll make a trip there for the international markets and for What the Book.

Let me know if you have, any questions?

[keninkorea]

Cream Beers

Stock photo

I've noticed a growing popularity (at least in our town and some nearby) in cream beers. It seems strange to me since dairy, other than ice cream, seems pretty unpopular in general. But beer is always in style here and so thus, the cream beer.

I've had three different flavors of cream beer and gotten them from a few different places. They all taste about the same. The beer is fairly pale with a creamy head. If you get a flavor, you can taste it while the beer is very cold and it fades as the beer warms. The flavoring only lasts initially when sipping and then just tastes like pale ale.

I've tried lemon, grapefruit, and apple. I am a fan of Korean lemon beers, but out of the three flavors I think the apple is the best match for beer.

All in all, I'm not a big fan of pale ales, so I generally only get them if it's the cheapest thing they are selling. But if you like pale ales of flavored beers, you may really enjoy them.

Have a question about cream beers (I'm happy to answer what I can)?

[keninkorea]

Heat and Cooling

So, it seems like summer just came out of nowhere. That means that windows are opening and fans are on. If you have an Aircon /Air conditioning unit, you may also being using that now.

At school we're lucky when they'll even turn on the fans, trying to hold out as long as they can on the utilities. But at home there's financial aspects to consider.

Most apartments that I've seen and even many buildings here in Korea do not have Central Air. That means if you want to stay cool, your options are electrical fans, windows, hand fans, and independent air conditioning units. As with heat, utilities in Korea are on a price slant where it is initially ridiculously cheap, but the more you use it, the more you pay for the time you use it. Does this prevent people from having windows open and the AC going, no.

But in your home, you can decide. Unlike in winter where you can trade between electricity and gas to stay comfortable, your only option in summer is electricity. What seems to be the rule of thumb is, turn the unit on just long enough to be comfortable, then turn it back off until you can't stand it.

Fans are common and are on timers (to prevent fan death, which I will talk about later). So I usually set it for an hour or two and eat an ice cream and drink iced water or tea. Then I leave it off a few hours, or as long as I can stand without passing out. The A/C I try not to have on more than 30-40 min at a time just to cut back on the cost.

There's a lot more I could talk about, but it's so hot I think I gotta go grab an ice cream and lay back in the coolness of the floor fan. If there's anything more you want to know, just ask?

[keninkorea]

Location Fridays

The Local Makgeolli(막걸리) Bar

 The front of a Makgeolli bar can often be recognized by the hanging of the bass makgeolli pots outside (although not all makgeolli places will advertise like this, I find that it is not uncommon).

The standard set-up for a makgeolli bar is, you seat yourself. The wait staff will come by and ask for your order. You order your makgeolli and/or soju and some food (If you don't, some places make you order, others will bring you sides. you're pretty set if you order pajeon).

When the makgeolli comes, usually, you will have a brass pot set on the table with it. Pour your makgeolli in (and if you're into that sort of thing, you can pour cider in too). Make sure you mix up your makgeolli before you put it into the pot. Since it is a living product and still actively fermenting in the bottle, you will have rice sediment that the yeast have used up separating from the rest of the liquid. It doesn't taste right unmixed and you will thank yourself for mixing it.

Then pour your makgeolli into your ceramic or plastic bowl and enjoy! It's fizzy and usually sweet (although there are varieties less so), which makes it hard to tell sometimes how much the alcohol is going to your brain. So take it slow and gauge yourself as you go through the bottle. Don't be another victim of Makgeolli sneaking up on you.

(Identities hidden to protect the "innocent")

[keninkorea]

Korean Products

Minute Maid Juices

Anyone familiar with this company back in the US may find this kind of packaging unusual. In Korea there are many times when you are to give gifts and, as I have mentioned before, this usually entails bringing consumable products. This was a gift from a co-worker for a holiday and must have weighed 20 lbs (It is 6 L of juice after all), although it could be that that was just how it felt carrying all that weight on a thin rope.

[keninkorea]

Snack Wednesday

Eve Corn (이브콘)

A crispy little corn snack coated in sugar. It's like the crispy noodles one often gets at take-out, but coated in what I assume is corn syrup. If you enjoy crispy snacks and sweets, this is the thing for you.

Rating: 3/10 Personally, the sweets aren't really my thing, especially if I am expecting something savory (my first mistake).

Rating of second-party: 7/10 "A light crispness and a good sweet flavor. Why don't you like this?"

[keninkorea]

Things to know about informal get togethers.

So, I talked a little bit about  a teacher's dinner before. But this time I want to talk about less formal situations and what to expect. If you aren't doing a meal, or you're meeting up for a bit and then grabbing food out later, then these are some things you should know.

Sample of food provided by host at a casual get together: wine, 김밥 (kimbap), popcorn, chocolate, lemon crackers, sliced cream croissants.

1. If you are hosting, you should still have food available. Now, this doesn't mean you need to cater. The expectation is that if you're spending time together, you will probably be drinking. And if you are drinking in Korea, you need to have food available.

This still applies even if you're going to be grabbing food later. I have seen people put out mixed nuts or open chips when we were waiting for everyone to assemble to go out to eat. I don't think that's really typical, but it's always good to have some snacks around and ask if anyone wants anything, just in case.

2. If you are going to someone's place, you should always bring food, liquor, or both. It's typical to bring a gift for a host in Korea. That said, food and drink are the most common gifts for such occasions. Bringing food or drink means that you want to share food and drink with the host and in Korea that's a sign of friendship and closeness.

3. It is OKAY to eat the food that you brought for your host. It seems kinda strange to people who aren't use to the food sharing culture, but it is expected that you will at least eat some of the food you brought. Again, sharing is the important thing.

4. If you're hosting it is possible that someone will bring what looks like a meal or a whole cake. Yes, you agreed you were going to go out for food, but don't get upset. Bringing a lot of food means they want to share a lot of time with you. You can ask if they'd like to eat some now, or you can wait until after the meal to eat more together. (I will do another post about it later, but) it is not uncommon to go for dessert or another meal after you've just eaten. Just try to pace yourself and eat slow, even if other people aren't.

5. If you're hosting, always have back-up snacks, alcohol, and/or a carry-out menu on hand. You never know what can come up when you're having a get together. It makes you look thoughtful and caring if when people mention food or drink that you can pull it out for them. If not, at least being able to suggest an order of chicken will always be well received.

**At the part pictured above, the host provided that food. Others brought stewed chicken with veggies and rice, grilled pork, bread, tomatoes, snack cakes, crackers, wine, soju, and a whole cake. Nearly everything was eaten by the end of the night and there was talk about ordering chicken. The host also brought out another plate of Kimbap and more chips too, which may be why we didn't need any chicken.**

[keninkorea]

Location Friday

Jeonju Hanok Village Hanji Factory - Traditional Korean Paper factory

View into the paper factory from the side window.

Hanji is an important traditional product in Korea. Jeonju has a lovely Hanok village and right in the midst of it is the paper factory. Tourists are allowed to walk through most of the factory and watch it being made. Here are a few pictures of various parts of the process

 Here, a work lays down a newly formed sheet of paper pulp.

Worker setting paper into dye

Dry sheets are carefully measured and cut

Finish sheets are then neatly stacked and counted before being sold or sent out on orders.

[keninkorea]

Korean Products

Mouthwash - Ironman & Hello Kitty

Marketing like this is pretty common everywhere you go. But it's interesting to see that certain marketing icons are fairly universal. Ironman would have a grape flavor (and of course Hello Kitty is strawberry).