Like. I'm in Korea.

all the important things you need to know

[pleasantlyladylike-blog]

Ask me anything about Korea.

Lol I will answer VERY honestly.

[pleasantlyladylike-blog]

What is a typical day like teaching in Korea, you ask?

I can answer that. 

While each day was a different adventure, let’s look into the general routines and interactions that made up each day. 

Let’s say this is a Tuesday and a couple months into teaching at my school. 

I would try to take the bus at around 8:15 to get to school at 8:40. Classes started at 9am. 

Tuesdays I had 5 classes, a busier day then my usual 3-4. I also had two different grade levels this day. The first two classes were for fifth graders and by Tuesday, I had already done the same lesson 4 times on Monday. So it’s pretty chill. Usually, I do the textbook activities for 20 minutes and a fun game for 20 minutes. I never did crafts or projects because my coteacher didn’t like to prep for them - it was too messy. 

The next 3 classes were with the sixth graders. The first class is always the trial group for the new lesson. We usually see what works, what could improve the lesson, and tweak accordingly as the classes go on. 

Even though it sounds like it would be boring and repetitive delivering the same lesson 6 times, I actually found that each class would respond differently and the unique interactions I had with each student made it really fun and meaningful. I didn’t feel like a robot most of the time. 

After the first 2 classes, we had a break for lunch. Our teachers had their own little buffet and seating area in the corner of the main cafeteria. Walking into the cafeteria was always really fun. You feel like a celebrity because everyone feels the strong need to say hi to you. I lived for it. 

Lunch was rice, a type of soup, a protein, a pickled element like kimchi, a random, and a dessert or fruit. Everything always felt really healthy. Because of the variety each day and the helpful teachers around you, I think it was what introduced me the best to all the different kinds of Korean foods. 

Then after lunch, I had one more class. I loved teaching at this time because it always goes by super fast. 

Depending on the season, we had an English cafe at our school. I would stay there for one hour, talking or playing games with any student who wanted to come in. They could also buy cute supplies with stickers they collect from their teachers. The catch is they have to use English when buying and asking how much items are. It was fun. It was also the only time I had to interact with the cute 1st and 2nd graders who I didn’t teach. 

The rest of the day I would spend at my desk. I was either lesson planning or surfing the web. We had coffee mix, tea, and a water kettle that I would often abuse. 

After work at 4:40pm, I would take the bus home. I would usually hang out with a friend to eat dinner. I never cooked at home. So if I didn’t have dinner plans, I would either hit up a cafe (which I LOVED), Paris Baguette it, or order food from an app. When I was dating someone, obviously life was chill. LOL you have a buddy to eat with all the time and 100% of the time the choice is completely up to you. 

I’d sleep at 1am! Then back at it the next day. 

I hope this helped you visualize what a typical day teaching and living in Korea is like. If you’re thinking of going, do it. 

[pleasantlyladylike-blog]

The only time I drank too much in Korea

I obviously lived to tell the tale. 

So I was a solo drinking at a restaurant. Well, my friend was with me, but she couldn’t (or didn’t want to? Sorry these very important details are a blur) drink that night. So a lonely drink... with a friend. 

I think I had two bottles of soju within an hour. If you know me irl, an essential part of my charm is bragging about how I can drink SOOO much - it’s a complete lie and probably not at all charming. LOL after dinner, we went back to the subway station to go home. I cried on the train. Totally normal. My friend lives further away, so I left first. Immediately as I left the train car, I felt horrible. I couldn’t walk. I had no sense of direction. I was confused where I lived. I decided I needed to have a short rest? Like a moment alone to close my eyes and regroup. I ended up seeing a bathroom. I went into a stall and the next thing I know it’s three hours later, I’m sitting on the floor with my head resting on the stall door. Three old ladies knocked on my door, either cleaning the bathrooms or curious about who was still in the stall. I got up. Looked them in the faces. I was wide-eyed with terror. They were wide-eyed with confusion on why I looked so wide-eyed. Anyways, I left super quick and within two minutes I was home. 

I think if I hadn’t found that bathroom, I would’ve wandered, fell asleep in a random spot, or gotten into something that I would most certainly have regretted. I’m so thankful Korea is so safe. I would’ve been mugged so fast in San Francisco on Bart. 

I guess the lesson is to take care of yourself. Don’t drink soju too fast. Oh and find a bathroom in the subway station if you find yourself really confused about where you live.  

[pleasantlyladylike-blog]

Dating Story in Korea - WooYoung

WooYoung. 

His name will be, without doubt, forever ingrained in my mind for two reasons. One, my friend told me that was the name of a 2PM member, who we had just saw when we spent the weekend outside the JYP building like two completely normal crazies (but we saw all of 2PM and Got7.) And two, it was my very first encounter with the “Korean boys.”

How we met - You kinda stalker-ish, BUT YOU CUTE SOOOO….

So first off, not all creepiness is the same. Let me explain. If a completely handsome, well-groomed, fit man follows you from your subway train all the way to your apartment building’s elevator… would you be upset and scared for your life? Well I sure wasn’t. So that happened. 

And as I pressed the up(?) button, someone tapped me and said in a really deep and gentle tone, “Excuse me?”  Ah I remember the awkwardness vividly. And mind you, this was my second week in Korea and I had no idea what anything was happening. Anyway, there was no small talk. I believe he asked my name and for my number. He’s efficient. I dug that. A few minutes later I got a message from him. 

He was a lawyer.

He went to Yonsei. He was 28. He was a lawyer. The picture on his KakaoTalk was him being featured in an article.. Like my picture was me holding a latte with my face on it like it was the greatest thing ever invented. Anyways, my friends and co-teacher told me he was probably lying about what he did. I say HATERZ. I still don’t know if the math adds up.

Every time I met him he wore a perfect suit with perfect hair. Oh, he wore glasses. And he kind of had big front teeth and a sophisticated nerdy look to him. I would say he was a 8/10.

His English in his messages was good. I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to speak fast enough in person. Nope. It was perfect. As for the message content, we had cute banter more so than the funny, witty, and dry back-and-forths that I like. ATM I was living for his messages though. They were so sweet.

First meeting - A drama-filled date - K-Drama that is!

First meeting. It was so cute! I remember I saw him first all the way inside the bookstore where he was heading out.  He wasn’t looking at me, but I was like, “Oh, I want to be caught off-guard and causal. Staring at this piece of artwork on the wall. Cause, like, I’m so cultured and into art… Anyway, that’s what happened. We got coffee and sat at the Cheongyecheon. Conversation was good. It was September and a little chilly, and I mentioned that I was worried because I hadn’t packed and brought over a jacket. Then he asked, “What size do you wear?” Guys, he was going to buy me a jacket, so I didn’t freeze... in early September!

My Kdrama ladies, he totally put his hand around my wrist to guide me while we were walking sometimes. He also patted my head once and I instantly made a mental note to tell all my friends that these things really do happen irl. 

I remember he changed the time to be later and still showed up 30 minutes late. Wah.

So what happened?

I think after the first meeting he asked if we could date officially, which threw me off, because I’ve never had someone ask me that so directly. We went out for 2 months. I could count the times I met him on one hand though. We messaged hourly, but he could never make the time to see me. Because of that I definitely had the feeling that I was his side chick. Eventually, I figured there was no point of going out with someone I barely saw in person. After some very skillfully crafted messages and a phone call, my first fling in Korea came to an end. 

I never got a coat.