Over the years I’ve been told that Anchang Village (안창마을) was a hidden hillside neighborhood with colorful houses and art on the streets, very similar to -but smaller than- Gamcheon Culture Village (감천문화마을). I think its artful days are mostly over as most of the houses are painted completely in pastel.
When I got off the bus, I walked all the way up the hill to the base of (what I think is) Sujong Mountain (수종산). Along the way, a little girl ran out of her house and shouted after me, in Korean, “Where are you going?” She even held my hand and walked with me up the hill as I told her I was looking for graffiti art. She said there wasn’t much and quickly ran off as fast as she appeared.
I really enjoyed the view of Busan from the base of the mountain. After a few moments of rest, I walked back down the hill about half a kilometer, taking pictures of the few pieces of street art I saw. I enjoyed the peaceful streets which are a stark contrast from the urban Busan I know. There aren’t any chain restaurants or even any coffee shops on that hill. The Koreans I saw were beautiful, but dressed simply and not representative of the makeup and plastic surgery trends I often see in my neighborhood.
Then, when I was tired of walking in the sun, I rode minibus 1-1 back down to the hill to drop me off at the closest subway station, Beomnaegol (범내골역 [line 1]).
Address: Beomil 4(sa)-dong, Busan
Directions: From Beomil Subway Station (line 1), take minibus 1-1 near exit 5. Get off at the last stop and immediately transfer to mini-bus 1 (or walk up the hill after mini-bus 1-1).
I taught English in Busan, Korea for a year, ending June 2011. I remember the dread I felt flying to Portland then. I left Portland again and returned to Korea February 2013. I felt like I was home. Since then, I’ve quit teaching and I’ve been working remotely for almost four years. When I flew back to Portland in August 2017, without any intention of coming back to South Korea, butterflies (different from before) filled my stomach.
I love Korea and it’s been a great experience living there. I love learning more about where I come from and improving on the language. I also know in my heart that I’m American and that I want to create my home in the U.S.
For the last month in Korea, I walked around as if in a trance. I can’t believe how much time has passed and how much life has changed. I miss singing along with my appliances (i.e. rice cooker and washing machine) and waking up with tinfoil in my bed because I fell asleep eating kimbap.
I feel nostalgic for a time, as well as places, which is an overwhelming feeling. It’s scary to think of returning to Korea, and think of the last time I left, as if no time had passed at all. Time goes fast, life is short, and the impermanence of things is hitting me harder than it ever has.
I did SO much in Korea, met amazing people, ate all the things, and had amazing experiences. But, still, I know I can’t do everything I wanted to do or do things again. There are so many places to go in this world, but maybe I’ll be back. Because I obsessively make lists, here’s a list of places I wanted to experience but didn’t make the time for:
Andong Traditional Folk Village - Rural Korea is a sharp contrast from the fast-paced neon and concrete cityscapes. I never went to the mask festival at the end of September and beginning of October each year. Apparently this is the town for some awesome chicken, as well.
Anyang Art Park (안양예술공원) - This a cool park in Anyang City that's free and a photo dream. You can get off at Anyang Station (Line 1) and take bus number 2 to the park. It's a very large place and it might be a bit confusing, but so many photo worthy spots. Definitely wear walking shoes and bring water in this heat!
Beopgi basin - Nestled in the mountains just 45 minutes north of Busan. Renting a car and visiting Hongryong Falls (홍룡폭포) would be a great way to spend a day.
Beopjusa temple stay - Literally “Mountain Removed from Worldliness,” Songnisan is where the 7th-century Buddhist Beopjusa temple is still located. It has the largest buddha in Korea.
Bukchon Village - I’ve been here before but really wanted to visit this picturesque neighborhood again. It’s flanked by two palaces —Gyeongbok Palace to the west and Changdeok Palace to the east— this village has the largest cluster of privately owned traditional Korean wooden homes or hanok in Seoul. The easiest way to get to Bukchon in Seoul is to go out Anguk Station (subway line 3) Exit 3.
Cheongdo - I probably couldn’t stomach the bull fights but I always wanted to see the Wine Tunnel (와인 터널).
I really wanted to go to Chuncheon/Gapyeong again just to eat the Dak Galbi (닭갈비). I could eat dalkkalbi every day, and it really is the best where it was invented. The two best places are “Tong Na Mu Jip” and “1.5.″
I’ve been to Geoje several times, but, yeah, I want to go again. I’d love to hike up Mt. Daegumsan, take a short boat ride to Oedo Island, and ride the zipline at Deokpo Beach.
I visited my friend Anne in Suwon when she was teaching a camp there, but I didn’t have the time to explore the Hwaseong Fortress (수원 화성) or Toilet Museum.
Jeonju - I’d like to try the bibimbap and visit the Hanok Village (전주 한옥마을).
Jirisan - What a shame that I never made it to the top of this mountain. I’ll always cherish the lovely trips I’ve had out there and only wish I could have spent more time there.
Kimchi Museum - I walked by this place so many times in Insadong but never went. Where else in the world will you be able to go to a museum solely dedicated to the Korean staple, kimchi? Kimchi, or seasoned fermented vegetables, is at the heart of Korean culture and its food and is usually eaten with every meal. There are 187 different documented types, ranging from kimchi of different ripeness levels to water kimchi, cucumber kimchi, and radish kimchi varieties. In addition, it is not uncommon for Korean households to have refrigerators solely dedicated for the storage of kimchi. At the museum, you can taste 7-8 different types of kimchi, view bacteria found in kimchi under a microscope, and even learn how to make kimchi in the education room.
Oh, to see Kyeongju again. Korea used to be divided into three major kingdoms (Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo) until the Silla kingdom conquered the other kingdoms and made Gyeongju the capital. Gyeongju remained the capital of this region for approximately 1000 years, leading to the creation of a number of archaeological treasures that are well worth your time.
On several visits to Seoul, I missed out visiting a Hanbok Cafe in Insadong or the Princess Diary Cafe outside Exit 3 of the Ehwa Women’s University subway station. These dress cafes give you the opportunity to wear a Korean traditional dress or wedding dress at rental prices of 15,000₩ ~ 40,000₩ an hour.
The Robo Life Museum in Pohang does require a reservation but looks pretty awesome. Some are miniature robots programmed to be Psy back up dancers, some are robotic fish that swim, and some are robotic seals designed for therapy.
Seonyudo sits off the west coast of the peninsula, 90 minutes from Gunsan by boat.
Seoraksan again. It was so lovely in the fall --but I see endless beauty in every season.
Seoul Fortress Trail, the Naksan section covers an enjoyable scenic route from Hansung University Station and the Hyehwa Gate traveling south alongside Naksan Park and Ihwa Mural Village until you arrive in the crowded, neon streets of Dongdaemun with the landmark Dongdaemun Gate at the foot of the pathway. The route itself doesn’t take too long to cover with sunset a recommended time to visit so as to enjoy the spectacular views across the city at their finest. Accessible from Hansung University Station, Seoul Subway Line 4 Exit 4.
Seoul Palaces - There are a lot of them (e.g. Gyeonghui Palace. Deoksugung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Gyeongbokgung) and many are near each other. I always planned to see them all but ultimately got a distracted or bored.
Seoul Forest - This park was opened in 2005 and features absolute beauty. It’s a bit of a trip from downtown Seoul, but I’ve heard it has five connected parks and it’s possible to see deer Located outside Seoul Forest Station (Subway Bundang Line) Exit 3.
Ujeon Beach in “Slow City”
Controversy aside, I wanna see Ulleungdo + Dokdo.
Uponeup (우포늪) is the largest and oldest wetland area in Korea, a protected area that dates back to times when dinosaurs ruled the world. A favouite with Korean photographers due to the unspoiled setting and views that the wetlands offer up, it sounds like a romantic weekend.
Yeosu is a port city on South Korea’s East China Sea coast. I haven’t researched what to do there but I’ve always wanted to visit.
I don’t know much about the city of Yulpo but when my friend Allison went, she couldn’t wait to share: “I just spent three days there and visited the big tea plantation ten minutes away (TWICE!). It's a tiny farm village next to an empty beach. And there is a green tea spa on the beach. It was heaven.”
I was happy to be part of the art exhibit, The Future (미래), on March 18, 2017 in Gwangan, Busan. It was a Saturday full of original art, beer, and fun.
We had art from 14 artists from around the world.
"The best way to predict the future is to create it."
This year we wanted to have a couples costume that people would recognize in Korea. Nothing more recognizable than an iconic local bridge! We constructed the Busan Gwangandaegyo or Gwangan Bridge (부산 광안대교) to wear for Halloween. It took us ~10 hours to build, but we had such a good night at the Gwangan Halloween Pub Crawl -especially with our battery-powered LED lights!
My mom and I have a favorite restaurant we go to on weekends that serves grilled marinated duck (오리불고기). It’s a bit fatty and spicy, but hearty and super flavorful. I love how it arrives raw to the table so I can watch + smell it cooking at the table. Of course I’m never patient enough so I always burn my mouth on the first few bites.
We started in August 2015. Artists across the globe passed around an A2 sized piece of paper. We hoped that each image would pass through five artists hands, with a month permitted for each stage to allow time for shipping. Over time some were lost, but majority were not.
Unfortunately, I was out of the country during the ANKR’s International Mail Art Exhibition in Seoul -but I am so pleased to have been one of the artists to create art with this talented group. If you’re interested in purchasing an art piece at 150,000₩, please contact Martyn Thompson.
I have talked about how to find a teaching job in Korea and what it’s like to work at a private academy (hagwon) —but I want to share a bit about my experience teaching at a Korean university for two years.
A lot of college graduates come to teach in Korea for a new experience and/or the hope of saving a lot of money. A university job in Korea is ideal because you work less hours (12-18 teaching hours a week) and have a fantastic amount of paid vacation (3-5 months of the year). These days, university jobs are very competitive; it’s based on who you know and how great your resume is.
Every contract and school is different. I was lucky to have my own student assistant (to make copies and do grading), my own office (with a sweet view of the ocean), decent pay with full benefits, a ton of flexibility with picking books and teaching materials, a nice staff, great students, money paid into a private pension, and the opportunity to do research I was semi-interested in.
I have a master’s degree and taught public speaking at a public university in the U.S., so I did have prior university teaching experience. Also, I taught at private academies and a public elementary schools in Korea, as well, so I had experience with teaching in Korea. So, why would I leave my cushy university job in Korea?
1. I hated my commute. Yes, I only had to go to school for seven months of the year. Some semesters, I only taught four days a week. I didn’t want to live near the university and my students, which were far from downtown, so my commute was 80-minutes of walk, subway, and bus twice a day. For two years, I accepted a housing stipend, which was small and only covered half of my rent and commute costs. Choosing to commute was my decision, but I didn’t want to do it anymore.
2. No flight or severance pay. All full-time teaching jobs in Korea should pay for your flights (coming and going) and an extra month of pay, after completing a year of teaching. Private universities fall into some loophole and my school didn’t have to pay these two things to me. This really pissed me off, given that...
3. The pay was minimal and didn’t increase. My university paid everyone the same, regardless of what kind of experience or teaching degrees you had.
I have been teaching in Korea since 2010. I have seen housing and school + academy costs increase while foreign teachers' pay remain stagnant. Also, there are no pay raises. Having life expenses increase while salaries remain the same (regardless of how hard you work) is really demoralizing.
Many times, my school put way too many students in a class, at all varying levels, and yet, under-paid teachers. No one benefits this way.
4. It’s kind of a dead-end job. No matter how great of a professor you are at a Korean university, there is literally nowhere to move professionally but sideways or down. It’s impossible to get a tenured position and if you can get a “head teacher” position, it usually involves a lot more work for no extra pay.
Also, given the poor academic integrity in Korea, you will be given very little respect from international universities. Korean universities are world-famous for cheating, plagiarism, lying, grade-fixing, and bribery. I don’t publish anything academic from my Korean university for a reason.
5. This job may not exist in five years. Korea has an extremely low birth rate and, in fact, it’s one of the lowest in the world today. From 2013 to 2023, the number of university students in Korea will decrease by 160,000. Each year, there are fewer university age students in Korea and there are no signs that this will change in the future. It’ll likely just get worse.
While the median age of Koreans increases, the need for foreign teachers is decreasing. The market here is over-saturated with native English teachers —many of them with no experience, fresh out of college, who accept pretty much any pay. Granted, those teachers won’t be getting jobs at universities, but if you lose your university job that’s who you’re competing with for another teaching position in Korea.
If you’re interested in teaching in Korea, at a university or otherwise, think about why and for how long. And, always keep your options open.
Cherry blossom trees are blooming, which means that Spring is here! I love seeing all the beautiful pink flowers, even though they don’t even last two weeks. Maybe that’s what makes them more special?
This year we stayed in Busan instead of going to the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival like we’d done the last two years. The crowds were still around and the flowers a little less plentiful, but I was thankful to avoid the long lines for the bus back-and-forth.
We checked out the trees in two different spots.
1. Namcheon-dong Road and Samik Beach Apartments
Hundreds of cherry blossom trees line the Namcheon-dong Road by the Samik Beach Apartments with close-up views of the famous Diamond Bridge.
How to get there: Take subway line 2 to Geumyeonsan station, exit 5 and walk towards Gwangali Beach. At the beach, take a right and walk towards the apartment towers at the end of the strip.
2. Dalmaji Hill
A winding clifftop road with open coastal views as far as Japan. Fun cafes, restaurants, and Dalmaji Amphitheater at the top.
How to get there: Take metro line 2 to Jungdong station and walk up the hill from the E-mart.
