It's hard to believe that it's been over 4 weeks since I boarded a plane to come to Korea. I've only been free for half of that time, but I've already explored and learned so much. So far, things are going well! There are still growing pains, but I've been really enjoying my time here despite the strict covid guidelines that prevent me from being able to travel often or teach the way I would prefer.
It's crazy, but even after only two and a half weeks at work, I already feel myself settling into a routine. Routines have always helped me understand what to expect from the days and weeks ahead. This post is a quick rundown of what a typical day looks like for me in Korea.
9:00a: Wake up! I set my alarm for 9 so that I can still have a productive and full morning. Occasionally, I do wake up earlier than this. Other times, I'm so exhausted I only want to lay in bed. Luckily I have plenty of time before work for either option.
9:00a ~ 12:00p: During my mornings, I like to speak with my family and friends, since it is the evening for them. If I don't speak to anyone, I try to do something fun for myself, like read a book or play a video game. I also make myself breakfast every day. While I get ready for work, I watch TV.
Between 12:00p ~ 12:30p: I prepare to leave for work. All of my co-workers live in the same apartment building, so travel to work together. We can walk or taxi. Typically, we like to walk when it's nice out, but taxis are quick and easy (as well as cheap!) when the weather is bad or it is way too hot.
1:00p: Arrive at school
1:00p ~ 3:50p: This is my prep period. It may not seem like a ton of time, but we have a lot of resources for our lessons, so if we use our time effectively there's plenty of it for lesson planning. So far, we haven't been finding out what classes we teach that day until we get to work, which has been a huge downside. I would much prefer to be able to plan ahead or use any extra time for future lessons. However, I think this will change soon and I will get a regular schedule as I and the other new teachers settle in.
3:50p ~ 6:00p: I teach two classes to younger students, typically between the ages of first to third grade.
6:00p ~ 6:50p: Dinner break! Every day my school provides dinner for us. We order from a different restaurant each day and everyone submits their order before classes. Our order is waiting for us during our dinner break :)
6:50p ~ 9:00p: I teach two more classes, this time to the older students. The students in this block are typically between third and sixth grade.
9:00p ~ 9:30p: my co-workers and I try to finish up some grading and other loose ends before we head out. The work day technically ends at 9:10, but we often stay later to finish a few things. I really don't mind since I hate taking grading home.
I typically get home before 10:00p. We usually take the bus, but we can also walk on a nice night.
For the rest of the night, I have free time! I usually do my chores, like taking out the trash (such a hassle in Korea) or going for groceries. I try not to snack too much, but sometimes the convenience store is too tempting! I like to watch TV or do some online shopping to relax at night before I hit the hay around 1 or 2.
But there's fun stuff too I swear!
On weekends I've been exploring and shopping! Below are some more photos I took last weekend. I met up with a friend in Itaewon for lunch, and we also visited the war memorial museum. On Sunday I went to Lotte Tower, which is a mall here in Seoul that spans five huge floors and an enormous underground complex. There's an aquarium, cinema, tons of restaurants, a big department store, and so much more. I spent way too much money lmao
So that's what I've been up to! My day might not seem exciting but it's been very relaxing for me. I know my schedule might seem very different from the normal 9-5 setup, but it's honestly perfect for me. It's a stark contrast to my old job, in which I was constantly rushing to get to work in the morning and working in a stressful environment that I didn't enjoy very much at all.
So far I love teaching, despite sometimes having mixed feelings about the school itself. But that's a post for another day hahaha
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Im curious how you told your family you would be moving abroad, were they supportive?
Hi purple! Breaking the news to people that you are making such a big move is really tough, and I wasn't sure how to go about it at first. I had mentioned to people that "it would be cool" if I taught EFL, but not many people took it seriously when I put it that way. Honestly, I hadn't taken it too seriously myself. A big worry of mine was that I would tell everyone I'm moving away and teaching EFL and then never end up doing it ... that would be so embarrassing.
At first I really only confided my plans in a handful of people at work/school who understood this was a professional goal of mine. Since I was studying to be a teacher, I was linked with sources and contacts who had gone into a similar field and helped advise my decision. I was also able to hit up some people for letters of recommendation.
I thought it would be best to tell my close family that I was thinking of making this decision so that it didn't seem to come out of left field. I wanted to let my mom and sister know especially, and though neither of them wanted to see me go, I'm glad I eased them into the idea by updating them on the process as I went. Regardless of how supportive they were, at least they understood that I was seriously considering this move.
When I applied for EPIK, I started to tell some of my close friends. Since I was nearing my graduation, I often got asked, "What are your plans for after graduation?" I'd let them know that I applied for a program to teach English in Korea. Since I had already made the leap of the application, it felt more comfortable to tell them.
I actually got rejected from EPIK, and wasn't sure what do with myself at that point. But I really wanted this, so I started looking into hagwon applications. Still, I doubted that this would become real for me, so I stopped telling people what my plans were and just kept things to myself.
It wasn't until I actually signed for my job that I really told everyone. I texted all of my close friends and family and let them know that I had just gotten a new job overseas as well as when I'd be leaving. I also called my boss to resign from my current job. I didn't even post on social media about this until I got my plane ticket, because I had myself convinced it would fall through!
It's ultimately up to you how to break it to your friends, family, and coworkers. But know that it is a difficult task, and some people will take it personally. Those who aren't supportive will face the conundrum of either supporting you in your journey, or being unsupportive and getting left behind. You have to do what's best for YOU, and those who love you will understand that <3
Getting Stopped by the Cops and Other Embarrassing Things That Happened in My First Week of Freedom
Hello hello!
It's been one week since I was freed from the two week travelers' quarantine upon arriving in Korea. So much has happened this past week I can barely believe it's only been a single week!
Moving to a new country comes with a lot of stumbling blocks, especially when you don't speak the language. Today's post is framed within some of the more embarrassing (and funny) growing pains I have had this week.
Monday
My first day out of quarantine was on Monday! I would be released at 12pm, so my school director thought it would be prudent to get my health exam the same day in order to get it out of the way. Everyone entering Korea with my visa needs a full health exam to ensure we are not bringing any problematic illnesses (besides COVID) to the country.
So my first day out of quarantine consisted of being poked, prodded, peeing in a cup, drawing blood, getting x-rayed fully naked, and other awful ventures. Many people at the health center didn't speak English, but my school director helped when she could, and everyone was very kind. Still, it felt kind of humiliating for my first post-isolation experience.
Afterwards, she took me to a cafe for lunch, to the grocery store for supplies, and she also gave me a tour of my apartment building. It was a full day, and a little overstimulating to be honest. I went to bed early before my first day of work.
Tuesday
On Tuesday I started at my new job! I learned all about the school, it's curriculum, and observed a few classes. I have a lot of thoughts about the school, but I'll speak about it in another post.
Wednesday
I taught a full day of classes.
Yep, you heard right. I taught a full day of classes on my second day of work. For the most part it went alright, but it is a STRUGGLE to jump into a class in which you have no context, don't know the students, or even what they have been learning. But I got through it!
Thursday & Friday
For the rest of the week, I taught most of my classes. Typically teachers will observe for a few days, but my director had me jump right in. It was tough, and I think it's going to continue to be that way for a few weeks. It's kind of terrible to be so unsure of yourself at the front of the classroom, as well as having to conduct myself in such a specific way to fit the school's standards. I've been teaching for years but still really doubted myself this week. But I guess I'll learn!
On Friday after work, a co-worker of mine (also a newbie!) and I were bored and decided to explore the neighborhood. Since we get out of work at 9pm, it was too late for anything to be open. Currently, Seoul is at a level 4 lockdown, so all restaurants and bars are closed by 9pm. Gangnam was a ghost town as we walked around, but it was still nice to get out of the apartment.
Saturday
The same co-worker and I decided to go shopping for new work clothes. I was under the impression my job would be a business casual dress code...but as it turns out they expect us to look extremely professional, and I needed new clothes.
We took the subway to an underground mall and shopped for hours. It was really fun! The mall was underground, and consisted of a ton of clothing stalls. Unfortunately, it was a struggle to find clothes that would actually fit my body. Korea has "free sizes" which are supposed to be one-size-fits-all, but they definitely do not fit all. Most clothes were smaller than an American medium.
I bought a few things, and then we went to a Korean restaurant. It was 8:30pm when we walked in and the restaurant was empty, so we thought it would be a quick, cheap meal before we headed home. The store owner kept asking us to 'hurry up' because of the curfew, so we had to eat fast. But it was yummy at least.
We also may have gotten slightly turned around on our way back home, but we made it back eventually haha.
Sunday
My co-worker texted me that there is a K-pop event not too far from us and she wants to go. I don't know anything about K-pop but I was down. We decided to take electric scooters.
On every street corner here you can find electric scooters waiting to be rented. With a quick download of an app, you scan the scooter's bar code and can enjoy a ride! It was a really fun and inexpensive way to travel.
We went to two cafe giveaways, where you apparently order a particular drink to get some K-pop swag. Ordering was a little bit of a struggle with the language barrier, but we managed it. My co-worker is luckily much more knowledgeable about Korean than I am.
You might be wondering what I was talking about in my post title, but no it's not clickbait: I really did get pulled over by the cops. On the scooter.
We had also decided to go to a different mall later on, and we took the scooters again. This time, we took a bigger road, and made our way to COEX mall. All of a sudden, a cop car pulls up next to us and asked us to stop. Apparently, it's illegal to ride the scooters 1. on sidewalks (though we had seen others doing this) and 2. without a helmet. They took our drivers' licenses and their eyes bugged when they saw our American cards. We explained we had no idea and we had only just arrived in Korea so they let us go with only a warning. We decided to walk the rest of the way LOL
Unfortunately it was still a bust in terms of clothing sizes at the mall, even at the foreign stores like H&M and Zara. I tried on a 16 in H&M and could not even get the clothes on -- I am usually a 10! And yes, they were supposedly US sizes. I guess it will be only online shopping for me.
We decided to end the day at a Mexican restaurant, where our language barrier while ordering caused them to only bring us one meal (we had both ordered 2 enchiladas...so they brought us one order of 2 instead of 2 orders of 2). We talked about how embarrassing and rude of us it feels like to stumble so much with Korean, but most people here have been kind to us.
Anyway, it's been a long but fun week. Life here in SK is definitely going to be different, but it's so interesting to experience such new things. Here's hoping the growing pains get easier.
I graduate college soon and im interested in teaching English in Korea, it keeps me in academia where I love to be and gives me an amazing chance to leave the USA. But, I am legit terrified of all the things that come with that big of a move: cell phone service, money exchange and banking (even credit cards), what to pack or ship...literally being alone hella far from my family. I want to do it but its so intimidating, did you have these concerns? How did you deal with them? Also what are the quarantine requirements, does your school provide accommodations/food/etc.? Sorry long af ask Everyone on YouTube makes it seem like such a quick, painless transition...but a quick Google search begs to differ. Good luck and have an amazing time!
Hi Anon! You're right, it is a really intimidating move, and I do think that the YouTubers tend to downplay just how lengthy and expensive the process can be. But with that said, one of the reasons I decided to come to Korea in particular is because of how much support the schools typically give you in this wild process.
Whether you go with public or private schools in Korea, the standard is that your school will help you with all of those things mentioned: setting you up with housing, banking, phone service, even helping pay your bills and navigate the flight & quarantine. A recruiter may also help you with these things, and I am really glad I decided to go with one. Between my recruiter and my school director, I had support every step of the way during this move.
There is a lot to do, but the process of moving takes a while, so you do have time to get everything figured out. I started applying to EPIK in March, hagwons in April, got my role in June, and flew out in August. So it's been a good six months of getting all my shit together to move across the world, haha.
As for the quarantine, yes, my school set me up with everything I'll need, but not every teacher is experiencing the same thing. Some people have to quarantine in the government facility, while others are set up in an AirBnB by their school. I was luckily able to quarantine in my own apartment. Some schools will get you food and supplies for the quarantine, and others leave it up to you. In most places outside of Seoul, the government gives you a care package with food and sanitary supplies for your quarantine as well. I can talk more about it in a post if you're interested. It really depends on your school/program.
The hardest thing by far is being so far from family & friends. I think the pandemic actually cemented my decision to do this, because I survived over a year of social distancing from the people I cared about and I still was able to maintain my relationships. Everyone is comfortable with video calling and texting these days, so I don't feel quite as distant from them. At least, not any more than I was in the height of the penicillin.
Ultimately, I think if it's something you want to do, you should totally consider it. But also remember you don't have to go right now if you're not ready. I'm 26, and there are a ton of teachers here in their late twenties & thirties. Korea will always be here, so make sure you're ready for it.
It's scary! But a good scary :) I still can't quite believe I was brave enough to do this.
My DMs are open if you want more info! I can also write some more detailed posts about some of the nuances of getting set up here if you want. I also recommend looking into some Kakao chatrooms with others applying to teach in Korea - they have been super helpful for me!
I've done the thing! I have officially completed my journey to Korea, and now I am settling in to my new apartment. The flight was not an easy one, especially with so much anxiety about this huge change I am making. However, I am so happy and proud of myself for making the journey on my own, and thrilled to finally be in Korea!
This post is a rundown of my ~long~ journey to Korea:
the night before: unable to sleep due to ~anxiety~. I had a great time with my friends and family eating some of my fave American foods that I'll miss, and hanging out with some of the people I'll miss most. As I'm winding down for the night and preparing for my flight the next day I realize...I STILL do not have my Covid test results that are crucial to making a flight in this pancreas.
If you haven't flown during this panini press yet (which is for the best, I assure you) you need to have a negative Covid test result with you in order to board the plane, but it must be dated within 72 hours. I also needed this to get off the plane, which means the earliest I could take the test for my Monday arrival was Friday... and the results weren't posted as of Saturday night. Every test I'd taken so far (and unfortunately I've had quite a lot of them) has taken less than 24 hours for results...so I was panicking. Like literally calling the airline asking them WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON'T HAVE MY RESULTS (answer: you simply do not fly). So this made for a very restless night.
7am: Test results were posted and everything was literally so fine.
8:30am: I leave for the airport in New York with my parents and sister who so kindly drove me and saw me off. We also stopped for my last Wawa run 😭
10am: Arrive at the airport super early. Like the airline clerks haven't clocked in yet early. So I wait until 10:30a to check-in.
Then I go through the arduous process of airport security, which tbh wasn't the worst I've ever experienced. My bags did get checked multiple times though by TSA for some reason #sus
11:30am: Now, we wait for the flight. I am so grateful to all my family members & friends who checked in on me that day! I didn't feel so alone in the airport. My regrets: not buying any snacks before I got on that flight.
1:50pm: Take off! I had my own row on the plane so I was really satisfied that I could stretch out and take up space on the long journey. I settled in for the 14.5 hour journey.
Things I did on the flight:
- listened to my Spotify playlist
-tried to figure out how to get my headphones to work for the in-flight movies. never figured that one out
-played the Sims
-played my Switch
-attempted to sleep, but only managed a few 1 hour naps
-ate shitty vegetarian meals and regretted my decision to opt for meatless because the other meals looked really good RIP
~4:45am EST/ 5:45pm KST: I LAND!! I was so happy to be on land, to stretch my legs, and to get hooked up to that sweet sweet WiFi. My family wasn't really awake yet, but my recruiter & school director were messaging me to help me through the airport process.
Customs & Immigration was by far the most arduous aspect of this journey. For two hours I carried my little documents to at least seven different tables with seven different lines and attempted to communicate with the clerks at the airport, praying there were no issues with my visa, Covid test, etc. But everything went smoothly, and I was free~
Or as free as Korea is letting travelers be in this pon de replay 😅
7:45pm KST: I meet my driver who will take me from the Incheon airport to my apartment in Seoul. She didn't speak much English but she was very sweet to me. It was on this car ride that the exhaustion truly hit me and I nodded off a few times. I barely saw anything of the drive I was so tired.
8:45pm KST: I arrive at my new apartment! My driver took me all the way up to my apartment door, where my school director & building manager were still cleaning out my room and setting it up. I was okay with this because I could meet my director in person and she showed me how to set up my WiFi & SIM card, work the appliances etc.
I am super grateful my school stocked my apartment so well, I haven't been wanting for anything! I have food for two weeks, kitchen & bath items, cleaning supplies, even pillows and bedding. My recruiter and director repeatedly check in on me and offer to provide me with anything else I'll need. I even got access to food delivery apps using my director's card since I don't have my own card here yet.
So there you have it! After many hours of nerves I finally made it here to South Korea. I absolutely love my new apartment, and from what I've seen of my neighborhood so far it seems like there is so much to do and see right in my own area! Now, I settle in for 2 weeks of quarantine until I'm free to roam~
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Let's kickstart this little blog off with the obvious: ya girl is crossing the big pond and moving to Korea. I wanted to create a place where I can both share my adventure with friends and family back home, and keep a record of my time living in Korea. So this little blog will do just that.
For my first post, let's answer some FAQ:
1. Where are you going?
I'll be living in Seoul, South Korea! If you didn't know, Seoul is the capital of SK and the largest city in the nation. It's even bigger than NYC! I'll be staying in a part of the city called Gangnam, which you may recognize from the song Gangnam Style that went viral years ago.
2. What will you be doing there?
I will be teaching English. I'm working at a private English academy helping strong English speakers with their reading, writing, and literacy skills. I'll teach a mix of elementary students, from first to eighth.
3. How did you find an apartment?
Actually, my school is setting it all up for me! One of my benefits is a ~rent free~ studio apartment, paid for by my employer. I'll be living on my own, but the other teachers will be in the same officetel building as me. I do have to pay my utilities, but I believe my employer coordinates that as well. Plus, they'll help me set up a bank account, get my ARC (like a green card), sponsor my VISA, hook me up with a phone SIM, and more. It's a pretty sweet deal.
4. So are you getting paid?
Yes? I've gotten this question a lot and I'm not sure what gave anyone the impression that I got a Master's degree so that I could provide free labor, even if it did include a trip abroad LOL
5. Is this some sort of program?
Not really, I just got hired at a private academy. It's pretty common for English academies in Korea to seek native English speakers to teach their kids, and they typically provide a lot of benefits to get teachers set up and situated in Korea. This draws in a lot of interest from those who want an easy way to travel to Korea, and teachers typically make a modest but livable wage. I'm very fortunate that I have a degree in this field, because I was able to get hired making more than the average foreign English teacher in SK. But yep, this is my job.
6. Is there a contract or something?
Yeah, but all teaching jobs are pretty much contracts. Even in the U.S., teachers are contracted to work per school year. Of course, teachers can stay at their schools if they want to re-sign the contract - and the same will be true for me.
7. So how long will you be staying?
This is the question I can't quite answer. As of right now, I am giving it a year (so until the end of my contract). But as I mentioned before, I have the option to re-sign and stay longer if I want. I don't want to discount the reality that I may want to stay in SK for a while, if I end up enjoying my life there. But I also know I will be missing friends and family terribly, so there's definitely a possibility homesickness will pull me back to Philly in a year. Who knows? If the pandemic taught me anything, it's not to count on the future, because literally anything could happen.
8. The Big Question: Why are you moving to Korea?
This is another tough question to answer, but mostly because I have to get vulnerable to do so. Truth is, I was quite dissatisfied with my life for a long time. After graduating undergrad, I struggled to find a job that I really connected with, and allowed me to live the life I'd imagined. The only job I'd ever enjoyed was my AmeriCorps teaching position, and I made poverty wages doing it. It wasn't a sustainable career for me.
BUT, it did convince me that I might want to be a teacher, something I'd been resistant to for a long time. I liked working with kids, but I honestly don't think I'm classroom teacher material. This is why I pursued my Master's as a Reading Specialist instead - I wanted to work in small, focused groups with students who struggle to read and write, to help bridge the gaps in literacy that will compound into major hurdles later in life. Without waxing poetic about the ~value of literacy~ I really came to care about literacy education and the impact it can have.
But then I hated grad school. And I hated my job that I needed to work in order to pay for an extremely expensive grad school. And I wasn't loving my student teaching and oh god - a pandemic??
I only worked from home for a short period, but during that time to myself I realized that maybe...I needed to pivot my goals once again. I had truly wanted to work in the Philly school district with kids who needed the supports I could provide, but then I watched how teachers were treated during a worldwide health crisis. As I approached graduation, something I had worked so hard for, I couldn't honestly say I still wanted to work for these schools. And it's not the kids at all - it's the administrators, the district, the politicians, and the lack of public/parental support that made me feel burned out on teaching before I even started.
But teachers are needed everywhere, and I specialized in working with English literacy skills and ESOL learners. So why not teach abroad?
The reason for my choosing Korea in particular is kind of lame. They had a great market for foreign English teachers and they weren't closed because of the pandemic, unlike many other countries. Plus, they tend to respect teachers a lot more there. Getting a job in Korea was honestly relatively easy. Which isn't to say I'm not excited to go to Korea.
I've been researching a ton about living in SK, and I am hype. I do think that the culture seems very much my speed, and there will be so much to learn and do. I am excited to use the teaching skills & degree I worked so hard for, while having an adventure in a whole new country!
My plane takes off on August 8th for my 14.5 hour flight to Seoul. Of course I will miss home, but I am so excited for my new life overseas. Stay tuned for updates on my travels!
