Teacher Blog

Everyone was very shocked as they saw 2 new foreigners walking through the door and they instantly began staring and coming up to us to share an eager "HI!" and then would run away. After some confusion, we finally got to our seats and the service began. We had to sign some sort of card for newcomers, but little did we know that in a few minutes they would make us stand up in front of everyone and they would proceed to sing a welcome song. As they called our names and we stood up, the whole crowd gasped in excitement to see two Americans at there church. That made us feel great, but then when the pastor anounced that Danny and I were married, another ever louder gasp was heard followed by cheering. Who knew that we were such famous people in Andong! (Why didn't we come here before?) They then sang the welcome song and all we understood was the part in English that said, "God bless you, God bless you," over and over but the rest sounded very friendly. ; ) The rest of the service was great even though I didn't know what the pastor was preaching on, but it was cool to be among other believers. We met a ton of other people after church and we think this will be where we go for the next year. (It doesn't hurt that the service is at 1:30 so we can sleep in either, wink.) A word for the day to help you in Korean church: hannah neem (God)

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Danny and Katy Doerksen are from Colorado Springs, CO. They are music enthusiasts, foodies, and love playing board games. They love to travel and wanted to see the world before it passed them by, so they decided to teach English with EPIK in South Korea and are currently teaching on the beautiful island of JeJu! Yeah KIMCHI!

Read Danny and Katy's blog here.

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Kelly Winter is an irrepressibly optimistic professional and a very talented teacher. She was a substitute teacher for a year in the Portland public school system before embarking on her journey to Korea. Prior to that Kelly was a student teacher for one school year for the 4th and 1st grade in Beavertown, Oregon while she was earning her Master of Arts in Teaching. She has also worked as a math tutor, volunteered as a reading tutor and coached gymnastics. Kelly has six years of professional experience with an environmental development consulting firm before dedicating herself full time to a career in education. She’s busy having fun teaching overseas at Chung Dahm Learning in Incheon, South Korea!

Read Kelly's blog here.

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In high school, our "graduation song" was the "Sunscreen Speech" (also called "Advice, Like Youth, is Wasted on the Young") set to background music. Later, the song was mocked by Chris Rock in a sketch called "There's No Sex in the Champagne Room" - both very sound pieces of advice. Since hearing both, I've been searching for my own piece of advice that I was 100% sure would always be effective and help out a large chunk of the population. Well, I found it... Noriban is not a cure for laryngitis. For those unfamiliar (i.e., my family at home - hi!!!), noriban is the Korean version of karaoke. Instead of singing in front of a large crowd, you and your friends rent this little room (not soundproof, of course - this is Korea, after all), and have at your disposal every pop song ever created in the American and Korean cultures (I'm sure there's also some J-Pop in there - I didn't get a chance to really look through the book). I like it better than our perception of karaoke because there's no crowd involved. Yes, I know that I <3 attention, but not when singing is involved. Before noriban, I thought that "I Believe I can Fly" was a syrupy sweet song that was too cavity-threatening to make it even onto my iTunes list (and for everyone who's seen that thing, you know that there's too much Miley and High School Musical for me to deny my love for pop). Tony, however, corrected that misbelief. Just like "Boyz in the Hood" can be turned into a soft alternative song, "I Believe I can Fly" can become a rough, screaming jam. Also, before noriban, I thought that I was _not_ a fan of Lady Gaga. I was also terribly wrong on that one, too. I also didn't know that I knew all of the lyrics to "Poker Face" (I was just as surprised as everyone else reading this..). After our assigned hour and a half, I had hopes of surviving the night with my vocal cords still intact....but then I guess the owner decided that he really liked us (the "half" previously mentioned was free), and gave us another free twenty minutes. Instead of being a good, logical person and thinking, "Okay, save the voice...need to be able to talk next week", my fun side kicked in and went, "Heck yes all of us singing 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' at the top of our lungs is a fantastic idea!!!" Probably still could've made it had we not also decided to do some Jimmy Eat World, No Doubt, Boyz II Men (don't ask - I never question the genius that is Jennifer..), and finished it all off with N'Sync's "Bye Bye Bye" (I will admit to knowing all of the lyrics to that song). For those who have heard the story, we saw the Scottish guy!! He was not at noriban, nor at Underground - he was with this elusive girlfriend that one of you mentioned and very not all-in-our-faces. Fortunately, Jen and I are such fantastic actors that Josh and Tony now understand exactly what our last encounter was like. I have more evidence supporting the theory that he lives in my building: he and his girlfriend walked up there (which caused me to run back to Jen and Kevin because although he's probably not that creeper of a guy, I'm having a hard time getting past that first awful impression). But since I did reference that awesome Chicago Trib article about the advice that I'm not all that qualified to give but am anyway (you know that whole month of experience really speaks volumes =p), here it goes.. Eat the kimchi. Okay, maybe it won't cure AIDS or male pattern baldness, but it's some good stuff. Eat the radishes, too. If your braver friends order intestines, take a bite - you don't have to join them in finishing all of it, but you look like less of a hoser American if you at least try some. Learn hangul. Knowing what your'e ordering in restaurants is much easier. Listen to what your friends say about Korean fashion advice, but pack your suitcase with *your* clothes. Seoul women do walk around like they're on a runway, but they won't deny your ARC if you show up in flare jeans or opt out of purchasing Uggs. Actually, if you do stray from the Ugg trend, drop me a line - I'm trying to start a non-ugly boot group. Stay away from buildings with barber poles. Embrace the cuteness. Just because Americans feel like everything has to Be Serious doesn't mean it always has to be in other parts of the world. Police officers who come out of a building with a cartoon on the front are just as respectable as the ones who come out of the white institutional buildings. Also, since we have to listen to PSA's, why not make them animated? This also applies when you purchase your first cell phone. Learn how to use metal chopsticks. Don't feel like a failure when you're told that it's okay to eat your rice with a spoon. I'm still working on that one. Don't eat alone. Meals are a community event and everything is set up to make it about sharing. It's so freaking cheap here that you don't really have an excuse, either. Children will stare. Old people will glare. Smile at both. "Thank you" is pronounced "kahm-sahm-nee-daa". Be sure to bow a lot, too. Even if you make the worst cultural mishaps (like throwing your trash away completely incorrectly right in front of the garbage men), bowing makes everything better. You may already know some of these. Others just may not work for you. But I'm serious about the laryngitis and noriban - not a good idea. I'm sure my nurse practitioner mom agrees..

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Audrey Eagle taught middle and high school language arts for five years in sunny Florida before moving to South Korea. She now teaches for Chungdahm Learning in Suji with the most fantastic coworkers imaginable!

Read Audrey's blog here.

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Every month, 10 Magazine asks their readers to give their opinion on something related to Korea. The topic this month’s reader poll is English blogs in Korea. I woke up this morning to find Rip City to Seoul listed among the selections. Give it a look, there is a lot of good reading to be found among all the blogs given mention.

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Dustin works for Chung Dahm Learning April English in Seoul, South Korea. Having lived abroad before, his passion is traveling and experiencing different cultures, so he jumped at the opportunity to teach in Korea. He thinks working with kids can be a lot of fun, and he's getting to travel in Korea and the rest of Asia. A life-long Portland Trail Blazers fan, the hardest part about being away from home is missing the NBA season, but thankfully he has found a way to watch with NBA Online...

Read Dustin's blog here.

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Our days have been full since we got here…mostly with trying to wrap our head around the fact that we live in Korea. Crazy. But, we have been more than lucky, though to end up where we are and let me tell you why… 1. There is a great group of people here, even a few Christians, who have gone out of there way to welcome us. One in particular, Andrew, has made us feel so welcome by taking us on a walking tour to get to know Andong and to his Korean church. We have been able to hang out with them a few nights already and it really has kept us from getting lonely. 2. We have both got good schools to go to…everyone seems really nice, even though we can’t understand anything.(haha) 3. We live about 20 minutes walking distance from downtown where there are…drumroll…a PIZZA HUT, DUNKIN DONUTS, a few coffee shops, a MOVIE THEATER, a bunch of shops, and so much more! (you can tell what I’m excited about right?) 4. We know where the hospital is, just in case…don’t freak out mom. 5. We live above a convenience store that is in fact very convenient. 6. Any I’m sure many other reasons…YEAH!Andong is a great city to be in so just keep that in mind when you think about coming to visit. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) Another word for the day: Ohl my yeh yo? (How much is it?) Yes, you are seeing the delicious delicasies of Andong's market, dried fish in buckets as far as the eye can see! Another site at the market...maybe we'll have to try cooking a ridiculously large octopus sometime.

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Danny and Katy Doerksen are from Colorado Springs, CO. They are music enthusiasts, foodies, and love playing board games. They love to travel and wanted to see the world before it passed them by, so they decided to teach English with EPIK in South Korea and are currently teaching on the beautiful island of JeJu! Yeah KIMCHI!

Read Danny and Katy's blog here.

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The truth is, I live a pretty charmed life. Looking out the window of my high rise, high rent apartment, I have trouble feeling sorry for myself. The lights of the Hyperion helicopter pads flicker quietly in the distance; below them the traffic moving steadily in and out of Seoul creates a visual stream that by some trick of fancy manages to mimic vestiges of the real thing. The sound of trickling water and ticking clocks sputters for spasmodically from my radiator, adding to the complete illusion of my castle in the air. We come here as English teachers for different reasons, some of us arriving fresh out of college with nothing but a B.A. and a lack of direction. Some of us come waiting to pontificate on the joys of the written word, others come to escape it. We enter South Korea like Kings. We’re here as instant members of the elite; as in demand as our services are, Korea forgives us our ignorance of her language, culture and history. We live here paying little in taxes and often nothing in rent, at salaries well higher than our Korean coworkers. Sometimes we come here only to discover that in the end, we are pale faced, occasionally overpaid babysitters dancing our way into the working world. Such is life. Hagwans (private schools) tend to be slightly chaotic, disorganized places forced to cater to the whims of the paying customers or the corporation bodies that govern us. For all of this, we’re teachers. Sitting at my desk today in my classroom mulling over the trails of the new semester, I realized that my hair was in complete disarray after my walk to work, and that I really ought to buy a brush to keep at my desk. At my desk. As in, I have one. No significant special degree earned (TEFL is not necessary, nor is teaching experience, really), no real battles fought (if you pass training, you’re golden) and no terrible scars to show for my effort. In less than three months after arriving, I have 115 young minds waiting to be awakened. America was once the land of opportunity, but here the torch has been passed.

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As her college career in Michigan came to a close and the world outside started looking hungrier, the threat of a life of predictability of began to settle around Sarah Julian's shoulders...Until she realized that the apocalyptic economy at home was the greatest graduation gift she could have hoped for! Now, here she is teaching upper Elementary and Middle School English for CDL in the southwest side of Seoul, where daily life is a kaleidoscope of motion, kimchi comes with everything and opportunities to expand ones horizons abound. Check out her blog to read about Sarah's daily adventures in Korea!

Read Sarah's blog here.

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My favorite landmark in Seoul is the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It’s located in Jongnogu, Gwanghamun area, close to City Hall. Because it’s such a centrally located part of town, I see him all the time. He rests high above motor and pedestrian traffic, with Gyeongbokgung Palace and Mount Bukhansan in the background. His pose suggests… bring it on dude, I will dominate you. My girlfriend says that his broad shoulders remind her of me. The little replica statue she gave me sits on my book shelve, keeping an eye on my every move. According to Wikipedia, Admiral Yi was a Korean naval commander noted for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Japanese invasions of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty (1592-1598). He is reputed to be one of the few admirals to have been victorious in every naval battle in which he commanded, at least 23 of them, and remains as a venerated hero among Koreans (and red bearded, broad shouldered foreigners) today. I’ve also seen his name spelled Lee Soon-shin

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Dustin works for Chung Dahm Learning April English in Seoul, South Korea. Having lived abroad before, his passion is traveling and experiencing different cultures, so he jumped at the opportunity to teach in Korea. He thinks working with kids can be a lot of fun, and he's getting to travel in Korea and the rest of Asia. A life-long Portland Trail Blazers fan, the hardest part about being away from home is missing the NBA season, but thankfully he has found a way to watch with NBA Online...

Read Dustin's blog here.

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Kelly Winter is an irrepressibly optimistic professional and a very talented teacher. She was a substitute teacher for a year in the Portland public school system before embarking on her journey to Korea. Prior to that Kelly was a student teacher for one school year for the 4th and 1st grade in Beavertown, Oregon while she was earning her Master of Arts in Teaching. She has also worked as a math tutor, volunteered as a reading tutor and coached gymnastics. Kelly has six years of professional experience with an environmental development consulting firm before dedicating herself full time to a career in education. She’s busy having fun teaching overseas at Chung Dahm Learning in Incheon, South Korea!

Read Kelly's blog here.

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Kelly Winter is an irrepressibly optimistic professional and a very talented teacher. She was a substitute teacher for a year in the Portland public school system before embarking on her journey to Korea. Prior to that Kelly was a student teacher for one school year for the 4th and 1st grade in Beavertown, Oregon while she was earning her Master of Arts in Teaching. She has also worked as a math tutor, volunteered as a reading tutor and coached gymnastics. Kelly has six years of professional experience with an environmental development consulting firm before dedicating herself full time to a career in education. She’s busy having fun teaching overseas at Chung Dahm Learning in Incheon, South Korea!

Read Kelly's blog here.

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In math, there's this thing called a 'constant'. It doesn't go any where. It stays where it's supposed to stay. It is what it always is. A more formal definition goes something like this "It is a number that comes up in math and is independent of the physical measurement." Some examples that are well know are e and pi. As the name implies, the numbers do not change---they are constant.

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Tiffany grew up in small town Mississippi, and she has always been up for an adventure! She found her way to the Lone Star State where she graduated with a BS in Human Development and Family Sciences from The University of Texas at Austin. She continues to be an avid Longhorns fan and catches a game whenever she has the opportunity. Traveling and living abroad has been a long time desire that seemed to never go away. After completing her Masters in May 2009, thankfully, she found an opportunity through Aclipse to live and work abroad in South Korea. She is currently enjoying her time exploring Asia and teaching children English for Chung Dahm Learning in WonJu, South Korea. She hopes many people will choose to pursue such a challenging endeavor as this. It's a once in a life time opportunity!

Read Tiffany's blog here.

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