Author: rttglobal

Christmas in Korea is fairly interesting. It’ not as big of a deal like in the United States. Playing secret Santa with colleagues in the office is non-existent. Decorating personal spaces with Christmas decorations is seen more as a daunting task than a joyful occasion. All the teachers are anticipating the end of the holiday season because that means one thing, vacation.

Winter vacation in Korea is almost upon us. It’s finally the last week of classes! As I write this, I am breathing a long sigh of relief. I appreciate my job and the energetic children I work with, but the time has now come when I’m in desperate need of a break.

Korean weddings take on quite a different format to a western wedding. What comes to mind when you hear the word wedding? Perhaps you think of a bride and groom, family and close friends. I know that’s what I think about when I hear the word wedding.

As another year in Korea approaches, I have begun to reflect on the differences I am faced with and changes I have made during my time as an EPIK teacher in South Korea.

An English camp in Korea is set up for students to attend during the summer months when they have more free time from their regular schools. Not all EPIK teachers are asked to teach in one of these but I was and I loved it.

Being adaptable in Korea is essential. When I first moved here, I was really nervous about making new friends. I lived in the smallest state in America, Rhode Island. Moving halfway across the world with just my husband was not only adventurous but nerve racking at the same time.

Support for ESL teachers thinking of going away to teach English in a new country is vital to helping a person make that big step into this grand new adventure. So who was there to help me? and how can I do my bit to help others?

School variety is something I am used to, I was first informed I would be teaching at two schools in Daejeon the last day of my EPIK orientation. I was excited because I would have a split schedule and experience in a number of different school settings.