Anthoney Lee Roe
Hello! My name is Anthoney, and I am 25 years old. I grew up, for the majority of my adolescence, in San Jose, CA, USA. When I was 18, I decided to attend the University of California, San Diego. I worked for a few years after graduation, and finally made the decision that I wanted to teach English abroad. After months of deliberation and research, I chose to come to Korea to experience the life of an expat. The decision wasn't easy, and I left a lot behind, but the opportunity presented itself and I agreed to give it a try. This blog is an account of my experiences in Korea to date. My observations, thoughts, and experiences are part travel, part professional growth, and part social commentary. Read at your own risk. Enjoy. California Kid
Travel Blog Posts
Recent altercations in S. Korea, and how it affects our students
Published: November 26th 2010Asia » South Korea » Gyeonggi-do » Kimpo
November 26th 2010
How War, and Politics Disseminate into Everyday Life At the time of this writing, S. Korea is currently on high alert, and ready for a possibly attack from the North. Three days ago, the North shelled an Island in the West Sea, not far from where I live. Many homes were destroyed, and lives were lost. In addition, this weekend, my country plans to hold joint naval operation with the South Koreans in the West Sea, a move which North Korea has already made clear it was not happy about. The North and the South have been on the brink of war since the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities in the Korean War (it is a fact that the war itself never ended, and is technically still ongoing). Much of what you see ... read more
November 26th 2010
First Tae Kwon Do Lesson Today, I decided it was time to stop putting off joining a Tae Kwon Do studio (and learning more about Korean culture). I put on my all white pants and a white tee, and went to a studio called Elite Tae Kwon Do, which is literally in the building adjacent to my apartment. I had gone in the previous day to inquire about monthly fees (100,000 per month) and times (8:30-10p). Everything seemed to fit perfectly with my budget and schedule, so I knew it was time to get serious about my training. Oh yea, the reason I wore white pants and a white tee was because they are currently ordering me a TKD uniform...they didn’t have anything in my size. Over here, I am pretty big compared to the ... read more
September 5th 2010
♣ Theme : Daytrip,Biking,Hiking,relaxing,sculpture art park in Sin,Si,Mo islands ♣ Meet at : 940AM,Line5/Songjeong stn.(next to gimpogonghang stn.)/EXIT4 Here is a useful website with travel information if you want to make the trip youself: http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=313181 I decided to carry on with the Seoul hiking group, as the last trip to Jeju, even though we never actually made it to the island, was very entertaining. Warren, the Korean man who organizes the trips, planned a day bicycling trip on one of the islands off the West coast of Korea, very close to the international airport. We met the hiking group as Sadang station at 9:40a Sunday morning. I had been out in Seoul until late the night before, and was fairly exhuasted, but this trip was something I did not want to miss. We boarded the bus, ... read more
August 31st 2010
I saved these pics and meant to post about my first hiking experience in Korea, the second week I was here. As you can see, we definitely stood out hiking up a mountain in flip flops, and inner tubes we had bought simply to float down a nearby river. Koreans take their hiking extremely seriously, and some even consider it to be a national sport. So, next to men and women with full blown hiking gear and hiking poles, we must have looked really strange. There was some great scenery, and in some of the pictures, you can see the outline of Seoul. The temples we saw were gorgeous, as was the sunset. It was a very pleasant day from what I recall. I am not sure the name of the mountain. Once I go back ... read more
August 27th 2010
I met a foreign teacher my first week in Korea who told me about a trip to Jeju Island that was coming up the weekend of August 27th. Jeju Island is supposed to be one of the best places to vacation at in Korea. Many Koreans take frequent trips there, and several of my students had mentioned traveling to Jeju on their holidays. Here is a link to a Wikipedia page regarding Jeju (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeju-do). After speaking with the other foreign teachers I have been hanging out with, a group of us decided that we wanted to go. Although we would make it back to Gimpo only a few hours before our classes would begin the following Monday, we thought the experience would be well worth the sleep deprivation. I finished work Friday evening around 7:30p. I ... read more
August 26th 2010
Countries of the World We are studying countries of the world this month for the kindergarten theme. My first kindy class has Russia as their assigned country. We have a set of flashcards for the students that we are supposed to review with them throughout the month. One of the teachers thought it would be a good idea to put AK-47 and vodka into the deck. These were a big hit with the students. During lunch one afternoon, one of the boys comes up to me and say "look teacher" as he holds up a gun constructed out of legos "AK-47"! As if that wasn't funny enough, everyday when I walk into class, the students are already in the midst of their own vodka party. They stand around in a circle with their water cups before ... read more
August 25th 2010
Expected Salary and Benefits 1) The average salary for a private school in Korea starts between 2.1 and 2.3 million Won. This website will converter Won to USD for your comparison: http://coinmill.com/KRW_USD.html 2) The employer should pay for your ticket to Korea. Korea is, in most cases, the only country that will pay the ticket initially. Most countries will simply reimburse you after you complete your year contract. 3) Your employer should also provide you with a furnished apartment (a studio is standard). Other countries will provide you with a housing stipend, which may or may not cover the cost of rent. If you are looking to relocate quickly and hassle free, then this really is the best option. 4) Your recruiter will meet you at the airport once you land in Korea. Do not be ... read more
August 25th 2010
I began teaching one of my more advanced speaking classes about the meaning of the word "custom". The class consists of a group of eight teenagers, and their conversational level is intermediate. When traveling, we may or not be away of what is considered a cultural norm in whatever county we find ourselves in. The longer you spend in a country, the more you begin to realize the minute differences between that country and your own. This truth has become apparent to me over the past few weeks. I would like to keep a list of Korean customs that I have noticed or have been instructed about. *Note: As in all my posts, I refer to South Korea simply as Korea. I do not feel like typing South in front of a word I use consistently. ... read more
August 21st 2010
My first time in Seoul was an amazing experience. Seoul truly is a city that never sleeps. We left Gimpo Saturday around midday, and hopped on the subway. We wanted to attend a baseball game before we went out tot he party scene. After and hour and a half subway ride, we arrived at the sports complex. We walked to the stadium, and stood in line, hoping that the tickets were not sold out. As it turned out, there were plenty of seats left. My friends, Brian, Mark, James, and myself then headed over to buy some snacks and beer for the game. (will add more about the game later....had a good convo with a Korean about why older Koreans tend to look down on Americans). For a fast forward version of the nights events, ... read more
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