Blogs from Cheongju, South Korea, Asia - page 6

Dear Blog Readers, Apologies for the lack of an update for a while. We have been unable to get the internet installed in our apartment until we obtained our Alien Registration Card. I guess that means we’re now officially aliens in South Korea?! We have plenty to talk about! Orientation has finished! The last week was really long and packed full of information. We had lectures from 9am until 5:30pm and then we had Korean lessons in the evening. It’s unfortunate because we’re really wanting to learn Korean but after having lectures all day, we are so tired that nothing really goes in so we’ll have to start from scratch once we get settled in. We’ve covered all aspects of teaching, from project based learning to adapting to multiple intelligences. We’ve also had interesting lectures on ... read more

(Panoramic of a big courtyard; on the left is the gate to the throne room building, Injeongjeong) Changdeokgung Changdeok Palace complex was lots of fun. There are two royal palace complexes within a fifteen minute walk from Insadong. We chose to go to Changdeokgung because it also has a garden inside it, known as the Secret Garden (Biwon). However it was so large that we only had the energy to check out the main buildings. It cost ₩3000 each to enter the palace. First I’ll give you a little history lesson on the complex. Conveniently this was written on the back or our tickets: (Words in italics are directly quoted, the rest I’ve added.) The palace was constructed in 1405, the fifth year of King Taejong (r. 1400-1418). Taejon was the third king of the Joseon ... read more

Wonderland School So our school is called Wonderland. But, it’s not actually a school; it’s a Hagwan, better known in Canada as an academy. If anyone has heard of the Sylvan math program then you will understand the concept. A Hagwan is an after elementary school “school”. So children go to school until about 1pm, and then they go to these Hagwans. Ours is an English Hagwan but there are many others too. They range from math, sciences, art and social sciences, to Tae Kwon Do and other sports. Essentially these after-school schools are for rich kids to get a better education in specific topics. Education is very competitive here, and if the parents aren’t satisfied with their child’s learning they will simply switch hagwans. We’re having fun though, our fellow teachers are all very nice ... read more

Noraebanging I know I said that I would write about our Noraebang excursion a while ago, but I’ve been... well... lazy. It’s getting hot here too, but it’s not just the heat that’s annoying it’s the super high humidity. Most days the temperature is about 30 degrees Celsius but the humidity makes it feel between 36 and 38. Very very hot! The rainy season is supposed to go from July through August, so I think we’re in for a rough couple of months. It’s already started raining and you might think that the rain would relieve some of the humidity and maybe cool it down a bit, but you would be wrong, it was the opposite. We’ve started needing to use the air conditioning at night just so we don’t sweat to death in our sleep. ... read more

Good news!! So I woke up this morning and despite not feeling too great, I knew I had to check out the rest of the hiking trail so I finally got myself together and went. I kept walking...for what seemed like forever but maybe it was an hour or less. This trail, this mountain, goes on forever! And the start of it is right by my house and I never would have known. It was BRIGHT green everywhere and so beautiful. There isn't an ugly part on the entire trail. My curiosity to see where the trail led kept me going but I was starting to get worried about making it to work on time. I had no idea what time it was and no water...ha ha but I kept going. I finally reached a gazebo, ... read more