My perfect weekend in Seoul
With my husband away on a trip to Japan, and my best Korean friends busy with midterms, entry exams and dating (they each know who they are), I had the […]
Gender roles, sexism, and feminism in Korea
Yesterday, I went to the teacher’s lounge for a cup of coffee, when I met one of my older male colleagues. He asked me how I had spent my Chuseok […]
The ordeal of young Koreans
Whenever I tell people here in Korea how I got my job at Sogang, most people have a hard time believing my story. I sent an unsolicited application with all […]
My second visit to the Korean parliament
While I was in Denmark over the summer, I received an unexpected invitation from Mr. Hong Young Pyo, a Korean member of parliament and chairman of the Korean labor committee. […]
My least eventful week in Korea ever
I realize that I wrote in my previous post that it was important to slow down. Little did I realize that a week later I would be forced to slow […]
Slow down… reflect and learn
There’s a book that I’ve already read 3 times this summer, once in English, once in Korean, and once as an audio book. Okay, well, then technically I only *read* […]
Taking on a new Korean challenge
I had originally planned on enrolling in Sogang Korean level 7, but unfortunately, there was only one sign-up aside from myself, so they had to cancel level 7 this fall […]
What language learning and martial arts have in common
This week I tried something I’ve never done before. Prompted by a friend I registered for a Krav Maga class in Itaewon. In case you haven’t heard about Krav Maga, […]
Work hard!
I just went to the faculty lounge to get a cup of coffee, when I ran into the cleaning lady who was sweeping the floor. While waiting for my coffee […]
Why KakaoTalk will eventually drive you mad
Warning: May contain large doses of sarcasm. Not to be taken 100% literally 🙂 I consider myself a pretty modern, high-tech, new-world-embracing kinda gal. I’m all for new technology that […]
Believe in yourself
I recently started tutoring a Korean woman who wants to improve her English conversation skills. She understands almost everything and her writing is good, but she lacks speaking confidence and […]
Learn through Korean proverbs (and Naver)
All languages have proverbs that often originate from ancient times and provide an invaluable insight into the culture and mindset of the native speakers. The more proverbs you know in […]
August 15th, Korean liberation day
Today is the Korean liberation day, a national holiday in Korea. I’m still so super excited about my new office that even though it’s raining cats and dogs, and I […]
Open your books
I once had a brilliant lecturer who told us that “you don’t get smart from just leaving the books on your shelf – you have to actually read them”. Wise […]
Visiting home
I’m sure that all my readers know that I absolutely love living in Seoul. However, for all expatriates, no matter how intoxicatingly sweet you may find the drink, there will […]
The power of repetition
Do you ever feel guilty about watching reruns of an old show, knowing that you really ought to spend your time better doing something more productive? I certainly do, but […]
