Life in Korea
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A trip to Suwon
Having been busy with work in Seoul over the past couple of months, I rarely had the chance to get out of the city. This changed last week, when I went to Suwon for the very first time. Part of my husband’s job while we’re here in Korea is to develop exchange programs between his…
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Two Danish girls in Seoul
Last week, my long-time best friend from Denmark finally came to visit me in here in Seoul. From the moment I picked her up at Incheon until we said goodbye a week later, we got busy exploring all that Seoul has to offer. Since she probably doesn’t remember the names of all the places we…
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A visit to the Shilla hotel
Another busy work week has almost come to an end. Next week is mid-term week, so no teaching for me for the next ten days. I’m still terribly busy though. Today was my deadline for submitting a report I had been working on for a Korean research institute, and I have been writing like crazy…
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Busy but happy in Seoul
This week is by far the busiest week I have experienced since moving to Seoul. One of my friends from Denmark is visiting this week, and that has been an excellent excuse to tour the city. She’s actually here on business, but nonetheless we’ve managed to spend two days together. I greatly enjoy sightseeing in Seoul,…
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The challenge of teaching economics in Korea
This has definitely proven to be more challenging than I had expected, but certainly not in a boring way. Teaching in Korea has also made me rethink which examples I use when I teach economics. It turns out that not all everyday examples work in the same way in a Danish/American or Korean classroom. Today I was…
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My first Chuseok
Although I actually celebrated my own little version of Chuseok last year, this year marked my first Chuseok in Korea. Chuseok is the Korean harvest festival, or Korean Thanksgiving, which is usually celebrated some time in either September or October. Since the date is determined by the lunar calendar, it varies from one year to the next.…
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Adapting to life in Seoul
I’ve almost been here six weeks now, and I’m happy to report that I’m adapting to life here more easily than I had imagined. Seoul definitely feels like home in a strange way, I can’t quite explain. While I’m doing the same kind of job as I did back home, I still feel that my everyday…
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Going all Korean in Hongdae
This Friday I did something I haven’t done in a loooong time. I went to an international language exchange meet-and-greet party in Hongdae. Alone! With my husband out with some friends, and my Korean best friend abroad on vacation, I was without my usual companions for a Friday night on the town. Since it had been…
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Class is in session
This morning I taught my very first class at Sogang University. I’ve been looking forward to this day for quite some time, and I’ve been preparing for ages. Usually, when I’m teaching a new class I’m always a bit nervous, but somehow today was different. I felt oddly at home in the tiny Korean classroom, and all…
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The Korean concept of “han”
“Korea has a lot of han.” This is usually the explanation, when foreigners wonder why Koreans seem to have a particular preference for movies and dramas with tragic endings over the Hollywood sugar-coated happy ending. This is probably also the reason why the classic movie “Love Story” from 1970 was such a big hit in Korea.…
Sofie to Korea 