Apgujeong, the Beverly Hills of Korea

My sister teaches English overseas at a public elementary school rather than at an Hagwon, a private school afterschool program. When she isn't lesson-planning she explores Korean culture.

Where did she travel this week? She uses Norbert Paxton's The Rough Guide to Korea for some of her travel plans. This guide called Apgujeong the Beverly Hills of Korea. Why? Because everywhere you look you find advertisements for plastic surgery and valet parking.

Photo Credit: Flickr CesarFotos Pasta

Did she go anywhere where Korean dramas were filmed? She traveled to Gangnam too but fans of "Pasta" can recognize landmarks in Apgujeong.

Did you notice anything different about Korean versus American dating customs? My sister observed that guys in Korea that she exchanged numbers with texted her within 3 hours to ask her out. This is different from in America where she usually expected a 3-day waiting period. She explains that in Korea, the custom is for Korean men to be very persistent. The ritual is that they obtain the girl's phone number and text the same day. The girl can ignore the text, not reply and the guy knows he has no chance with her.

Can you give me an example of how guys in Korea make their approach? My sister toured the city of Seoul with three of her co-teacher girlfriends: a Scot, a Chinese-Canadian, and a Londoner. Korean men would subtly hover around the group, then invite themselves into the conversation. The men would express interest through the best Korean speaker in the group. This means my sister heard a "date-me" pitch from a Korean guy who claimed he worked for Hyundai of the American South (i.e. Alabama), through her "interpreter" girlfriend. My sister nodded politely said she wasn't interested and told him to leave but have a nice day. He stayed. "Korean men persist," says my sister. Only after the third "goodbye", did he give up.

 

Photo Credit: Flickr Foodistablog Sweet Potato Pie

Photo Credit: Flicker  TubeDogg Cheddar Cheese

How did you use your Korean-speaking skills this week? My sister is very proud of herself that she ordered delivery in Korean this week. She ordered a noodle dinner on one night. On another day, she ordered a pizza. No, not the blueberry one I mentioned in a previous post. This pizza had shrimp, cheddar cheese, sausage, bacon and sweet potato mousse. She said it took her several days to finish the leftovers for that one pizza, mostly because the mousse was so filling. She won't order that pizza again. If you want to try a Korean-style pizza like this one in the States, Los Angeles has a Mr. Pizza that serves up a pie with this mousse. 

Concerts, Donuts and Teaching in Korea

I spent part of this evening celebrating the second day of Chinese New Year with my sister, who is teaching English overseas in Korea over Skype. She gave me entertainment news about the concert that she'll go to next week, food reviews during this snowy week and five tips for others who might want to teach in Korea.

First, entertainment news. She will watch Beast in concert next weekend. When she was stateside, she watched the Wonder Girls and 2 P.M. in San Francisco.

Second, food tidbits. Three noteworthy desserts. Two main dishes. And one oddity.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons Green Donut

Dessert: Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts in Korea offer Bavarian cream, pistachio glaze and cafe hazelnut pastries. I am especially interested in the Bismark bar as described by my sister. Chocolate candy coating, filled with Bavarian cream on one end and chocolate filling on the other. She also likes the green pistachio glazed raised donut. Yum!
 Though restaurants are closed right now during Korean New Year's, donut shops are open for business.
Main Dishes: Korean Chicken with Onions and Cold Buckwheat noodles. More detail next time.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons Bavarian Cream Donut

Oddity: Blueberry pizza with walnuts, mozzarella cheese, raisins and wedges of savory potato.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons Blueberries

Lastly, practical tips. Five tips from my sister, the EPIK Program kindergarten teacher.
1. Earn your Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate before you apply to http://www.epik.go.kr/
Why? You are eligible for a higher salary than other candidates without such certification.

2. Gain classroom experience 12 months before you apply to a program teaching English overseas. She taught Math and English at a Korean school in California for a year before she applied to the program managed by the Korean government.

3. Ace the interview by answering honestly during your Skype interview why you want to teach in Korea. Is it for the cultural experience? Are you already interested in the pop culture, music and entertainment? Do you want to grow as a teacher? Do you already know the language?

Photo Credit: Creative Commons Korean New Year

4. Confirm expectations with your employer. In exchange for teaching, your employer may provide a salary and housing for you during your contract. For instance, my sister's employer arranged for an apartment for her with a full kitchen that she does not have to share with a roommate.

Your obligations may include teaching during the regular school year in addition to summer and winter camps. You will spend a great deal of time lesson planning and adapting for your audience. For example, during a typical day my, sister may be expected to teach nearly 60 kindergartners in one classroom with only two teaching assistants for classroom management.

5. Enjoy coworker friendships. Who are some of the other teachers selected by the program? My sister has made friends with fellow teachers from South Africa, Australia, London and America. It's a 50/50 split between male and female teachers, predominantly in their 20s.

If you are curious about my sister's adventures in teaching, read future lenses and check out images of Korea on her Pinterest board.

Happy Traveling!