How I survived my first week teaching English in Gangnam without speaking fluent Korean How I survived my first week teaching English in Gangnam without speaking fluent Korean Stepping out of Gangnam Station Exit 11 at 8:15 AM on a rainy Monday morning, holding a dripping umbrella and a massive cup of cheap iced coffee, my mind went completely blank. The neon signs towering over the streets of Yeoksam-dong were beautiful, but they might as well have been hieroglyphics. I had exactly three words of Korean in my vocabulary: hello, thank you, and beer. Yet, in less than forty minutes, I was scheduled to stand in front of a classroom of twelve highly energetic seven-year-olds whose parents paid a small fortune for them to learn English at an elite private academy, or hagwon. During those first few days, the imposter syndrome was overwhelming. I spent my commute worrying about everything from classroom management to ordering lunch without accidentally asking for raw octopus. My experienc...
How I Planned an Easy 10-Day Solo Trip Across Busan Without Knowing Any Korean How I Planned an Easy 10-Day Solo Trip Across Busan Without Knowing Any Korean My heart raced as the high-speed KTX train pulled into Busan Station on a damp Tuesday afternoon. I had a single backpack, ten days of freedom, and absolutely zero knowledge of the Korean language beyond a shaky pronunciation of thank you. The glowing neon signs and bustling crowds of the station felt incredibly overwhelming. I stood near the exit, blocking a stream of commuters, wondering if I had made a massive mistake booking a ten-day solo trip to South Korea's second largest city without a guide. That initial panic dissolved faster than I expected. Over the next ten days, I traversed the mountainous coastal city from the glittering high-rises of Haeundae to the steep, pastel-colored alleys of Gamcheon Culture Village. I ate rich pork soup in busy markets, took local buses up winding hills, and navigated the complex sub...