 Kindergarten Christmas photo December:
Winter in Korea is not as commercialized as it is in the States. Christmas is celebrated since there are millions of Christians in the country. However, excessive gift giving is not as rampant. People do exchange gifts, but that is a normal occurrence in Korea. It is a gift giving society. There are numerous opportunities to exchange small tokens of appreciation and thanks. In addition, Koreans are also very good consumers. This is one of the most prominent similarities between Americans and Koreans. Shopping is not only a recreational activity. It is routinely a way of life for some people.
Our academy notified the teachers at the beginning of the month that there would be a Christmas carol contest. The faculty chose different song selections and practiced them with the students, after each lesson, throughout the month. The students were fairly excited about the event, especially the younger students. Overall, the Christmas holiday was fairly joyous, even in the office. The faculty seemed to have high spirits during the month. We were all missing family, but the company of the students kept us preoccupied. There was a company holiday dinner at a local Korean restaurant to close the December session.
 New Year's Eve in Daegu with Andrew, Claire, and Autumn January:
During a short, four-day weekend to celebrate the New Year, we got a visit from another college friend. Our friend, Andrew, visited us from Japan. He is also an English teacher, who decided to visit some friends and family in Korea during his holiday vacation. He also taught in Korea previous to his contract in Japan. Furthermore, his sister is now teaching in Seoul. It was nice to have familiar company, and to share stories from the past years. We celebrated the New Year together by visiting a Korean casino, dining on Turkish kebabs, and playing foosball and darts at a downtown bar. We will see you in Japan soon, Andrew!
After the brief break from school lessons, we resumed for the winter intensive session. All of our class loads increased by approximately ten classes per week. The intensive months in the winter and summer are due to public school vacations. Parents prefer to send their children to private academies for more English lessons when they are on vacation. This, of course, is very convenient for families and private schools. It is not as convenient for teachers and students, who both would rather be on vacation. Regardless, teachers had the motivation of a six-day break for Lunar New Year to prevent rioting.
 Halloween in Daegu, Korea We apologize for the long draught between blog posts. The change in the seasons, coupled with constant allergies, and the grind of the professional life have made it quite easy to procrastinate. In addition, the possibilities provided with Skype have kept us in close contact with most of our friends and family. Thus, it always feels like we have kept everyone updated. However, I suppose there are some out there that feel neglected. So, we will give you an abbreviated version of our lives over the past few months.
October:
Halloween in Korea was celebrated, but not with the same joyous attitude that Americans dedicate toward the holiday. There was candy, and there were costumes, but it felt strange and almost forced. All of the teachers were required to wear a costume on two days. This was for the sole purpose of allowing every student the opportunity to witness our festive personalities. Stores do not stock much Halloween attire. We had to get creative. I’m sure there is a costume company somewhere in Korea. However, it is not easy to locate. It is our suggestion for foreigners to bring a costume from home, or have it shipped.
 Field trip to a dinosaur exhibit in Daegu, Korea November:
There were two major occurrences in November. The first event was our first “open class”. This is basically an opportunity for parents and grandparents to experience a kindergarten class. They get to watch the teacher and the students perform for a full class session, and ask questions to administrators afterwards. Of course, these classes are well planned and rehearsed for obvious reasons. Teachers tend to think of it as amateur theatre—an off-Broadway production. The entire kindergarten staff celebrated the end of the occasion with a company dinner downtown.
November also included American Thanksgiving. Since we were unable to spend the holiday with our family, we decided to travel north to Pyeongtaek to visit two college friends. Our friends, Rebekah and Jon, were kind enough to invite us for the holiday away from home. They have been raising a family in Korea for the past three years. Naturally, they are very familiar with the feeling of not having family around for the holiday season. Rebekah is an amazing chef. All of her creations were glorious. We owe our survival of the season to her and Jon for their invitation.
 Celebrating my birthday at an Italian restaurant in Daegu Since the Halloween season is upon us, we decided to get ourselves in the mood last weekend. Rebecca and I, along with our friend Anna, finally visited a Korean movie theater to actually purchase tickets for a flick. We unanimously selected the newest installment of the Paranormal Activity franchise. The film did not disappoint. We all jumped more than once in our plush, comfy theater seats. Rebecca and I watched most of the movie through the slits between our fingers. Occasionally, we would whisper to Anna, “What’s going on? Are we in the clear yet?” We warned her that we were wimps. I think she really believes us now.
As for the theater experience, it was fantastic. First, and most importantly, the theater is only a fifteen-minute walk from our apartment. Secondly, it is in a shopping center, so there are many stores to peruse while waiting for a movie to begin. Thirdly, the theater itself was extravagant for the fair price of approximately $7. The theater screen was really large, and the seats were more comfortable than most theaters we have frequented in the U.S. And to top off the experience, the theater offered not only butter popcorn, but also cheddar and spicy popcorn. However, the movie was still very scary for two wimps!
 Co-workers and a birthday cake! As for our life as English teachers, it has been evolving fairly rapidly. We have already been teaching for two months. The October session ends on November 2. Meanwhile, our school just hired two new Korean teachers, and there is a new American teacher from Vancouver, Washington. We have not had the opportunity to get acquainted with the newbies yet, but I’m sure time will bring plenty of quality moments together. Rebecca and I also had our first bout with sickness in Korea. We both developed upper respiratory infections (no doubt from one of our generous students), and we had to visit a local clinic.
We wandered into an office, which we quickly discovered was a pediatric clinic. I suppose we looked sick enough because they treated us despite our age. The physician spoke enough English to get through the examination. He gave us prescriptions, and we purchased them in a pharmacy downstairs. The total bill for two physician examinations, and two scripts, which included at least three different types of medication, was…less than $15. It sure is nice to have health care coverage! We were told later the bill would have been cheaper if we had taken our medical cards! One of our friends summarized it perfectly when he said, “Life is almost too easy in Korea."
 Our Daegu group at a Buddhist temple Please forgive us for the space in between our blog posts. Life in Korea has become much like a routine that exists anywhere in the world. Our work has become the bulk of our daily life, and the recreational activities seem to be the only thing worth writing home about lately. That being said, this entry should begin with our trip to the southern coast of the peninsula, to what is Korea’s second largest city…Busan. This was our third weekend trip since arriving in late August. We left on a Saturday morning with five other friends living in Daegu. The seven of us boarded a KTX bullet train at 11 a.m., and reached Busan in approximately forty-five minutes.
The accommodations in Busan were not as advertised. Our Korean friend, Sienna, booked the pension-style apartment for us with consent from the group. The pictures on the website were fairly misleading. We expected a gorgeous, two-room space that would render a comfortable evening of leisure when it was time to tuck-in. Instead, we were granted two holes in the wall that encouraged us all to stay out all night, in order to avoid returning to the alley that awaited our slumber. We all paid about 10,000 Korean Won each for the pension. Most of our friends and family back home would not have paid more than $5.
 Haeundae Beach in Busan, Korea It all worked out well in the end. First, our group adventured out to a water temple on the coast. The Buddhist temple was positioned along the rocky coastline on a cliff edge. We all hiked around the temple, and gawked at the gorgeous views of the sea. There was plenty of opportunity for breathtaking snapshots. There were several cameras documenting the playtime. Eventually, we returned to Haeundae Beach for an evening of exploring. This mostly included long walks on the beach, an Irish pub, a raucous bar chain, a trip to a university district, more raucous bar chains, and kebab for a goodnight snack.
The next morning, Rebecca and I enjoyed the morning sun on the beach. We walked on a pathway along the coastline that provided views of the city at the endpoint. Then, we joined one of our trip companions for brunch at a local gem that offered western cuisine. The morning fare included, toast, bacon, sausage, eggs, waffle, hash browns, orange juice, and coffee. The rest of the group eventually accepted the daylight, and decided brunch was an excellent idea. We all sat at the table and marveled at the beauty that beach towns have to offer their residents. Indeed, it may prove itself as a possible home in the near future. We will try to get everyone updated to the present in the next post!
 Rebecca and I with our Kindergarten students Life has gotten busy now that we have real jobs. We finished our first school session last week. A session at our school is one month, which is equivalent to twenty class days. The end of our first session has also brought some more changes at our school. We lost four teachers at the end of September due to completed contracts. One of our American teachers returned to Connecticut after teaching for one year in Daegu. In addition, three Korean English teachers fulfilled their contracts, and moved on to other positions. Meanwhile, our school only hired one American teacher from California and a part-time Korean teacher. We’re not sure how that balances the class load. Our schedules did not change.
As for our teaching schedules, we are now working like well-oiled machines. We are certainly in a routine that allows us to enjoy daily life in Korea. We usually do not arrive at our school until 10 a.m. We usually begin teaching at 11:30 a.m., and we finish our last class slightly before 6 p.m. Within that eight-hour day, there are a couple breaks, and an hour, or more for preparation in the morning. Most days consist of seven, 40-minute classes. However, on Monday, I teach six classes, and Friday consists of only five classes. Rebecca’s schedule is very similar regarding class load. The main difference is in our class sizes. Rebecca teaches approximately 27 students, and I teach around 60 students each week.
 Rebecca and her Aunt Janet in Cheongju, Korea Thus far, our contracts have been very accurate. We have been paid settlement bonuses within the time frame stated in our contract, and we received our first salary payment on the stated payday, which also included flight reimbursements. Typically, flights are pre-paid by the employer, but we arrived in Daegu from Europe. Therefore, they allowed us to schedule our flight according to our preference of departing Europe. If we had been flying from home, the school would have purchased the flight immediately. Our return flights to the U.S. are also negotiable in the sense that we can select the flight date.
In other news from Daegu, that time of year is here again. Another 365 days have passed, and tradition says I should “celebrate” the day of my birth. I know I am not an old man quite yet, and plenty of people would probably trade their age for mine, but it still feels like time is passing quickly. Every year seems to rush by a little faster than the last. Maybe life was really boring when I was ten-years-old. And now, there is much excitement each year to embrace. I presently prefer this explanation.
 The happy couple for 58 years going strong In addition to a birthday celebration, a nice couple on Tahoma Road celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary this past week. We would like to publicly send our love and best wishes to Ray and Rebecca. Congratulations on another fruitful year together. Thank you for all the joy you both bring to your friends and family! We hope we can celebrate the next anniversary with you. As always, please post any comments, and/or questions, and we’ll try to respond in a timely manner.
 View of Daegu from our balcony September 5th was the beginning our teaching contract in Daegu, Korea. We taught six classes on our first day. Each class is a 40-minute session. The Kindergarten program is named Ivy Kids because the Ivy League is the end goal. Rebecca teaches a more advanced Kindergarten class (appropriately named the Harvard class), and Claire, from the U.K., teaches the youngest class (dubbed Columbia). I have the pleasure of teaching the middle group, which are 6 and 7-year-olds in their first year at our school (titled the Cornell class).
Some of the other classrooms at our school have titles, such as M.I.T., Brown, Princeton, Yale, UC Berkeley, and Oxford. The students and the faculty seem to enjoy the classroom titles. I think it adds a certain morale, or importance to the work that we do at the school. However, I was quite displeased to discover we actually had a classroom named “Duke” on the 6th floor. I have since refused to teach in that room. All of my classes have been moved. Kentuckians do not forgive or forget. I hope you’re reading this Christian Laettner. Also, sorry Alex, we do not have a UPenn classroom.
 Aaron and Rebecca in our office....the only safe zone Our first week was very busy, but also rewarding. We seem to be adapting quite well, and we are developing a rhythm. The most important, and maybe the most difficult element of our teaching is timing. Establishing the feel for the rhythm of the day can be challenging in the beginning. I was fortunate that it seemed to only take me two days. However, the 40-minute class session can be a daunting task because it seems like plenty of time, but it really flies away during the class. So, every teacher has to be prepared to wrap up the lesson, and transition to the next classroom within a 5-minute time frame.
At the end of our first week, we had a four-day weekend to celebrate Chuseok, which is the equivalent to the American Thanksgiving. Koreans seem to do the same thing Americans do for Thanksgiving. We heard many stories of eating, visiting family, and shopping with friends. We took advantage of the extra time-off to get settled into our apartment, explore the city, and visit some grocery stores. We returned to school this week for short three-day stint that concluded with a Father’s Day field trip on Friday night. We visited a kids’ gym across town with the Kindergarten students and their dads for a night of games and silliness. The kids loved it. And, although it was tiring, I think we liked it too.
 Spacious flight from Munich, Germany to Dubai, U.A.E. After three flights, we finally arrived in Daegu, Korea. We departed from Munich, Germany, and according to local time, we landed in Daegu one day later. However, the travel time was only about 20 hours with the airport layovers. Aaron (our school’s administrative assistant) met us promptly at the international airport in Daegu. He shuttled us to the “love motel”, which would serve as our accommodations for one week. We learned that “love motels” are common in Korea because they are rented by the hour. An American would think they are for prostitution purposes, but they actually serve as havens for Korean couples that are not married.
The following day, Aaron fetched us again from the motel to visit the hospital for a medical examination. After a urine test, blood work, chest x-rays, vision exam, blood pressure, and body measurements, we were cleared to work in Korea. The intensive medical exam is directly related to pre-existing illness. Since we are provided a comprehensive medical insurance, our employer probably does not want to provide health care to someone needing cancer treatment. At the conclusion of the medical prodding, we were hustled off to our school to meet faculty and administration. Everyone seemed friendly enough, and we were able to observe some classes.
 View of our apartment in Daegu, Korea We explored the city for the weekend, and had several meals with the English teachers at our school. On the following Monday, the four new English teachers (Claire from the United Kingdom, Anna from Minnesota, U.S.A., and Rebecca and I) met another English teacher from the other Daegu school (Tim from British Columbia, Canada) at the train station. All five of us ventured to Seoul on the KTX bullet train for teacher orientation. The company training was fine, but mostly boring. There was some useful information, and teaching preparation. However, it is difficult to make anything exciting when you’re sitting in a desk for about 6-7 hours each day.
At the conclusion of our third day of training, we found the bullet back to Daegu, which is less than two hours. The entire length of Korea can be traveled on the KTX from Seoul to Busan in about 2 and a half hours. In addition, the KTX is a very nice train line that is equipped with nice facilities and food. It was comparable to the best train line we experienced in Europe, and it is much faster! After returning to Daegu, we spent our entire Friday planning lessons at our school. We performed a sample lesson for the Teaching Manager, who is our direct supervisor. She gave us feedback, and then we packed materials for planning more classes over the weekend break. The new school session begins on Monday!
 Fabulous beds and duvets at Yoho International Youth Hostel Although we have discussed similarities and differences concerning European culture, there are other topics that should be expounded upon even further. Most Americans will probably be very interested in a few of the characteristics we highlighted in our blog. However, there are other facets of a European tour that are much more crucial to any traveler’s way of life. One of those travel elements for us was certainly the hostel experience. Since our hostel cost was not only our accommodation expense, but also part of our entertainment expense, we were very careful to book interesting, yet safe hostels. We thought it might be helpful to include some of our hostel reviews for future backpackers.
Best Beds: Yoho International Youth Hostel located in Salzburg, Austria. This hostel had excellent character and an abundance of amenities. The staff was very helpful, and the rooms were very clean! The showers were very nice, and they had great water pressure. The security lockers in the room were also very cool. The key card access is very efficient. The all-you-can-eat breakfast was absolutely worth the 3,5 Euros. The bar also offers cheap beer every night at happy hour for only 2 Euros. Overall, you cannot go wrong with this hostel!
 Welcoming staff at the Ginkgo Hostel in Budapest, Hungary Community Atmosphere: Babel Hostel located in Wroclaw, Poland. Babel Hostel was a fun, cozy place to stay while we visited Wroclaw for three days. We stayed in a 10 bed mixed dorm. The staff was very friendly, and everything was really clean. There is also free tea and coffee for all guests. The common room is very large, and it has computers, an LCD TV, and games. The only negative was the two bathrooms for possibly 30 guests. Thankfully, people were considerate when we were there, but it could be fairly rough if the hostel was full.
Superior Staff: Ginkgo Hostel located in Budapest, Hungary. Ginkgo Hostel is an amazing place to stay in Budapest. We originally booked 3 nights at the hostel, but we liked it so much that we stayed for two extra nights. The hostel staff are fabulous! They will do anything to help you enjoy your stay in Budapest. The hostel also offers a continental breakfast that is very enjoyable for a cheap price. In addition, there is always something going on at the hostel, and the staff takes guests on tours very often. This was a relaxing stay on our trip!
 Luxurious accommodations at Wombats City Hostel in Munich, Germany Luxurious Accommodations: Wombats City Hostel located in Munich, Germany. Wombats City Hostel had more amenities than most hostels offer. Free towels, free WIFI, and a free drink were all included in the room rate. There is also a good morning breakfast for only 3,7 Euro. The hostel is in a popular area of town, which is located near the main train station, and it is close to the airport Metro line. Wombats also has a cool winter garden in the middle of the hostel, which is a great lounge area! The only negative was the absence of air conditioning in the rooms.
Although our hostel stays are over for at least several months, it will be remembered as one of the critically important elements of our trek through Europe. Hostels are not only usually just as safe as any hotel, they are much more enjoyable for their entertainment value. In addition, most of the cool people we met on our journey were in our various hostels. It is too bad that hostels get an unfair rap in the U.S. (mostly because of the cheap hotel bargains). It is quite difficult to find good hostel choices stateside, unless you happen to be in a large city, which is also usually limited in selection. Regardless of what you may think now, any young person who is traveling to Europe should definitely book a few hostel stays on their next trip!
 Money pit in Bran, Romania The follow-up to European characteristics that will encourage most Americans to make the trek across the Atlantic for either a short vacation, or a backpacking excursion is, of course, the differences that will make most Americans uncomfortable with a European tour. As mentioned in the previous blog post, there are numerous characteristics about Europe that will get most Americans through U.S. Customs fairly quickly. In fact, there are so many, we could not list them all. We did not even get into the whole concept of nude beaches! That should have probably come directly before, or after the whole beer loving culture. Anyway, we shall discuss the European traits that may hinder the American spirit.
Not Ice-Cold: Ice is not a common condiment in Europe. In fact, you will almost certainly not be served ice with your soft drink at most restaurants. Europeans believe it is weakening the taste of the beverage. They always act dumbfounded when an American asks for ice with a cold beverage. The only exception to this troubling characteristic is, of course, McDonalds. It is a safe haven for all your endless ice desires!
Condiments Cost: Regardless if you’re at McDonalds, or any local food stand, ketchup on your freedom fries is going to cost you a little extra. Americans are fairly familiar with paying an extra quarter for a slice of cheese, but a packet of ketchup, or some mustard may be crossing a line. Don’t even bother with asking for sauce after you have paid—they still make you reach in your pocket again.
 Smoking DOES kill....Europeans have discovered it! Currency Exchange: Unfortunately, the whole planet does not accept the American Dollar (or American Express for that matter). You will have to do some math when you arrive in the European Union. Most countries in the EU use the Euro, but others still have their own currency. On another downer note, the American Dollar is weaker than the Euro. So…your Ben Franklin is only worth about 70 Euro.
Pay, or Hold It: Public restrooms in Europe are not free in most places. It is usually a minimal charge, such as $1, but it adds up at the end of the day. It especially adds up after five weeks. So, space your restroom visits accordingly. If you stop at any establishment, and purchase anything, you should check for a restroom. If you don’t, you will be digging through your wallet later.
No Seats…Sometimes: It is common in Europe for trains, and other transportation to overbook. There will not be any seats remaining on a train, but they will still sell you a ticket. This simply means you will not have a seat. A ticket does not guarantee a seat. You have to also reserve a seat with your ticket purchase for an extra charge. Fortunately, train stations do keep track of the seat reservations!
American Branding: American food is very easy to find in Europe. However, American clothing is not as easy to find. This is a relatively minor issue for anyone taking a short vacation to Europe. But, if you are backpacking for a longer tour of the old world, then you might want to replace some threads along the way. You might have to settle with other clothing brands, such as H&M, which is a really popular Swedish brand.
 Beer in the vending machines Do Not Dehydrate: Water is usually not free in Europe. This will seem strange to many Americans, who customarily order ice water with lemon at any restaurant stateside. However, Europeans either don’t believe in drinking from the tap, or just like making some extra dough. Either way, they will charge you for ordering water, and it is usually more expensive than a beer. Another note, be conscious of what kind of water you are ordering. Mineral water and sparkling water are very popular in Europe. If you want still water, you better ask for it!
We hope this list has not scared you away from purchasing your plane ticket! Most of these characteristic differences are very minor (with the exception of ice). You will become very familiar, and you will adapt just like you would in the good ole U.S.A. The most important advice for any beginning traveler is to be aware, and stay focused on the fact that you are in a foreign place. Naturally, there will be differences. For some reason, Europeans love tuna on their pizza. I am not sure why they love tuna on pizza, but I learned this custom tremendously fast. Embrace the differences, and let them motivate you to embrace the adventure!
 Rebecca and her European hot-rod After five weeks of traveling Europe, there are numerous similarities, but also differences that all Americans should consider before crossing the pond. Since there are many concepts that could be mentioned as either encouragement, or as deterrents for exploring Europe, I will attempt to separate these characteristics into more than one blog post. For this post, we will focus on characteristics that would encourage most Americans to venture to Europe for a leisurely vacation, a backpacking tour, or just city hopping on the trains! In fact, that is maybe the best place to begin this discussion—the public transportation!
Public Transportation: Europe has an assortment of public transportation options in almost every city we have explored. Whether it is the Metro (subway), trams, buses, trolleys, or the occasional taxi, Europe allows any foreigner to find their destination if you have a little change in your pocket.
 General George Washington in Budapest, Hungary Luxury Taxis: This was not as important to us, but I can see how it would be more the American style for peace of mind. Most taxis in Europe have not been the beat-up clunkers that are prevalent in the States. Almost all the taxis in Europe have been products of Mercedes-Benz. Maybe you have to have the experience of trying to fit six people in a Volkswagen Beetle taxi in Mexico to really appreciate this concept.
High-Grade Toilet Paper: Most of the public restrooms in Europe have had better toilet paper than most Americans buy for their homes. Of course, you do have to pay for most visits to public restrooms (see European differences that Americans will dislike, future edition) unless you are dining at a restaurant, in which it is probably factored into your meal cost.
Beer Lovers: Europeans love their beer. They love their beer so much that you can walk down the street drinking it. You can also have a beer with your Big Mac at McDonalds. If you want to watch the newest flick at a movie theater, you can also have your beer at the same time. And some hostels even give you a free beer each day just for staying the night. We are not going to get into all the festivals and gardens devoted to solely beer!
 Chicken and peasant potatoes in Bucharest, Romania Shopping: There are far more shops in Europe. There are shops for anything and everything you can imagine. Instead of having megastores, such as Wal-Mart, Europe has a millions of tiny shops on every corner where consumers can compare prices for nearly every product, from fruits and veggies to Sony televisions.
Fantastic Food: Europe has a plethora of different food options, depending on the country of exploration. Europe still has most of the comforts of home, such as McDonalds, KFC, Subway, Starbucks, T.G.I. Fridays, and Hard Rock Café. However, it is shameful to not eat the local food since it is usually much better, and much cheaper!
American Culture: Americans have a misconception that the whole world hates America. Although it may be true that most of the world hates America, this is not true for Europe. In fact, American culture is highly embraced in Europe. The best examples of our culture are the numerous cinemas, pop music, fast food restaurants, and the countless fashion trends that have managed to leap over the Atlantic.
In closing, Europe has much to offer any American looking to travel abroad. There are some barriers that take some time to overcome, but they can be conquered. Simply traveling with a partner can easily solve most of the difficulties that arise for foreign travelers. For example, navigating from place to place, or booking reservations for transportation, or hostels is much easier when there is a fellow traveler to help with travel tasks. Although any trip abroad can be daunting, and seem overwhelming, it can also be filled with excitement and adventure. So, start saving now for your next vacation. Forget about returning to boring destinations previously visited. Europe is waiting, and Europe will welcome you!
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