I searched Daves ESL Cafe to find teaching jobs when I first decided that I wanted to teach in South Korea. I still visit the forums there. I use the site now, mainly to read the teacher banter. Now that I’m teaching in South Korea, I can see that a lot of the discussions about South Korea are jaded. Visitors are always complaining about South Korea. They don’t like the culture in Korea. They say that the people are rude, and on and on. People are always in trouble in Daves ESL Cafe. They didn’t get paid by their school or they are having trouble with their visa, or the school’s owner is not adhering to the contract. People go there to vent. They rarely post, saying that they love their jobs.

Today I wasted time by reading a discussion from someone in his 20s complaining about people over 30 who were wasting time by coming to South Korea, because anyone over 30 is too old to travel the world, teaching, experiencing a different culture, and earning a living. Yes. There are trolls or crazy people on Daves ESL Cafe, but it’s still a good site. Read more…

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about teaching English in South Korea. I plan to keep this post updated.

Q: Is it difficult to get a job Teaching English in South Korea if you are black?

A: I applied through Footprints Recruiting, and my application for teaching English in South Korea was sent to the Ministry of Education to Teach in the public schools. After my interview I was told within a week that I had the job. So, it was easy for me to apply and get a public school job being black. I didn’t have problems with a public school job. It may be harder with some private schools.
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I’m learning Korean again. I can’t exactly say that I tried very hard the first go-round. I took one class last summer, struggled with hangul, and procrastinated. So now it’s a new year, and I am tired of not being about to read hangul. Read more…

Of course, the main reason that Korea is incredibly awesome is because we want to teach! Here are some other reasons to come. Have a laugh and add your own in the comments.

10. Losing weight from walking up and down millions billions of stairs
9. Learning Korean words like aujuma, kim chi and nori bang
8. Meeting awesome friends from around the world
7. Gawking over and buying cameras, laptops, cell phones, and ipods (and realizing that even 8-year-olds have awesome tech in Korea)
6. Learning how to mime not too spicy, no more rice, please, and I have no idea what you are saying…
5. 22 teaching hours a week
4. Parents who want their kids to learn English, really!
3. Being a millionaire
2. Paying off debt
1. Vacation on the beach in Thailand

I think that Thailand is one of the most beautiful, romantic places on earth! I can see why people go there for honeymoons and beach vacations. I have tons of pictures and still more video from my trip to Thailand. Here is just a fraction of the photos. Thailand was such a beautiful place that I must have taken about 500 photos. Most of the photos that are in this post are from Koh Lanta, where I stayed at the Sayang Beach Resort during a beach vacation. Some of the photos, the ones with the bluest water are from Phi Phi. I went there to visit. I will add additional photos and post them soon! Keep checking back for updates. Have you been to Thailand or another spot that you thought was simply the most beautiful and romantic place ever? Tell me about it!

I’m back in Busan, South Korea, and I have yet some more insight about being an African American in South Korea. I have additional video and tons of photos to post from my stay in Koh Lanta Thailand. I was there for nine days. The very first day that I returned from Thailand, and I went out and about in Busan, I had a dose of reality. I was walking through the Jagalchi Market and a random Korean woman reached out and rubbed my cheek. Read more…

I went to Phi Phi in Thailand, and I have regrets! I should have taken the longtail boat tour around Phi Phi. I simply walked around the island, and although it was cool to see all the shops and see the different beaches on Phi Phi, I would have had the opportunity to capture the crystal clear water had I went on the Maya Bay boat tour. Read more…

On day 4 on my vacation in Thailand, I rode an elephant during an elephant Trek! The elephants were really friendly. If you watch the video, you will see me riding him and feeding him. There’s one part when I wipe his eye. I didn’t capture it in a close-up because someone else was taping and the whole thing caught me by surprise. I saw tears roll down the elephant’s eyes. For real. This made me feel sad, and think about the elephants in captivity instead of roaming free and safe (hopefully) in the forest. Read more…

There was a fire at the resort! Yes! I’m so serious. It was a small fire, thank God, and I witnessed it happen during breakfast. I was sitting at my table when I saw the owner of the resort doing something to one of the heated dishes. The next thing I know, there is a fire in a can on the floor. Read more…