What is it with Dokdo Island?
I'm going to get in trouble with this entry no matter what, so I better check all my facts. It's worth mentioning that during my two years in Japan, I never heard mention of Dokdo Island (독도 or Takeshima, 竹島, as it is known in Japan), though I did hear about disputed territory north of Hokkaido and other topical issues. Let me say from the start, speaking as ...
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Baegam Hot Springs Festival
It's only been three weeks, and I'm already comfortable getting away for the weekends. Keep in mind I still haven't attempted a long-distance trip to Seoul or Busan (or tried to find my way back), but I'm getting used to the bus system. Still, that doesn't mean there's never any confusion. I missed the local to Uljin this morning because I wasn't paying close enough attention, and ...
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Then and Now: Japan and Korea
To anyone who's been following my posts the past few week, I'm sure it's immediately obvious I have a tendency to compare my time in Korea with that of Japan. After all, this is the second time I've signed up for a year's contract to teach English in Asia, and since I'll be "settled" for a while, I'm going through almost the same procedures that I did in the ...
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Bank Account and Dojong
I arrived at my local branch of Suhyup... which, incidentally, has the tagline "Fresh Fish, Fresh Bank". It's certainly original, I'll give them that. They even have fish and seaweed wraps available for sale in the bank. Anyway, I arrived around noon, and immediately had to run back to my apartment for my passport, the staffing saying it was a "new rule"... right. The whole ...
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Quick Notes on Korea
Health Insurance Just like the Japanese, Koreans enjoy two types of insurance and pension plans: the national plan, which covers all citizens by default, and the employee plan, which is only available for companies that employ five or more workers. As an employee of a small hagwon (학원), I only qualify for the national plan. Unfortunately, since December 2008, foreigners are now required to be residents for at ...
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Once a traveler, always a traveler... hear my stories from around the world.
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