magazine

Surviving a university job interview in Korea

Filed under Daegu, GRRR Inspirations by Christine Ka'aloa on February 6, 2012 at 1:46 am {23 comments}

: Working at a Korean university?

A few of weeks ago, when I tweeted I was undergoing a job interview in Korea, I got a response from Dave of The Longest Way Home about doing a post on ‘Surviving a job interview in Korea’.

At first, I laughed at the idea and then later, I thought…well, why not?

“K******** University wants you to contact them ASAP about a job position. Please call them; they are a very good university.”

That was the message I got from Eun-Hyung, my Korean co-teacher, last April in India. It was a university job I had applied for long before I left Korea. The position started March 1st and it was for a full-time lecturer in the Media Arts department, teaching Video and Animation. At (more…)

Fear and Diving: Overcoming Age and Solo Birthdays on the road.

Filed under Great Outdoors, SOLO TRAVEL by Christine Ka'aloa on January 13, 2012 at 12:07 pm {13 comments}

The water was flooding panic into my goggles and stinging my eyes. I blew out sharply to clear my mask.

We were pulling ourselves down by the anchor rope, descending to the ocean floor. I was at the head of the group and the second in line. Going back up was not an option.

Was there a leak in my mask?

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Long-term solo travel and three mistakes I wish I avoided

Filed under Interviews, SOLO TRAVEL by Christine Ka'aloa on November 16, 2011 at 1:40 am {23 comments}

Long-term solo travel. I wouldn’t call it easy. Being homeless and living on the road is hard work!

By my sixth month, my travel enthusiasm began fluctuating. I was still thrilled by the unending travel adventure I was living; but also, starting to feel run down from shouldering the constant responsibility of it. Being it was my first attempt at such a feat however, I didn’t expect things to be 100% smooth sailing. I knew I would hit rough spots and battle demons. But had I planned better, I’ve no doubt my ride would’ve been smoother.

Here are three mistakes I wish I avoided…

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Atrocities of Tourism: 6 annoying habits of tourists

Filed under Interesting People, Volunteering & Social Impact by Christine Ka'aloa on November 9, 2011 at 6:04 am {23 comments}

: Crowded sunrise at Angkor Wat, Cambodia

No matter how much you’d like to selfishly keep good places from changing, development in the name of progress is inevitable. With growth and the popularizing of travel comes the stampede of crowded tourist buses, over-worn backpacker routes, souvenir shops clamoring for the sell and then comes the irritating habits of tourists…

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10 funny quirks you didn’t know about Koreans

Filed under Features Slide, Just Show Me Pictures! by Christine Ka'aloa on September 23, 2011 at 10:54 am {27 comments}

Korean culture is often a dynamic and fun to observe. Most of the time, from a foreigners viewpoint, it offers interesting quirks which might leave you either scratching your head or speechless.

My favorite quirks about Koreans:

1. Koreans love English (even if they don’t always know what it means)!

Despite being unable to find a lick of English translation where I need it, Koreans actually think English words are cool, visually speaking.

Shirts, jackets and baseball caps with English text are hip hype throughout the country. Unfortunately, many Koreans don’t read English. This is where the problem begins…

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Written by Christine Ka'aloa Fear Factor Foods

Fear Factor Korea (Part II: Fresh foods)

It’s all too easy for a foreigner like myself, to point a camera and say, Ewww to foreign foods I’m not culturally raised with nor understand. That’s why in this post, I’d like to applaud Korea for is its proud aspiration towards healthy and FRESH foods. And …to say, Ewww.

September 19, 2011 7

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Korea

Kimbap restaurants: the healthy fast food joints in Korea

Living in Korea, it often feels like you’ll never see a fat Korean (…okay, they are exceptions; but it’s rare)! Obesity is not a chronic problem in Korea as it is in the west. One big theory is how healthy Koreans are when it comes to what they eat. Koreans do however, occasionally like their meals served simple, cheap and pali! pali (fast)!

September 12, 2011 16

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Korea

Tis the Season of Patbingsu!

Back in Korea for the summer, I passed a neighborhood Paris Baguette and da-ding! I realized I was back just in time for patbingsu (밭빈수) season! Yowza!…

August 28, 2011 17

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Love Letter Postcards

Love Letter #14: When life forces you into the uncomfortable spaces of long-term travel

Dear Love, You may be wondering what’s up with me these days.

Before I left Korea, I had planned 3 months in India… My plan: to job search for summer work. One hitch: I never planned for the ‘what if’ I never found a job by the end of my Indian summer! …