a great satirical photo by Mens et Manis, found on metaphorphallic.files.wordpress

Move over George Bush, Korea gives Lee Myung Bak the diss with a new nickname
If you’re an EFL teacher in Korea, you know who  2PM and 2AM are (both are favorite K-Pop boy bands that have the kids here swooning), but have you heard of 2MB? Last week, I noticed my elementary students using no other, than their (more…)

Firstly, this is not a “How to” on getting a Korean phone…
After what I’ve gone through, I’d probably categorize it as a “How not to get a Korean phone”.  When you’re new to a country, the last thing you want to deal with is extraneous stress and confusion with important things… like cellphones and phone plans. Still, when that one person whom you were told would help you set up the necessities of your brand new life, can’t lend simple advice or is reluctant to take any responsibility outside of work hours, what do you do? Whatever it takes.

My relationship with my co-teacher was cursed since day one- it’s felt like harsh luck to be orphaned at the start and to rely on basic survival techniques to figure out ways to acclimate with Korea’s foreignness with little or no help. But I’m not a sit-on-the-curb-and-cry type of person.  A phone is not only a casual luxury; in a foreign place, it’s survival, even if you only (more…)

The new Dual View Samsung ST500

Sometimes equipment meltdowns when you’re traveling can be can intoduce new resources and innovations. When my DSLR broke when I was abroad in Thailand and I was forced to pick up a new camera on the fly, I didn’t know how fortune found me the solution to my solo traveler woes !

There are few things I’m truly jazzed enough to recommend, but I’m all raves about my new  Samsung ST500. It’s my 3rd month using it and I’ve been taking it around with me… everywhere! I’m seriously in love with it. For the solo traveler, blogger and adventure flashpacker, it will make your life and travels, both lighter and easier. I highly recommend it. (more…)

Buh-Bye! (my fave- Local Kine cards)

Hello all you GRRR’s & BRRR’s,

Winter is still here, but I’m hoping for warm times ahead…and soon!

On a cold note-

I’ve caught one and tomorrow, I will be off to a place which is said to have “stabbing cold” winters. “Stabbing cold”… hmmm… Well, if I come back with black-and-blues and holes in my chest, then we’ll know that’s true.  Otherwise, let’s hope tons of Zinc, Vitamin C, a thick coat, thermals and leggings do the trick! (more…)

So after a several days (which I will never get back) of head-scratching and troubleshooting technical difficulties, Team GRRRL TRAVELER (that’s Me, Mich & Moi) was  able to successfully migrate my blog over to its actual domain, GRRRLTRAVELER.COM. Hooray & GRRR! While my old TravelerDiaries blog will be up on WordPress.com a bit longer, I encourage all my dear friends out there to update your links and readers.

Man, hot-diggity that was hard and hopefully, the major work is over! I will be combing this site in the next couple of weeks to tweak possible broken links or to refine the design. If anyone accidentally stumbles upon a broken link, missing image or has feedback on this new design, please let me know and I will consult with my Triad to make necessary changes.

Happy Travel wings!

Christine

FROM THE  GRRRL SWISS ARMY TOOLKIT…
by Christine Ka’aloa

I’m very excited. Just had an appointment with my travel doctor this week to catch up on my travel vaccinations & flu shots, when I got an “off-the-record” tip for dealing with everything in travel-bug scary.  Last year when my girlfriend, Margaret and her travel posse, returned from Costa Rica with a souvenir case of “bed bugs”, it threw my hypochondria into a state of “what ifs…” tizzy. I was nearing my Thailand launch and my budget agenda entailed hostels, guesthouses and trekking in the mountains (Mosquitoes, bed bugs, head lice, oh my! ) Knowing that a fellow travel buddy had fallen in the line of action- despite her own safety precautions- warranted a call to my travel doctor for possible bed bug solutions. Until then,  I carried little “prayer”- sized bottles of Febreze (one travel friend I know would pack a Lysol can), knowing that while it might not kill anything more than bacterial odor and germs, it would definitely lend some piece of mind to my slumber.

Here are 2 travel doctor recommendations: (more…)

So today I’m going to talk about FUN things! I’m going to talk about how to prepare your documents for international acceptance. Woo hoo! Before I applied for my teach abroad program, I never encountered the word “Apostille“. If you’ve never dealt with government documents like name changes, birth or divorce records and affidavits or been in any library-scented government building other than where you are sent for jury duty, then obtaining an apostille can initially appear… overwhelming (it did for me!).  I have good news- It’s not.

Now here’s where I get instructional…

Requirements for ESL Teaching applicants seeking to teach in Korea
There are two main documents required of teaching applicants : 1) a copy of your Criminal Background History Record and 2) a copy of your MFA college diploma.   Both, need “certification and/or notarization” and an “apostille” and this is a 2-3 step process.  (more…)

So my moving date and work visa for South Korea are still pending– a bit nerve-wracking at this point.  There’s nothing more irritating than the notion of receiving a last-minute notice to book your ticket and move across the globe to a country, where you’re uncertain as to what you should expect in familiarity or a lack thereof.

In a way, I’m not quite sure how to pack for relocation abroad or for a move to South Korea.  I have read that certain products are hard to find- i.e. tampons, deodorant, larger sized shoes and clothing, etc….  While I assume that most food and product concerns can be dealt with or worked around if I ever find myself without; the inability to fit shoe/clothing sizes there, can’t be “worked around”.  Also, I have questions about where to base (more…)