• EXPAT LIFE | GRRRL TRAVELER

5 Ways to Trust Yourself as a Traveler (2010 Expat Review)

Filed under Inspiration, Interviews by Christine Ka'aloa on January 6, 2011 at 6:31 am {4 comments}

Living abroad?

Nothing like it.

I’ve made new friends and found a strange new world abroad that I’ve called home for almost a year. Overcoming the various roller-coasting battles of culture shock, food obstacles, a new work environment and an unhelpful colleague, I’ve found my own ways of coping and getting by in Korea and often, without the luxury of Korean translations. It’s surmounted into one exuberant exclamation…

I’ve survived!

The Biggest Lesson I’ve Learn so far: Trust the Unknown

All artists envision their creation, before putting chisel to stone or paintbrush to canvas. Sometimes, the vision is complete; other times, its vague but powerful enough to pull your steps towards your goal. If there’s a lesson I’ve learned from all my travels, living a freelance lifestyle in New York City and moving abroad to Asia, it’s definitely trust! Living in Korea solidified that fact for me and taught me to loosen up… a bit.

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Calling all Expats~ Shopping for a Home Abroad? HGTV wants you for their next show!

Filed under News, Casting & Contests by Christine Ka'aloa on October 26, 2010 at 4:13 am {4 comments}

Will You Be Visited by House Hunters Next?

Hey Expats in Kimchi-land and beyond! Wanna give folks back home a peek into what shopping for a home in a foreign country takes?

Hit television show ‘House Hunters International‘ (currently showing on the Homes and Gardens Network in America) is casting for a new series. If you are looking for or have recently bought a home abroad, they would like to put your story on TV!

The travel show is looking for energetic people, couples and families to share their story about (more…)

Introducing My Crazy Kimchi!

Filed under News, Casting & Contests, Teaching English by Christine Ka'aloa on October 6, 2010 at 2:28 pm {3 comments}

Introducing My Crazy Kimchi!

“We want to know more about your daily life, Chris…” my Dad told me last week on Skype, regarding my travel blog. Some readers are never satisfied.

While my expat life is littered with interesting discoveries, random observations and insights on a daily basis; they often hit me hard, fast and in successive waves just as they did when I lived in New York or when I’m traveling abroad. Unfortunately, I don’t always have time to give these things attention; nor do I know how to sort out its random bits… (more…)

September GRRR!: Back from Jeju and Expacked… again!

Filed under GRRRL in the News by Christine Ka'aloa on September 28, 2010 at 11:22 pm {6 comments}

Scooting around Udo Island & trying not to get into car crashes! Getting past the first 5 minutes
of nerves was my biggest challenge…

Hello Korea! How will you inspire me today?…
Anyeong! I’m back from my Chuseok holiday on Jeju Islands with lots to blogshare with you. I feel like my life was literally renewed! …That was until, Monday morning rolled around and I had to drag my sorry ass out of my Daegu bed for work. Thank the Korean God for my little Korean students– their bright and smiling faces gave me the second wind (more…)

Just Show Me Pictures! When your Expat Honeymoon Fades (Hitting the 6-month mark)

Filed under Just Show Me Pictures!, Survival Issues by Christine Ka'aloa on September 16, 2010 at 5:05 pm {9 comments}

Chuseok (추석), the Korean Thanksgiving is next week and EPIKers are abuzz with vacation plans… again. This is a six-day vacation for many NETs, so imagine the excitement! Though summer was only 4 weeks ago, the national holiday will give NETs a second wind for getting over the hump of months to come. Why? It’s our 6-month anniversary and this vacation will be our last breath of freedom until December. It’s almost as if the freedom found in our summer vacation getaways have made returning to Korea, our schools and the Korean school cafeteria a bit more …challenging.

A Fading Honeymoon:

If I have to see seaweed soup one more time…
Koreans love seaweed soup! It’s supposed to be great for pregnant women and it’s the ritual food for birthdays. But I am (more…)

Is Expat Life a Cure to Solo Travel fears?

Filed under Interviews, SOLO TRAVEL by Christine Ka'aloa on August 4, 2010 at 5:55 am {8 comments}

Tick-tock… Vietnam. I leave this Friday! I’ll be launching solo again. I’m excited because I don’t know what to expect or how things will play out. While the unknown can feel a bit intimidating for a solo traveler, it’s also exciting.

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5 Reasons to Join your Expat Community

Filed under Interviews, Korea by Christine Ka'aloa on July 28, 2010 at 10:24 pm {8 comments}

I used to think of expats as isolated bunch, desperately clinging to each other to shield themselves from their foreign environment, but that’s not been the case. Many expats are very accepting of their environment and open to making local friends; unfortunately, that’s not enough for survival or sanity, sometimes…

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June Updates: Korean Elections, War and Dancing Ladies

Filed under Korea, • EXPAT LIFE by Christine Ka'aloa on June 2, 2010 at 7:05 am {2 comments}

So I’m expanding my “Updates” section (initially just a paragraph) in this blog. Many small events and journal observations ranging from important to weird and funny, graze by on an ongoing basis. They make terrific one-offs and I realize they should be documented so that you get a better view of what I’m seeing or experiencing in Korea on a more casual basis.

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“Dynamic Korea” & the EFL Workplace

Filed under Korea, Survival Issues by Christine Ka'aloa on May 28, 2010 at 7:03 pm {7 comments}

Living and working abroad as an English teacher in a foreign country may seem glamorous and easy. That’s what I thought. In reality, acclimating to a foreign lifestyle and workplace system isn’t always as simple or smooth as you expect it to be. But what about the difficulties and frustrations for the English teacher within a foreign workplace?