The Setup

I knew that I wanted to travel after I graduated from university. I did some research  into the opportunities to live and work overseas, particularly teaching English. Unsure if this was right I found a short-term program through my university to teaching English summer camp in South Korea. The camp,  arranged by the Jeollanamdo provincial government, sponsored my trip in exchange of a $300 fee.

The eclectic group, composed of 30 from PSU (my university) and 40 from University of Missouri, flew to South Korea on July 18th and spent the first 15 days in quarantine for the H1N1 virus (swine flu). By the end of this stint, held up in a countryside training center, six people tested positive for the virus and transferred to a hospital in Mokpo. After being released from quarantine I decided to stay and teach for the remaining eight days of the camp. During this time my girlfriend and I decided to stay in Korea to teach English full-time for one year.

After, the camp treated us to a bit of cultural tourism before being released in Seoul. Then, my girlfriend and I decided on a job offer through the office of education in Jeollanamdo Province. We felt fortunate to find contracts that would place us together in the province of our choice. With a slight feeling of security I exited South Korea to visit friends in China.

I returned to South Korea and a host of red tape. This taught me a valuable lesson: when working legitimately in South Korea it is best to sign a contract before leaving one’s home country. Albeit a secure public school job was in sight. My girlfriend and I spent about 3 weeks, mostly in Mokpo, waiting for our paperwork to clear. In the end we relocated to Nohwa-eup with barely a shoestring to our financial names.

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Nohwa-eup, meaning Nohwa-town (on the island of Nohwa) lies SE of Wando-an island connected to mainland Korea via bridge. The island is part of a group of islands designated Wando-Gun, or Wando county. I teach elementary, middle, and high school on the nearby islands and commuting daily via taxi, ferry, and bus. My girlfriend, Kelsi, teaches a similar schedule. In order for us to stay together our recruiter arranged for us to live in a 3 bedroom house overlooking Nohwa-eup (there are no apartment complexes). The only catch is that we must say that we are *cough* married. This area is a very Korean conservative region and thus calls for such a fib to save face. [If your reading this you know what's up and will hopefully not judge us for living in sin : )]

I will remain in South Korea one year from September 28th. At the end of this period I will return home or renew my contract. I’m curious to see what the future holds and what is gleaned from a conservative region, somewhat isolated, within a country that’s undergoing rapid changes.