Fellow vlogger/EPIK teacher/new friend Matt, who has a YouTube channel called Break Your Boundaries, does awesome travel videos and reached out to me a few weeks ago to collab together. HECK YEAH! I love creative projects and working with like-minded people so obviously, I agreed in a heartbeat. We share similar likes and dislikes about living in South Korea and decided to rant about soju, sketchy alleyways, squatter toilets and much more..
It’s time for another weekly update! For you, and my mom. Hi mom. Near my house is a hidden little treasure, the Bosu-Dong Book Street. Walking down this narrow pathway is every book lovers dream, and it actually has an interesting history too! It was created after the independence of Korea. The Japanese left behind many books so, people started selling them. Busan at the time was the capital of Korea since Koreans migrated down here to escape the Korean War happening in the north (where Seoul is located). This is where refugees brought and sold their books. Eventually, professors and students came to the alley and started purchasing books, contributing to the build up of the current book street. Financial strain in the 60’s had students selling their textbooks and buying second hand, which is why you will see many used books. THE THINGS YOU LEARN FROM ME! There were a few English books scattered around the street, I was most attracted to the magazine stands. I purchased Nylon Magazine Seoul, and got a free …
Hello everyone! Last weekend I went to Daejeo Ecological Site which sounds like a snore, but it was one of the most beautiful.. backdrops for an Instagram photo everrrrr. How much do you hate me for saying that? Heh heh. But seriously, with 760,000 square meters of garden and lush mountains in the background, it was incredibly scenic (smelt great too!). Also, it was some kind of wonderful being on the subway going there since it took you right over the garden. I saw the yellow blooms, mountains and river all in one shot. My mouth dropped when the subway car came out from the dark tunnel and into what seemed like a Tom Thomson painting. It was unexpected so I wasn’t prepared with my camera, you’ll just have to believe me on this one. I also took a photo of funky tree.. bamboo.. things. This was also at the ecological site. Everything was green and vibrant there. I want to go back! It’s too bad the flowers are only in full bloom in mid-April so, if you …
I’ve been featured in the EPIK newsletter and wanted to share my article with you! I wrote about the introductory English lesson I taught at my school (seems like this happened forever ago). My hope is that upcoming EPIK teachers stumble upon this article and can get a few ideas and inspiration for their own first class. 🙂 EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTORY LESSON FOR FIRST TIME TEACHERS Put up your hand if you’ve never written a lesson plan in your life *raises own hand* now, put up your hand up if you’ve never formally taught in front of a classroom of students *raises other hand*. That was me, with both hands raised, one month ago. The thought of preparing my first lesson was daunting because my own mother barely listens when I talk so who says 35 students will keep their attention on me for 45 consecutive minutes. I panicked. Do I simply write my name on the board, do a dance, and then play charades? Can’t say that didn’t cross my mind. When I went to the EPIK …
Hello all! Sorry this blog post is a little late but, better late than never (says every one of my students who hand in their homework late). Last weekend I went to my first soccer game at Gudeok Stadium, a three minute walk from my house. Gudeok Stadium first opened in 1928 and hosted soccer matches during the Summer Olympics in 1988. Currently, it is home to the Busan Transportation Corporation FC. It’s exciting to watch them play but, the team has such an odd name. Transportation Corporation? Why can’t they be the Busan Bears or Busan Barracudas or Busan Barbarians.. I also love that when you go watch a soccer match it’s free entrance, BYOB and you can bring in ALL THE SNACKS! I brought in an entire pizza. Below is a photo of the Busan Tower from the Lotte Department Store roof, accessible for anyone to enjoy. I recommend going up there, it’s a nice place to spend an afternoon. You get a great view of the mountains on one side and the …
You finally did it. You have snail mailed your resume, references, lesson plan, passport pictures and all the rest of your paperwork in a pretty package and sent it to EPIK. Now, you wait. The waiting game is tough because for the next two weeks you’ll be constantly refreshing your email, waiting for someone to confirm your interview date and time. Cue: ALL THE SWEATS! If you applied for a position with EPIK, your interview will come soon enough and I’m here to tell you what to expect and my own experience of going through the process. How do I get an interview? Apply for a position with EPIK! Think about when you want to start working in South Korea. The first semester starts in March and second in September. I’d recommend starting your application process 3-6 months in advance of when you want to go. I had massive help from my recruiters at Hands Korea. I got in touch with them through Oxford Seminars, where I completed my TESOL certificate. Hands Korea was my LIFELINE. They set up my EPIK …
It’s cherry blossom season here in South Korea! Last weekend I went with my co-teacher Nancy and her boyfriend to see the pretty pink trees at Samnak Riverside. There was an entire lane you can walk through that had large cherry blossoms trees on both sides that reached over and covered your head. It felt like I was in a fairytale, especially when the pink petals gracefully fluttered in the wind.. and sometimes in my mouth. After staring lovingly at the cherry blossoms, and all the couples I passed holding hands and taking cute selfies with the blooms (felt like I was the 1,000th wheel), I decided to treat myself. I went to a flower shop near my house and picked up a couple succulents that now sit wonderfully on my night stand (₩6,000 each). Succulents are low maintenance and they’re prefect for small apartments, plus you only need to water them once a week. The wee plants bring a bit of life into my home, and I named them.. Nicholas and Henry. Naming plants is like, the billionth …
I would have totally forgotten to make a summer goals list this year if I wasn’t just browsing through old blog posts of mine. I was reading posts from 2012 when I stumbled upon my first list of summer goals.. there were 25 of them, geezus. Click HERE to browse through how I did in 2015. This year, I wrote my summer goals as I rode the subway to Seomyeon, which is about a 15 minute ride from the station near my house. Some of my goals will shock you, some will not. Either way, SUMMER IS COMING AND I HAVE THINGS TO DO! JESSICA’S SUMMER GOALS 2016! Launch Get Up & Go Girl channel Book trip to Australia Take taekwondo classes Go to Samgwangsa Temple for Lantern Festival (aka Buddha’s birthday) Dye hair blonde Attend a Lotte Giants baseball game Attend a Kpop concert Attend Boryeong Mud Festival Attend Busan Sea Festival Learn Korean alphabet
I can officially tick off that I have attended fashion shows on an international stage. Where you ask? Seoul, South Korea for HERA SEOUL FASHION WEEK! AHH! Dongdaemun Design Plaza, where SFW took place, is one of the coolest buildings in Seoul. It has a modern, architectural design and is absolutely massive on the inside. You can see just how big it is from the photo above, I look so little in comparison. I went on behalf of FASHION Magazine and was floored at the incredible talent from the designers, makeup artists, hair stylists.. and the fact that I got to sit front row (name on seat and all) at one of the shows. This may not be a big deal to many but, seeing my name on a front row seat gave me a sense of, I made it. You best believe I kept that little piece of paper, as it will remind me of the first of many shows around the world I hope to attend in the future. 😉 There were crowds of stylish people surrounding the area, some waiting …
You no longer have to be under the age of five to appreciate a colourful mural on your face. Ah, those were the days right? Going to a carnival and getting a butterfly painted on your entire face? Heavenly. Well, your inner kid will appreciate that the Fall 2016 shows at Seoul Fashion Week made it pretty obvious that vibrant face paint is the latest beauty trend. Models at the Doii show (above) donned an array of forest inspired hues that ran down the side of their face and nose. They resembled mystical creatures, or a tribe that I would very much like to be part of. #squadgoals For more sublte(-ish) face paint inspiration, models at the Kye show had their eyebrows and under-eyes painted white. It looked pretty badass tbh, and it’s an immediate attention-grabber. Maybe not for the office or going grocery shopping (imagine…) but we know you want to try it out. Another update: smudged lipstick on your face is no longer embarrassing! Ok, yes it is when it’s not intentional, but …
Ever wanted to follow me around? Wait, that sounded creepy. Let me rephrase. Ever wanted to know what I do at my job as an EPIK teacher? You’re in luck! In this post I take you through *inhales* my morning routine, introduce to you my co-teachers, lesson plans, lesson prep, how I teach, what I ate for lunch, what I do after school, when I get home and all the other super fantastic things I do in a day. *exhales* Being a teacher means you are constantly developing, learning and growing with your students. I never thought of myself teaching at a middle school (I was counting on elementary when I first got to South Korea) but now I couldn’t see myself teaching at any other level. I have been an English teacher in Busan, South Korea for a little over a month and have established a workday routine that works for me. That being said, the first week of being a teacher here was the hardest, I constantly asked myself, WHAT AM I DOING?! / WHAT …
What do you do when you start having Canada withdraw? Hack open a can of maple syrup and make french toast. Mmmmm it was so good, and just what I needed to feel at home again. This week wasn’t too exciting, other than making my apartment smell maple goodness, nothing eventful happened. Oh, I did spend 15 minutes hacking at the maple syrup can. Should probably put “can opener” on my shopping list, as well as “spatula” since I used a rice scooper to flip my french toast. #singlelife #ilivealone #dontjudge Last weekend I went to Caffe Bene near my house to catch up on emails and finish up with some work. I had an iced coffee, and the entire upstairs floor to myself. Nothing like peace, serenity and caffeine to make you feel productive (aka Facebook stalk my friends from home pretending I was with them at all their outings and parties). Moving onto my work week, for one of my classes I taught a lesson on “mottos” and had students come up with a class motto. …
Things making me happy right now: Currently sitting at a cafe and have it entirely to myself (Caffe Bene to be specific). I’m on the second floor looking over my neighbourhood. I slept in this morning, made french toast and drowned it in maple syrup. It’s 17 degrees outside. I booked my train to Seoul for next weekend because, FASHION WEEK! I bought an air freshener for my apartment. Looking forward to going home to see if it works (is that sad?). Came to the realization that I am exactly where I want to be, doing exactly what I want to do and that, makes me happy. Can I be real for a sec? If you’ve known me for the past three years, you know that moving to South Korea was an idea that quickly turned into a plan. However, I didn’t act on the plan until this year. I flip-flopped not knowing if I’d be “behind in my career” that I had in Toronto. It took me three years to make my final decision. THREE. YEARS. I …
Jessica Moy Blog 