All posts tagged: life

WAS THAT AN EARTHQUAKE?

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Earlier this month there was a 5.0-magnitude underwater earthquake near Ulsan, which meant Busan also had quite a shake. No one reported any injuries and there were no damages in result of the earthquake, but if you’ve never felt the world tremble.. it’s a craaaaaaazy feeling. I was sitting on my bed when I felt a rumble. The best comparison of how it feels is when you’ve finished riding a roller coaster and you’ve come to a full stop, waiting to get back to where you started. All the sudden, you start to jerk forward and it keeps doing that until you stop (for good this time) and the ride announcer dude says it’s ok to push your handle bars up and exit to your left. The small stop and start of the ride is what a small earthquake feels like.  It’s enough to make your stomach feel queasy. Have you ever felt an earthquake? What do you do in emergency situations? Someone needs to inform me of all safety precautions and procedures! Please send informative earthquake …

TAEJONGDAE TEMPLE’S HYDRANGEA FESTIVAL

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I’m currently sitting on my unmade bed with a Nature Republic Aqua sheet mask on my face and listening to blink-182’s new tune California. It must be Sunday. Last weekend was eventful! My friend Dev and I were on our way to Taejongdae Temple for the Hydrangea Festival and ran into some drama on a bus. We were conversing with each other when suddenly, an older lady turned to me and put her finger over her mouth and went, “shhhh.” We were shocked since we weren’t even talking loudly! Dev and I slowly made our way to the back of the bus and started conversing again. I felt another tap on my shoulder. A younger Korean lady asked if I could, “please be quiet.” Dev’s New York City roots immediately surfaced and confronted the lady asking why we need to shush on a public bus. The lady responded by turning away from him. We didn’t want to cause a commotion so Dev and I were silent for the rest of the 45 minute bus ride giving evil glares to the screaming kids, people talking …

PAINTING ON THE BEACH

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Hello friends! A couple weeks ago I saw one of my students drawing a picture during class.  She was moving a pencil around her paper so quickly and effortlessly, it was mesmerizing to watch her draw this portrait that would take me a decade to learn how to do. I am constantly amazed at my students and learn more about their quirks and talents every single day. They make losing my voice at the end of the day ALMOST worth it. Haha! But seriously, teenage girls never stop chatting. I am constantly talking over them but, that does not stop me from continually being their biggest fan. Anyway, the student I saw drawing inspired me to be artistic myself. On the weekend, I went to the art store down the street from my house and bought water colours, a notebook and a few brushes. It was a sunny day so I went to Songdo Beach, sat on a swing bench, and painted. I felt at peace to be on my own. To get lost in …

KOREAN FOOD COMA

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It’s getting pretty toasty in Busan (summer is coming!) so consuming ice cream as much as I breathe is getting to be pretty common. My go-tos are the honeydew melon popsicle and vanilla milkshake (you can get both at any convenience store in Busan and cost ₩1,000). Or if I’m feelin’ fancy, I get a green tea chocolate almond ice cream from Natuur Pop. This double scoop cone was around ₩4,500. I advise if you go, get the HUGE container that you can share with 4-5 people and fill up with ice cream for ₩10,000. I found that out a little too late.. I discovered one of my favourite places in Busan! If you ever visit this beautiful city, you need to head toward the Oryukdo Skywalk (the skywalk is a glass floor that looks over the sea). Beside the skywalk there is a coastal hiking trail that goes on for 3.5 kilometers. The views are breathtaking (see photo below.. it basically looks like this for the entire hike). Next time I’m going to bring a backpack full …

I SURVIVED SPORTS DAY

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Busan has a handful of beautiful beaches. There are the two main ones, Haeundae (where all the tourists go) and Gwangalli (where all the foreigners who live in Busan go). Both are great options but if you were to ask me, the best beach in Busan is Dadaepo. Dadaepo may not have a bar scene or food options galore, but if you’re looking to escape the city, soak in the sun, go on a mini hike, rent a surf board or a jet-ski.. Dadaepo is for you. I went last weekend and fell in love. The beach is MASSIVE, and it’s a lot less busy than the others since it’s on the outskirts of the city. It is also home to one of the BIGGEST in-ground fountains in the world (it’s pretty epic). The other day I attended a Busan Lotte Giant’s baseball game, which feels like an obnoxious party, with a bit of baseball on the side. Korean baseball games are not like baseball games back home in Toronto, for five solid reasons: Busan: Tickets are generally ₩10,000-₩30,000 ($10-$30). …

ALL OF THE LIGHTS

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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 …

EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTORY LESSON FOR FIRST TIME TEACHERS

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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 …

FREE SOCCER GAMES AT GUDEOK STADIUM

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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 …

MY SUMMER GOALS 2016

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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  

EPIK TEACHER: FOLLOW ME AROUND

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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 …

SMELLS LIKE HOME

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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. …

HIKES, ART & GOLD.. OH MY!

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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 …

MY FIRST APARTMENT

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IS THIS HOW YOU ADULT?! I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since I moved into my first apartment. I’ve been feeling ecstatic and overwhelmed but incredibly happy to live in a place that is comfortable, spacious, and has way too many beauty products in the bathroom. I don’t have a shower mat nor proper plates to eat from, but I do have two cleansers, three face masks, and five moisturizers cluttering the bathroom cabinet. #priorities Speaking of beauty products, South Korea is the EPICENTRE of beauty. Every third store on any main street is either The Face Shop, Etude, Skinfood, The Body Shop, etc. It’s beauty heaven. The day after I moved in I went into The Face Shop and bought Chia Seed Hydrating Emulsion. The store employee (bless her soul) did not speak a word of English but knew by looking at my face that I had extremely dry skin. She threw what I needed in a bag, took a hand full of free samples, chucked those in and smiled as I left. Love her. …