ON TRAVEL
Q: How do you afford to travel so much?
Expatkerri's A: Please see my blog post How I Pay For Travels. TLDR: I am in a position not to have debt, and save almost all of my money, pay my credit card bills right away so as to not accumulate interest, travel on the cheap by staying in budget hostels and taking public transit, and when I'm not travelling I don't go shopping unless I need something.
Q: I want to travel like you, how should I do it?
Expatkerri's A: Work, work work, save your money, buy maps to stare at, find a place you're interested in, then buy the ticket. I recommend giving in to the temptation to travel before it goes away.
Q: What's the best country you've been to?
Expatkerri's A: I don't like to pick favourites when it comes to travel, because I believe so much of your experience in a country depends on who you were with and what you were doing there... but okay fine I'll choose: India, Thailand, Burma, Colombia, Bosnia, Holland...and of course South Korea.
Q: When did you start travelling?
Expatkerri's A: My first trip abroad was in 2001, and I did a study abroad program in England and France for a month. I got hooked on travelling then, and travelled alone (backpacking in Europe) for the first time in 2006 after graduating university.
Q: When did you start travelling?
Expatkerri's A: My first trip abroad was in 2001, and I did a study abroad program in England and France for a month. I got hooked on travelling then, and travelled alone (backpacking in Europe) for the first time in 2006 after graduating university.
Q: What should I pack?
Expatkerri's A: I am light packer, for sure, so I would advise you to bring a lot less stuff that you think you need. Having a light bag makes your journey easier, and it allows you the mobility and opportunity to pick up things on the way. It also makes you feel mentally lighter! So, pile up all the things you want to bring with you, then take away half of it, and that's what you should pack. Or check out my blogpost My Packing List: 6 months backpacking in South America.
Q: How many countries have you been to?
Expatkerri's A: I've been to 64 countries. Click to see a list of countries I've visited.
ON TEACHING ENGLISH IN KOREA
Q: Can I teach in Korea if I don't have a BA?
Expatkerri's A: Yes, you can teach English in Korea with a BA, BSc, or a BFA or higher.
Q: Can I teach in Korea if I didn't go to university/college?
Expatkerri's A: No, you need to either have a 4-year bachelor's degree from a recognized university or college, or be partly finished your degree in order to teach. You will probably need to mail your original degree to your employer in Korea in order to get a work visa.
Q: How do I get a job at a university in Korea?
Expatkerri's A: Check out my Youtube video University Jobs in Korea explaining step-by-step how I went from being a university graduate in Canada to being a university teacher in Korea.
Q: Do you have a degree in education? / What did you study at university?
Expatkerri's A: No, I did not study education. I studied English Literature. You can teach English in Korea with a degree in anything from Psychology to Business to Engineering and beyond.
Q: Do I need to learn Korean in order to teach English in Korea?
Expatkerri's A: No! Very few English teachers in Korea know more than 10 or so basic survival phrases in Korean. Knowing the Korean language is absolutely NOT necessary for becoming an English teacher in Korea.
Q: I'm from _____. Can I still teach English in Korea?
Expatkerri's A: South Korea only accepts English teachers who were educated in the following countries: The UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, The USA, and Canada. There are many other countries in the world where you can teach English if you can speak it, but at this time Korea isn't one of them.
ON LEARNING KOREAN
Q: How did you learn Korean?
Q: What books did you use?
Expatkerri's A: Check out my Youtube video Learning Korean Resources.
Q: How long have you been learning Korean?
Expatkerri's A: I learned how to read hangul in 2006, but didn't start teaching myself how to speak Korean until 2009. I've now been studying Korean in my spare time for about 3-4 years.
Q: Is Korean easy to learn?
Expatkerri's A: Korean grammar is very different from English grammar, and because of this, Korean can be very difficult initially for native English speakers. Also, pronunciation is very different from English pronunciation (including the oft mispronounced "으" vowel), which can present problems for native English learners. So no, I wouldn't say Korean is "easy," and it's not the kind of language a native English speaker can "pick up" from exposure. Learning Korean, as learning any language, takes a great deal of commitment, time, and dedication.
ON DATING IN KOREA
Q: Are Korean men attracted to short women/women with freckles/women with short hair, etc.?
Expatkerri's A: I'm not a Korean man, but I have lived in Korea long enough to know that straight Korean men are the same (in biological ways) to other straight men in the world: they like women who make an effort with their appearance. I'd like to say they are attracted to healthy, confident women, but in some cases it's true that they would prefer a pretty girl over a smart one. In addition, my Korean male friends often say that a woman's "charm" is what won their hearts.
Q: What's the gay scene like in Korea?
Expatkerri's A: You can live a happy LGBTQ++ life in Korea if you know the scene! Check out my videos Gay in Korea - Foreign Male Perspective and Gay in Korea - Foreign Female Perspective.
Q: How many relationships have you had with Korean men?
Expatkerri's A: I have had two long-term relationships with Korean men in Korea.
Q: Are you dating a Korean man now?
Expatkerri's A: That's awfully personal for this page, but no I'm not. Are you?
Q: How do I flirt with a Korean guy?
Expatkerri's A: Korean guys generally go for "cute" girls, and acting cute is called 애교 ("aegyo") in Korean. You can try your hand at "aegyo", but I would recommend flirting in your own natural way, rather than pretending to be something you are not. From what I've gathered, Korean people tend to do most of their flirting over text messages, rather than being physically flirtatious. If you're texting minute-by-minute with a Korean guy, chances are high that he is interpreting those texts as flirtation.
Q: My Korean guy friend walked me home - does this mean he likes me?
Expatkerri's A: Korean culture is generally quite chivalrous, and most Korean guys will walk home (or take a taxi with) a female friend even if they are not interested in them. Korean guys tend to be concerned about safety, and want their friends to be safe, even if that means going out of their way to make sure their female friends get home safely. So, in my opinion, a Korean guy walking you home is not an indication of romantic interest.
ON DATING IN KOREA
Q: Do Korean men find foreign (white/black/brown) women attractive?
Expatkerri's
A: See my video Are Korean Men Dating Foreign Women?. I have seen foreign women of all colours dating Korean men in Korea.
Does this mean all Korean men find all foreign women attractive? No,
but it does mean if you are attractive in your own culture, someone in
Korea will probably think you are attractive as well.
Q: Are Korean men attracted to short women/women with freckles/women with short hair, etc.?
Expatkerri's A: I'm not a Korean man, but I have lived in Korea long enough to know that straight Korean men are the same (in biological ways) to other straight men in the world: they like women who make an effort with their appearance. I'd like to say they are attracted to healthy, confident women, but in some cases it's true that they would prefer a pretty girl over a smart one. In addition, my Korean male friends often say that a woman's "charm" is what won their hearts.
Q: What's the gay scene like in Korea?
Expatkerri's A: You can live a happy LGBTQ++ life in Korea if you know the scene! Check out my videos Gay in Korea - Foreign Male Perspective and Gay in Korea - Foreign Female Perspective.
Q: How many relationships have you had with Korean men?
Expatkerri's A: I have had two long-term relationships with Korean men in Korea.
Q: Are you dating a Korean man now?
Expatkerri's A: That's awfully personal for this page, but no I'm not. Are you?
Q: How do I flirt with a Korean guy?
Expatkerri's A: Korean guys generally go for "cute" girls, and acting cute is called 애교 ("aegyo") in Korean. You can try your hand at "aegyo", but I would recommend flirting in your own natural way, rather than pretending to be something you are not. From what I've gathered, Korean people tend to do most of their flirting over text messages, rather than being physically flirtatious. If you're texting minute-by-minute with a Korean guy, chances are high that he is interpreting those texts as flirtation.
Q: My Korean guy friend walked me home - does this mean he likes me?
Expatkerri's A: Korean culture is generally quite chivalrous, and most Korean guys will walk home (or take a taxi with) a female friend even if they are not interested in them. Korean guys tend to be concerned about safety, and want their friends to be safe, even if that means going out of their way to make sure their female friends get home safely. So, in my opinion, a Korean guy walking you home is not an indication of romantic interest.
ON YOUTUBE
Q: What camera do you use?
Expatkerri's A: I use the Canon FS400, the Canon ELPH 300HS, the iPhone 4s camera, and a MacBook Pro webcam.
Q: How did you learn how to edit? / What software do you use?
Expatkerri's A: A running theme here - I taught myself how to edit! I use Windows Movie Maker, iMovie HD, and the iMovie App for iPhone.
Q: How did you develop a following on Youtube?
Expatkerri's A: I started my Youtube channel in 2006, and have been uploading various videos since then. I was surprised when people started subscribing to my channel, and remember celebrating reaching 100 subscribers in 2010. Now I continue making videos to document my life, but also try to produce videos that will be helpful to my subscribers. So, I didn't actively develop a following, but rather produced videos that people happened to be looking for, and people found my channel that way.
Is there a lot of job in translation in Korea ? I'm from France and I will learn korean at university next year.
ReplyDeleteYes, there are many jobs for people who are fluent in Korean and other languages. You should have no trouble finding a French-Korean translation position.
DeleteI noticed you said that you can only teach English if you are educated in certain countries. I am from Canada so it is possible for me to go to school here, but I was thinking of applying for school possibly in Korea. If I got my education in Korea would I be allowed to teach there?
ReplyDeleteI think since you were educated first in Canada, you probably could teach there. I think the education refers to where you go to elementary-high school.
Delete