Recent Blog Posts
Helpline in Korea for foreigners
Landing into a country where you do not know the local language can make your initial days a bit difficult when you get stuck and you have no one to help. Koreans are no doubt very helpful to foreigners but sometimes you need proper words to describe your problem and sign language might not help that much. And sometimes you might just not find a Korean who can speak good English. Or may be sometimes you might find a Korean who can understand English but can not help you much with your problem.
Keeping in view the above difficulties faced by foreigners there are a few helplines available in Korea.
For Seoul, you can dial 120 or 02-120 (from your cellphone) and you ll reach the Seoul Global Village helpline. The help line has English-speaking operators ready to help you with all kinds of matters including directions, emergencies, or information on events happening in and around Seoul. This helpline provides services in 6 different languages. It’s available Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm.
For Busan, dial 1577-7716 for services in Korean, English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesian from 10 am to 6 pm.
For travel related information, dial 1330. When you need English assistance or travel information, just dial 1330, and a bilingual operator will offer you detailed information on tourist sites, transportation, restaurants, traffic, accommodation, festivals, etc.
Area | Number |
Seoul | (0)2 |
Gyeonggi | (0)31 |
Incheon | (0)32 |
Gangwon | (0)33 |
Chungnam | (0)41 |
Daejeon | (0)42 |
Chungbuk | (0)43 |
Busan | (0)51 |
Ulsan | (0)52 |
Daegu | (0)53 |
Gyeongbuk | (0)54 |
Gyeongnam | (0)55 |
Jeonnam | (0)61 |
Gwangju | (0)62 |
Jeonbuk | (0)63 |
Jeju | (0)64 |
Last Night...at the Norae Bang
Going to a norae bang with Koreans was completely different from going with foreigners. For starters, no one sat down. Everyone was standing, clapping, shaking tambourines and hooting encouragements to the singer. Of course, being the newbie, I was up first with a horribly off key rendition of 어머나, a song that I learned in Korean class a while ago. Later came 'Dancing Queen' with my co-teacher who can carry a tune but is just as shy as I am when it comes to singing in a room in front of 40 of your older coworkers. It was okay though I might have gone a bit red when the chants of 'ALEK-SUH!' started.
Whenever someone got a perfect score, the teachers would start chanting and the principal or vice principal would take out a 10,000 won bill spit on it a little (or pour a tiny bit of beer) and slap it on the TV screen. Their contribution to drinking money apparently. All in all, not a bad way to spend my evening and it did get me out of the house.
Spaz Attack: We finally got the new desks that we've been begging for all year (everyone else's desks got replaced last year but ours...and they were decrepit). Now my 6th graders actually fit under the desk without slouching awkwardly! Yesterday, I was circulating around the room before class started, asking students how they were, etc. when I walked into the edge of the desk. I promptly discovered that the edges of the desks desperately need to be sanded...since I managed to cut open my finger and start bleeding. None of my students have been harmed yet but let's face it, I'm far more of a klutz than they are. I had to run to the health room to get band-aids (and a sterile wipe to clean it out). The nurse worries about me.
Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia Now Truly Sacred
[slideshow]
Photos by Peter DeMarco
Pope Benedict XVI traveled to Barcelona last weekend to consecrate Antonio Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia or Temple of the Holy Family.
The basilica is slated to be completed in 2026. When finished, it will become the world’s tallest church at 170m (560ft). George Orwell once said it was one of the world’s most hideous buildings. Today most people would disagree as it is a major Spanish tourist attraction and is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For more info and some amazing video of inside the main nave, take a look at this story on the BBC. You’ll see that Gaudi’s vision was truly divine.
Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia Now Truly Sacred
Photos by Peter DeMarco
Pope Benedict XVI traveled to Barcelona last weekend to consecrate Antonio Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia or Temple of the Holy Family.
The basilica is slated to be completed in 2026. When finished, it will become the world’s tallest church at 170m (560ft). George Orwell once said it was one of the world’s most hideous buildings. Today most people would disagree as it is a major Spanish tourist attraction and is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For more info and some amazing video of inside the main nave, take a look at this story on the BBC. You’ll see that Gaudi’s vision was truly divine.
A hike through Seoraksan
You don't need to worry about packing a lot of food or water when hiking the trail either. Tons of restaurants and shops line the trails. Plus, the spring water is amazing. The Korean government told us the peak season for changing leaves was the previous weekend, but it appeared we hit it at the right time. The colors were fantastic.
Jo and I met another couple while staying at The House hostel and wound up hiking the day with them. It was a great chance to get to know each other and the scenery couldn't be better.
The weather wasn't perfect, but it was all right. Cloudy skies rolled in and I had to constantly change the white balance on my HFS11 to ensure things were looking their best. By the next morning, rain had settled in and by nightfall, Korea's first snowfall.
Check out our hike below:
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