Kam-sa-ham-ni-da (Thank you) South Korea, I am out!

Tomorrow morning I’ll take the plane back to South Africa after spending a year in South Korea as an English teacher.

Time flew by real quick and I had some wonderful experiences living and travelling in East Asia.

I can recall back when I boarded the plane for Taiwan as if it was yesterday. I couldn’t wait any longer in South Africa and wanted to leave, so I decided to go and look for work in Taiwan, but soon received a call from Korea to come and work on an island somewhere in the yellow sea. I took the post without hesitation and did not really know what I was getting myself into. I still remember those first moments in Korea when I set foot into my apartment to find a dirty dump and not knowing who else lived on the island. I remember sitting on the bed which was covered in blood because the guy before me had to leave due to an anal infection and thinking to myself; “what the fuck did I get myself into coming to this far off place for a year?”

Things soon changed as I made friends and realised that I was not alone on the outskirts. And it’s these friends that made my time here all the more memorable. We were a small community who became real good friends and we carried each other through the good and bad times. This place is really different and remote and it was my friends that made this year so great.

Commuting to work on another island for an hour daily was an experience in itself. I took a ferry to work every day and often had to run for busses or hitch-hike rides with Koreans as I tried to communicate in my non-existent Korean. I soon figured out who was who and would get rides with either the police chief, the bank manager or post office attendants. I later knew all the faces on the morning and afternoon ferry and locals would give me rides knowing that I am the foreign teacher teaching their children. The ferry crew understood that I didn’t want to stand in a line with Koreans and that I’d sometimes run for the ferry even as it pulled out. I became a local on the ferry and informed people where to take the bus as we shared a shot of Soju or ran together for the late afternoon bus. I was never able to speak the language and made no effort, but the people on my route knew me and we shared a laugh, a nod of the head or a one liner in Korean or English.

Many people would complain about this tiring commute, but I decided to make the most of it and there was a part of me that enjoyed sprinting for busses or negotiating a lift to and from school.

I taught at two small elementary schools and loved the small intimate classes. I knew all my students and had a good relationship with each. There were only two boys out of all 39 students (two schools in total, eight classes) that I taught who I had a hard time with. Other than that I had a good report and enjoyed what I did. It was really one of the easiest jobs for good money. I earned a decent salary to play bingo and sing songs and put this money to good use to travel.

The main reason for coming to South Korea was to travel and I think I did okay in that department. In a years’ time I was able to travel to Taiwan, mission around Indonesia with Clementine, hike the Great Wall of China near Beijing and ferry to China to see the bustling city of Shanghai. I did a bit a travelling around Korea too, but was never intrigued by this place. Korea is an interesting place, but at times it was too square and I spent most of my time in Ganghwa and Seoul on the weekends.

I had a truly authentic experience as I lived out in rural Korea and would hit the city on weekends.

Ganghwa had its ups and downs, but we all persevered through to make this a great experience. There were times that routine was killing me and so to the lack of diversity. Other times I felt alive as I saw the fighter planes overhead during the shelling of Yeongpyong Island by North Korea. The days we hiked the surrounding hills after work or the mornings I woke up with the most brutal Soju hangover. Pulling faces, making noises and drawing pictures to order food, missing a bus or train, beating old men at pool, head banging to Iron Maiden, getting the school mute to speak, realising the power of a ‘high-five’ and putting a smile on the ferry crews faces all contributed to me having an enriching experience.

It’s an old saying but I do agree with it and it’s that you determine your own happiness. I stayed positive throughout my time here knowing that it was only temporary and that I came here for the experience.

I’ve thought about why this year has been so good for me and it came down to this: Having Clementine visit me three times and a solid group of friends was what made it. Her visits and being able to travel with her to Indonesia and having her here for Christmas is something I’ll forever be grateful for. Along with Clementine’s visits were also the opportunities I had to travel around East Asia seeing places I only dreamed about and the solid community of native English speakers.

In two days from now I’ll be drinking a cold one in warm Cape Town and I’ll think back on my year abroad. A lot will only then kick in and reveal itself, but as I am sitting here I am nostalgic about the year that has past and excited for the next adventure.

This Was Home

Here are some pics of my apartment where I've spent the last year working as an English teacher on the outskirts of South Korea. I am flying out of Korea in a week after an awesome year on Ganghwa and Seokmodo Islands.

Hold Out

Rounding Off The Weekend

Tensions on the peninsula seem to still be mounting as the planned military exercise by South Korea and their US ally took place today, while North Korea has placed surface-to-surface missiles in place on launch pads in the yellow sea. China is getting more involved, calling for calm, but is still not condemning the North’s actions this past Tuesday. A lot seems to be going on at the moment as parties involved express their concerns.

It’s been a calm weekend for all of us here on Ganghwa Island and today we rounded off a relaxed (minimal-drinking) weekend with a game of American Football and a braai (BBQ). The temperature is starting to drop and this weekend saw the first scattered snowfall for the season in Ganghwa.

This coming week will be an important week - politically, as the uncertainty regarding the tensions on the front-line might increase. Strong leadership from all parties involved, including China, will be needed to address this issue more strictly.

For now I’ll try to bear the cold as I commute to my island off the west coast of South Korea. I don’t think that there is much need to be worried, for tomorrow will be just another school day on the outskirts of South Korea – or so we all hope.

Amongst The Political Tension

Tensions are still high on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea’s attack on Yeonpyeong Island this past Tuesday. This coming Sunday South Korea and their US ally will exercise a planned military drill near the disputed sea border of North Korea. The US is sending one of their aircraft carriers to partake in this drill and the North has warned that they will retaliate if provoked.

This has been headline news since Tuesday and has the world on the edge of their seats. The possibility of war is there though most think it’s highly unlikely as there’s just too much to be lost. The struggle for power will always remain a global reality; let’s just hope leaders remain cool to prevent a violent eruption.

The drama’s surrounding the incident and run-up to Sunday’s drill is also an extensive topic amongst us foreign English teachers here on the front-line.

Thursday was American Thanks Giving day and we all celebrated at Derek and Beth’s apartment. The situation on the peninsula seems tense when watching international news and reading reports, but on the ground things are calm. A great meal and awesome company made for an enjoyable night as the conspiracies and opinions made their rounds.

Sunday will be a very important day and we’ll have to wait and see what the outcome might be. People remain positive and so do I that some form of non-violent resolution will be found, though the North’s proven unpredictability might hinder this process. Let’s hope everything remains calm as we enter this winter.  

On The Frontline As Tensions Increase On The Korean Peninsula.

 Things are heating up on the Korean Peninsula. I took this photo this afternoon after school as planes took to the sky while tensions between the two Koreas increase. North Korea has fired artillery shells on an island off the west coast of South Korea about 50km from where I teach.

More news to follow in the days to come.
Here is a current link with some news.

Check out this older post to understand more of the situation.

The Yearly Revolution

The Exchange

Once Ingested

The Korean DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)

South Korea (ROK – Republic of Korea) and North Korea (DPRK – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) have been divided since the end of the Korean War in 1953. What started as a civil war escalated into a proxy war between the powers involved in the Cold War. An armistice was signed but was not followed by a peace treaty - so these two countries are technically still at war. This war is seen by some as ‘the forgotten war’ as it was overshadowed by World War II and the Vietnam War, but within Korea it is still very relevant and present.
The Korean peninsula is the last frontier of the Cold War with the peninsula split in half between the communist North and capitalist South.

The tension between these two countries is and has always been on a knifes edge and the event when the Cheonan Military ship sunk in March this year sent renewed fear through many parts of the world. The Cheonan was patrolling the disputed border between the North and South when it sunk in late March (The day of my arrival in Korea). Investigation uncovered that the ship was hit by a North Korean torpedo (which the North denied) and this had the world at the edge of their seats.

Both countries are heavily militarized and the South receives added support from the US army who has a military base here in Seoul.
The main reason why the world is so watchful of the North is because they pose a nuclear threat. The North is probably the world’s most secretive country and it’s this mystery surrounding it that has everyone paranoid. Linked to the fear of nuclear warfare is the hate towards the North’s notorious leader: Kim Jong-il. A controversial figure who apparently once completed a round of golf in only 18 shots. Kim Jong-il is the leader of almost everything in the DPRK, leading the propaganda machine which never sleeps and known in his country as “Dear Leader” and “Our Father”. He is feared for potentially making a wrong decision which would severely affect world stability.



The presence of the military remains prominent throughout Korea and we have to go through military check points just to visit the north of Ganghwa Island. Some afternoons we go for hikes up the hill behind my apartment and on clear days we’re treated with a sighting of the infamous North.
You’ll need to pay a visit to the DMZ to see this North South split with your own eyes. These two countries are divided by the most heavily militarized border in the world, known as the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone).
The Demilitarized Zone is approximately 4km wide and 250km long as it runs across the Korean peninsula along the 38 degree parallel.

I had the opportunity to visit the DMZ in April this year and it was an enriching experience.
Mornings I would come to school with my camera bag thinking I might see something to shoot. I don’t bring my camera to school anymore, but on this day I was lucky I did. Communication is very limited at my school and on the day I was informed of a field trip to who knew where. I climbed on the bus with my handful of students and drove North East. On the way I thought to myself that we might visit the DMZ as they started showing propaganda videos to the young minds on the bus and the direction seemed right.
As we neared the DMZ one of the teachers asked me if I had my ARC (Alien Registration Card) on me for security reasons.

“Alber-te this is a very dangerous place”
“Why?”
“It just is”

The DMZ itself is not a dangerous place for tourists; it’s just a sad story of a nation being split in two with no signs of reconciliation in the near future. It’s where these two forces meet and flex their muscles at one another. The chances of you being in danger are very slim. Their watching you! You will NEVER jump this fence and why would you? The grass is most definitely not greener on the other side. Looking from the North you might want to leave your prison, but control and propaganda will not allow this. This border is so well controlled that they probably know how many birds cross per day. People are not permitted to cross – at all.

The North has tried to cross into the South with tunnels built kilometres long into Southern territory. The plan was to invade Seoul and reclaim what ‘belongs’ to the North. This was not successful.
I paid a visit to the 3rd tunnel with height restrictions confirming that it was made by Koreans as I bumped my head a few times. A narrow tunnel 1km underground designed for one purpose only – to overthrow the South.

The view point at the DMZ was spectacular on this day and I could see into the rolling treeless hills of North Korea. It was my first opportunity to view this country frozen in time. The North has erected the world’s largest flagpole boasting their national flag and South Korean flags can be seen everywhere on their side too. An overdose of patriotism!



Photos are prohibited at most places and there is a photo line to take photos from. Being taller than your average Korean and having a 300mm lens came in handy as I tried to capture this dull late winter landscape. You can look into the country with binoculars and see the working man plough his fields and ride his bicycle - a small visual insight into this bitterly poor country.





There is nothing positive about the DMZ except that the fauna and flora has been able to flourish in this narrow stretch of land - an ecological paradise between two overly proud countries. It’s a sad place that has split families for life. Survival in the North is hard with limited reports showing that famine and malnutrition concerns are increasing.









And here I was standing on the edge, looking into the most isolated country in the world. I was observing a continued ideological war and wondered if this would ever be resolved?

I went again in September to view the North from Ganghwa Island’s observation centre and was treated with yet another clear day. The landscape was greener, but still no trees and only a handful of people working the lands. An example of how isolation and arrogance can hinder basic development needs in the 21st century.

This mighty divide will remain for some time to come though people continue to speak of unity. Everyone wants to know what’s going on in North Korea and what threat they pose, but reconciliation will not be easy and this will be an interesting case study in future years, if ever.