Scenes from a hagwon: III

Scenes from a hagwon: III

Shortly after I agreed to become one of LIKE’s teachers back in 2007, I took an online course and earned a certificate in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). I thought the extra credential might come in handy at some point...

Scenes from a hagwon: II

Scenes from a hagwon: II

I dearly loved some of my students at the Chilgok LIKE School. But when it closed in April 2008 and I moved to the Yongsan branch, my happiness quotient tripled. Now I lived near a subway station and a Home-Plus store, I was two...

Scenes from a hagwon: I

Scenes from a hagwon: I

The contract I signed to teach at LIKE School in Daegu was for a year, but I ended up giving the Kim family 14 1/2 months (mid-November 2007–January 2009). The classes were usually 40 minutes long, and the beginning was signaled with a...

Where I Have Been in Korea

2007: Daegu (November 14), Seoul (December 25) 2008: Gyeongju (February 23), Andong and Hahoe (June 28), Changwon (July 18), Busan (August 16‒17), Goryeong and Haein-Sa (October 4), Mungyeong (November 7) 2009: Ulsan...

Mr. Choi scores an ace

Kyu-Pal Choi had a lot going on in the early 1990s. Not only was he the father of three young children but he had gone into business for himself, starting Hansung International Patent & Law Office. He was also served as  the leader of...

Sports venues I’ve been to

Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas) I saw numerous football games at the historic Cotton Bowl, including those featuring the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Texans and SMU Mustangs. I was there for a half-dozen UT-Oklahoma games and the Cotton Bowl Classics...