I'm a certified HS Social Studies teacher

who decided to try something different. I

love Korea and never want to leave it.

- Andrew Hill, U.S.A., Yangju HoeCheon

Elementary (page 3)

I'm loving my experiences in South Korea

so far, and am enjoying shouting for Korea

in the World Cup. Daehanminguk!!

- John Harman, South Africa, Ansan

SeokHo Elementary (page 3)

I am in my fourth year of teaching in

Korea, but it is my first with GEPIK. I

volunteer with Adventure Korea as an

assistant guide on most weekends.

- Patricia Skully, USA, Ansan Hakhyun

Elementary (page 4)

I am a 32 year old Canadian, who's

developed a healthy love/hate addiction to

Korea! Most days I love it. On the days

that I don't, I can easily be found at home,

spending time with my husband, and

dreaming about the beaches of Thailand! I

enjoy writing about my experiences here,

and sharing them with those who may

also find them useful!

- Jennifer Hudson, Canada, Dongduchon

Jihaeng Elementary (page2)

Paul Jung Estabrook has a MFA in Studio

Art Photography. Aside from gaining

international fame as a rock star, he hopes

to earn tenure at a college where he can

teach the fine art of spontaneous dance

parties.

- Paul Jung Estabrook, USA, YeonCheon

JeonGok Middle School (page 2)

Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education

Making the most of your summer in KoreaPlanning summer camps for your schoolsWhat to eat or what to do in the summer in KoreaCo-teachingGetting to know your CoordinatorsFestival ReviewsWorld Cup lingoInspirational stories

With the World Cup 2010 going on, your summer in Korea is bound to be one with great excitement! So heads up! Grab a red shirt and get ready for some crazy fun!

GEPIK 2010 Arrival WorkshopsFor the year 2010, GEPIK started hosting arrival workshops for our newly

signed teachers. The lectures at the three hour workshops helped our teachers

gain a better understanding of GEPIK and of Korea. Here are some thoughts

about the workshop:

"I thought the workshop was very informative for new teachers in Korea, in relaying important information that every GEPIK teacher should be a w a r e o f . T h e G E P I K coordinators did a wonderful job with putting everything together, and I appreciate all of their hard work."

"It was helpful to get an idea of how the school year would go, some thoughts for traveling and a few brief pointers on what to expect from the school and from the contract."

Felicia YoungerIcheon AnHeung Elementary

Ashlee WinrightAnsan Seo Elementary School

I am rather bubbly and energetic and I

have learned how to bring it to the

classroom. I teach at the middle school I

h a v e r e c e i v e d a K o r e a n n i c k

name,"Santa," around these parts. I am

teaching in the country side for my second

year now and going on to my third.

- Chantal Michael, South Africa, Yangju

Baekseok Middle School (page 6)

I'm from London in England and I'm

currently living in the lovely little town of

Deokjeong. I teach at Goam middle

school which has the nicest and funniest

students ever so I spend a lot of my time

laughing - you will too! In my spare time I

do fun runs and go exploring in Seoul.

- Emma Robertson, United Kingdom,

Yangju Goam Middle School ( page 3)

I am 25 and was born and raised in

Delaware. I have taught English in Korea

for 20 months.

- Alicia Coit, USA, Seongnam YoungSung

Girl's Middle School (page 5)

Barri Tsavaris is from New York, New York

and graduated from Boston University.

She has been a GEPIK teacher since

March of this year.

- Barri Tsavaris, USA, Yongin Bora

Elementary (page 3)

It is my mission to eat all the local foods of

every city and province in Korea !! Let me

know if you want to join!

- Ivy Chung, USA, Yongin Middle School

(page 4)

The workshop that took place in Suwon helped me to become acquainted with GEPIK. Being new to the area, I enjoyed meeting other foreign teachers in my area. The simple introductions to the culture and the discussions about our contract were helpful in that it reiterated what we had signed up for and set the stage for our upcoming time in Korea working for GEPIK.

- Whitney Cleland Danwon Middle School

"The arrival workshop was exactly what was needed after arriving in Korea the previous night. Any fears that I had regarding my living arrangements and relationships with the people at my school were squashed and all my questions answered. A definite must for newbies to Korea!!"

- Ian Thomas SanBon Technical High School

"The arrival workshop was exactly what I needed on my first day in Korea. It was a crash course in Korean culture and things to expect during the year. The Dr. GEPIK book lived in my handbag for the first couple months and helped me out with the essentials. Also, the workshop was great for networking with GEPIK teachers in my area and meeting the GEPIK staff face to face."

- Laura Harman DukSeong Elementary SchoolAry Kim

Correspondent Victoria Oh

Content EditorGrace HwangProduct Editor

Jae Mee KimDesign Editor

Rivga Kim is the District Coordinator for Gwangju & Hanam

A : Expression-less...Expression-less...Expression-less

To explain further, I get teased a lot as my facial expression tends to become

expression-less when I'm in an unbearable or uncomfortable situation.

A : I don't really know hmm Snow White since my face is white? LOL!

A : If you have the time and money, I highly recommend going to Jeju Island. You should try Korean style

raw fish and take a walk on the Olle Pathway. Personally, I love Jeju Island to the point where I'd even live there.

A : Many people from different countries with different characteristics and personalities get to meet each other. Despite our differences,

we are able come together and grow as a family in a country where we are alone and without our real families. GEPIK is a bit more

systematic than other English programs in Korea, which I think makes GEPIK a great program to be working for.

From April 21st to the 23rd, I attended the 2010 Secondary Spring Orientation for GEPIK Teachers. The orientation covered a broad range of issues that new GEPIK Teachers might encounter during their stay in Korea.

Everything from co-teaching methods to cultural issues, found a place into our discussions.

I learned quite a few teaching tips during this event, many of which I've put into my own classroom practice. For me, the most enjoyable presentation during the orientation was "Lesson Planning".

I learned quite a few teaching tips during this event, many of which I've put into my own classroom practice. For me, the most enjoyable presentation during the orientation was "Lesson Planning".

Explaining with enthusiastic experience, Simon and Martina Stawski, were able to capture the attention of a full auditorium. The most important idea that they focused on was the concept of creating genuine interest in the classroom. They provided examples and techniques on how to meet our students halfway and bridge our teaching methods with their interests (such as intertwining Korean Pop Cultural into our lesson plans).

Sounds simple, but just watching how energetic and passionate these presenters were it became clear they knew what they were talking about.

They championed the idea of creating genuine interest as a teaching model and reinforced this philosophy by creating it within their presentation.

And though all the presentations were valuable learning experiences, perhaps just as important to me was the sense of community that grew during this event. Being around so many other GEPIK Teachers, I was able to make acquaintances with tons of like-minded adventurous folk.

During our down time, we were able to socialize and get to know each other. Since then, I have been able to meet up with these new buddies of mine for excursions into Seoul and other events. Good times!

That being said, what I got most out of the 2010 Secondary Spring Orientation was a sense of community, strengthened by the enthusiasm this event was able to cultivate for it..

- By Paul J. Estabrook, USAJeongok Middle School, Yeoncheon

Jihaeng Elementary, Dongducheon I'll be honest. I did not want to go to orientation. I can't really explain why, but I was not interested. I had heard that I would meet new friends at the orientation session, and that it would be a great break from school, but I was not interested.

Thankfully, everything that others said turned out to be right! I was proved wrong, and am a bit sad about my bad attitude prior to going! Orientation was

great, and I did meet some wonderful friends! There were a few very high points to the three days we were away. First, the presentation given by Aaron Jolly! There was so much information. While he definitely did not have enough time for all that he could share with us, he did make the most of the time he did have! Another session that proved quite enjoyable was Matthew Burnett's, "Down to Ear th Tips!" I did try using the Bell Master idea in one class, and it didn't go quite as well as I had hoped, but it's fine. I still think that many of his suggestions were very useful. One that I have taken to heart is the suggestion to not get angry at the students. Really, what's the point? Most of the time, in anger, we end up just screaming, and the students can't understand a word we're saying, and so there's no use. It is one thing I'm really working on. Like expected, mask making was wonderful! So many of our teachers are very creative, and did such a wonderful job of making their masks works of ar t! We really enjoyed it. We also enjoyed the Rock N' Roll event on our last night. I'm not sure. It seemed as though some of the group had a hard time to get in to it, but those who wanted to have fun, and didn't take themselves too seriously, really enjoyed it! We played some fun games, lost our voices, and shook our booties! Thank you, Coordinators, for bringing us to this fun event, and really providing us with the chance to have fun, and to meet some really great teachers from all over the world! It is always so useful to exchange ideas and tips! I look forward to many more GEPIK events during my time with the program!

- By Jennifer, CanadaJihaeng Elementary, Dongducheon

In April, South Korea

suddenly goes very pink.

Everywhere you look

there is a profusion of

blossoms cheering in the

warmer weather. Now is

definitely the time to peel

off your winter layers and start exploring the numerous

mountain ranges in and around Seoul.

I went with some friends from my school to Mount

Soyo (or Soyosan), which is north of Seoul. This is a

great route as it's essentially flat right up to a famous

Buddhist temple, so you can ease into trekking after

the cold weather and still enjoy the stunning scenery.

First we needed fuel, so we stopped at a traditional

outdoor restaurant for some of Korea's famous spicy

Bibimbap-try some, it's delicious! We had this with

sweet corn wine... which you may not want to try!

Then we gently wandered up the mountain path,

admiring the blowing blossoms and falling pink petals-

it really is like something out of a movie.

At the base of the mountain is a waterfall and the

original cave. Up many (many) stairs, you find the

main temple which is an elegant grouping of small

buildings, the main one built into the rock. There are

statues of animals at various points and another

stunning waterfall-if you're lucky you'll catch a glimpse

of the elusive fish that live in the pool at the bottom.

The temple here is very famous and well worth a

visit.

The story is that there was a famous monk who had

an affair with a beautiful princess; they had a son who

went on to become king.

But in time, the monk realized the error of his ways.

He came to Mount Soyo to live as a hermit in a

cave, trying to attain enlightenment through fasting

and privation. He caught Buddha's attention who then

disguised himself as a beautiful woman lost in the

woods seeking shelter.

The monk offered"her" shelter and in return, Buddha

offered him well whatever he wanted! But the monk

told Buddha that to seek spiritual enlightenment he

must resist all desires of the flesh. So Buddha left. The

monk then realized that this must have been Buddha

so he built the temple that stands there today,

continuing to meditate and seeking spiritual

enlightenment for the rest of his days

The temple is not just a relic-monks continue to live

and meditate there so you may meet some on your

travels.

On the way back down,

pause at the top of the steps

to admire the valley-I

guarantee you, you will be

stunned, and it's a beautiful

sight.

- By Emma Robertson, United Kingdom

Goam Middle, Yangju

On May 8th and 9th, a crowd of DJ's,

dancers and drinkers gathered at the Nanji

Campground on the Han River for the 4th

Annual Seoul World DJ Festival. The two-

day extravaganza showcased 42 artists

from four continents. It was difficult initially

to find the fest due to lack of signage, but

once we started following the clusters of

revelers in neon track suits, fish nets, and

even bear costumes, we soon saw the

sprawling site below lit up by the laser light

beams piercing the Seoul sky. The shuttle

bus for 1,000 Won/person also helped.

Picking up your 55,000 Won ticket

involved long lines, and entering the site

included overly-thorough security checks

during which all food and beverages had to

be tossed. But once inside, the thumping

beats and jumping crowd quickly grabbed

the focus. Split into four stages, the Global

stage was the main venue, while the Jager

stage hosted popular local artists, including

expatriate acts. The Innertrip stage

combined experimental performances with

music, while the Black Zone was the house for hip hop. Ar tists included

Korean DJs Lee Sang-Eun and Nae-Gwi-Eh Do-Chung-Jang-Chi (Wiretap

In My Ears), as well as Freemasons, Dirty Disco Youth, Fantastic Plastic

Machine, Shut Da Mouth, Planet Shiver and Soul Dive. The festival lived

up to its motto:"Everyone participates, with zero onlookers," with the

exception of the concession stands, which ran out of pizza before 10pm,

making me long for the granola bars I said goodbye to on the way in. I'll

probably return next year if I'm still in Seoul, especially if the festival offers

cheaper tickets and better food on site.

- By Barri Tsavaris, USA

Bora Elementary, Yongin

A temple stay is on many GEPIK teachers must do list during their stay

in Korea. Just make sure you're fully prepared for the experience. Rising at

4:00am, bowing repeatedly with the

monks, and sitting in the lotus

positions for what seems like hours

can be hard work for some, but it'll

definitely be an experience you

won't forget. Tour companies such as

Adventure Korea run regular temple

stay experiences, so make sure you

experience a little Buddhist culture

during your time in Korea. Just

make sure you stretch before the

meditation session begins!

- By John Harman, South Africa.

Seokho Elementary, Ansan