Anonymous: "route, not roulette :-D"
how did i do that!?!?!? ty anon omguh…..
Anonymous: "Lately I have seen a lot about not fitting in, in Korea or feeling like you don’t belong. I want to teach after college and live in Korea long term, but reading these things is making me think twice. Could you please tell me more? Thank you"
Disclaimer: I’m a pretty apathetic person when it comes to the place I live. Probably because when I’m in a bad mood, no place seems better than wherever my current apartment/room is so I can hide from everything.
I don’t think it is really a matter of “fitting in” as much as it is a feeling of alienation and how well you, personally, can deal with that. Anyway, I am usually fine with the “not fitting in”. Yes, I will always be a foreigner, I will never be Korean, but that just seems normal to me because, obviously, I am not Korean. And don’t care either way if I am or am not. In a post that is very helpful in general, INP mentioned how she had a moment of extreme ”foreignness”, and I do occasionally get that feeling. But it’s rare, and it’s when I’m already having a bad day. When I’m vulnerable is when I’m sensitive to the gawking.
It is really up to the individual. One of the biggest things I like to keep in mind is that, thought I am not and will never be Korean, that does not necessarily make me unwelcome here in Korea. Making friends, making lasting connections and interacting with people who see you as more than just their foreign friend is key. My boyfriend and his family make me feel welcome, safe and cared for. My friends, foreign and Korean, make me feel like a normal human regardless of where my passport is from.
I hope this helped.
Anonymous: "Ask the gamemusic section on reddit. Pretty sure they'd be able to help you out! Also, I'm curious if you thought about getting your teaching certificate?"
aaah, good idea, thank you anon~ reddit sort of terrifies me sometimes, but I will be brave for the sake of those songs.
It is still up in the air. I think I am going to try to get a TEFL certificate sometime soon, if just for the fact that it looks good when trying to get these EFL teaching jobs and I think the courses I have to take will be helpful.
Anonymous: "I am soooo curious....How many followers do you have? PS. Love your blog and ootd - keep up the goodness"
Uh-huh.
Far less than popular tumblr users but maybe slightly more than the average? Probably also much less than just popular Korea tumblr users. Between 100~1000.
But thank you. These questions are awkward because it seems like a chance for me to try to brag but really just act like an idiot.
Anonymous: "Hey! what does ootd mean"
outfit of the day
browsing that tag on tumblr is an adventure, let me tell you.
Anonymous: "Hey Sid, it's me again the one who passes the love! XxX Have you thought about teaching kindergarten? They finish early and it's all about learning through play. :)"
Hello precious anon!
Right now I’m at a kindergarten/elementary 학원. I would like to do a kindergarten just because little children are some of my most favorite things on Earth. The youngest class we have (5yr Korean age, 3~4yr international age) are so amazing and I will miss them the most when I change schools. But since I’m so picky already that I can’t add one more thing I want (though, true, kindergartens match up with the hours I want, so….).
Anonymous: "Do you have a boyfriend? And is he Korean? Just curious lol"
Anonymous: "Do you see yourself staying in Korea long term? And was ESL always the career path you saw for yourself? Also, what sort of certificates or programs did you study before coming to Korea? Were they helpful? Sorry for all the questions! kk Thanks so much! ^^"
I’m more of the ‘wherever opportunity presents itself’ sort of person. Right now I’m alright in Korea. Have a serious boyfriend and a way to pay off school loans. I wouldn’t mind going back to America if I could find a job, or really going anywhere that lets me work!
One of the jobs I imagine myself doing is being a university/college professor so I can actually just be a student all day. So, no, not really ESL teacher but a teacher in general is starting to appeal to me. I have no certificates and went through no programs. WOMP WOMP. People always ask me questions and I’m never that helpful, so, sorry for these lame answers!
Anonymous: "you seem really interested in science. why didn't you major in it? if you could go back in time, would you do it?"
Yeah, if I could go back I would change my major to some computer science or a fundamental science. My Asian-studies major was fun at the time, and I really enjoyed learning what I did (Chinese lit was so great) but it is what it is. Generally useless without at least going to grad school.
Anonymous: "your nails look so pretty~ how do you get them to turn out like that? it looks like the red tips sort of fade into the black? i've never seen that sort of style before @.@"
Thanks! It is actually pretty easy to do if you have sponge. Google “sponge gradient nail polish” and you’ll get tons of tutorial results. I did this one for Halloween (and had even sharpened my nails to points on the day-of) but haven’t had time to change it haha.
