Originally published by Reach the World, December 18, 2015

Before coming to Korea, I knew relatively little about the country where I would be living for a year. I had heard some k-pop songs, I had read some history, and I had known that students went to school for as long as 14 hours a day. In the five months since I’ve been here, I have had the honor of learning so much more about this beautiful country and its kind people. And I know I still have so much more to learn during my second semester.

Originally published by Reach the World, December 11, 2015

*This is my attempt at adapting a complicated topic for an elementary audience. I address the complexity of gender issues in Korea in some of my other blog posts.

Introduction:
Although South Korea has one of the best economies and education systems in the world, it suffers from gender inequality. This means that men and women are not always treated the same way. Compared to men, it is harder for women to get jobs, and many women are still expected to get married and raise families. The quality of life for working women in Korea has improved a lot over the last few years, but there are still many ways for communities to make it better.

Originally published by Reach the World, November 20, 2015

How far did I travel this week?: I traveled to two cities this week: Daegu and Seoul. Daegu is a large city about two hours north of Gimhae. Seoul, which is about five hours northwest of Gimhae, is the capital city of Korea. It is even larger than New York City!

How far have I traveled on this journey so far?: I have traveled to Gimhae, Busan, Daegu, Jinju, Seoul, Gyeongju, Sokcho, and Goesan. In January, I will travel to Thailand and Vietnam for my winter break.

How did I get around this week?: I took an intercity bus to get to Seoul, and then I took the high speed train home. The bus was stuck in traffic, so it took about six hours. The high speed train, which is called KTX, took less than three hours to travel across the country!

What was the most interesting place I visited this week?: I visited Namdaemun Market in Seoul, which is one of the largest traditional markets in Korea. There were many stalls selling street food, clothing, and souvenirs.

Other Travel News from this week: Earlier in the week, I went to a teachers’ conference in Daegu, which is a city about two hours north of Gimhae. During the conference, I volunteered with Korean schoolchildren to paint a mural of the world.