by Tamara Povarchook, Placement Coordinator for Korea & China
One of the most memorable events I attended in South Korea was the Boryeong Mud Festival on Daecheon Beach. This festival has been happening annually, for a week in mid-July, for the past 15 years. It attracts locals, young and old, and hundreds of expats.
The mud at Daecheon Beach is sought after for its cosmetic properties. The mud is collected, processed and poured into buckets on the beach for everyone’s mud-bathing pleasure. You literally paint the mud onto your body with paint brushes, and let the sun do its work before rinsing off in the warm waters of the Yellow Sea.
Travel in South Korea
When you think about heading to Asia, most people think about the Great Wall or Thailand or Angkor Wat or Japan or Shanghai. Few people actually consider Korea a travel destination. If you're heading there to teach, and this is your initial impression of Korea, you are in for a treat.
Despite the small geographic size of Korea, there are incredible regional differences with respect to language accent, physical appearance, temperature and there are even tremendous regional food differences.
When you get to Korea, explore it. Notwithstanding the regional differences, there are some incredible places to see and experience and often, you are one of only a handful of other foreigners which can make the experience all the more amazing.
The Boryeong Mud Festival
Had a chance to visit the cherry blossom festival in Jinhae?
by Dave Harvey, Operations Manager
They cherry tree is one of those icons synonymous with spring. It evokes thoughts of warm days, bright sun and sweet smells of new growth. In East Asia, and especially Korea the cherry blossom means time to get outside and enjoy the many festivals that spring has to offer.
Having lived in both Japan and South Korea, I’ve enjoyed the many spring festivals surrounding the cherry blossoms. It’s a great way to get out after winter, see somewhere new and hope that summer is around the corner.
A Weekend in Samcheok
by Tamara Povarchook, Placement Coordinator for Korea & China
When we lived in Korea, my friend Amber and I would try to get away as often as we could on the weekends to see the countryside. We would flip to random pages in our travel guide to decide which places to visit. One fateful weekend, our random search landed us on the beautiful east coastal town of Samcheok.
