Korean Arcade Life: What We Really Do On Weekends

Korea has a rich arcade scene. It’s traditional for people to live with their families well into their 20’s, so places to hang out are limited to shopping areas, cafes, and arcades. I don’t mind this at all, since arcades in America are all but nonexistent! In Korea, an arcade essentially functions as a Dave & Buster’s. Here, you can gamble your coins for candy, sing karaoke, fail at endless claw machines, and waste at least $50. Men are always vying for the biggest stuffed animal win, and will inexplicably keep feeding coins into the machines until their girlfriend is satisfied at their hunting prowess. Did I mention the  punching machines that further test the male ego? Honestly, the owners of arcades are experts in the human condition if you ask me.

 

 

Tour My Korean Apartment!

I’ve moved 4 (yes, 4…sigh) times in Korea. This time around I wanted to make sure I got an affordable but adorable place! Here’s what you can expect from a one room apartment in Korea (at least if you can claim the top floor!)

Usually, one room apartments range from $300-450 a month plus utilities. Water is almost always included and paid by the landlord, as is cable TV and internet. The cost of living is extremely cheap, and as you can see my place is pretty big! I’m only 37 minutes away from Seoul by train and just over 1 hour away by bus (a $6 journey.)

Students Doing Stuff

My students are pretty hilarious on a daily basis. Here’s some things they’ve done in class this year!

Students Challenge Christine To Eat Super Spicy Ramen

CNSA high school students can get pretty ornery. The Advanced English I Class challenged Christine to eat the spiciest ramen in Korea. Speacial guests: Benny, me, and Matthew. Here’s what happened.

My Students Made Videos: Yeah, They’re Hilarious.

I had the kids make a video project last semester for the basic, first level English class in high school.

Since I work for a Samsung owned school, each student has a brand new Galaxy Tablet. The assignment was introducing an aspect of Korean culture. What the kids chose ranged from hilarious to scary.

Here’s Jong Won’s video about study culture in Korea and how it drives kids to suicide. No, I was not pleased with their ending.

Here’s JiHoon’s video about study culture. His ended in suicde as well. I had to lecture this class on appropriate content…sigh. It’s a serious issue and should be treated as such.

Here’s Jisu’s cute video about traditional food.

And here is the universal class favorite: HanShin’s group didn’t even speak English at all, didn’t introduce any kind of Korean culture, but somehow won the student vote for best video. Sigh.

Here’s Hoseong’s hilarious video about stealing snacks.

This is BoHee’s take on drinking culture in Korea. Boy, do Koreans drink.

God, I love teaching sometimes.

What do you think of the topics they chose? Appropriate? Do they surprise you? Let me know in the comments below.