The following article was written by Korvia.com contributing writer Michael Smit and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Korvia Consulting or its partners. -- It turns out Santa Claus is real. Who knew? I ran into him at Starbucks in Gangnam. I asked Santa if I could take a selfie with him, but [...]
The following article is written by contributing author and TNKR volunteer Michael Smit. Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Korvia Consulting or its affiliates. Due to the nature of the article, refugee names have been changed to protect their identity. To volunteer with TNKR, please click the sign up [...]
You’ve taught there before and now you’re thinking about returning to Korea, but you feel like it would be taking a step backwards. I know what it’s like. I took that step, and I’m happy I did. A lot of people back home didn’t understand why I was going to Korea again. If you go [...]
One of my earliest memorable experiences in Korea was an old woman yelling at me after I threw a bag of trash onto a garbage pile. I couldn’t understand what she was saying and had no idea why she was upset. When I told my coworkers the story, we worked out that I hadn’t disposed [...]
Listen. Most people have no idea what culture shock really is. I’ve heard people say, “In the USA, a girl will wear a bikini at the beach because we think tans are sexy, but Koreans avoid the sun because they like pale skin. What culture shock. Wow!” No, my friend, culture shock is not realizing [...]
I grew up the youngest of four siblings. I was teased, tickled, and spent ample time watching people play video games. I never imagined one of those would someday be among the fastest growing industries in the world. That industry is eSports and South Korea is its reigning king. ESports are exploding in popularity all [...]
