Frequently Asked Questions About Our Time in Korea

Do you have a mailing address?

Chris and Jennifer Richards

C/O Paju Gyeonggi English Village

1779 Beopheung-ri, Tanhyeon-myeon, 

Paju City, Gyeonggi Province

Republic of Korea, 413-780

Did you move recently? 

We were working at an English Village in Ansan and have now moved to a new English Village in Paju. They are very different. 

Do you like your new living quarters, and the area it is in?

We love where we live, because it is on campus and we can walk to work and come home for lunch. We have a one bedroom apartment. It is smaller than our last apartment, but we are adjusting. 

How is the weather there? 

We had hoped to to get out of Ansan before the snow started. Well God answered our prayers. We moved in on a Sunday and it started snowing in Ansan and Paju on Monday. It is very cold here and we often wear two jackets. It has not snowed since the first or second day we got here. 

Do you feel safe with problems with North Korea?

We feel very safe in South Korea. We are not worried about North Korea. The American news media is hyping up what happened more than they should. Besides, the crime rate in Korea is much lower than America, so we feel very safe here. 

God knows what day He has chosen for us to die. If we are in Korea or America we could walk outside tomorrow and be hit by a bus. So no we are not worried about North Korea. 

Are you on a missions trip? 

Many people have asked us if we are in Korea on a missions trip. No, we are in Korea to make money teaching English so that we can pay off our student loans. 

When do you plan to go back to America? 

We have signed a one year contract to work with this company until November 2011. When it gets closer to that time we will decide if we want to stay for another year. 

How can you afford to travel to Korea? 

When we teach English in Korea the company we work for is required to pay our plane ticket to Korea and back. They are also required to provide us with housing. 

Do you like the food? 

I don't like spicy food so I often find it hard to eat at Korean restaurants. I do have several Korean dishes that I love. Galbi (BBQ Beef or Pork), Donkasu (Pork Cutlet), Kimbop (like a California Roll), Bulgogi (a marinated pork or beef with veggies),  Kalguksu (Warm Noodles, most Koreans eat cold noodles). 

Do you like Kimchi? 

I don't care for Kimchi because I don't like cabbage or spicy food or fish paste.

Don't Koreans eat dog? 

In our two years in Korea only one dog restaurant has been pointed out to us. It is not on the menu at most places, you have to go to special restaurant to eat it. The dogs they eat are a specific breed that is bred for eating. No, we have not tried it and we don't plan on it. Ironically dogs are often common pets in Korea. 

What Western food is in Korea? 

You would be amazed at all the western chain restaurants that are in Korea. To name a few:

Outback Steak House, TGI Fridays, Uno Chicago Pizza, Dominos, Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Baskin Robins, Dunkin Donuts, Cold Stone Ice Cream, Star Bucks and more. 

We love eating at Outback, Dunkin Donuts and Basking Robins. We don't go to the other restaurants much. The western fast food is not that great here. We buy most our food at Costco. So we buy pizzas there and other Western food. 

The campus we currently work at has several western restaurants. There is a coffee shop, Pizzas and Pasta and a Hamburger restaurant. We have not tried any of these places yet because they are very expensive. But it just makes me feel better knowing they are there just in case we don't feel like cooking one night or crave a hamburger. 

What do you cook? 

I had a challenge my first year in Korea because We didn't have an oven or very many cooking utensils. We have now purchased most of the kitchen items we need. We cook at home three times a day. I have to make most items from scratch because pre-made items are hard to find. 

For example, I am making Enchilada Casserole and I had to make the tortillas from scratch because I couldn't find them here. I use my Crockpot (slow cooker) a lot and we brought a roaster from America that works almost as good as an oven. Cheese and beef are more expensive here so I have had to modify a lot of my recipes. 

I try to list most of the recipes that we cook in Korea on my other blog:

http://americancookinginsouthkorea.blogspot.com/

Do Koreans Celebrate Christmas?

Christmas is celebrated in Korea. It is not as big of a holiday like it is in America. It is more of a romantic holiday. Couples often go out on dates on Christmas. 

Are you learning Korean?

Korean is one of the hardest languages to learn. We took lessons for three months last year. Chris can read the alphabet really well and I can read some of the basic letters. We don't usually understand what it says, but it helps when trying to find locations on a map or signs written in Konglish. 

What is Konglish?

It is English words written with Korean letters. 

How long does it take to get to Korea? What about jet lag? 

To fly to Korea it is a 9 to 11 hour flight. Jet lag usually lasts about a week and a half. 

Will you come home to visit before your contract is up?
(Will you come to my wedding this summer?)

We do get vacation time as part of our contract. However plane tickets home are very expensive and jet lag sucks. Also the two busiest times in an English Village are when the kids are on winter and summer vacation, so we are not able to take vacations during those times. So we will not be coming home until our contact ends and the school pays for our flight. 

What do we miss from America?

Last year I missed not having an oven or microwave. This year I just miss my clothes dryer. Of course we also miss family and friends. We spend a lot of time on Facebook to help us keep in contact with people at home. 

How can we contact you? 

We have Skype. My Skype Id is : Jenniepooh623, and Chris' is Chris-1945. 

You can also call us. Our phone number through Skype is a Red Bluff, California number, so it will not cost you any more to call us then in would in the states. Please contact us for the number. Don't worry about the time difference. Our phone is through my computer and we turn it off when we are asleep. 

What is the time difference?

We are currently 17 hours ahead of California. Korea does not have Day Light Savings time so in the spring we will only be 16 hours ahead. For example it is 11 am on Wednesday here in Korea and it is 6 pm on Tuesday in America.