Dreadlocks on the ROKs

About Kimchi Dreadlocks

So after much debate about what to do with myself post college, I decided to fly halfway around the world to try my hand teaching english in Korea. I wish I could say my decision wasn’t fueled by financial need, but the truth of the matter is college loans are real and this man has more than his fair share. Why Korea? Simply put, no where else seemed easier to apply for and get into. Originally I wanted to make it to Spain–that is until I realized that the luster of living in a beautiful Spanish city would fade as soon as I went broke. While it would have been possible to “sustain” myself, the possibility of bringing back money to the U.S. was pretty much nill.

My second choice was Chili. I found a great teaching opportunity that included a writing internship. This, I thought, would be perfect: teach a little english, expand my resume, make a little money and continue my Spanish language studies. There was only one problem: the deadline for the program was less than a week away from when I originally found the job posting. Even with stock letters of recommendation and the fastest courier service, there was no way in hell I was going to be able to get the paperwork in on time. Hence, scratch Chili.

Then while cruising the vast GoAbroad website, I came across a posting for teaching in Korea. A new recruitment wave was beginning and all that was needed to start the application process was a couple letters of recommendation and an application. Done and done! Less than two weeks after I found the posting I had a recruiter picked out and my mind was set  on getting to Kimchiland.

Truth be told, this will without a doubt be my biggest cultural challenge.  I’ve been blessed to do quite a bit of traveling over the years, but with this being my first trip to Asia, and being that I know absolutely nothing about the Korean language (yet), I’m sure I’ll struggle a bit at first before ultimately settling in.

Dreadlocks in the ROK is meant to be my half-assed attempt to put my Journalism degree to work while working to pay for it. I have no set theme, nor  will I attempt to push some bullshit agenda. My hope is to generate some interesting content and maybe pick a fight or two with other K-bloggers whom I both love and loathe. That being said, I do have a soft spot in my heart for anything hip-hop and will most likely blog from time to time on any perceived aspects of hip-hop in Korea.

My contract is for one year in the coastal city of Busan (or Pusan) and the plan is to bounce around Asia as much as possible during and after my time in the R.O.K. Good times will be had and hopefully good stories will be published. Enjoy!

Jaywoodseyo

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