38 Expat Living
From China to Korea
Gwangju News, June 2022
gwangjunewsgic.com
COMMUNITY
By Ellie Goodwin
T
Teaching is a popular career choice for the expat community, and given the perks that come with the job, it is easy to understand why: a healthy salary with decent saving opportunities, a comfortable work-social life balance with some of the living costs covered. And let’s not forget the students who (for all our exasperated sighs and hair pulling) tug at our heartstrings with their quirky ways and infectious laughs.
quicker or save money and take the train, which will add another four hours to my journey?’ For me, the considerably smaller size of Korea is an inexpressible plus. Though a fraction of China’s size, it has just as much to offer, perhaps more, and with the added bonus of a shorter travel time. For me, Korea wins the first round for domestic travel opportunities.
These perks alongside the travel opportunities are the reasons why I chose to take my teaching career to Asia. Before moving to Gwangju, I was a teacher in China. Naively, I figured that given the two countries were not that far apart geographically speaking, then there would be many similarities between the neighbours. I could not have been more wrong. In this article, I have written about some of the differences and similarities about my time in each country. DOMESTIC TRAVEL First of all, I loved living in China (and currently love living in Korea) but for entirely different reasons. There’s the Great Wall of China, the Terrocotta Army, the Yellow Mountains and Avatar Mountains in Huangshan and Zhangjiajie, respectively, the West Lake in Hangzhou, Yu Garden in Shanghai, and the Gobi Desert in Xinjiang. It goes without saying that China has a lot to offer. The downside? Getting to these places. China is the third largest country in the world. Travel in China was not as convenient as a three-hour bus ride from U-Square or a train ride from Gwangju’s Songjeong Station. I would often have to give far more thought to travel time, weighing up the everlasting debate of ‘shall I spend more money on a flight which will get me to point B
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▲ The iconic Bund skyline.
AFFORDABILITY One of the biggest selling points for those considering work in China (be it teaching or another line of work) are the saving opportunities. I arrived in China with a malnourished bank account and left with a nice, chubby figure. I was able to save money without compromising my lifestyle. I could afford to go to restaurants and bars, take day trips, and travel abroad (imagine a world before COVID-19 and PCR tests) while saving money all the while. That is not to say that I do not think it possible for me to save some pennies in Korea, especially considering all the living expenses that are covered, but I do not expect to save
2022-05-26 �� 3:06:12
