From the get-go, I realized that teaching at English Village would be very different from just about any other teaching gig in Korea, or anywhere else for that matter. One of the more unique aspects is the ability to teach…
Author: Zachary A. Marx
Zachary Marx is currently living and working in Munich, Germany. He graduated with a degree in Political Science in 2006 from the University of Tennessee, and continues to bleed orange. So far, his vagabond lifestyle has brought him to five continents, and twenty-eight countries, with extended stays in China, Japan, and Korea. He started 80couches.com in February of 2011, with the ultimate goal of using it as the premise for couchsurfing around the globe. Your feedback and suggestions are welcome. He can be reached by carrier pigeon, smoke signals, telegram, and via the Interwebs, at zachary.marx@gmail.com.
A View from the Top
Sometimes we plan outings weeks in advance. Others, we plan after last call at the pub mere hours before departing. When I was invited to hike Dobongsan with my co-worker Fergus on Friday night, it was clearly the latter. This…
Raining on My Seoul, Part 2
If I’ve learned nothing else since coming to Korea, I’ve learned this: when it rains, it pours. Rainy season began about a month ago, and it only seems to be picking up steam as it goes. Yesterday, my facebook blew…
On Adjusting
Note: Originally written on July 21, 2011, but I did not post it until August 7. The journal entry was never completed, largely because I realized that I didn’t have much to say. Turns out being happiness is a difficult…
A Wild, Wild Week, Part 2
Thursday, Continued The knock on my door interrupted a few moments of quiet reflection. I put Sydney into her travel kennel and let the mover into my apartment. His English wasn’t great, but it was passable. We managed to move…
A Wild, Wild Week, Part 1
I spent a significant portion of today finally getting settled in my new apartment. I’ve even managed to amaze myself* with how well this apartment came together. It’s a nice feeling, seeing everything in place before the hustle and bustle…
Year Zero
“I kind of feel like this is Year One and last year was Year Zero. It was such a unique situation that we walked into last season, it didn’t feel like your first year. I feel like right now, this…
I Love this Country
One of the things that drove me to the brink of madness in Japan was the difficulty of life. It seemed that every seemingly simple task had to be completed with as many unnecessary steps as humanly possible. The Japanese…
Gyeonggi English Village: My First Impression
In less than two weeks, I will be moving and starting a new job. I decided to take a few precious hours out of my weekend to make the two-hour journey up to the “small” city of Paju (population 250,000)…
The Date is Set
Last Thursday, I sat down with my director to discuss my exit strategy from Korea Poly School (Pentagon officials may want to take notes). I had sent him an e-mail asking what I could do to best help with the…
A Few Bumps and Bruises, No Worse for the Wear
As I set off for work this morning a light rain descended upon Seoul, making an already treacherous bike ride even more so. In the approximately 20 minutes it takes me to get to work by bike, I must dodge…
Saying More with Less
“Living abroad is a lot like being an alcoholic: you have to take things one day at a time. You’ll have your good days, and your bad days.”-Me, after Japan My readers may have noticed that May has been strangely…