Sadly and, inevitably, there comes a time in every relationship when one person questions the loyalties of the other.   For me, this point arrived 8 months ago when we imported The Bean from the US. Photo:  The Bean decked out Cosby-style in her new Korean threads.  Muy fashionable!

You've got the dream privates lined up.  Easy going student with excellent language abilities and enthusiasm to learn more, a cool 55,000 won an hour, and located in the apartment downstairs from you.  So now what?   Time to teach.In my last blog, aptly entitled How To Find High Paying Privates Teaching English, my friend told me what was up with getting in on private lessons/tutoring and scratching up that spare cash.  (Bear in mind, I don’t advocate or condone violating the terms of your Visa or Immigration laws in general.  Make sure you have an appropriate Visa and/or permissions when working, living or traveling through any nation to ensure that you are not “preparing for a return to your home country” minus some whopping fines/taxes plus light flogging.)Back to the conversation with my friend, because I really did need the spare cash that comes with teaching English in private settings as a one-one-one tutor in Korea.  She informed me that although you may earn 50,000+ won an hour, you do have to work for it.   Privates are a tricky thing to handle.  This is not a hagwon where the curriculum is set, lesson plans pre-written and you are the teacher.  If you are teaching English one-on-one, two hours can seem like an eternity + forever if you are not prepared.    Here are her helpful tips for teaching English in privates:

A friend and I were talking this weekend about the spare cash situation – in short, she has it and I don’t.   I asked her just how she was getting all this dough and she simply replied, “Privates.”  I was intrigued. 

Why do Koreans stare at me?  If you've never asked yourself that question as a non-Asian foreigner in Korea, you've never been outside your home.   One thing that I have learned since coming to Korea is that many Koreans, especially old men, love to stare at me.  One way to combat this feeling of self-consciousness is to stare right back - really stare at them, straight in the eyes and smile.  This, of course, typically freaks anyone out, Korean or otherwise.  After awhile, just like when guys check me out in the States, it becomes old and I stop taking it personally.  Getting to that point is difficult and, as a newcomer in Seoul, I sometimes feel about as out of place as Lindsey Lohan at an AA meeting.   Now that it is second nature to either stare back or just ignore, I have realized the reasons behind the looks:

Heeding the boyfriend’s father’s advice (he’s Korean and has lived here, so he should know what he‘s talking about) to dress expensive when living in Seoul, I decided I would try to blend in with the fashionistas here.    Blending into Korea as a woman is definitely a challenge when you are tall, blonde and have white skin and light eyes.   Still, I brought with me plenty of the mandatory girl colors in Seoul - black, gray and white- and of course the high heels to finish my look.   The Korean women that I see about Seoul during the work day are usually dressed business casual, in trendy skirts, blouses, or tight-fitteding pants, with the mandatory accessories of  Louis Vuitton bag and Chanel earrings.  And the ubiquitous, dreaded high heels.   But when in Seoul, you do as the Seoulites do.  I pulled out the shoes that I have learned to hate.

I, like all women, Asian, Caucasian or otherwise, occassionally need to go see the OB/GYN (Oh Boy-Get Yourself Naked!) or just OBG.   I prefer to call it my annual "Big Girl Doctor Visit," as it freaks the boyfriend out a little less.  He was able to make an appointment for me at a clinic that was, in hindsight, only partially English-friendly.