Coming from an African country, many would assume that South Africans are comfortable with the heat. My assumption was that - Jeju Island will never get as hot as South Africa, but it sure does! It gets quite humid too, so preparing for the weather is very important. Summer is synonymous with heat and sun, but another important factor that needs to be considered with the weather on Jeju Island is the rain. Oh, it POURS! I use public transport which is extremely efficient, so every time it rains, I need to make sure I am geared up.
In keeping up with summer, I would recommend the following:
It is now Autumn and I am enjoying the weather quite a lot because there is a great balance of hot and cold. I even recently went for a hike. We can feel winter creeping in as it gets darker and cooler in the evenings and I am not as unprepared as I was a year ago. Winter on Jeju Island is actually mild compared to the mainland but it is still cold. I witnessed a snowfall last year for the first time in my life and it was magnificent to see. My favorite part about it all was getting to make an actual snowman. Winter however has its woes if you aren’t ready for it.
Here are some tips to get you by:
Lastly, stay positive! The shock of how different the weather is can be overwhelming but you just have to understand it, be ready, and embrace it.
Jeju
3 years ago
Island life is usually supposed to be fun-filled, hot and humid and very relaxed right? Well, in my experience - it is. It is fun-filled as there is so much to do, it is quite hot in the summer and the people are very relaxed and kind. As an EPIK teacher who is originally from South Africa, my journey to Korea was one that I didn’t know what kind of expectations I should have. Nonetheless, when I landed in the country, I was received with warmth and kindness from the citizens, my school and students. I have been on Jeju for more than a year and I am currently on my second contract which is something I did not expect. I did not expect to extend my stay mainly because I was coming from a corporate background and was quite nervous about being a teacher to elementary school students. My first day of teaching was accompanied with great assistance from my co-teachers, who helped with getting my bank card, gave me a breakdown of Korean culture and even taught me a few Korean words! I also got assistance in teaching strategies and the different ways I can apply myself in the classroom whether it be from online classes or interpersonal interactions. I then met my students who overwhelmed me with so much charisma and warmth. My students were quite interested in my culture and background which was a great ice-breaker and opportunity to learn from one another. Due to Covid-19, it was first a challenge to manage the classroom in a way where I could adhere to social distancing rules while making the classes as interactive as possible, but with creating a community and speaking with different native teachers, I have found ways to incorporate social distancing activities, games and material where the students can participate and adhere to the rules while having lots of fun.
me teaching3 years ago