I am an intercultural trainer and consultant specializing in South Korean culture. You can find me on my personal website at www.interculturalconsulting.ca or on LinkedIn at http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/jen-fletcher/8/b45/217
When I think back to my time living in Korea, I miss many things, but often it’s the little things that are unique to Korea, that I remember most fondly. I find that the memory of a place can last forever in the small details – sounds and […]
Well we didn’t get to go home for supper immediately after having our baby. However, about an hour after giving birth at the hospital, back in my private room, I was presented with an amazing meal, traditional miyeok-kuk – a seaweed soup or “birthday soup”, known for it’s […]
All the pregnant wayguks I knew went to Dr. Kim (not his real name) at Jeil Lady’s hospital in Haeundae, Busan. He was a very mild-mannered, soft-spoken slim man, who was always there, whether I showed up on a Sunday with back pain, or for my regular check-up, with […]
Last weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving, and it was a fitting couple of days to commemorate 60 years since the Korean War as well as 50 years of diplomatic ties between Canada and Korea. This was done in grand style, with the arrival of Korean destroyer ship ROKS DAE […]
Have you ever given socks a thought? Socks are actually an important part of the Korean wardrobe. Much in the same way the tuque is an important and meaningful article of clothing in Canada, one could say the same about socks in Korea. Ever since I can remember, […]
In preparing for an upcoming workshop on Korean culture, I grabbed my go-to guide for all things Korean: Korea Unmasked: In Search of the Country, the Society and the People by Won-bok RHIE. I think have used this book for every Korea-related work I have ever done. Because […]
The first time I heard about KakaoTalk was from a friend who had just returned from teaching English in Korea. He mentioned being “Kakaoed” and “Kakaoing” people. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about so I finally decided to inquire about this odd new verb: […]
This place had been a bit of an enigma to me until recently. Before last week, I had only heard of the “Korean butcher” through friends. At the time, my information was limited and I had heard that he was not actually Korean, but specialized in Korean cuts […]
Sterile plastic cup in hand, I opened the bathroom door and blankly stared at the sparkling clean, disinfected squat-style toilet. I normally would have no problem with one of these. I had had many squatting successes, some even with little or no pee ending up on my pant […]
When Shinae Yi arrived in Canada from Seoul, Korea as young adult 20 odd years ago, she probably didn’t envision becoming Montreal’s main go-to person for bringing Canadians and Koreans together through culture. Noticing that there was very little in existence that was geared towards promoting Korean culture […]
Well, it’s been six years since I was last in Korea and I’m in Busan for a short time to promote my new ESL summer camp in Montreal. I lived in Busan from 2005 to 2007 working as a teacher in an international school and while I saw […]
As an intercultural consultant, part of my work involves helping people prepare for life and work overseas. As such, my programs often include a little lesson about culture shock. I do this because people who know about culture shock are better able to identify when they are experiencing […]
You just walked out of your first business meeting in Seoul and you have no idea what just happened. You have to report back to your boss in Canada and you can’t even say if your proposal was received positively, neutrally or negatively. You’re not even sure if […]
