Hello Cat,

I'm sorry I didn't see your post earlier. When I lived and taught in Korea I spent a week on Jeju Island visiting the 'touristy things' and was quite impressed. I hiked through the lush tropical forests to the crater's edge of Halla-san Volcano, the highest mountain in Korea, gazed, awestruck, at the tumbling waterfalls of Seogwipo City, and walked in the black sands and warm waters off Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak), said to have the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets on the peninsula.

Jeju is Korea's favorite vacation spot, dubbed 'Hawaii in Asia,' and if I were ever to go back and teach in Korea I would make it my first choice.

I lived in a small mainland city by Korean standards (about 100,000 people) and everything I ever needed could be found there. When on Jeju I visited both Jeju City (400,000) and Seogwipo City (155,000), each with numerous western and Korean-style restaurants, bars and stores. Unless you are the kind of person who needs the hustle and bustle of a metropolis, I imagine you would never run out of things to keep you busy in your spare time. Nonetheless, not everyone can find a job there and there are countless other beautiful and interesting locales where one could happily live.

One extra piece of advice: If you don't quite have your sea legs about you, I would recommend flying to the mainland rather than taking the ferry. My wife and I arrived on Jeju via ferry from Mokpo and when it hit the open waters it bounced and swayed so dramatically that about half the boat spent the trip in the washroom. While I felt fine and was glad to be in the open sea, it wasn't a great experience for a lot of people.

Enjoy your teaching adventure, wherever it may take you!