Welcome to the site. My name is Chris. I arrived in Korea in 1996, after nearly a decade of work and travel in Europe, Australasia, Central and North America. Like most arrivals to Korea, I came to teach English, make some money, have some fun, and move on. I'd taught in Greece and Mexico already, but none of my experiences prepared me for the culture shock of living in Korea.

I've lived in Korea for eight of the last eleven years. In that time, I've taught in all the major language education franchises in the country: private institutes, public schools, universities, and multinational corporations. These days, I'm employed by one of Korea's largest companies as an English language and Business instructor, and life is good.

I am happy to answer questions about Korea on this site and privately. I can be contacted with enquiries about writing, consulting, or speaking engagements. Or just to say hi. I'm a friendly sorta guy.

So I've spent most of the last decade striving to figure out this country and its people, and even though a decade is a heck of a long time, I've got a hell of a lot more to learn. You peel back a layer only to find a new one, and I'm only starting to understand that it's the work of a lifetime to peel them all back, only to find, as they say, that the onion is all layers.

Like most expatriates in Korea, I'm driven in turns from an abiding love for the country and its people to anger, dismay and eye-rolling eyebrow-arching disbelief at some of the realities of daily life here. But I remain a steadfast Korea-booster. This place rocks, if you've got a good attitude towards it all. And it's only by looking straight-on at what seems wrong that there is any hope in helping to set it right. Some of the opinions I express on this site may seem unfair or excessively negative, but I write them out of love, and out of the certainty that the 'Korean miracle' will continue, and that the headlong rush into the future -- which has had consequences good and bad and mostly unexpected -- will continue to bring a better life for the Korean people and those who love them. You know, people like me.