About

My name is Nick, and I am blogging about my experiences teaching English in South Korea.

 

From my first post, The 5 W’s:

Who?

My name is Nick Gourdoux. I am a 28-year-old who has lived in Wisconsin almost my entire life. I was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and raised in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. I attended college in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and have called the city home since graduating in 2013.

What?

A few weeks ago I accepted a job offer to teach English in the city of Daejeon, South Korea. I graduated from UW-Eau Claire in 2013 with a BA in journalism, but I decided in early 2014 to pursue jobs in the TEFL market. After some additional schooling, a few relevant jobs in the Chippewa Valley, and a broad job search this fall, I settled on an offer from Chungdahm in September.

Where?

Daejeon, South Korea, is the fifth largest city in South Korea, and is located 140 KM (87 miles) south of Seoul. Google Maps estimates that a train ride between the cities takes 1-2 hours depending on the time of day.

When?

My plane at 6:00 AM on Friday, November 17th, from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. I have a 2-hour layover in San Francisco before taking one final flight to Seoul. Due to the time differential, I will not arrive in Seoul until about 4:20 PM on Saturday, November 18th. I am scheduled for a week of training in Seoul, so I will not arrive in Daejeon until the following weekend.

Why?

When I turned 21 back in 2010 my parents bought me a orange Kelty backpacking-type backpack. On multiple occasions since, I have crammed it full, and hit the road on a variety of adventures. By my count, I have taken that backpack to eight different countries and 32 different states. I love to travel and I am excited to be back on the road. But, beyond all that, why not? You only live once, and the world is a big place – we should all get out there and check it out.”