Thinking about joining Pyeongtaek Living 101 but want to know more about the program? Here is a recap of the first course in Paengseong, Pyeongtaek. TLD;R It’s been a lot of fun and a lot of information.
About Pyeongtaek Living 101
First, let’s introduce the FREE Pyeongtaek Living 101 course since you may not know what it is. The Pyeongtaek Living 101 Course is a program hosted by the International Exchange Foundation (PIEF) and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pyeongtaek City Government.
The Pyeongtaek Living 101 program has operated for 3 years. The goal of the program is to help international residents, especially US military-affiliated people, live more comfortably in Pyeongtaek. This means the class seeks to empower attendees with tools, information, and ideas for living their best lives.
In 2024, South of Seoul joined the effort and helped to create the curriculum for the 2024 Pyeongtaek Living 101 Courses. It’s PIEF’s goal to have information specifically focused on the Pyeongtaek area and this is our volunteer’s specialty. We feel honored to help with this effort and support our community more completely than just through blogs and social media. We all feel invested in making sure it’s the best program of its kind.
The content of the course includes a deep dive into topics that impact living a comfortable life in Pyeongtaek. Topics include how to use Naver to learn more about Pyeongtaek, navigate parking, Foreign Registration Cards, sourcing information through Naver, and common culture shock struggles. Actually, the list is so long it’s hard to fit here. So far, the class has covered the topics of Residency and Navigating Pyeongtaek-si
The Class Vibes in 2024
The Paengseong Pyeongtaek Living 101 Course attendees have been wonderful and very involved. Each week they bring their questions and take lots of notes. They’ve also been bringing their experiences to the table to help each other learn. Their interest in learning more about the local area has kept us all on our toes as we strive to provide specific and helpful solutions and tools.
Also, the good vibes grow each week as the puzzle pieces come together. As everyone gets more comfortable with the information and sees how it can impact their lives, they get more animated and excited. It’s fun to watch each person have ah-ha moments as they learn information that meets individual needs.
Workshopping
One of the best parts of each class has to be the time spent workshopping. Since the Pyeontaek Living 101 Course offers very localized and practical content, we also strive to make such content feel fully accessible and that means hands-on work. Attendees spend time workshopping:
- How to use Naver
- Tricks for finding information even if you don’t speak Korean
- The best ways to leverage Papago and Naver translate
- Solutions for finding help when help is needed
Last week the 101-2: Pyeongtaek-si class ran long since attendees needed additional support in learning how to use tools. For example, attendees wanted to know how to:
- Set Naver to a gas/ car type for accurate toll costs
- Send a Naver pin
- Change languages
- View bike paths and hiking trails
- Search for things using Korea (via Papago)
We don’t mind these delays because all the attendees need to fully understand the tools they use to live their best lives.
The Local Snacks
Our courses, it’s not all work. We also have some fun. For example, each week we introduce different foods that can be found around Pyeongtaek. During the 101-1: Residency Class attendees sampled different flavors of kimpbap including:
- Bulgogi
- Shrimp
- Pork cutlet
- Galbi
- Traditional
It’s not often attendees get to try some of these more unique kimbap flavors and it opened their eyes to a whole new world of possibilities.
During the 101-2: Pyeongtaek-si classes students sampled different flavors of South African meat pies and the sausage rolls from Biltong Box. It’s our goal to introduce all aspects of the wider Pyeongtaek-si community which includes cultural diversity. In Pyeongtaek we are lucky to have access to food from all over the world in one small community.
The Childcare
The kids have been having a wonderful time. While parents study, the kids attending the Pyeongtaek Living 101 Course can choose to learn along with their families or play together with attending staff. Kids have been enjoying their own snack time, coloring books, games, and each other’s company.
Please note that we don’t like to share kids in our information so we haven’t shared many images. We have around 7-10 kids coming each week. It’s been great to provide parents with this type of support.
Join a Pyeongtaek Living 101 Course
Would you like to join a Pyeongtaek Living 101 Course? Here is what the schedule looks like for 2024!
Register Here for the Songtan Intensive Course 5/20-5/23
Leave Feedback for What You Would Like to Learn
South of Seoul conducts ongoing research into what the community needs. We would love to hear what you would like to learn about from future Pyeongtaek Living 101 Course. We will use this information to develop more classes as needed!
Founded in 2015, the South of Seoul team consists of volunteers on three continents working together to support English-speaking people traveling or living in South Korea. South of Seoul volunteers work with organizations and individuals across South Korea to improve equitable access to information across South Korea. Much of South of Seoul’s information focuses on Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Blogs published under the authorship of “South of Seoul” include blogs compiled by multiple volunteers to improve access to standardized information unrelated to individualized personal experiences.
