Hi, my name is Taft Love and this is my blog. It’s all about living, working, and travelling in Asia.
About Me
I am a 27 years old and I grew up at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina. I attended East Carolina University and Liberty University, where I earned a M/A degree in Business Management. For the past six years, I worked as a police officer in western NC. That all changed in December of 2011 when I chose to move overseas and pursue a different kind of work and life in Asia.
About This Site
I created this blog as a marketing tool – an effort to reach out and tell potential employers about me. It was a great tool, but it didn’t last long. I accepted a job teaching ESL in South Korea in shortly after it began. I decided not to stop posting, choosing instead to allow the blog to evolve. As I move to Korea and learn about a new culture, I will share my experiences with friends, family, and anyone else who may be interested. Please feel free to leave comments and ask any questions that you might have.
잊지 마십시오, 우리에게 동생을 불러오라고 했습니다. 재미있게 마시지 않는, 많은 함께 소주를 마셨다.
Hey brother. Glad to see you moving on up but sad to see you go. I hope all works out for you. I’ll be in touch.
@ Chris – you know I don’t speak spanish.
@ Sgt. Cornett – Thank you. I appreciate how kind everyone has been during this transition. I am sad to leave because you are all like a second family to me. I have enjoyed working for you and hope to see you again after my time in Korea.
Hey Taft, hope you enjoy this new endeavor. I do look forward to your posts to share with my little girls that I teach in GA’s at church. Be safe.
So Taft, I was fine until I came to this site. I will miss you dearly. We had alot of good times. Only you and I know, lol;) Well, take care, I wish you well, and don’t forget me. Hope to talk to you later. Love always, Keisha
Will be continuing to pray for you. Let us/me know of needs… will not promise, but having lived over seas, there might be something that you really want and the local market can not provide! Enjoy your new friends! Just be sure you come back to check on the status of the plant behind your head- Maybe it decides to grow? Who knows!!
By the way I LOVE the picture you chose for your main page, who does your glamour shots????? That was the shot that made it all happen, wasn’t it.. Guess it is fitting…
You’re not going to believe this, but a friend with no photography experience took that picture for me. It’s amazing, right? I dare say it’s better than Glamour Shots. I know, blasphemy…but I stand by it.
Hi Taft, I have to say I was shocked when I saw this blog. I had no idea you had moved. I really hope you’re happy there and have a great career. Congrats!!!
Debbie, it’s great to hear from you. I hope you’re doing well. I apologize for not getting in touch before I left – it was a bit crazy and I neglected to fill in several people. Thanks for the wishes and I hope you’ll keep in touch.
I promise to. I now have your family on facebook and its GREAT to hear from them. Your blogs are funny and very entertaining. I check them about once a week. I really like the one Claire wrote too. I could just see you two doing all that. Have a great time there!
good luck in korea!
Thanks, David. It was great to meet you – I appreciate the hospitality when I visited SF.
On a totally separate note, your profile pic (I clicked on your name above and it took me to FB) is exceptional.
Hi Taft!
I have been trying to find some blogs about Daegu as we are moving there this summer and I wanted to see what people have had to say about life in Daegu. Came across your blog and I have to say that I have enjoyed reading your posts! It’s been nice to see someone from the US writing about their experience in Daegu. I will check back and see what new and interesting things you post!
Debbie, thanks for reading my blog. I hope it gives you a good idea of what you’ll get when you arrive here. Just keep in mind that, like in the US, your experience in Daegu could vary greatly from mine, depending on the neighborhood in which you live. I’m sure you’ll love it here – I sure do!
-Taft
Loving this blog. Thanks for saying a lot of what I’ve been thinking, but have been to exhausted to write down. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for reading. I appreciate you stopping by!
Where are you in South Korea? If you’re going to Pusan any time, please let me know. I have a wonderful friend there whom you will love meeting! I taught in Korea for two years myself. This week’s blog is about the Sand Festival in Pusan. You might enjoy it. Best of luck with your expat career! Ellie http://www.themuseisworking.com
Ellie,
I’m in Daegu, so I’m not too far away. I’ve only made it to Pusan once so far, but it’s a great city. I would certainly like to get in touch with your friend. Thanks for stopping by – I’ll be sure to check out your post.
-Taft
Hi I’m new to the Korean world and I saw your blog and was wondering if you could help me to discover the new city of Daegu. I have 3 older women friends i hear people call them ajumma (sp?) so I just call them that too. I think they are all called ajumma, I think that is a normal thing here I guess. Anyways last night I saw them and they took me to get drunk. We started drinking and they well… I’ve never told anyone yet, because umm well I’m not sure if it’s a normal thing here in the Korea but, well… they touched me…. there and really smiled. I don’t korean language so I wanted to ask you because you have been here for awhile, so is that a normal thing? I heard you should respect older ladies here and let them do want they want, so should I just let them continue to…. you know? Waiting for your response…..
I’m not sure what to tell you. I’ve heard of that happening here when older folks drink…but it happens in the US on occasion, too. It’s not normal, but it’s definitely not unheard of. Be respectful, but don’t be a doormat if you’re truly uncomfortable. That strategy has gotten me pretty far in social situations with older people here in Korea. Good luck!
Merry Christmas pagan!
Heartfelt thanks for stopping by and liking the post you read at Free Little Words. I’ll be back to read more of your blog soon.
It’s my pleasure! I enjoyed reading your posts. I appreciate you stopping by, too!
How are you liking Korea? I spent a year teaching English there between 2009-2010. I was based in Suwon. I enjoyed reading your perspective on why Americans leave their home for another country. I, too, had a wonderful job and a promising future at the small company I worked at, and was growing a new group of friends, but sometimes, one just has to make a dream come true! For me, that was to live in Europe. I did that, then I went to Korea, then I moved to Canada. I actually haven’t returned to the US since! It’s strange where your dreams will take you. ~M.
M,
First of all, thanks for stopping by and reading! I’m really loving Korea. This is the beginning of my second year, so it’s not as new and exciting as it was before, but it’s good in some other ways that I didn’t expect. I’m still discovering new facets of Korean culture every day.
It sounds like you were in the same boat as me. It can be difficult for people to understand that there are positive reasons for leaving a good situation. I hope Suwon was a good experience for you. I’ve never been there, but it’s on my to-do list for this year.
Thanks again for reading. Feel free to follow the blog – I update regularly (almost every day), so you’ll never get bored.
-Taft
Done!
To be quite honest, Suwon doesn’t have much to offer as it’s another cookie-cutter city of Korea (I’m sure you know what I mean by now). There is the Hwaseong Fortress and the Korean Folk Village (which is quite fun as you learn about the Korean way of life before modernization). To get there, you buy a ticket from the tourist office just outside of Suwon Station. The ticket includes a bus trip to get to the Village, so highly worth it to purchase it this way.
Have you been to Boseong to visit the green tea terraces yet? If you haven’t, I highly recommend that! Visiting all parts of Korea was my highlight during my year; teaching – not so much. If you have any further questions about your upcoming trip to Suwon, don’t hesitate to ask. =)
I was going to suggest that you meet my friend who is also a Southerner. But then I remembered she might be living in Daecheon, not Daegu…. hmm?
~M.
Wow, thanks for the info! I haven’t been to any of those places yet. I’ll definitely have to check out the Hwaseong Fortress. I’ve been to a couple of the folk villages, and they are all pretty great. I agree – it’s cool to see what Korea was like in the past. I haven’t seen the tea terraces, either. I’ve seen pictures and it looks like a beautiful place. Would make for some amazing photos, I’m sure.
I’ll do a post when I get a chance to head to Suwon!
I lived in Korea for five years-two in Ulsan and three in Seoul. Where are you located?
Oh wow, you spent a long time here! I love the beaches at Ulsan, but I don’t know as much about Seoul. I hope you enjoyed your time.
I live in Daegu. You may be familiar with Keimyung University in Daegu – that’s the area in which I live.
Thanks for stopping by and reading. I appreciate all the likes!
I used to spend a lot of time in Daegu, as my ex was from there. The downtown is quite nice with lots to do. I enjoyed Ulsan for the great, tight expat experience, but loved Seoul too for the sheer quantity and diversity of things to do.
It sounds like you had a great time here. You’re right, Daegu has a great downtown. Of course, it’s not as interesting or diverse as Seoul, but it’s not bad.
My goal is to travel more, so Seoul is pretty high on my list. Haven’t spent as much time there as I’d like. I find it a bit intimidating as I’m from a small town and it’s just so huge.
Yeah, considering it is one of the largest and densest cities on the planet! How small is your town? Mine was 632 ha!