This Korean Life

Episode Notes 🎙️ This Korean Life – Episode #144 with Ina Udonava 🌏 What does it really take for a foreign country to become home? In this episode of This Korean Life, we sit down with Ina Udonava, whose remarkable journey has taken her from growing up in Belarus to building a career, community, and permanent life in South Korea. After first arriving in Korea in 2014, Ina navigated the challenges of adapting to a completely different culture before ultimately making one of the biggest decisions of her life—becoming a naturalized Korean citizen. ✨ We talk about those early years, the culture shocks she encountered, and the gradual transition from feeling like a foreign resident to seeing Korea as home. Ina also reflects on what it means to maintain her Belarusian roots while developing a Korean identity, and why she considers herself a true global citizen. 🌍 But Ina's story goes far beyond adapting to life abroad. As an academic, she brings her international perspective to research and teaching surrounding consumer behavior, digital payments, mobile technology, and the rapidly changing world of Asian business. We explore why Korea has become such a fascinating laboratory for digital innovation and where she believes technology and consumer trends could be heading next. 📱💳 We also dive into Ina's work with International World in Korea (IWIK) in Busan, where she helps create connections between Korea's local and international communities. We discuss what Busan offers that Seoul doesn't, the challenges international residents still face, and what Korean cities can do to make foreign residents feel like genuine participants in their communities rather than temporary visitors. 🤝🌊 Finally, we look at the bigger questions of identity, belonging, citizenship, and putting down roots in another country. What do you keep from the place you came from? What do you adopt from the place you now call home? And can you ever truly belong to both? #ThisKoreanLife #InaUdonava #LifeInKorea #LivingInKorea #BusanLife #BelarusToKorea #KoreanCitizen #NaturalizedKorean #GlobalCitizen #IWIK #IWIKBusan #InternationalCommunity #ExpatsInKorea #ForeignersInKorea #BusanCommunity #KoreaPodcast #CrossCulturalLife #CulturalIdentity #LifeAbroad #LivingAbroad #KoreanCulture #DigitalKorea #ConsumerBehavior #DigitalPayments #AsianBusiness #InternationalEducation #CommunityBuilding #MulticulturalKorea #LifeInBusan #GlobalCommunity

Episode Notes 🎙️ This Korean Life – Episode with Elena Cambio 🌏✍️ In this reflective episode of This Korean Life, we sit down with Elena Cambio, a writer and educator whose connection to Korea spans more than two decades. Elena first came to Ulsan in 2002 to teach English during a difficult period in her life, arriving heartbroken and searching for perspective. What began as a one-year adventure ended up leaving a lasting mark—one that would draw her back to Korea again and again. After returning to the United States to earn a master’s degree, Elena eventually found her way back to Ulsan to teach once more, continuing a journey shaped by education, writing, and cultural exploration. She also shares insights from her personal blog, where she reflects on creativity, teaching, and life between cultures. A major focus of our conversation is her personal documentary project, Korea Dreambus. The film follows Elena’s pilgrimage to the holy sites of the Korean Catholic martyrs, told through the perspective of her own spiritual journey after returning to the Catholic faith in 2012. The documentary blends new footage from Korea with personal video recordings she captured during her earlier years there, creating a powerful story about faith, history, and the enduring impact Korea has had on her life. 🎧 Tune in for a thoughtful conversation about second chances, storytelling, and how one year abroad can shape a lifetime. #ThisKoreanLife #ElenaCambio #KoreaDreambus #LifeInKorea #TeachingInKorea #ESLTeacherLife #KoreanCulture #KoreaPodcast #CatholicMartyrs #CatholicHistory #FaithJourney #DocumentaryFilm #Storytelling #TravelKorea #ExpatsInKorea #LivingAbroad #KoreaStories #UlsanLife #FaithAndFilm #Pilgrimage #CatholicChurch #CreativeJourney #LifeBetweenCultures #DocumentaryProject #WritingLife #SecondHomeKorea #LandOfMorningCalm #KoreanHistory #ExpatStories #CrossCulturalLife

Episode Notes 🎙️ This Korean Life – Faith, Community & Building a Multicultural Church in Korea ⛪🌏 In this thoughtful episode of This Korean Life, we sit down for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, identity, community, and the changing face of Christianity in South Korea. We begin with a personal journey—from growing up in Korea and discovering a deeper sense of faith, to studying law, theology, and missiology, including time spent studying abroad. We explore how those experiences shaped a philosophy of ministry and eventually contributed to the creation of City Center Church (CCC) in Ulsan. 📚🌍 From its beginnings as an English worship service to becoming an independent, multicultural church with a growing presence in Ulsan and Gyeongju, we look at what it actually takes to build a community that brings together Koreans, expats, immigrants, students, workers, and families from very different backgrounds. 🤝 The conversation also tackles some bigger questions. How is Christianity perceived in Korea today? Why are younger generations approaching religion differently? What responsibility do churches have beyond Sunday worship? And how can churches better welcome Korea's growing international population while becoming meaningful members of the communities around them? We also discuss the realities behind leadership—the challenges of church planting, balancing ministry with family life, changing your beliefs as you gain experience, and finding purpose in an increasingly busy and disconnected world. Finally, we look toward the future: the changing demographics of Korea, and what City Center Church hopes to contribute to Ulsan, Gyeongju, and beyond. 🌱 #ThisKoreanLife #CityCenterChurch #CCCUlsan #ChristianityInKorea #KoreanChurch #FaithInKorea #LifeInKorea #UlsanLife #UlsanCommunity #MulticulturalChurch #InternationalChurch #FaithJourney #ChurchPlanting #KoreaPodcast #ExpatsInKorea #ForeignersInKorea #MulticulturalKorea #CommunityBuilding #LivingInKorea #ReligionInKorea #KoreanChristianity #GlobalMinistry #CrossCulturalLife #FindingPurpose #FaithAndCommunity #Gyeongju #InternationalCommunity #LifeAbroad #ModernKorea #BuildingCommunity

Episode Notes In this fascinating episode of This Korean Life, we sit down with Ting Hu, a doctoral researcher in Applied Linguistics whose work is helping reshape the conversation around multilingualism, identity, and inclusive education. Having lived, studied, and conducted research across different countries, Ting brings a unique global perspective on what it means to belong in an increasingly interconnected world. 🌍 Our conversation explores her personal journey into academia, the experiences that inspired her research, and the powerful role language plays in shaping who we are. We discuss the challenges faced by multilingual and multicultural students, why schools must evolve to better support diverse learners, and how educators can create environments where every student feels seen, valued, and included. 🏫💬 We also dive into her recent presentation on reshaping schools for inclusive education, examining how education systems can move beyond simply accepting diversity to truly embracing it. Along the way, we explore life abroad, cultural identity, language acquisition, and the future of education Whether you're an educator, parent, student, language learner, or simply someone fascinated by the intersection of culture, identity, and education, this episode offers thoughtful insights and inspiring ideas about the future of learning. 🎧 Join us for an engaging conversation with Ting Hu as we explore how language, culture, and education can help build a more inclusive world—one classroom at a time. #ThisKoreanLife #TingHu #InclusiveEducation #AppliedLinguistics #Multilingualism #LanguageLearning #LanguageAcquisition #EducationResearch #HigherEducation #PhDLife #UniversityOfAuckland #InternationalEducation #MulticulturalEducation #Identity #CulturalIdentity #Belonging #EducationInnovation #FutureOfEducation #ArtificialIntelligence #AIInEducation #Teaching #Educators #StudentSuccess #GlobalEducation #StudyAbroad #LifeAbroad #CrossCulturalCommunication #LanguageMatters #EducationalLeadership #KoreaPodcast

Episode Notes In this episode of This Korean Life, we sit down with Martin Rehder, a longtime Ulsan resident whose impact on the city reaches far beyond his own story. Martin is the creator of Ulsan Online, one of the city’s earliest digital community hubs, and the mastermind behind the wildly creative Ulsan Inferno Motorcycle/Bicycle Scavenger Hunt—an event that has brought adventure seekers together from across Korea. 🏍️🔥 But Martin’s story is much bigger than websites and motorcycles. We explore what first brought him to Korea, his early work experiences, his first impressions of Ulsan, and the cultural differences he had to navigate while adjusting to life here. He also reflects on how age and perspective have shaped the way he approaches life abroad. At one point, Martin made the difficult decision to leave Korea and return to the United States. We discuss why he left, what it was like re-entering the American tech industry, spending time with family and grandchildren, and how life in America felt after years abroad. 🇺🇸 Then came another major twist, his decision to return to Korea once again. Martin shares the dramatic story of a road trip, a serious accident, moving logistics, transferring finances internationally, temporarily living with family, and eventually finding a permanent home. Today, Martin is embracing a life centered around freedom, through cycling, farming, creativity, and designing a life on his own terms. We also explore his thoughts on the future, including how emerging technologies like AI may reshape the world we live in. 🚴🌱🤖 This episode is packed with adventure, reinvention, resilience, and hard-earned wisdom from someone who continues to evolve. #ThisKoreanLife #MartinRehder #UlsanOnline #UlsanInferno #MotorcycleAdventure #ScavengerHunt #LifeInKorea #UlsanLife #ExpatsInKorea #LivingInKorea #KoreaPodcast #MotorcycleLife #CyclingLife #FarmingLife #TechIndustry #AIFuture #DigitalNomad #ExpatStories #ReturningHome #LifeTransitions #AmericanInKorea #RoadTripStories #SecondActLife #AdventureLifestyle #KoreanCulture #MovingAbroad #EntrepreneurLife #FreedomLifestyle #UlsanCommunity #GlobalLife Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-1777cf for 40% off for 4 months, and support This Korean Life.