IMID Notes

Living in Seoul means there are many museums and educational places to visit with children, and sometimes the places that sound quite serious turn out to interest them more than I expect. The Bank of Korea Money Museum (한국은행 화폐박물관) was one of those places for us. At first, a museum about money may sound like somewhere mainly for adults. But when we visited with our children, I found that there was quite a lot for them to see and do. My children, especially the boys, were interested in the old banknotes, huge displays of Korean won, damaged money, currencies from different countries, and exhibits they could interact with themselves. What I liked was that the visit was educational without feeling like another lesson. We could simply walk around together, stop wherever something caught their attention, and talk about what we were seeing. Bank of Korea Money Museum in central Seoul. Inside the Bank of Korea Money Museum The museum introduces the his...

When you first move to another country, it is easy to think of your life there as temporary. We will stay for a few years. We will work, study, build our lives for a while and someday we will go home. I think many people who live abroad carry some version of this thought. Even after years have passed, there can still be a quiet feeling that this is not completely permanent. Home is somewhere else, and one day we will return to it. But “someday” is a strange word. It can last much longer than we expect. Seoul—the city where what once felt temporary gradually became our everyday life. When a Temporary Life Becomes Your Real Life Years pass almost without you noticing. You work. You raise children. They start school. You make friends. You learn how everything works in the country where you live. You build routines, responsibilities and memories. Gradually, the place that was supposed to be temporary becomes the place where most of your everyday life h...

Raising children is full of choices wherever you live. But raising children in Korea can sometimes make those choices feel especially difficult. Korea offers children many opportunities, from good schools and academies to sports programmes, music lessons, libraries and cultural activities. As a parent, it is easy to feel grateful for all these possibilities. At the same time, having so many opportunities raises another question: How much is enough? When everyone around you seems to be doing more, it can be difficult to decide what your own child actually needs. Growing up in Korea can bring children many opportunities—and parents many decisions. Growing Up in Korea's Culture of Education Education has an important place in Korean society. From an early age, many children attend hagwons after school for English, mathematics, science, writing, music, sports and other subjects. As a parent, you naturally want to give your children as many opportunities a...