Name: Alexia
Pronoun(s): She/Her
Nationality: Canadian
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Current location: Busan, South Korea
Occupation: English Teacher, Content Creator
Meet Alexia
Hey there! I’m Alexia. I’m a Canadian girl with Jamaican roots, born and raised in Toronto (or “the 6” affectionately nicknamed by Drake, himself).
I’m an expat living, thriving, and paying bills in Busan, South Korea. I’ve been here for 3.5 years, teaching English in public schools, currently at the middle school level.
I’m an all-round creative, with a knack for documenting, sharing research, and beauty in life. At the core, I’m a storyteller, and express that in different ways, be it photography, videography, modelling, acting, or writing.
My passion for travel was ignited from young. Summer trips were an annual family ritual, often roadtrips at that. It usually wasn’t overseas – sometimes it was just a trip across the border to the States, or visiting neighbouring provinces in Canada. I’ll never forget the four-day road trip my family embarked on to British Columbia, on Canada’s West coast (my dad, who drove, is built differently. haha). Regardless of the proximity of our trips, my curiosity to explore and experience new environments was sparked.
On Education
How did you choose your program? Did your decision change over the course of your time at school?
I attended York University in Toronto where I majored in Communication Studies and minored in International Development Studies. I started off as a Psychology major, but shortly after starting, I knew it wasn’t for me. One day, while waiting in an office, I met a girl studying Communications, a field I wasn’t familiar with. She shared the range of the program – advertising, journalism ethics, media theory, etc. Everything about it resonated with me and I knew after our conversation that it was the program I needed to be in. After completing my undergrad, I did a Broadcast Journalism certificate program at Seneca College. Yes, your girl had every intention of being on your local 6 o’clock TV news (I mean, who knows!).
Did you participate in study abroad while at school? For how long, and with what program?
I didn’t study abroad, but I did have the chance to do an internship abroad in Budapest, Hungary, the summer of 2016. It was through the Global Internships program offered at my university. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had the pleasure of doing! I was a communications intern at Terre des hommes Hungary, a children’s relief organization. I was 22 at the time.
Strong and sweet was the taste of independence and “grown-ness” as I headed out each morning, to catch the yellow tram, passing markets, residential and government buildings (Budapest is an architectural dream)!
Those three months were a major confidence builder in my ability to travel solo and navigate new environments. Budapest still has a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to eventually re-visit!
What advice do you have for students who want to study outside of their home country?
I encourage students to look into any and all international opportunities offered through their schools, be it study abroad or an international internship, as I did. I wasn’t aware of the program until a friend who got a position in Costa Rica mentioned it. While the program through my school wasn’t a paid internship, a stipend was given which covered the majority of my travel, housing, and daily living costs.
I know money is often an obstacle for many when it comes to taking up international opportunities, but trust me, these schools have money. Haha. You sometimes just have to look into it.
Professional Background
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The students. Cliché, I know. But their humour, wit, and kindness is unmatched. A “teacher, so pretty” even on my dustiest days, always brightens my day. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s a bribe for candy, but sweet, irregardless.
My favorite thing though with working with students, is my close proximity to directly influence change. Diversity and inclusion are very central in my classroom lessons. It’s something I’m very passionate about which has definitely been ignited by a lot of the xenophobia present in Korea, and my experiences with that.
Sometimes it’s as simple as including more visuals of people of colour in my PowerPoints. And sometimes it’s a cultural lesson such as teaching about the textures and hairstyles of Black people, or a class analysis of stereotypes and what informs them. It has raised frank discussions and revelations. In one of these classes, a student shared that he used to be afraid of Black people as he believed the negative stereotypes portrayed in mainstream media of Black people. Through my class and getting to know me personally, it had been a shift for him. At that moment, I knew the work I was doing was meaningful.
What sorts of challenges do you face in the workplace?
“빨리 빨리” (bali bali), meaning “hurry, hurry” is a common thread throughout Korean society, and of course, in the workspace. Expected immediacy, last minute changes, and rushing are common. For my position, that might look like having a class cancelled and being informed right before it starts, pausing a task at hand to go to a meeting where my presence is required, or teachers rushing from one place to the next, even if they’re not running late. It makes me a bit anxious, to be honest.
It’s pushed me to prepare for everything (Stay ready so you don’t gotta get ready!). I think flexibility is a bit of a necessary skill to work in Korea.
And of course there’s the hierarchical work structure, which makes communication a bit of a tedious process. If I need any kind of approval (i.e. early leave, vacation time), like a set of stairs, I’ll have to talk to the person above me, and they go to their superior. I’ve gotten used to this, but sometimes I wish the convenience of going straight to the source were a thing.
On Lifestyle
Do you think young people in your home country would benefit from traveling more? Living abroad more? Why?
Definitely! I’d even encourage young people, if it’s in their means, to live abroad, even for a short period of time. Your 20’s and 30’s are formative years – education, career, marriage, family building, all of that. Living abroad was a bit of a necessary disruption.
Being in Korea has given me space to grow, reflect, and be a bit distant from “the normal path”. It’s definitely allowed me to assess what I really want for the course of my life, as opposed to accepting and rushing into somebody’s expectations of my life.
Have you ever traveled solo? If so, what was that experience like?
Yes, I’ve travelled solo a few times, including travels throughout Hungary, Croatia, Japan, and Vietnam. Solo travel is so liberating. I definitely have a lot of uncertainties before each journey – would I have as much fun on my own? Would I feel lonely? But it’s taught me to really enjoy my own company.
Solo travel is a self-trust exercise.
One last question
What advice would you give to someone who knows they want to travel but aren’t sure where that fits in with the rest of their lives?
I think there’s many obstacles that prevent people from taking that travel leap. Especially POC, namely Black people. Sometimes it’s financial blocks, racial climate concerns, obligations to stay home, or simply not seeing enough of ourselves in travel spaces.
But I encourage you to take up space, on every corner of this Earth. It’s our right.
Look into opportunities, be it volunteering or internships abroad, or joining an organized group trip. Take up space!
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Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited.
If you connected with Alexia’s feature and are interested about learning more about her dynamic life living and working in South Korea, she invites you to connect with her on the following platforms.
www.youtube.com/LivingMyLexLife
www.instagram.com/LivingMyLexLifee
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