Category: Travels

Explore “Travels” to read about some seriously aesthetic places to visit around the world! Beware: personal travel narratives (and even travel attempts) included.
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PADERIA BAKEHOUSE: A Whole New Level of Quality Pastry

Not all pastry shops are the same. There are the good ones that sell pastries that aren’t overly sweet but still taste excellent; the bad ones with tasty but sugary goods that make one feel really guilty for having consumed them. And the ugly, where cheap-looking, sugar-coated treats make one feel sick after a few bites.

And then there’s Paderia Bakehouse, where even a single item (i.e. their Portuguese Egg Tart) makes one visit the shop again and again despite the distance. Not to mention their award-winning Cookie plus their Malasada that I haven’t even tried yet.

The Square Shopping Center

Left turn leads to John Wayne Airport while at the right is The Square.

Tucked away in The Square next to the John Wayne Airport, Paderia Bakehouse may easily be overlooked. In fact, one may opt for the better-known Starbucks several shops away. Yet, once you experience their desserts and/or drinks, the shopping center will become that spot where you get all your Paderia goodies.

The Square shopping center.

On the outside, the bakery looks nothing special with its bland but neat store front and clean fonts:

The Bakehouse

But once you enter, you will be pleasantly surprised by the chic designs of the dark interior with gilded accents. Along with the stylish, modern interior design, the green plants placed here and there help give off an eco-friendly atmosphere.

A few steps further in, you’ll face the counter with the baked goods displayed behind the glass:

Here’s a close up of the baked treats sold at the Irvine location:

A Limited Menu (Serving Only the Good Stuff)

What I also found somewhat unique to Paderia was its limited menu. They only have select drinks and treats to choose from, compared to, say, Starbucks or other cafes.

This is their complete menu from the Irvine location:

I conjectured that this was due to the fact that they were confident in their select items. The limitation, to me, felt like a sign that this bakery only served top-quality food and drinks that they knew (like really knew) how to make.

And I was correct!

Portuguese Egg Tarts

On my first visit, I chose to get some Portuguese egg tarts, cookies, and Mazapan coffee. I had never tried Portuguese egg tarts even though it’s easily available in other bakeries that I visit, as I never expected it to taste particularly good, given the visuals. The egg tarts at Paderia prompted me to try, and little did I know that my life would change forever!

The egg tarts are just…

(How do I type this as accurately as possible..?)

They are SO GOOD that they haunt you. Seriously. After tasting their egg tarts, I became HOOKED. Me, a skeptic of egg tarts and an opponent of the concept of putting more eggs in pastries other than during the baking process, became a FAN.

Portuguese egg tarts with an ensaymada.

It’s warm & soft in the inside, crunchy & flaky on the outside, with hints of sweetness that explode as you savor each bite. It’s COMPLETE BLISS.

Other Items

As for the other items, they were excellent, too. The hot Mazapan coffee, which is hazelnut “harmonized with a crème froth & Mazapan peanut candy bits” is as good as its description on Paderia’s website. The cookies, which are satisfyingly fatter than other cookies, are great. According to their site, their Chocolate Walnut Cookie is an “Award-winning Cookie.”

Who doesn’t want to try an award-winning cookie?

My favorite thing about the cookie was how thick and chunky they were. You really get to just dive in the chocolatiness and the buttery texture. But as such, it can get overwhelming if you eat more than one in a single seating.

On my most recent visits, I tried the Ensaymada, Drip Coffee (both hot & iced), and the Vietnamese Coffee (+more Portuguese egg tarts), and I can say with confidence that they are all good. As for the rest of the items, I haven’t tried yet so I can’t say but they all sound & look delicious. Especially the Malasada that they only sell at their Fountain Valley location!

Paderia Bakehouse: For the Cosmopolitan Connoisseur

Paderia is not some bakery to try out. As their self-description, they are a bakehouse serving traditional baked goods from around the world, with emphasis on “basics, quality and authenticity.” They make “fresh-from-scratch” products in their kitchen with “intentionally sourced” ingredients, making sure to not sell old inventory with their “Open until sold out” policy.

Dear Cosmopolitan Reader, do yourself a favor and check out Paderia Bakehouse next time you’re around Fountain Valley, CA/ Irvine, CA / Santa Monica, CA.

This modern, globally-inspired bakehouse will inspire you.

P.S. Paderia Bakehouse was founded by the two young Vietnamese owners, Nathan Vuong and Davion Tran. Check out the duo’s interview here! 🤩

🍪Official Website of Paderia: https://www.paderia.com/

☕Official Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/paderiabakehouse/?hl=en

P.P.S. They have this cute little egg tart crochet plush displayed with the egg tarts behind the glass display. I’ve asked the cashier if they sold plushies (as I said, I’ve become quite a fan), but she said that they don’t. 🙁

The cute little Portuguese egg tart crochet plush.

P.P.P.S. 2/16/2022 Update: I visited the Fountain Valley location to try the malasada – and it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. It was good, for sure, but not as good as a beignet I’ve tried in Corona Del Mar, CA (view the post HERE.)

It is unfair to compare a malasada with a beignet but the two pastries all share similarities with the doughnut and I can’t help myself from comparing them…

The malasadas at Paderia Bakehouse in Fountain Valley, CA.

The dough and vanilla cream of Paderia’s Malasada were both very light, and I prefer my dough and cream heavier with more substance. I wouldn’t drive all the way to their Fountain Valley store to eat their Malasada whereas I would drive to both their Fountain Valley and Irvine locations to get their Portuguese Egg Tart.

Here’s a short clip of the pretty signage inside the Fountain Valley location to wrap up this post!

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The Other Cafe Lola: The Henderson Location

2021 came to an end a few weeks ago. Yet, there is still no sign of the pandemic coming to an end. Not even close. The pandemic, as everyone knows, has been terrible, affecting everyone across the globe. It has taken the lives of countless, disrupted the hopes of many. I dreamed of traveling after graduation, but such dream has been postponed indefinitely. Who knows when we will get to travel freely again? Without the fear of the virus? Until then, I plan to travel domestically, supporting small businesses and appreciating places within the states. And without further self-reflection, I reintroduce you to Cafe Lola, one of the most aesthetic cafes I’ve ever visited in the West – but this time, it’s the Henderson location!

*To check out my post on the Summerlin location (near Red Rock Canyon), click HERE.

Cafe Lola in Henderson, Nevada

The Cafe Lola I visited this time was located in Henderson, Nevada. To be honest, I’ve never heard of the city until now. But after a quick search, I was able to discover that it is located just 16 miles from Las Vegas. (I was able to see Vegas from Henderson on my way.)

Apparently, it was voted (back in 2018) as one of the top 50 Best Places to Live in America by Money Magazine and ranked by Forbes as the second safest city in the U.S. It was also named the Greenest City in Nevada. And here’s an interesting fact: Steve Aoki lives in Henderson, Nevada! 😎 For more info on the city, check out this blog post: https://www.retirebetternow.com/blog/living-in-henderson-nv/.

Henderson’s got a neat website, too! Click HERE.

It did appear to be a clean suburban city, with nice new buildings and homes. Cafe Lola was located in a neat plaza by a big hospital:

On the outside, the cafe looks neatly plain. But once you open the door and step inside, it’s a whole different world of florals and aesthetics:

The Interior

I happened to have visited the café in December, so it was extra pretty with a giant Christmas tree with sparkly pink ornaments and even a pink nutcracker. But I believe the beautiful crystal chandeliers, pink telephone booth, golden rose decals on inlaid white walls, and other aesthetic decorations all remain the same in the other months as well.

The Food

Although the main purpose of my visit was for the aesthetics, I couldn’t just take photos without ordering anything. So I ordered a latte and waffle to eat at one of the cute tables while snapping as many photos as I could.

The employee brought out my latte first, and I was surprised to find this placed on my table:

Take a closer look:

The letters below the smiling dog/cat reads “Merry X-mas.”

Isn’t it the cutest little latte foam? 😍

The food was exceptionally aesthetic as well, as you can see from the photo below:

Waffle with strawberries, strawberry cream, and strawberry jam.

Now, the fork and knife were kind of dirty – I couldn’t get whatever was stuck on them off with the napkin… But the food was delicious! Not the most delicious latte of waffles I’ve ever had, but nonetheless good.

Conclusion

Cafe Lola in Henderson, Nevada is a fun place to check out if you’re near Las Vegas and if you’re into pretty cafes. It also seems like a great place to hold birthday parties and meet your friends if you live nearby.

It’s a delightfully flowery café with rosy walls, pink telephone booth, and a bicycle to remind you of Paris and London at the same time. And despite some unsanitary utensils, you can enjoy a good drink and some good food all the while surrounded by pink roses.

🌺🌹🌺🌹🌺

And extra-lovely around Christmas time! 😉

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“Not Your Grandma’s Coffee Shop”: The One and Only, Coffee Dose ☕

Ever in search of aesthetic cafes, I came across an interesting coffee shop this month. It’s called, “Coffee Dose.”

Nestled between office buildings in Irvine (also located in LA and Costa Mesa), Coffee Dose is certainly “not your grandma’s coffee shop.”

Snapshot of their home page: https://www.coffeedose.cafe/.

They have coffee cups with words “Fuck Mornings,” “Anti-Bitch Club,” “Anti-Bitch Serum.” and a banner that says “No Karen, You Can’t Talk to the Manager.” With their pretty pink aesthetics and eye-catching slogans, Coffee Dose is a unique place to check out if you like their “cheeky” merchandise, “vegan + keto-friendly treats,” and all things aesthetically pink.

Coffee Dose (Irvine) one cloudy morning.

Some Basic Info:

Coffee Dose was founded by the couple – Jeni and Oscar Castro. They kind of remind one of the wife-husband team that founded Honey & Butter Macarons, as they’ve also started their shop in Costa Mesa. (Check out my post on Honey & Butter Macarons HERE.)

And from the fact that the shop now has three locations (from just one in Costa Mesa), their business seems to be a success. It’s not surprising – their stylish merchandise and cheeky slogans are bound to be popular, especially amongst young women who appreciate good coffee and aesthetically pleasing goods. It really is no wonder that Coffee Dose has made their marks at their Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, and Irvine locations:

Images of Coffee Dose in Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, and Irvine (from left to right) from coffeedose.cafe.

Coffee Dose in Irvine, CA

The shop I’ve visited is the one in Irvine. It’s located in the middle of a business park.

It’s literally placed right between two office buildings:

And so, on my two visits to Coffee Dose Irvine, there was always a group of customers. They were most likely a mix of office workers, influencers, and customers who so appreciated Coffee Dose’s unique menu and aesthetics that they drove all the way to the office park for them.

Once you get close to the pink container box, you’ll be able to see the menu and the cute merchandise they have out in front of the cashier.

This is where you order, buy merchandise, and receive your drinks. (Plus where the food menu is.)
The other end of the pink container where you get your food items. Plus where the menu for the drinks are. (On the right)

Oh, and they always have music playing out loud:

From my experience (which amounts to only a few visits), I found the lattes to be better than any other drinks. The cold brew was really strong and not to my taste.

But the latte? It was delicious! 😋

This is the menu they have out in the Irvine shop:

Loving the color scheme of their menu!

To check out the menu for the LA/Costa Mesa locations, check out their webpage here: https://www.coffeedose.cafe/la-cm-menu.

The Highlight: The Food

Now, this shop is a coffee shop, and I do think they have good lattes. But what I consider their best is the food.

I’ve tried a few items on their menu, including their cookie, banana bread, lemon bread from their bakery items, “The OC OG,” “Foxy Loxy,” “Jen & Berry’s,” “The Goat,” and “The Gentle Monster.” Wow. Now that I list them, I actually tried quite a number of their food items!

The Foxy Loxy (and the ever-strong cold brew that I couldn’t finish).

Anyways, they were all delicious, with top-quality ingredients. But my favorite of all has to be “The Goat.” 🐐🧀

“The Goat” is a toast with herbed goat cheese, figs, candied walnuts, saba and microgreens. And it’s EPIC.

I tried this only because I saw on Coffee Dose’s Instagram that “The Goat” will be available only until November. And I thought – why not give it a go before I can no longer try it?

It was such a good decision… Because it was the most delicious toast I’ve ever tasted! And the combination of goat cheese and figs along with the candied walnuts and other ingredients is genius; it’s an out-of-this-world tasting experience that belongs uniquely to Coffee Dose.

It was so good that I had to to-go another one before leaving.
Their to-go bag is cute, too!

Drawbacks

The only drawbacks of Coffee Dose (I speak only of the Irvine location) would be that it isn’t cheap. It’s definitely on the pricier side, as “The Goat” costs about as much as two cheeseburgers at In-N-Out.

And another drawback is that they don’t share your Instagram stories that you @ them at, as I’ve tried multiple times. I think they only share if you have enough followers to promote their brand. 😔

*Fun fact: There are Coffee Dose stickers you can use in Instagram to create your stories.

Regardless –

Visiting Coffee Dose Irvine was a fun experience. With the aesthetic surroundings and the unique, DELICIOUS food, I highly recommend visiting there at least once!

P.S. If you have any canine companions, you’ll definitely want to check this place out. The shop is dog-friendly with even “puppy cracks” for your pups!

Check out their website and Instagram for more. 😉

Corgi wearing sunglasses and scarf with "so fucking zen" Coffee Dose cup.
Photo from https://www.instagram.com/coffeedosecafe/
Dachshund licking the puppy crack cup at Dose in the Box by Coffee Dose.
Cute dachshund eating puppy crack.
Yorkshire Terrier eating puppy crack at Coffee Dose Irvine.
Yorkshire Terrier loving Coffee Dose’s puppy crack.
Brown poodle eating puppy crack at Coffee Dose Irvine.
Brown poodle at dog-friendly Coffee Dose.
Coffee Dose pink container at their Irvine location with succulents and pink dog bowl.
Coffee Dose is dog friendly! ☝

Update #1: Look at their pretty holiday decorations! 🎅🎄❄

Christmas is coming… and Dose in the Box is ready!

Update #2: There’s a Coffee Dose app to order ahead, keep track of rewards, get VIP updates and more!

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Honey & Butter Macarons: Where Macarons Are Pieces of Art

A Special Occasion

Last Saturday on October 16th, Honey & Butter released macarons in collaboration with LINE FRIENDS (characters popular in Asia). According to their website, they will continue to release these special macarons for two more dates, on October 23rd & 30th. As I expected there to be much competition, I set out at 9AM, an hour before the store opened.

Honey & Butter Macarons is located in the city of Irvine, in a shopping center called Irvine Spectrum Center. This center deserves a post of its own, with its unique architecture and a plethora of good shops. 👍

As the center itself also opens everyday at 10AM, there was nobody there when I arrived.

Usually, there is always a bustling crowd at the shopping mall.
But not at 9AM in the morning!

Or so I thought.

Once I walked in deeper inside, I saw some residents living around the Spectrum Center walking their dogs and meeting their friends. But still, these were people who lived in the area; they weren’t headed towards the macaron shop. So I quelled my concerns and walked on to Honey & Butter.

A rare sight to behold at Irvine Spectrum Center.

And then I saw:

It was only 9:30 AM, and yet, there was a line already!

I thought I’d be the first or at least the third person in line for Honey & Butter Macaron’s exquisite macarons. But in reality, I turned out to be the 30th! 😳

Though I was disappointed to join the long line, I was still one of the first 100 customers who would get free stickers of the Honey & Butter Macarons X LINE FRIENDS collaboration. Hence, I was content to wait behind 29 fellow zealots of cute & aesthetic macarons.

The Wait

I waited for about an hour before it was my turn to order. While waiting, there were many passersby wondering at the long line so early in the morning. They stared and muttered while Honey & Butter Macarons employees took promotional pictures and videos of eager customers like me. It was tiring to wait, but all the hype and anticipation was fun to witness, as well as the satisfied customers coming out of the store with bagfuls of macarons.

*Plus, a Honey & Butter associate handed out flavor guides & wristbands to everyone waiting in line. The wristband system is their new way of preventing unfair purchases of creature (special character) macarons, which are limited in quantity.

The Flavor Guide handouts!

*If you plan on visiting Honey & Butter Macarons to purchase creature macarons, check out their wristband policy HERE!

Finally!!!

I am finally close enough to see the store!

When I finally got close enough to the store, I was able to see the cute decal stickers pasted on the clear glass windows. People (including myself) were busy taking photos of them while in turn being photographed by Honey & Butter associates.

When I stepped inside the store (at last!!!) the interior was as aesthetic as it could be, with puffy clouds hanging from above and photo booths in front of walls of plants and flowers. (Even a 🕷 for a touch of Halloween!)

Aesthetic photo booths set inside the Honey & Butter Macarons store.
The counter inside Honey & Butter Macarons decorated with LINE FRIENDS plushies beside a box of LINE FRIENDS X Honey & Butter Macarons pins.
Framed sign inside Honey & Butter Macarons showing the price for classic and creature macarons.

Plus there was the LINE FRIENDS X Honey & Butter Macarons wall, which was too cute not to share here:

They were selling their regular, non-character macarons for $3 each, and character macarons for $5 and $7 dollars each. It’s really expensive… It’s more expensive than a burger or a Chick-fil-A sandwich! 😫 But considering the amount of effort and artistry put into these macarons, I think it was worth it.

Here is a video of the macarons sold at Honey & Butter Macarons last weekend:

Close up of the creature (character) macarons! 🐻🎀🐰🐥🐸

I purchased regular macarons, creature macarons along with two pins (limited editions of Honey & Butter X LINE FRIENDS). I also got free stickers for being one of the first 100 customers and a postcard, too. And before heading out of the shop, the employees helped me take photos in front of the aesthetic photo booths. It was so much fun! 😁

When I stepped out of the cute macaron shop, it was 11:12 PM. And yet, there was a line still in front of Honey & Butter Macarons, as shown in the video above.

Even the box is cute!

I spent an entire morning from 9AM preparing and waiting for this event. Plus, I spent way too much on the macarons. But it was a memorable day, with such artistic, charming little pastries for me and my family. It was worth the money and the wait!

I had to display the artsy macarons in the middle of my living room in all its beauty for my family to see. Aren’t they just…Adorable pieces of art? 😍💕💕

About Honey & Butter

From my knowledge (and online research), Honey & Butter Macarons was founded back in 2014 by Leanne and her husband Pawel Pietrasinski. Leanne was born in Vietnam and Pawel was born in Poland, and the couple met via a MMORPG game, Neverwinter Online. Sharing the same dream and passion, they created their own bakery. To read more about their unique story and journey, check out these links:

💜 The Vine Irvine City News 💜 Daily Pilot 💜 VoyageLA

Visit their Instagram account to see some of the macarons they’ve made in the past! They’ve made characters from Disney’s Frozen, Mean Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Snoopy. Not to mention their Sailor Moon, One Piece, Naruto and BTS macarons! They all look incredible! 😍

I highly recommend Honey & Butter Macarons if you love aesthetic/cute things or French pastries, specifically macarons. If you are planning to purchase creature macarons though, be aware that they don’t have those everyday. I think they used to, but nowadays they are available only on special occasions like this or on days noted on their website.

P.S. Check out their official website here: https://www.honeynbutter.com/

To visit Leanne’s website use this link 👉 http://www.leannecake.cloud/ 💕

P.P.S. Follow their Instagram! Honey & Butter sometimes announces character macaron drops in their stories. They’re up for grabs till supplies last. Here are the ones that were released around noon on 5/27/2022:

Cute clam and sushi macarons.

They were as aesthetic and delicious as ever! 😉

(These macarons were wrapped in seriously cute packaging illustrated by kiraimai! 💕Visit the Japanese illustrator’s official website for more: https://www.kiraimai.com/)

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Cafe Lola Summerlin: An Aesthetic Café by Red Rock Canyon

This summer, I had a chance to visit Las Vegas with my family. But as we are in the midst of a pandemic, we chose to explore the outdoors around the city instead of lingering in the populous hub. As we had already visited Death Valley, Grand Canyon, and Sedona, we decided to explore Red Rock Canyon this time.

On our way to Red Rock Canyon. It was unusually cloudy and windy. It eventually rained when we arrived at the visitor’s center.

On our way to Red Rock Canyon, I proposed that we stop by a café to pick up lattes and whatnot. It was June but cloudy and chill; which means it was perfect to sip some warm drinks on the way. Besides, I had researched online and found out that there was an aesthetic café in the area. And I am all for anything aesthetic, especially cafes.

When we arrived in front of the cafe, the exterior was neat but nothing noteworthy. And as the sky was cloudy with rain starting to trickle, it almost looked gloomy.

But when my sister and I went inside, it was a feast for the eyes!

The interior was so pretty that I stood there gawking it all in. I had to collect myself before moving forward to the cashier to order. My eyes feasted further on the chic decorations set up all throughout the cafe.

Roses galore! 🌹 🌹 🌹
Every corner was Instagram-worthy.

I ordered Lola’s Signature Vanilla Rose Tea Latte (plus three macarons) while my sister got the Americano. The drinks weren’t bad, but they weren’t stellar either. I wouldn’t drive all the way here again for the drinks. But I definitely would for the beautiful interior!

The pink folder in the back is the menu.
The pink drink is Lola’s Signature Vanilla Rose Tea Latte.
The small pink cup with a rose is a decoration set on each table. ❤️

I highly recommend Cafe Lola to anyone who loves visiting aesthetic places. The interior, decorations, drinks, food, and everything inside the cafe were too pretty to not take photos of. If you’re ever visiting Red Rock Canyon, or Las Vegas even, stop by Cafe Lola! 😉

*NOTE: The location I’ve been to is the Cafe Lola in Summerlin. There’s another Cafe Lola in the Henderson area. They’re both in Nevada but the Summerlin one is next to Red Rock Canyon.

**UPDATE 7/19/22: Cafe Lola opened another shop at 7379 S Rainbow Blvd – in Southwest Las Vegas! Check out their IG post for all the deets!

Visit Cafe Lola’s official website here 👉 Café Lola

P.S. Check out my post on their Henderson location HERE. It’s as aesthetic as the Summerlin location! ✨

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Applying to EPIK: Not So Epic Experience (Part III – The Questions)

The EPIK Interview

My EPIK interview via Zoom finally took place on Friday, September 17th. But my EPIK coordinator had trouble with Internet connection that day too, so his screen was pitch-black. Hence, I had my interview without seeing him, only hearing his voice. It wasn’t ideal, but regardless, I was grateful to just proceed with the interview at this point. Some of the first questions I was asked were:

– Why EPIK?

– How do you feel about having a co-teacher?

– What kind of teaching experience do you have?

– What is your 5 year plan?

The What-If Questions

Photo by Mathew Schwartz.

Throughout the interview, my interviewer asked me many “what-if” questions. Some of the “what-if” EPIK questions I remember are: “What would you do if…

  • …your co-teacher gave you more work than was needed?
  • …your co-teacher was teaching something wrong?
  • …you don’t work well with your co-teacher(s)?
  • …the housing you were provided with lacked certain amenities/appliances?
  • …the school’s class schedule changed suddenly?

The Lesson Demo

Now, I had an easy time answering all the questions, because they were all similar to the old EPIK questions asked to previous EPIK applicants. (Except for the ones about housing and class schedule). And I had prepared extensively, writing down the answers to about 40 potential questions I had compiled and practicing answering them repeatedly. In fact, towards the end of the interview, I wished the EPIK coordinator would ask me more questions, as I had my answers all ready.

But there was this section in the interview that wasn’t mentioned by the previous EPIK applicants on YouTube. It was only talked about quite recently in the Spring 2022 EPIK Kakao chatroom, when someone who had her interview earlier shared briefly that she had to do a lesson demo. Thanks to her information, I pulled out the lesson materials I had created beforehand. But to my surprise, the EPIK coordinator chose a random topic for me. He assigned me the topic of weather (if I remember correctly) and gave me some time (I think it was 5 or 10 minutes) to prepare. Afterwards, I had to pretend like I was teaching a class for 5 minutes on the designated topic.

Because I had this wonderful teaching material prepared already (I had created it for fun over the summer while waiting for the Spring 2022 application to open), I asked politely if I could use a topic of my choosing, mentioning the PowerPoint presentation I had prepared. My coordinator allowed me to proceed with my materials, and I presented my lesson demo without the given preparation time. I thought I did a great job, since I received much positive feedback on my demo lesson.

Photo by Mathew Schwartz.

The Interview Ends

My EPIK coordinator was Jeffrey, and he provided me with much useful information about the program. Each time I answered a question, he gave me feedback (which were all positive), along with additional tips for becoming a successful EPIK teacher. He told me to maintain the positive, friendly personality that I displayed, as it was crucial to be outgoing during the first weeks at the Korean school(s) I would be assigned to. And for lessons, he suggested that I narrow down my English expressions to just one, and utilize as many hand gestures as I can while teaching (clapping, thumbs up, etc.)

My EPIK interview ended after about 40 minutes. I had much fun showcasing my abilities and potential to becoming a good EPIK teacher.

The Awaited Email & The Result

I had heard from a fellow applicant in the Kakao chatroom that he heard back from EPIK just 4 days after his interview. But my wait time was longer, as the Friday I had my interview was interestingly right before Korea’s three-day national holiday, Chuseok. So I did not hear back from EPIK until a week later, on a Friday afternoon.

I had my CRC ready to submit, a 180 hour TEFL Certificate, B.A. from one of the best universities in the U.S., 2 solid recommendation letters, and a 2 year professional experience. I had made it as far as the EPIK interview, during which I had shown my competencies and received positive feedback.

My heart was pounding in excitement. I paused a moment before opening the email to calm down a little.

This was it….!

Snapshot of the email from EPIK.

I clicked and saw the following words:

Dear EPIK Applicant,

Thank you for your application to the EPIK Program, Korea’s government-operated native-English teacher selection program for public schools.

After taking time to fully consider your application, we regret to inform you that your application has not been selected to proceed forward for EPIK’s Spring 2022 term.

– The EPIK Team –

The email goes on for a couple more paragraphs, explaining that this term was “particularly competitive,” and that the decision is a reflection of my suitability for the term. It is “not necessarily a reflection of [my] ability or qualifications as a teacher.” Plus it kindly states that the decision is final, and that EPIK is “unable to release any information related to the reasons for this decision and will not reply to inquiries of that nature.”

Yes, reader. I was not selected. And I’ll never know why. (Photo by Matthew Henry).

That was my experience applying to EPIK. There were frequent changes which were often not properly announced beforehand. Plus, I spent $182 on documents no longer needed for the initial application. And since I did not get selected in the final round… Now I have an apostilled national level criminal record check just lying around on my desk.

Conclusion

My experience with EPIK was exceptionally expensive and definitely not so epic. But on the brighter side, I will no longer have to spend more money shipping my documents across the Pacific. Neither will I have to cover the costs of mandatory quarantine. The 1.4 to 2.1 million KRW (~1,178 to 1,768 USD), as stated by EPIK, will NOT be covered by the program.

I know that God has better plans for me, so I am no longer disappointed by the result. But I will miss the prospect of teaching and traveling abroad, of meeting new people and exploring South Korea for an entire year.

Alas, I will miss the path not taken.

Photo by Soyoung Han.

P.S. For anyone planning on applying to EPIK, here are some great resources to refer to:

1) As mentioned in my previous post (HERE), be sure to check out YouTubers who’ve gone through the EPIK process. It’s really helpful to hear their experiences as well as the EPIK questions they were asked.

2) Check out bloggers who share their EPIK experiences! Some great blogs I came across are ariography and Korealizations. Ariography’s EPIK interview content is from 2018 and Korealizations’s from 2014, but they are still relevant and useful. The only thing I’d add is that as of 2021, there is an on-the-spot lesson demo. Plus the interview is via Zoom, not Skype. (And, of course, there was that CRC requirement (read about it HERE) that was cancelled in September. Hopefully EPIK doesn’t bring that back again!)

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Applying to EPIK: Not So Epic Experience (PART II – The Interview)

So in my last post, I left off at the part where I find out that I had wasted my money, time and energy on the criminal record check that was no longer needed for EPIK’s initial application. It was no longer required as of September 6th. I had applied early on August 27th.

I was upset to say the least, but I maintained my optimism. EPIK had stated that the apostilled national level criminal record check would need to be submitted eventually, after the applicant was admitted. Trying to stay positive, I thought to myself, “I guess I won’t have much work to do after I get accepted.”

The EPIK Interview Email

Photo by Solen Feyissa.

I had braced myself to wait for about two months to hear back from EPIK, as previous applicants shared that two months was the average wait time. (I had done some research on the EPIK process through Google, Reddit, YouTube, and more). But to my surprisingly pleasant surprise, I received an email from EPIK on September 6th, which had arrived nearly at midnight. I was able to read the wonderful message next morning:

Hello,

Thank you for your application to the English Program In Korea!

You have passed the first selection phase and we would like to invite you to participate in a webcam interview via Skype.
Please click on the following link and follow the instructions in order to book your interview date and time…

– The EPIK Team –

I moved one step closer to my dream of teaching, traveling, and living abroad! With my own apartment paid for by the program! I booked my Zoom interview for the following week on September 16 so that I would have enough time to prepare.

Preparing for the Interview

To prepare for the interview, I compiled a list of questions asked in the previous terms. To do this, I watched multiple YouTubers talk about their EPIK experiences.

*TIP#1: When preparing for the interview, be sure to check out YouTube videos of previous EPIK applicants. They share many of the questions they themselves had to answer.

There are many, many useful videos out there. To name a few, here are some of the YouTubers I personally found most helpful:

  1. Red Dragon Diaries. Here’s a link to his EPIK Interview video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOoJSwbcrgI
  2. TastyTea (her video is no longer available to the public) :'(
  3. Katherine Walsh. Here’s a link to her video on the EPIK application & interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nE7bQn786c

And while researching the EPIK interview process, I saw this crazy story from the above YouTuber named Katherine Walsh, who had her documents sent to North Korea because the person helping her at the post office thought “the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” was South Korea!! It’s a funny yet horrific story.

Imagine getting your papers sent to North Korea! 🙁

*TIP #2: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is NORTH Korea. Republic of Korea is SOUTH Korea. The one that is NOT democratic calls itself democratic.

Even if you already know this, like the YouTuber in the video, beware that the person helping you at the post office might (sadly) not know!!!

*TIP #3: Also, be sure to join the official Kakaotalk chatroom for EPIK applicants. Kakaotalk is Korea’s most popular mobile messaging app. It’s a must-have when living in Korea.

You should be able to find the link to join on EPIK’s official Facebook Page. Follow that too! Both platforms are where fellow applicants can ask questions, receive feedback, and share experiences with one another.

The Interview…Delayed.

Disappointed yet again. (Photo by Matthew Henry).

My interview was scheduled for September 16th PST. That Thursday, I spent all morning and afternoon preparing for the interview, going over the questions and answers multiple times. I practiced to the point where I could say the answers right away when asked, as thoroughly as possible. I was ready!

But about an hour before the interview, I received the following email from my interviewer:

Unfortunately, we seem to be having some technical issues and internet issues on our end today and are not able to establish a good connection for the interview. I apologize for the inconvenience, but would you be available to reschedule? If able, I will open some time for early next week or the weekend that was previously unavailable.

– Jeffrey Conde
EPIK Coordinator –

I was bummed out yet again. But luckily, I was able to reset my interview date and time with my EPIK coordinator for the following day.

Stay tuned..

Check out the next post HERE.

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Applying to EPIK: Not So Epic Experience (PART I)

After working for a company for about two years, I left in search of a new one. It’s not that I disliked the company or my colleagues. In fact, my job was very fulfilling, my superiors and teammates great, and I loved the industry that I worked in. But with the onset of the pandemic, I realized that the work I was limited to was not something that I wished to do in the long run. So I left in pursuit of a different role that I could see myself doing even decades from now.

On top of that, my family decided to move back to South Korea and I needed to find a job that could ensure my independent survival.

It was then that the idea of teaching English abroad dawned on me.

Why not teach English abroad? Photo by Element5 Digital.

Why not travel abroad to South Korea for a year to teach English and have housing provided for me by the English abroad program? The program offered paid accommodation and flights as well as a severance bonus. It seemed perfect!

(There are many different programs for teaching English abroad, from the ones in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea to Spain, Czech Republic, and United Arab Emirates.)

Flag of the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Photo by Lauren Seo.

EPIK Overview:

Acronym for “English Program in Korea,” EPIK is a one-year program where citizens from English speaking countries (now only accepting applicants from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the U.K., Unites States, and South Africa) can go to South Korea to teach English in public schools.

Established back in 1995, EPIK is affiliated with and sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Education. Check out the official website HERE.

1) Applying to EPIK for the Fall 2021 Term

As excited as I was to teach and travel, I began my application immediately. It was the May of 2021 when I started the process, and the deadline was sometime in July. For the timeline EPIK created for the application procedures, visit this page.

I reasoned there was enough time for me to submit my application.

And I did. By the end of May, I was able to gather all the required documents for the initial application except for the second letter of recommendation, which was scheduled to arrive on the first week of June.

But the application for the Fall 2021 term, out of nowhere, closed on May 24, 2021 in KST.

I don’t remember the exact time in KST that the application closed. Neither am I certain about May 24th. Perhaps it was May 25th. But I do remember clearly that the application closed on the last week of May, because I was beyond disappointed about how randomly the application closed. And EPIK neither put this important update on its website nor did it announce it beforehand; I was able to find out about this news only when I went inside my application portal.

So I could not apply for the Fall 2021 intake.

Photo by Tim Mossholder.

2) Applying to EPIK (again) for the Spring 2022 Term

As upset as I was, I was far from giving up. Since I had all my materials ready, I decided to retry for the Spring 2022 Term. The timeline for the Spring term showed that the application opened in August. This time, I was going to submit my application the week it opened.

The Spring 2022 application opened on August 23rd, 2021.

But to my unpleasant surprise, the required documents had changed. For the Spring 2022 term, EPIK required applicants to submit an “Apostilled CRC” in addition to the…

– Online Application
– Professional Photo
– Two Letters of Recommendation
– Proof of English Education
– Lesson Plan Worksheet/Handout Samples

The Criminal Record Check Process

So, at this point, the only thing I was missing was the apostilled national-level criminal record check. And as naïve as I was, I decided to go ahead and try to attain it. If I had known beforehand how much I’d spend and what would happen, I would not have started the process.

Referring to various websites and EPIK’s own guidelines, I went ahead and applied for an FBI criminal record check through one of the approved channelers. EPIK writes that “applying directly through the FBI for a CRC is an incredibly time consuming process that can take multiple months.” So, as directed, I chose an approved channeler called Inquiries Screening.

For a complete list of FBI-Approved Channelers, visit HERE.

Inquiries Screening

Long story short, I paid Inquiries Screening $45 to do the job. They requested that I mail the FBI Departmental Order Submission Form along with 2 separate sets of fingerprint cards to them. To get my fingerprints done, I had to go to a post office and spend $62 to get two sets of inked fingerprints, as duplicate copies were not accepted. After paying a total of about a $100 and waiting for about two days, I received a link from Inquiries that gave me access to my background check.

*TIP: Inquiries Screening did a good job, but I was told by the post office lady that it is way more convenient (and cheap) to use a channeler named “Biometrics4All.” Here is their info posted on fbi.gov:

Biometrics4All, Inc.
www.applicantservices.com
(714) 568-9888

The Apostilling Process – Monument Visa

Now that I had attained my criminal record check, I needed to have it apostilled by the U.S. State Department. To do so, I contacted Monument Visa, which appeared to be the most trusted, popular choice. For a service fee of $55 (plus the Fedex 2-3 Business Shipping of $20), I successfully requested to get my criminal record check apostilled through Monument Visa.

Finally Submitting My EPIK Application

Now I was able to submit my application, as I finally had all the required documents for the initial application. Although my criminal record check wasn’t apostilled yet, EPIK wrote on its guidelines that either one of the following were required for the initial application:

– “A scan of a nationally apostilled national-level criminal record check dated on or after August 1st, 2021. Please review the “Required Documents” section of our website for details on which documents are acceptable and how to obtain them.“

OR

– “A scan of a non-apostilled national-level criminal record check dated on or after August 21st, 2021 + a scan of proof of application for a national apostille (receipt, e-mail confirmation, scan of application for apostille, proof of payment, etc.). Acceptable proof will be determined by the EPIK Office. If you have inquiries on this, please email [email protected].”

Using the second option, I successfully submitted my EPIK application on August 27th, just 4 days after the application opened. Along with the non-apostilled criminal record check and proof of application for a national apostille, I submitted my online application with the two letters of recommendation, lesson plan, hand out, an official TEFL certificate as well as the required essays.

Seoul, here I come! Photo by Cait Ellis.

In total, I spent $182 to submit my EPIK application. I could have saved much more if I had chosen a different channeler and requested the documents even earlier on to save on shipping. But even if I had, I would have had to spend about $100.

Be aware: applying to EPIK will NOT be cheap nor easy.

A Ridiculous Announcement

After submitting my application and required materials, I minded my own business and went about my daily tasks. But from time to time, I checked in on EPIK-related news, since EPIK sometimes made crucial changes without properly announcing them (i.e. my experience during the Fall 2021 application term). I periodically checked their Facebook page, YouTube channel, as well as their official website.

Lo and behold, I saw an unbelievable update saying that changes had been made to the application process for the Spring 2022 term. It was as follows:

“Due to various delays in criminal record check (CRC) and apostille processing times in many countries caused by COVID-19, we have decided to postpone the requirement for an apostilled CRC at the time of application for the Spring 2022 term. Applicants applying on or after 13:00PM on September 6th KST will not need to upload an apostilled national level criminal record check (CRC) with their initial online application.“

– The EPIK Team –

So EPIK made the change for the Spring 2022 term that required all applicants to submit an apostilled national level criminal record check only to repeal it a few weeks afterwards. And as an early, eager applicant, I had wasted my energy, time and money on it. On something that was now unnecessary in order to apply.

I wanted to cry. (Photo by Matthew Henry).

There you have it. My not so epic experience applying to EPIK.

But wait. It’s not over yet… 🙁

Check out my next post, “Applying to EPIK: Not So Epic Experience (PART II – The EPIK Interview)”.