Take 5: April 2021

This month’s roundup of NAFSA members’ suggestions of what to watch, listen to, follow, and read includes podcasts on food and productivity hacks, a couple of standout Netflix series, and a powerful book about injustices committed against the Osage Nation in the 1920s.

Have a recommendation for your international educator colleagues? Email us with your ideas—we might include them in an upcoming issue of International Educator.

1. Itaewon Class (이태원 클라쓰) (Netflix Series)

“After teaching English for a year in South Korea 10 years ago, I promised myself to only emotionally commit to watching Korean films that [last 2 hours or less] and not the longer Korean drama series. However, I’ve decided to break that promise just once. Admittedly, in the past I seriously asked myself if I should request compensation from these K-drama shows when my blood pressure spiked while yelling at the screen as my favorite character fell on bad times. The shows are so well written, I was too personally invested! This series is about an ex-con and his friends [from] other marginalized groups in Korea who are trying to open a bar together in Itaewon, which is a foreigner’s district within Seoul, the nation’s capital. Itaewon was the only place I could get my braid extensions done and introduce really good Nigerian rice and stew to my friends and colleagues while I was there. From the reviews I’ve read, the show is unlike most Korean series, as it brings up many topics that are usually