One of the major cultural differences I've found in Korea is how kind people can be and how easily their kindness can be mistaken for rudeness by waygooks like me. Which isn't to say all Koreans are super nice, I've met some pretty mean Ajussis and Ajummas as well as some punk kids.
For one thing, in Korea, it's pretty common for people to grab you firmly by the arm and drag you around. Other teachers at my school do it to me all the time - sometimes in front of students - and it seems really abrasive. Really, they're just trying to point you in the right direction of where to go. But, I have to fight myself not to resist every time because it seems aggressive or like they think I'm a child. And sometimes that grip kind of hurts.
I've also had to get used to people greeting me with "Did you eat?" For a long time, I thought they were offering me food. But it's just a way of inquiring about your health, I guess, rather than saying "how are you?". Eating regular meals can apparently say a lot about a person.
People often point out flaws too, like your weight or your complexion. It seems blunt but usually they want to give you advice to help with it or just express their concern for you. My supervisors at my schools often tell me "I worry about you", which I often respond with "I worry about me too" as a joke. (Jokes and sarcasm don't always translate, it's a habit I'm trying to break). Sometimes, it seems like they must think something's wrong with me, but they're just being nice.
Despite the little pitfalls of culture-shock, I've found life here is really neat. I think if I were more picky about my food and creature-comforts I would have a hard time, but as it is, Korea really suits my needs. Here are some of the Pros and Cons I've found about living here:
PROS:
*The food - Most (traditional) Korean food is really healthy. Lots of vegetables, fish, and rice. And since side dishes are such a commodity here, it's hard to overdo it on a single food group. It's also almost always really delicious and full of flavor as well as cheap. I can get a whole meal for $3-4 most of the time. And street food here is the bomb. I know some people with the "All-American" palate have a hard time because most of the food has a distinct flavor, but I'm like a garbage disposal and will eat anything.
*Hiking and biking - Chuncheon has hiking and bike trails EVERYWHERE. I can find a trail in any direction I want right outside my apartment and ride for hours with beautiful scenery - here are some pictures. I live for my bike rides here:
The creepy amusement park in the woods.
(The bike trails also have a lot of little spots with outdoor exercise equipment. For some reason I've never taken a picture of it, but it's pretty cool.)
*Free stuff - It's probably partly due to my being foreign, but, I get handed free stuff all the time. From candy to to food to a bag full of samples to free items from whatever store I'm visiting. Most shops are little Ma and Pa places so they do what they want. One time I went to buy a pillow case and the owner gave me these free adjustable grocery bags that fold into little strawberries. And whenever I go to my favorite coffee shop, they give me a baked sweet potato or a free pastry.
*Heated floors and toilet seats - I never knew how vital this was.
*Transportation - I've never even missed having a car. Except maybe when I'm on a bus packed with middle/high-schoolers. They suck. But it's super easy to find a bus or train anywhere you wanna go and taxi's are pretty cheap. I've always loved trains and Korea's trains are en pointe.
*Everything's adorable - Korea can make any item look cute. It could be a stapler and have big anime eyes that I never knew I needed but then it just keeps staring at me and I have to buy it....
*Delivery - Anything can be delivered. ANYTHING. The roads are teaming with these little delivery scooters that really don't seem to operate by any kind of driving laws. Ordering delivery is super easy and fast too. And a lot of places will bring your food in dishes from the restaurant and then come to collect the dirty dishes once you're finished eating. Very eco-friendly. I've had to really restrain myself from getting delivery all the time. Even the Chinese restaurant next-door will bring my food over to my apartment when it's ready if I order in person.
McDonalds has the fanciest scooters.
Also, online shopping is really easy and you can usually get your items within a day or two.
*Recycling - It's probably just because Korea's a small and densely-populated country, but they're pretty awesome about recycling. You can get special bags to separate your trash, recycling, and compost and then set them on the side of the road where someone will pick it up.
*Low crime rate - Korea's probably one of the safest countries in the world. Crime does happen but it's super rare. Civilians can't own guns so I think that contributes a little bit to it. I don't even feel a desperate need to lock up my bike most days (but I still do). One time I lost my phone and someone handed in to the police. When I went there the police had been charging it for me and not a single item or card was missing from the wallet case. People are crazy-nice. It's one of very few places I've been, where I felt okay walking around at night. I think the most the police have to do is pull people over or pick up the occasional drunkard.
*Talking to strangers - people here seem a lot more friendly than I'm used to. I get a lot of strangers wanting to chat or take pictures with me when I go out and about. It used to make me feel weird but lately I've embraced it and even started asking for my own picture. Here's the first I've gotten so far:
(really nice couple I met by the river)
CONS:
*The language barrier is a given
* Clothes - Korean fashion is pretty different from the U.S. so I have a hard time finding styles that suit me. And most Koreans are narrower in the hips and shoulders. This makes shopping REALLY difficult. In the States, I'm pretty average-sized. I think my size ranges from a 2-4. But, here, I'm slightly overweight. I've had shop-owners turn me away because they don't have my size or else they have to go to the back to find the biggest size they have. It's awkward and a little embarrassing. I may be developing a mild case of body dysmorphic disorder thanks to it. Luckily, my feet are fairly small but most foreigners I've talked to can't buy shoes here because their size is too big.
*Crowds. My personal space has been invaded in so many ways. Especially in Seoul. I'm not a fan.
*Vanity - This mostly applies to the younger generation. But they can be crazy vain. It's pretty common knowledge that Korea is the plastic surgery capital of the world. It's a common graduation gift for wealthier families to get their students plastic surgery. And I've seen a lot of younger Koreans who are OBSESSED with their looks. Even a few of my Elementary school students carry little mirrors around with them everywhere they go. (And mirrors are EVERYWHERE). It makes me a little self-conscious because I might not put quite as much work into my appearance and feel like other girls are judging me when I'm out and about (aside from being a weird foreigner). More often than not, I'll see girls walk out of a bathroom stall and spend a few minutes fussing over their hair and makeup and completely forego washing their hands. Every Tuesday, I pass a crosswalk where every single high-schooler has a mirror out and sits there checking themselves out while waiting for a cross signal. Every Tuesday it's the same exact thing, I'm amazed. I've also seen a girl on the bus who was all over her boyfriend while holding a giant mirror out and staring at herself. That was a weird one. This doesn't apply to everyone of that generation but it's a pretty good percentage. The "K-POP Idol" culture is definitely not helping.
*Bowing - Not really a con, but I'll never get over being awkward when I bow to people. It usually comes out as a quick bob or head-nod.
*Korean surprises - Nothing's EVER planned here, especially at schools. I never know what events are going to derail my whole lesson plan or schedule each day. On the plus side, I'm like SUPER flexible now. And patient.
*The roads - Korea's completely mountainous, which makes for some crazy narrow, curvy, and bumpy roads. I'm not one to get carsick, but every time I take a bus to another city, I wanna upchuck.
*No public trash receptacles - Just finished a soda or had to pick up after your dog? Too bad! You're gonna carry that around all day. I kid. They exist, they're just really rare and hard to find. Especially in public places. I've gotten used to carrying a lot of trash around in my bag until I get home because of this.
*No toilet paper and Squatty-potties - I don't actually mind the squatters (holes in the floor that you have to squat to use). But sometimes when you're wearing a skirt or something, it can be a bit awkward. And sometimes people miss the hole. More often than not, public restrooms don't have toilet paper either. I've learned to carry my own around just in case.
*Showers - I'm used to it now, but when I first got here I did not love the showers. Like the one in my apartment, it's usually just a hose that's connected to your sink and can spray all over the bathroom, which is why hotels usually provide shower slippers. There's a drain in the middle of my bathroom floor and anything is free game for getting doused. No curtains or platform or anything. I've learned to stash anything I don't want getting wet but it's been an adventure trying not to get my towel wet when I take a shower. I should really just get a hook on the other side of the door.
Anyway, there are a lot of pros and cons but definitely more pros for me. I've got a really good thing going here. My job is fun for the most part and it's been a lot easier to get acclimated than I thought it would be. For one thing, Koreans are very accommodating and often willing to help if I can't figure something out.
The foreign community in Chuncheon isn't super big but most foreigners I've met are really cool and I've managed to build a nice little social circle here. I'm actually a lot more social in Korea than I ever was in the states and have a lot more friends including both foreigners (from various countries) and Koreans. My main posse live around Chuncheon and are always down for movies and traveling around the country. We come from really different backgrounds but we get along really well. I've even joined a book club and a writers workshop (I know, super nerdy) here in town that have gotten me back into literature. Some friends are hoping to start a sports league soon as well. I've been jonzzing some ultimate frisbee since we played at a BBQ for a local church:
I was born and raised Mormon and actually managed to find an LDS church right here in Chuncheon. The congregation is really tiny but they're like a little family and take really good care of each other. I think it's been a huge comfort for my parents knowing the members are watching out for me. The missionaries and a few English-speaking members help to translate for me as well and they're always feeding me. One family, the Kims, often give me rides to church and invite me to their house for dinner from time to time.
This was a farewell party for a couple of the missionaries at the church.
A different church in Chuncheon was set-up just for foreigners living here and, although I don't attend the services, they've been providing me and other foreigners with free Korean lessons. That's actually where I met a lot of my friends. I just recently graduated from the beginner levels and I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm finally starting to get a grip on the language and it makes things so much easier and I feel much more independent with what little Korean I know.
(^This was my final essay. I would translate it, but it sounds like a 2nd grader wrote it. It's basically just introducing myself, my likes/dislikes, my hobbies, and a little bit about my travels. It's chicken-scratch, but I'm kind of proud of it.)
I also take yoga classes at the little blue castle right next to my apartment.
Pictured in the bottom right.
My teacher is from Russia and speaks just a tiny bit of English and very good Korean so I get a mix of English and Korean thrown at me in class, but with a Russian accent. It's been an interesting experience. There was a point where I kind of wanted to quit because I really suck at it and have no flexibility but, of course, I was too polite to quit and kept going so I wouldn't lose money. I'm liking it more now though and have seen a lot of improvement. I remember the first time I managed to touch my toes in a sitting position and my teacher, Ella, shouted "Oooh, you progress!" Yoga's been really good for my body-image too. At first I felt like a fat, clumsy idiot and thought everyone was judging me but soon realized we all had our own strengths and weaknesses and there really wasn't any competition. I'm much more comfortable with it now and don't care so much if my thighs jiggle a little bit. It's still a little embarrassing though when Ella shouts in English and everyone knows I'm the one messing up. But what can you do?
I've developed a nice camaraderie with the shop owners in my neighborhood. There's the owner of a chicken-fried-rice shop who likes to make me practice my Korean when I come in and tells me to stop eating his food or I'll get fat. And then Jino and his wife at Jino's Coffee, who I mentioned before like to give me free food and chat. Recently a girl about my age started working at the convenience store under my apartment and we've become sort of buddies through my broken Korean and her tiny bit of English. I go to that convenience store way too often. The shop keepers love asking me if I live alone and then act really sad when I tell them I do. I think they're all really worried that I'm a loner and have no friends. My friends, Veronica and Sarah came to visit a week ago and the girl at the convenience store was really surprised to see I had friends and wanted to know all about them the next day.
Korea is great for festivals and holidays. Most recently, we had Buddha's birthday and then the mime festival back-to-back so we would hit random little parades and shows as we walked around town. Here's a mime show we stumbled upon in the shopping district:
And a parade for Buddha's birthday as well as the lanterns that have decorated the entire city all month:
One of the guys at the end gave me and my friends a big thumbs up when he saw us gawking.
Most of my free-time here is spent biking, hanging around the river, or wandering around Chuncheon, since I stumble on something new every time I go out. There's still a lot of boring downtime here but I feel like there's much more going on than where I was at before. And since most of my experiences each day are new and different, I don't think I'll really get bored of it here. I just love it.
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