Living in Korea

At first when I got here I was a little afraid. I mean I traveled on my own before but this was different. My first couple of days here were hard cause I had no internet, no way to contact my girlfriend or even my parents. Left alone to figure it out myself. But you know what I found that I enjoy challenges like this. After a few days, I was able to figure things out and the fear subsided. This is a picture of me and my first paycheck here in Korea.

I'm going to name some things that I have noticed since coming here. Things that are different from America, only someone living here would notice.

1 - Traffic: In Korea, the moment you step foot outside of your apartment, you're in traffic. What I mean is that you have to look over your shoulder every time you walk on the street. Roads are very narrow here so there is not much room for both cars and people to share. It's funny now but a few times I almost got hit by a car. Rules of the road are very different in Korea. You must be aware of the road at all times. Sometimes pedestrians do not have the right away. In Daegu, at Kyungdae or Kyungbuk University, I was walking onto the street and the green light was on for me to walk across. However, some taxi didn't stop and nearly hit me as it came to a halt about an inch in front of me. It was an experience in Korea that was not the most pleasant but it offered me an insight into the mind of a taxi driver. The rules don't apply not even to crossing pedestrians. It was a good thing I was paying attention to the car cause it proabably stopped because they saw me look at them.


2 - Waste management: The way waste is collected is very different from America. There are so many different trash bins for different items. There are two main trash bags that are used. First you have the regular one and the other is for recycling. You have to buy trash bags at the market and each bag is marked by your neighborhood and city you live. You have to have the right one for them to take your trash. Also, there is a specific area you leave your bags. The trash bags are identified by using different colors. So you have to make sure you have the right ones.

3 - water: The water here is very clean. But the faucet in the bathroom is connected to shower head. Also the drain is on the floor. So the floor is wet all the time so you wear slippers when you take a shower. My first week I didn't have any hot water so I took showers with cold water. On more than one occasion I forgot to turn the shower head back to faucet. Brushing my teeth became a frozen surge of arctic ice. lol Anyways, let's just say I never made that mistake again twice. At least not cold water. Also, the bathroom is very small.

4 - Education: School is very important here in Korea. There are two main types of schools in Korea. First you have public schools which are government run. Most EPIK teachers work in public schools. The second type is the after school private language schools, or Hagwons. They are very different from public schools. Classes start around 3 pm in these after school language programs. They run are more like a businesses. In public schools, there are no grades to evaluate students on so sometimes it can be difficult as a teacher knowing this fact. However, education is very important for future success in Korean society. While there are no grades for students, many students work hard anyways and others don't try at all. This is a problem I think. Even my co-teacher once told me about this problem. The focus for Korean students is to take a pass or fail exam in high school. All of their educational preparation is for the purpose of passing this exam. It will determine the child's future. It seems here high school is much more stressful here than back in America.
In Korea, they go to school on Saturdays. There is no break. So if you say to your students have a good weekend. They don't really have a weekend like kids do in the states.

5 - Transportation: While cars are widely available, there are several ways to travel in Korea. The quickest but most expensive option is a taxi. Taxis vary but some can very expensive and can even almost kill you as you have read above. The most efficient way is probably the 지하철 or subway. I use the subway almost every day. It's about one dollar for a one way fare. The other way is by bus. Also a very cheap option but it can be crowded and it takes longer. The way to travel to another city or another region would be by train or 기차. The KTX train is an express train that can take you basically anywhere. You travel from Daegu to Seoul in about 2 hours so it's a very convenient. There are also cars people drive such as cheverolet or hyundae and even lexus brands.


6 - Community: Koreans as a culture adapted the Chinese way of Confucianism. So you could say there is a ranking system in the way that Confucius set up that is followed. The way Koreans do things are very different than we Americans do. Americans usually think individually. We are independent, thinking of ourselves sometimes. However, in Korean culture, everything you do is for someone else and a group as a whole. For instance, in school all teachers help each other out when they need help. You clean your own classroom. When eating Korean food, many dishes are in sets so they share food. At first, I always wondered why but I came to realize Koreans are a very sharing culture. They care for others more than they care for themselves.

7 - Fashion: The way people dress is important here. Many people are dressed very stylish. They follow fashion here very closely. You will not see anyone just wearing a t-shirt and jeans. So even I try to wear nicer clothes. I have to come to like the Korean way in many aspects but there are some slight problems for foreigners. Some foreigners can't wear Korean style clothing because it's too small or uncomfortable. I think it's more fashionable. There are many foreign stores in Korea but they have a Korean style added to it. I have tried on Korean clothes before and they looked very nice. But for others, it is hard to find clothes that fit them or that they like.

8 - Food: There are so many different types of food here. Korea is the place to find good food. First, there are so many different Korean style restaurants. One of my favorites is Saengyeopsal, which is like thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat.

They also have Japanese food and American food as well. One thing I noticed, you can never grow hungry here. There is always a place open to buy food. On the streets they have vendors that sell all kinds of food. They have regular food like hotdogs but hey also have like tempura and tteokbokki, a dish that is spicy and delicious. In fact, this snack of sorts which consists of a type of rice cake once was served a dish for the Korean royal court. I didn't know this before but it's an interesting fact. Originally it was served with many vegetables such as; shiitake mushrooms, green onions, carrots and seasoned with soy sauce.


9 - Work: Korea is a very busy place. Whether you're a teacher or an office worker, people are always busy. Some of my friends work jobs that demand long hours and rarely get to see their friends. If you make friends with someone that you can see often, don't take it for granted. It is rare because of nature of the busy lifestyle of Koreans. Teachers are very respected, especially English teachers. English is regarded very highly because it is nececesary in order to get a good job in Korea. Korea is part of an international partnership with the rest of the world so English is a must. Not only are hagwons for English but also Korean for foreigners. I participated in one semester class of level 4 Korean at a private language school in Daegu. It was weird being a student again but I learned a lot and I think I can study pretty well on my own now. Most of my friends are impressed with my Korean ability. I still think I have a ways to go yet.

10 - No shoes and heated floors - 온돌, is the traditional Korean style floor. It heats up warming the room and you at the same time. More importantly though are shoes. In Korean culture, it is considered rude to wear shoes on the floor, so you must take them off before you enter a Korean's home. Even at school, all students have their own slippers they wear instead of their shoes. There are small shoe lockers where all students and teachers place their shoes inside and take out and put on slippers. I remember the first time I met a Korean back in the states, I went into his apartment with my shoes on and he said, "Yo what are you doing?" I said I'm just coming in and he said, "no I mean with your shoes." I look back now and laugh cause I didn't even consider his culture first. We were in the United States but he is Korean. I understand now though and we're good friends now.