Adjusting to South Korea

 I’ve been in Korea for about 2 and a half weeks now and just want to talk about what the adjustment has been like. For the most part I have not been too overwhelmed with culture shock and I think it’s because I read about Korea beforehand and was not expecting it to be just like back home. I’ve just been noticing the oddities and taking it all in.

Things I’ve Been Adjusting To:

Taking your shoes off when you see that the floor steps up at the entrance of somewhere – a school, restaurant, hotel, whatever.

-Being one of the only non-Asian people in a crowd. There is no racial diversity here and I stick out like a sore thumb. I get a lot of curious looks. And kids sometimes say Hello. People know to speak English to me.

-Being able to say whatever without anyone overhearing. Yes, many Koreans know English but they cannot keep up quick fluent English spoken among native English speakers. We can have conversations in private…with tons of people around.

-And on the reverse side, not having a clue what people are saying the vast majority of the time. No overhearing conversations. Not knowing what signs and labels say beyond the pictures is becoming normal. Luckily, in the E-mart (giant grocery, etc store), some things are labeled in English.

-Gesturing, simplifying my English, using a few limited Korean words to get my point across.  Sometimes I am reduced to saying a few words very slowly with various hand movements and hoping people understand.

-That being said, it’s kind of amazing being able to talk to someone in limited English, Korean, gestures, smiles and laughing. It’s kind of beautiful that people from two vastly different cultures that are able to have a conversation like this. That's corny but whatever.

- NOT TIPPING! In South Korea you never tip for anything. You pay the exact amount it says. I could really get used to this.

-Umbrellas. Everywhere. In all kinds of weather. In the heat they are used as parasols. I might have to take this up myself if this heat continues. Also, in every shopping district you can buy umbrellas and slippers in seemingly every store.

-Everyone here looks so well dressed and put together including the men. (I’ve heard even men wear make up here). Not everyone, but most people dress very well.

-Getting used to the area where I live and work! The walk is familiar now, but on one of my first days, I managed to get lost on the walk from the subway station to work. I find it pretty funny now, but when I first arrived, everything was so overwhelming and strange. Korean streets can be a barrage of signs from businesses all stacked up on top of each other. It can be very confusing and disorienting.

-Seeing many American restaurants mixed in with Korean ones. I see just as many Starbucks and Duncan Donuts here as I did back home, and even more Baskin Robins. There’s McDonald’s, Burger King, even a Taco Bell opened up nearby. I can have Western food whenever I feel like it. I've even had pizza and it was very good. They have other international foods and chains here all around. I’m hooked on Danish drinking yogurt.

-New flavors for snack food, such as melon flavored everything and flavored milk. (I know you can get it flavored back home, but not EVERYWHERE like here. There is BLUEBERRY flavored milk and it is delicious).

Bobbing my head politely. When you meet someone, when you’re leaving, to say thank you, to be polite without having to speak. I have only been full out bowed to, as in, from the waist, 90-degree-angle, once, on a bus on Jeju, when the bus driver was (as I understand) introducing himself and asking us to buckle our seatbelts.

So, I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff, but those are some things that are sticking out right now. I just survived my first week of school. In a later post I’ll talk about it. I am so behind in posts.