First Impressions (South Korea)

Member Name: bluetones_girl

Product:	South Korea
Date:	09/11/05 (144 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap transport, healthy food

Disadvantages: some socially backward people

I've now been living in South korea for about three months. I've already had my highs and lows. There are times when I think I'm really lucky to be here and there are times when I want to pack my bags and go home.
Like 99% of westerners out here I'm an english teacher. I work at a hagwon (extra tutoring school) in a town called Yesan which is in the west, about 2 hours from Seoul.

South Korea itself is great. There's beautiful scenery, plenty to do and generally its all cheaper than in England.

Seoul is brilliant. The subway system is well marked (in english and korean) and its pretty easy to figure out after the first few nerve-racking times.
Itaewon is the multi cultural part of the city. Its where all the foreigners party on the weekends. Its about the same as going clubbing back home - although most club entrance prices include one or two free drinks.
There's a number of palaces and temples around the city and they're all marked on most subway maps.
There's plenty of shopping too - but not what we're used to at home. If you're bigger than about a 12 then expect to have problems finding clothes.

There's plenty of great restaurants - western and korean. One of my favourites are the all you can eat/drink buffets. They're all over the city but the best is the Carnige Station in Hungdae. Its 22,000won (about 13quid) and you can eat and drink as much as you want until it closes. The food is a mixture of western and korean and there is a help yourself bar set up with beer, wine and a selection of spirits.

The main korean spirit is soju. Its not the nicest thing you'll drink but they make great soju cocktails in most bars and to buy its only about 50p a bottle. Its what all my friends are getting as pressies when i go home next year.

The public transport is brilliant. Just before I came out here I bought a return train ticket from doncaster to sunderland (which is about 2 hours) and it cost me 45quid. Yes 45. Here the most you'll pay to take the train to Seoul (which is about the same distance) is 12,000won. Thats about 7.50 (I dont have any pound signs!!!) The buses are even cheaper and its all far more comfortable than the cramped seats on National Express or GNER.

Its all becoming very westernised (well americanised at least). In the bigger cities you can't move for Burger Kings, Baskin and Robbins and Dunkin Donuts. But there is still a lot a korean tradition around - especially in hillbilly towns like mine! I've eaten bugs (under protest), had acupuncture and eaten just about every type of korean food there is. Most of it is really good (the food that is, not the bugs) although it took me a while to get used to the hot stuff.
Koreans are very keen for you to know all about their culture. One of the guys that I teach in my adult class is trying to teach me how to play the traditional korean drums - somewhat unsuccessfully!!!!

They're very health concious and everywhere you go there is an array of health tonics and foods. Not a day goes by at school where I dont get some sort or food or drink shoved in my face. Soemtimes it looks a bit too dubious to eat. Whenever you ask what they're giving you the answer is "its good for your health". One thing I found surprising is that fruit and vegetables are ridiculously expensive which somewhat contradicts their lifestyle. You can get sweets, crisps and chocolates for next to nothing but 3 apples will cost you about $3.
Korean food is generally very healthy. They eat rice or noodles with everything and its very heavy on vegetables and fish. A lot of the Korean restaurants have specialities. So if you feel like Bibimbap (loads of different vegetables mixed with hot pepper sauce)or Galbi (meat cooked in a big pan on the middle of your table) then there's certain places to go.

I think my main problem here is with the Korean people. Well... some of the Korean people. I'm not going to lump them all together as I have made some very good korean friends.
Most people in my town have never seen westerners before... or so I thought until I found out that there have been english teachers in my town for years. They just act like they've never seen westerners before. After 3 months I still get stared at like I've landed my spaceship in the middle of the market place and come out of it complete with green skin and two heads.
In England, one of the first things you're taught as a child is "don't stare because it's rude". This is not the case in Korea. Children and adults alike will go silent when you walk past and will stare at you until you're out of sight. Last week a guy was walking down the street infront of me, staring at me over his shoulder the entire way. I accepted it at first. I have blonde hair and am about 5"11 so people were bound to stare at me for a while. However its the same people who stare at me day in, day out.

One day at school I did an exercise with my class where I cut out pictures of people and they had to make up their identities. One of the pictures was of Jamelia. She was automatically from Africa, her name was Garbage and she was a trashman. I was like - are you kidding me? I was actually at a loss for words - and that doesnt happen very often.
Whenever I pull them up on it they look at me like I just killed their mother.
I think the worst however has to be one of the guys who works in the next town to me. He went into the chemist one day and they were trying to give him free stuff. When he later looked what it was he found that they'd given him skin whitener.

I sound like a bitter betty. I'm not really. This country makes you very cynical, very fast. At first I was touched that my school directors family always invited me to go everywhere with them. It was only later that I realised this was because they see me as a walking, talking english lesson for their children.

Having said all that some Koreans are the nicest people you will ever meet.
If you meet them once they're giving you their phone numbers and telling you to ring them if you ever need help... and they actually mean it. My school director and his family have their moments. They're always running around after me - helping me set up bank accounts and things like that. If I stop smiling for just one second they're running out buying me chocolate asking if I'm homesick (although I think part of that is because they're afraid I'm gonna hot foot it home). I have a cold at the moment and within seconds of mentioning it they came running in with a crate of cold tonic things and a shipload of oranges.

The first time I went on the Seoul subway on my own I was totally confused. So I asked this family where to go (well more like pointed at my map and made vigourous hand gestures) They took me to the right place, pushed me on the train and then pushed me off at the right stop. I'm not even sure if they were going that way. A lot of people will go out of their way to help you even if they dont speak a lick of English.

So... to sum up. I'm not entirely sure I've even made a point here.

The country is beautiful. There are some great traditional temples and national parks and if you're into hiking up mountains then there are plenty of them aswell and the Koreans will love you for it as its one of their favourite pastimes!

It's fairly cheap for most things - especially the transport and most places have romanised names aswell as the Korean symbols.
However its not a place to come if you offend easily or have a deep set aversion to being called fat. If you're over a size 10 then you are just that in the eyes of Koreans. You will be stared at - even in Seoul where there are hundreds of foreigners. Koreans also assume that all white people are unhealthy, lazy and dirty (they tend to be super clean).

Despite all the issues I'm having a great time here and will have no problems staying for the whole year. Whether I stay longer than that remains to be seen but I would definately recommend it to travellers who want to try out a different culture. I would come soon-ish though before it becomes the second america.

Summary: beautiful scenery, great prices, dodgy locals