This post is dedicated to the the masses of friends who will, very shortly, be joining me in enjoying all the adventures that teaching English in South Korea has to offer. The new academic year will be starting soon and I have some great friends (from SA mostly) arriving in a week. So this is for you guys.
Let me preface this post by saying that you are in for the adventure of a lifetime. You are going to have the opportunities to travel (even farther abroad than Korea), meet new fascinating people from different cultures, have your taste buds not quite be able to explain what you are trying, see sights that you have not even got the capacity to imagine yet, learn a new language, make great new friends and all of this while you are earning great money doing something that you love (and if you are not a teacher yet, something that you WILL LOVE). There is no doubt in my mind that you are going to be crazy happy here. Whenever somebody says "let me preface this" you should always anticipate the "BUT"....But along with all these great things you will experience a strange sensation in your first little while here. You not going to have mom's cooking and cleaning and you wont yet understand any of the foreign looking signs, nor will you comprehend what the lady behind the counter is saying while you fumble with the monetary notes that have ridiculously big numbers printed on them. You will be experiencing some culture shock.
Here are a few things that might make you aware of the fact that you are no longer in the proverbial Kansas.
1)Crowds of 'foreigners'.
It seems rather obvious, but it is something I never really thought about before coming here. You will be constantly surrounded by Asian people. They are lovely, friendly, GENEROUS people but you will not see the rainbow nation that you are used to everyday of your life (so far). This will be even more evident if you end up staying in Seoul (which has a population of about 20 million people, if you includes the satellite cities), if you don't end up in Seoul or Busan or a big city point 2 will be more real for YOU.
(pic taken from http://www.youngsamsung.com)
2) Staring.
Its not that bad anymore, maybe because i am used to it?? Or maybe because the Korean population is getting more used to people like me?? Either way it does still happen and it has the potential to make you feel a little uncomfortable. 아줌마s (Ajumas, or the old aunties) could even stare down Chuck Norris....its a fact, especially if Chuck happens to find himself of the subway. These stares are not daggers being darted at you or hairy eyeballs, they are just curious...for the most part...I THINK??
(pic from http://blogs.koreanclass101.com)
3)Communication
EVERYTHING will seem foreign to you, and so it should. The language and the sounds of the language will not register at first. The squiggles and lines that form and make up the letters and characters and words will look more like the doodles you make when chatting absentmindedly on the phone. But it is an AMAZING language and something you should respect, after all you are in "their" country now. DO NOT EXPECT PEOPLE TO SPEAK TO YOU IN ENGLISH! But don't worry when you go home you will be ACE at playing 30seconds!!
(pic from http://korean-muzik.forumotion.co.uk)
4)Food and their odours.
The food in Korea is PHENOMENAL! I absolutely love it here and am at times disappointed that my menu is always limited by the fact that i am a vegetarian. I hope you like spicy....i REALLY HOPE you like spicy! ;)
There smells that are associated with some foods that still don't make me all that happy. The only one i REALLY don't like is the smell of roasting squid. The best way i can describe it is like burning hair with a fishy twang to it... (Oooohhh i also don't like the smell of silkworm larvae stewing on the streets).
(Pics taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/soemmia/588543106/
and http://jiaseemee.wordpress.com respectively)
5) Bowing and taking your shoes off.
This is actually a fun one. I am sure you will all be unsure of what to do at times, and when that happens to me I just smile and bow. The more uncertain I am the deeper I tend to bow, hahaha. Bowing is an important part of the Korean culture and it can convey different messages. A deep bow is respectful, whereas a nod of a bow, would imply superiority. So don't smile and nod, SMILE AND BOW :) . You will also have to take your shoes off A LOT! And watch your students faces when you tell them that you walk in your house with your shoes on.. :)
(pic taken from http://www.nypie.com)
Do not let this post scare you. That is not the intent behind it. I just want you to be a little more prepared than I was when I touched down for the first time in Korea (after my agency messed up and my bank card didn't work and I had to spend a weekend alone in a "love motel" before trekking to my school...but that's a whole different post altogether) HAHAHAHA
So welcome to South Korea my friends. May good fortune shine on you always. Enjoy it, rock out and Marc you carry on feeling buff!!!
I love this!!! i know there is A STACK more we could write on about this!! hehehe love ya! ㅋㅋㅋ
ReplyDeleteㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ feel free to add what i have left out Nix, I didn't want to scare them too much...but re-reading the post that squid is a little more frightening than i was going for ;)
ReplyDeleteTric trac (and nix?)i am SURE you have some advice for them RHODENTS too??? share share share
ReplyDeleteSince Al asked so nicely, let me add my two cents worth (actually 6 sections worth) of insight into what to expect when you step off the plane.
ReplyDelete6) Personal questions:
Korean culture has an ingrained sense of community and hierarchy. People like to know where they fit in, in the grand scheme of things. In order to figure out where you fit it, it is guaranteed that you will be asked personal questions by practically everyone you meet. What kinds of personal questions? These range from the benign "how old are you?", "where do you live?", "do you like kimchi?", "do you know Kim Yuna?" (look her up, it will pay off), to the odd "how tall are you?" (anything above 165cm gets thumbs up), to the sensitive "do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?" Yes: "Will you marry him/her?", No: "Ooooh, why???", to the just plain awkward "how much do you earn?" Remember, they are not being rude or nosy, they're just trying to place you, plus, if you're not comfortable, you can always change the subject with a deflecting question about Korea.
7) Getting your bus legs:
No one likes to hold public hand rails: they're icky germ farms of ebola-H1N1-aids-death. The unfortunate truth is that if you want to avoid a face plant on the floor or window of a bus you're gonna have to suck it up and hold on tight until you can get a seat. The bus drivers in Korea ride their vehicles like wild rodeos: they brake and accelerate violently and take corners so sharply its a wonder all 4 wheels stay on the tarmac. If you find yourself having to stand, the trick is to grab on tight before he pulls off, and don't lock your knees. Its a white-knuckle ride every time, but you will always be on time! Also, there's nothing a little bottle of hand sanitiser can't remedy.
8) Spitting:
There's no way to get around it, its gross but its what Korean men do a LOT! There you are, minding your own business sanitising your hands after getting off a wild bus ride, and you hear someone preparing to hock a giant luggie right next to you. It still turns my stomach, but its something you just have to get used to and/or block out.
Apparently I write too much, even for automated blog robots, so here's the rest :P
ReplyDelete9) Dream a little dream:
Korea is a super safe place, crime is virtually non-existent and you'll more likely have someone chasing after you to RETURN your wallet than the opposite. It is a strange concept for us South Africans to comprehend that no one, not even the bus drivers, are trying to kill us. People feel so safe and secure here that they take naps everywhere. Feel a little worn out from the bus ride? Take a nap on the bench. Lovely day in the park? Have a snooze. Time on the train (and eventually the bus)? Catch a few winks. The part I'm still not completely at ease with though (cause its just beyond my prior conditioning) is the completely acceptable "in between lessons desk-nap". Seriously, teachers whip out their mini pillow and blankie and have a power nap. Your students will do this too, in your lesson. Good luck trying to keep them awake, mine can even sleep standing up.
10) Touchy feely friends:
On the topic of students, it is uncommon for students to have friends of the opposite sex: boys and girls are only meant to be boyfriends and girlfriends, and then get married (preferably before they're 30). Al and I OFTEN get asked if we're a couple because we hug hello and have a tendency to drape ourselves over each other. Anyway, close friendships are affectionate ones, so you have been prepared for the moment you see male students sitting on each other's laps and petting each other's hair, and for girls to walk hand in hand, and cuddling. This is not gay.
11) Sneaky Soju
There are no words for soju. You're just going to have to try it. Its readily available at 24hr convenience stores, it only costs about R12 and it tastes R12 (but its good for mixes!). While its only about 14% don't let this fool you. You'll be feeling like a champ and belting those songs out at the Norebang, but it will sneak up on you and kick you in the face.. or is that actually the pavement? Whatever, drink with caution, and enjoy watching the spectacular soju stagger sported by many ajashis (uncles) of a night time.
Here endeth my blog hijack, although since I do not have the dedication to maintain a blog of my own, chances are I'm going to be featuring semi-regularly on Al's wonderful blog! Boys and girls, get ready for an adventure that will blow your mind, its one hell of a ride even when you get off the bus :)
HAHAHAHA i LOVE IT Trac! i didnt want to scare them with the spitting just yet, but i will definitely cover that in a future post! Thank you for your comments :)
ReplyDelete