I was a bit disoriented after my 13 hr flight with Korean Air, from Chicago to Seoul, but that's another story. Absolutely nervous, I barely left my hotel room because one, I hadn't learned the language, and two, I was afraid of getting lost in a city that didn't have street names. I am just learning to recognize streets by their names, having lived in Korea two years already. Unless you've had some exposure to Korean culture, you're in for some culture shock.
This is just one of several things I found sometimes nice, sometimes bizarre, but none-the-less, shocking when I moved to Korea in 2012. So here's a look at ten other experiences my friends and I had during our first few weeks in Korea.
1. Free appetizers/side dishes. Go to any Korean restaurant and you can expect to be served free, made for sharing, appetizers. These appetite whetting foods range from mountain greens to sauteed mushrooms and of course, kimchi. Be prepared for spicy, sweet and sometimes a combination of them both.
2. Kimchi with everything. Speaking of appetizers...kimchi is Korea's national dish. It's a conundrum of spices that includes red chili peppers and salt, which is mixed into vegetables, mainly cabbage, and then left to ferment for months in huge jars stored underground. My favorite is cucumber kimchi. It's soo good and if you don't like it at first, you'll have many other opportunities to try it again and again until you love it!
3. The freshest fish possible. We walked through Juk-do market, a huge outdoor market in Pohang, not quite believing my eyes. Is that really worms roasting? Yes, it is. And the pigs' head at a meat stall. Penis fish? Octopus still squirming with life? Yes, yes it was. And the fish you buy that's killed and cleaned right in front of you, gave 'fresh fish' a whole new meaning.
Then again, Pohang is a fishing village located 2 hours north of Busan. Still, most of the contents at outdoor markets in Korea were initially shocking.
Then again, Pohang is a fishing village located 2 hours north of Busan. Still, most of the contents at outdoor markets in Korea were initially shocking.
4. Public drinking and drunkeness. Yes, drinking in public is legal. And soju is available at any and all convenience stores. My first night in Pohang, there was dinner party for all teachers and a special welcome to the new and newer teachers. Among the beverages were soju and beer. Cheers!
5. Kindness from random people. I've heard similar stories over and over from foreigners living and/or teaching in Korea of some random act of kindness by a total stranger. I have a few of my own: The day my driver side rear view mirror was swiped off. I made it to work, but on the way back, I stopped at a mechanic I'd been to ask his help. As my car is a 1995 Kia Pride, I expected him to turn me away as did another mechanic. But he instructed me to go to the Kia dealership, where he had phoned ahead. A nice man holding a mirror guided me on where to park, and sure enough, he fixed it and as for cost. Nothing. I made sure to swing by the mechanic, get out of my car, bow, expressing my gratitude. He smiled and waved.
6. Pink light districts. I remember walking around downtown Pohang with a small group of teachers wondering what the pink light was radiating from one particular street. Curiosity got the best of us and sure enough, Korean women dolled up sitting in store front windows. They were quite friendly and waved at us. We waved back.
While prostitution is illegal in Korea, there is room for a lot of other stuff and from my experience, much tolerance of perverts and other perversions.
7. Quirks and kinks, festivals and museums. I love this about Korea!! Think museums are boring?? Not in Korea! From folk and nature museums to trick art museums and glass museums and teddy bear museums and Love Land?!
Oh and the festivals? Ooh, the fireworks festival in Pohang was great in 2012 and even better in 2014. And the cherry blossom festival in March is something I'm already looking forward to for 2015. Korea keeps day trips and night life interesting.
8. The attention to the details. Oh Em Gee! "That is so cute!" is something I've said time and time again. This much attention to the details run from pastries and cakes to children's clothing and accessories to stationery and storefront signs. When in Korea, look out for Artbox, Daiso and my favorite stationery store, Alpha.
9. May, ajumma visor season. It happens every May,. You'll notice that all older Korean women (literally all of them) will wear visors. It's like a movement. Also take note of the ajumma pants and the face masks.
10. Saving face and passive aggressiveness. I didn't quite understand what saving face meant until about six months ago. As straight forward as I am, I initially rejected this idea of covering up short-comings and failures. I mean, how can you grow if you're covering up what's bad. I've come to realize it's a necessary evil.
As for passive aggressiveness...
What were some of your first experiences with culture shock?
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