:: howdy
Again, sorry for the lack of updates. I spend so much time putting together all the odds and ends in my life to form some kind of coherency that sometimes I don't make time to do things that are really important. One of those things being, my Livejournal.
So my second monthiversary came about a month ago. I've been in South Korea for two months. It seems like a lot longer, which may be because I've done so much in the short time that I've been here. I've seen a great deal of the country, and I'm extremely busy with work and life every second of the day.
After two months I figured I have a lot more to say about the country. Well, I do and I don't. I think the thing that strikes me the most on a day to day basis is how things don't feel that much different here. Not to say that I'm not happy, I am, I just mean that there are so many Westernized things here that you never really feel like you're completely in Asia. Yes, the food and language are different, but the way the cities work, the things people do for fun, is eerily familiar.
You can easily come here from Canada and almost completely replicate your lifestyle from back home. If you're into bar hopping, you can literally find a few Canadian bars to frequent in Seoul full of other Canadians that serve Canadian drinks (Alexander Keith's). If you're like me, more of a spend-a-night-at-home-with-a-good-movie/game/book person, then its ridiculously easy to that too.
I'm not taking a jab at Korea in saying that it is too Westernized. Its extremely Westernized, but it is also still Korea and the second you lift up the rug the fact becomes apparent.
On the other side of the coin, things are very different here. Culturally, there is enough middle ground to avoid the spectre of culture shock, but at the same time, people believe different things, live different ways and altogether see the world differently in some cases. Sometimes I hear Koreans say things that I think are ridiculously naive or silly ("I've never heard of Nirvana... but do you like Avril Lavigne? I love her! That's where I get my style"), other times I hear them say things that I can't even identify with because of my culture. Sometimes, they surprise me, especially when the twelve year old kids I teach seem to know more about the French Revolution than their Social Studies teacher (me). Regardless of how much I know about "Social Studies", every kid in my Hagwon is better at math than I am. Even the nine year olds, I guess there are benefits to going to school for fourteen hours a day.
Before I came to Korea I envisioned seeing some things that would bother me. I've heard many stories, both before coming and while being here. So far, nothing bad has happened to me, and I've actually encountered more positive relationships/experiences than I did back home. Both with foreigners and Koreans. Partly because I'm a foreigner, and partly because some of the things I hated the most about where I lived back in Nova Scotia were staples of Western culture and not Eastern. Living in one of the world's biggest cities has a strong positive impact on the culture--which is one of the reasons why I find it more tolerable here. I think by and large, people in cities like this have somewhat realized that it doesn't pay off to be afraid/defensive towards the world around them when politeness/kindness will get one that much further (in most cases). Not to glorify it though, there is always the rat race that is a large city to worry about. People can be pretty rude when they're in a hurry with a deadline I suppose.
Anyway, I'm running on fumes here and I don't think this is making as much sense as I wanted it to. No worries, I am happy and healthy. No major problems, simply adjusting.
So my second monthiversary came about a month ago. I've been in South Korea for two months. It seems like a lot longer, which may be because I've done so much in the short time that I've been here. I've seen a great deal of the country, and I'm extremely busy with work and life every second of the day.
After two months I figured I have a lot more to say about the country. Well, I do and I don't. I think the thing that strikes me the most on a day to day basis is how things don't feel that much different here. Not to say that I'm not happy, I am, I just mean that there are so many Westernized things here that you never really feel like you're completely in Asia. Yes, the food and language are different, but the way the cities work, the things people do for fun, is eerily familiar.
You can easily come here from Canada and almost completely replicate your lifestyle from back home. If you're into bar hopping, you can literally find a few Canadian bars to frequent in Seoul full of other Canadians that serve Canadian drinks (Alexander Keith's). If you're like me, more of a spend-a-night-at-home-with-a-good-movie/game/book person, then its ridiculously easy to that too.
I'm not taking a jab at Korea in saying that it is too Westernized. Its extremely Westernized, but it is also still Korea and the second you lift up the rug the fact becomes apparent.
On the other side of the coin, things are very different here. Culturally, there is enough middle ground to avoid the spectre of culture shock, but at the same time, people believe different things, live different ways and altogether see the world differently in some cases. Sometimes I hear Koreans say things that I think are ridiculously naive or silly ("I've never heard of Nirvana... but do you like Avril Lavigne? I love her! That's where I get my style"), other times I hear them say things that I can't even identify with because of my culture. Sometimes, they surprise me, especially when the twelve year old kids I teach seem to know more about the French Revolution than their Social Studies teacher (me). Regardless of how much I know about "Social Studies", every kid in my Hagwon is better at math than I am. Even the nine year olds, I guess there are benefits to going to school for fourteen hours a day.
Before I came to Korea I envisioned seeing some things that would bother me. I've heard many stories, both before coming and while being here. So far, nothing bad has happened to me, and I've actually encountered more positive relationships/experiences than I did back home. Both with foreigners and Koreans. Partly because I'm a foreigner, and partly because some of the things I hated the most about where I lived back in Nova Scotia were staples of Western culture and not Eastern. Living in one of the world's biggest cities has a strong positive impact on the culture--which is one of the reasons why I find it more tolerable here. I think by and large, people in cities like this have somewhat realized that it doesn't pay off to be afraid/defensive towards the world around them when politeness/kindness will get one that much further (in most cases). Not to glorify it though, there is always the rat race that is a large city to worry about. People can be pretty rude when they're in a hurry with a deadline I suppose.
Anyway, I'm running on fumes here and I don't think this is making as much sense as I wanted it to. No worries, I am happy and healthy. No major problems, simply adjusting.