Korean Living

Living in South Korea was a breath of fresh air. Well, at least for me it was. If all you’ve known all your life was the culture you grew up with, when you finally immersed yourself into a whole a new society which customs and traditions are so different from yours, culture shock is bound to happen. I remember having so many questions, yet there were no immediate answers. Or maybe I was just too scared to ask because I was afraid I may not be understood. You know, language barriers, the accent... that kind of stuff. Despite that, there was this sense of opportunity to learn others’ ways of life and the eagerness to explore another world so different from where I’ve been.

The culture shock for me didn't last long because I was more into learning new things than feeling I didn't belong. The first thing I immediately learned how to do was how to go from point A to point B. Because I did not know how to drive, it was very important for me to find out how get around. Well, it seemed that was really not an issue because there was a lot of public transportation available 24 hours a day. The most common means of transportation are buses, taxis, and the train station. I mostly used buses and taxis. The bus was the cheapest if you don't mind waiting at the bus stop for about 10-30 minutes. It took me an average of 15 minutes of waiting which was not bad. The ride may also be delayed because the bus has to stop in different stations to pick up and drop off passengers. Other than that, I think the access to busses anytime and anywhere is very convenient and economical.

However, if you are in a hurry, you might want to skip the bus and call for a cab. One thing to remember though and this is based on my own experience and other foreigners' I came across with, Korean drivers did not always expect for a tip but because foreigners do it all the time, they kind of got used to it and actually waits for it. Also, make sure that you have enough change for the taxi fees and the exact amount of tip you would like to give. One time, when I was getting ready to pay for the taxi, I realized that I didn't have enough change. I think the charge was like 11,000 Won and I gave the driver 15,000 Won. He acted like he didn't want to give me my change back until I literally had to ask for it. While this is a possible scenario, there are still a lot of good and trustworthy taxi drivers in S. Korea. Remember, this does not happen all the time; foreigners just really need to be informed when travelling to Korea or to other foreign countries for that matter.

While in Pyeongtaek, Stars and Stripes Newspaper was conducting a real-time online discussions to assist military families and individuals that are getting ready to move to S. Korea for their new assignment. I was one of the people currently living in the country (married to an American) who gave insights on what to expect when they get there. Participants in the discussions talked about the same issues since military dependents often use taxis to get around. Another important thing to remember, taxis often have information about the driver and the cab company. Pay extra attention to that information in case you ran into unforeseen problems. Also, do not get in an unmarked taxi because they are known to over charge foreigners.

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD... something that we always look forward to. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your background is, when it comes to food we all gravitate towards it especially when we are hungry. However, that does not mean we are all open to explore new and unfamiliar food. I think when you are confined to a single norm; opening up to new stuff could be very challenging. When I was first introduced to Korean food I did not like most of it or maybe because I was just unaccustomed to certain things.

Eventually, I learned to love some of the Korean oddities. Now, I like the idea of having so many side dishes wherein each side has its own distinctive taste. So, every time you roll a lettuce with the meat cooked right in front of you (samgyeopsal), you get to choose which flavor you would like to add. This makes each bite different from the next bite. The food was never bland. On the other hand, if I have my favorites, I also have my lease faves. Koreans swear about the goodness and the healthy benefits of “Kimchi” but it is one thing I just could not swallow. No disrespect but I just couldn’t take that fermented smell. Dog meat is also a no no for me… argh! Having said that, other than samgyeopsal, I also like kimbap—rice rolls, bulgogi, bibimbap, pajeon, chapchae, samgyetang and other Korean stews, etc. The list can goes on and on.

When travelling around the country, one thing I always anticipated were the highway rest stops. They are nothing like the rest stops in America. Each stop is slightly different from the others. They offer wide variety of stuff from different kinds of cooked nuts, corns, rice cakes, barbeques, and the likes, to all types of jarred foods, ginger roots for different ailments, etc. Sometimes there were even freshly picked fruits and vegetables. We always had bags of goodies from each stops every time my husband and I went on road trips. I truly miss those days.