The Kimchi Lover

"Well, this isn't real life, you know" is a phrase oft repeated among members of my friend group. It's easy to forget until I catch myself starting a story with, "When I went to the homeless festival while staying at a hostel beside the red light district in Osaka...", and the responses mainly include inquiries as to whether I'd recommend the accomodation. Nearly everyone here is extremely well-traveled, or in the process of becoming so, and intensely willing to experience life in its fullest. Doubts about visiting the same coffee shop more than twice spring up, as though living in Korea isn't consistently new enough. Being surrounded by the endless, wondrous curiosity is exhilarating, and I highly respect everyone who's been willing to dedicate themselves to teaching alongside travelling. 

One such talented friend, Brittany, wrote an essay about her year, and she gave me the okay to share it on here. I know several people on their way to Korea who can benefit from every bit of information they can get, and her perspective is uplifting and sweet! Enjoy!

A beautiful portrait by one of her students

Brittany dangling off Mt. Hua in China  

From Here to There

I can still vividly remember sitting on the plane as I made my way to South Korea. I would be lying if I said my mindset at this time was calm and collected. I had a million thoughts running through my head. What if I get lost? What if I miss my connecting flight in Shanghai? What if my coworkers don’t like me? What am I doing??!! Although I had been preparing for this move for months, nothing had prepared me for these emotions I felt on the 16 hour flight to South Korea. My family and friends back home thought I was out of my mind. I often got very curious questions as to why I would want to leave America and go to North Korea. My response was always the same, “I am going to SOUTH Korea not NORTH Korea and I think this will be a good experience for me.” It turned out I was wrong; it was not a GOOD experience, but in fact a life-changing experience. This past year I have not only learned a lot about South Korea, but I have also learned and grown more as a person. 

Prior to my move, I had read many books about the culture of South Korea. I knew some basic Korean. I knew I should bow when I see elders. I read that this strange food called “kimchi” was eaten at mostly every meal. Cramming all this information in my head was helpful, but nothing can match the knowledge I have gained by being immersed in the Korean culture on a daily basis. Culture is not something you are familiar with growing up. It just is your life because that is all you know. When I first arrived in Korea, I was amazed with how different everything was. Everything seemed to be the opposite of what I was used to in America. Even the emergency number was the opposite! (In America the emergency # is 9-1-1. In Korea it is 1-1-9.) Soon, however, some aspects of Korean culture slowly began to fuse with my culture. For example, I cannot express how this strange food called “kimchi” is now one of my favorite foods. Although you can buy kimchi in America, it is often hard to find or is very expensive. I love kimichi so much, that I have been learning to make it because when I go home I do not know what I will do without it! 

I could write pages and pages comparing and contrasting American and Korean cultures, but for the sake of time I will share a few things that have changed in my life since I have been here. For starters, I am much healthier here than I ever was back home. One reason for this is I walk everywhere. In American we drive everywhere. Even if we are going to a store that is only a five minute walk, we drive. In Korea if I am not walking I take the bus. I think Korea has an amazing transportation system, and although I do miss driving, I will miss the Korean transportation system. Another reason I feel healthier is because I believe I eat healthier foods. My diet is rich with organic fruits and vegetables, fish and other meats. In America I would often eat at fast food restaurants and consume food that was non-organic or unhealthy. 

Next, the interaction between older and younger individuals is much different in America. In America the relationships are very casual. In Korea they are much more formal. I thought bowing seemed like a pretty straight forward concept. It was not until after my first day of work (and a lot of giggles) I learned that I am not supposed to bow to my students when they bow to me. In the process of becoming accustomed to the Korean culture, it has also allowed me to reflect on my culture. By doing this, I have become aware of things I take for granted back home as well as some things I wish would be different. Here is a small list of things I miss from back home: My favorite gum, being able to try on clothes before I buy them, trash cans on every street corner, Mexican food, turning on the T.V. and hearing English, shoes that fit me (I wear a 255-260mm), California beaches, being able to casually converse in my native tongue and my family. Of course from this list I will tell you I miss my family the most. I come from a large family (6 children) and not being able to share my experiences with them on a daily basis does make me sad. 

As stated before, there are a few things that living in Korea has changed my perspective on. First, I will absolutely miss the healthcare system in Korea. In America I hardly ever went to the doctor, hospital or dentist, because of how expensive the fees are. In Korea I go all the time. I also enjoy not wearing shoes in school. Before moving to Korea I worked with Kindergartners at an elementary school. I can still remember how after work, the first thing I wanted to do was to take my shoes off. In America teachers wear high heels and by the end of the day our feet ache very badly. 

Perhaps the most vital thing I will take away from Korea is how important learning a new language is. I think the level of English spoken in this country is truly amazing. While I wish the pressure of learning English was not so intense on the younger generations, I do believe it will greatly enhance my students’ lives. A Spanish professor once told me, “Learning a new language is important because it opens up new worlds.” At the time I could not understand how incredibly right he was. Often as I teach, I wish I could interact more with my students. I find myself wanting so badly to communicate with them. Not on the level of just teaching them new English vocabulary, but also to hear about their day, to encourage them in English, and to tell them that Middle School can be a hard few years, but that I truly believe they can be whatever they want in life.

So why travel or move to another country? I can tell you from experience it will forever change you for the better. You become more aware of yourself because you are not it your comfort zone. You must challenge yourself, learn to adapt and interact with others. I have learned more by living in Korea than any book or class could ever teach me. I plan on staying in Korea one more year. After that I will seek a new adventure! As I close I leave you with a quote by Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain has a famous TV show in which he travels the world and samples food along the way. He once stated, “Move. As far as you can. As much as you can. Across the ocean or simply across the river. The extent in which you can walk in someone else's shoes or at least eat their food is a plus for everybody. Open your mind. Get up off the couch. Move.” –Anthony Bourdain. 

Like Bourdain I challenge you to immerse yourself in another culture. If you are unable to do that, I challenge you to at least try something new today. You might surprise yourself.