First Month in Korea
The last month-ish has been truly extraordinary. There is way too much to talk about, so I’ll touch on the most important events and share some pictures and videos to fill in the gaps.
After my last update, I flew to Zanzibar to meet up with my girlfriend Yoomin who was on a work assignment in Africa. It had been a few years since took a proper vacation where I could fully relax, and the timing for this could not have been more perfect. I had just finished language testing and my State Department course, and I could fly out to Korea with none of the normal work urgency rushing my timeline. So, en route to Korea, I had the best and most relaxing vacation I could imagine. By the end, the “pole pole” (Swahili for slowly, slowly) attitude was even rubbing off on me! We explored the UNESCO Heritage Site of Stone Town, experienced spice farms and jungles, snorkeled in gorgeous atoll reefs, ate delicious food, and most importantly, got to take a break from our respective jobs and spend quality time together before a long time apart. You can see some video clips summarizing the trip in a video later on in the post, and here are two of my favorite pictures of us on the trip.
Fully refreshed from that vacation, I flew from Tanzania to Seoul to begin my new life here. I was much more confident in my “daily life” Korean since my previous trip to Seoul, so my first few days here were a breeze. Since I had nothing but a suitcase, I decided to stay in a normal Korean home for my first week instead of my completely empty apartment! It was a wonderful experience and I’m glad I did it. The homestay host didn’t speak English, so it was a great way to practice my Korean every day in a casual setting, and the stay boosted my confidence even more. The only downsides were the pressure to eat everything she prepared for me and the lack of air conditioning during the most ridiculously hot and humid week. But hey, these are real Korean issues too 😆
While at the homestay, I took the recommendations of two previous Olmsted Scholars in Korea to enroll in classes at Winter Korean Academy. I had planned on starting the following month, but when I went in for a placement interview to see where my Korean was at, they suggested I go sit in on the level 4 class that was currently in session. So I joined in the middle of a class, introduced myself to the other foreigners in Korean, and enjoyed myself so much that I signed up and paid right after class was finished. The vocabulary and grammar used in this level were mostly things I’ve already been exposed to, but the teachers and teaching methodology used here is so much better than my DLI school. I think I have a broader vocabulary than some of my classmates, but their speaking fluency is way better than mine. One thing that helps a lot is having other foreigners in the class and only using Korean to communicate, ask questions, define words, etc. Even in just the last three weeks of attending this school a few days a week, my speaking level has noticeably improved. I signed up for a 4-days a week class during August before my University-run program starts in September, and I think I’ll continue to attend this school’s speaking-only sessions one evening a week.
In addition to the language academy, I attended my first language exchange! I was surprised at how useful and fun it was. At least 50-60 people (probably 70% Korean?) show up to this private bar and practice your target language for a few hours. The organizers assign tables and rotate each hour according to your skill levels, taking away the awkwardness of inserting yourself into a conversation. Schedule permitting, I will try to attend one evening per week until I can find and join local running or cycling clubs to make friends.
Speaking of friends, I haven’t made any Korean friends yet, so for the time being, I’ve been joining some pub-crawl style nights geared towards travelers to learn the ropes. I’ve found some great places that I’ll come back to and learned a lot from the Korean hosts. Eating culture in Korea is quite challenging for a solo-person, so paying a nominal fee to get a group together is a great strategy to have some fun meals. I’ve literally been turned away several times at Korean restaurants because I was by myself, which was quite a culture shock at first. Many (most?) Korean restaurants are geared towards “set" menus, where you order a set of dishes for the group, and there is a negative social stigma towards people eating alone in this collectivist society. There’s even a term for eating alone (혼밥, honbap), and while it’s becoming more common these days, it’s still something you have to consider when deciding what to eat. So in the meantime, while I have none of my kitchen stuff yet, I have sometimes resorted to food courts at the big malls near me to find places where you can eat alone.
In other news, I moved into my apartment and my household goods arrive in a few days! I’m so excited to finally feel settled in here with a comfortable home base to go back to. The other big administrative thing I’m waiting on is getting my Alien Registration Card (ARC). I truly cannot understate how important this registration number (similar to a SSN) is for even basic things here in Korea. Without it, I am unable to get a phone number or internet service, order anything online, use any Korean phone apps (even just meetup apps or craigslist-style apps), or get food delivered to name a few things. The Korean government takes identity verification very seriously! It takes over a month for the immigration office to process the paperwork, so I should hopefully be getting it soon. Thankfully, I was able to set up a limited Korean bank account though after several attempts at two different banks. Most bank tellers don’t really understand my unique situation, my diplomat visa, or the fact that I have two passports (makes things more complicated than I thought…), but I was finally able to get a cash card so I could transfer money to my landlord for rent. Once I get my ARC, I can update my bank account to get a normal Korean credit card, transit card, etc.
Videos:
For two previous years, I did a “1 Second Everyday” video, where I compiled a 1-second video clip from every day for a year into one video. You can see those years here and here. Anyway, I decided to do it again for this crazy year, so you can see the first two months here (formatted for mobile viewing):
To close out the month, my friend Joel flew out for a visit before I got too busy with school stuff, and he made a nice video summary of the week! Check it out if you want to see and hear what I’ve been experiencing here in Seoul so far.
That’s all for now, till next time! 안녕!
-Sean