The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Five things that make living in Korea hard (in no particular order):

1. Seoul is just plain overcrowded. Seriously, crowded subways, stores, sidewalks and restaurants are way overrated. Sometimes we feel this strong urge inside to join in this dog eat dog world and fight for every square-inch mind-set. And I must confess that on occasion we do push back, get our elbows out and intentionally cut someone off to get a seat...I guess if you can't beat them, join them (although the Canadian inside of me still feels guilty). And the worst part is although this jostling really bothers me, when I do it they are not even fazed, which makes my act of rebellion far less satisfying.

Just a typical Sunday afternoon at the zoo.

2. The workaholism in Korea. Koreans work a lot. The best way we have been able to describe it is: Koreans live to work, while in Canada we work to live. It seems as though many Koreans don't have time for hobbies or much of a social life outside of work. We feel an unspoken expectation that we should be putting in a couple hours of volunteer overtime every day. We have made a conscious effort to try and enjoy our lives here, to work hard but to know when enough is enough.

3. Politics within our work environment. Sometimes it is hard being an English teacher in Korea. There is a lot of expectation placed on you and it seems like you can never do a good enough job. Korean mothers are very involved in their kids lives and complain to the school if there is anything they don't like (their kid is learning more slowly than another kid, their kid isn't enjoying English, their kid is playing too much in English class). When this happens, the blame is generally placed on the foreign teacher.

4. Pedestrians do not have the right of way. Seriously, it seems as though green and yellow mean go and red means proceed with caution. I don't think I have ever seen a police car pull someone over for a traffic violation and part of me thinks it is because there are no traffic rules as long as you don't get in an accident. One rule I have learned as a pedestrian is to count to five before you venture out into the green crosswalk to give the last few cars a chance to run the red light. Also near our house there is a flashing yellow light crosswalk and cars will not stop for you, unless you force them to by putting your life on the line and starting to walk.

Remember count to 5 after you see the green walking man.

5. The school food in Korea is alright but often lacks variety. This may seem shallow and we should just be grateful that we have food, but we miss familiar cuisine. Koreans love kimchi  (fermented cabbage). Koreans love fish, specifically anchovies, and although I can honestly say I don't mind eating them, it is not my favorite. Also Koreans love foods that are bitter. So this boy who loves things sweet and salty does not always leave lunch with a satisfying taste in his mouth.

Honorable mentions: -although Koreans aspire to learn English it is sometimes hard to find people who can help you in English (for directions if you are lost, for information in a store or for menu clarity at a restaurant), -the price of fruit and vegetables and of meat is quite high, -it is hard to have a thriving social life (especially during the week) because everyone is working so hard. -Korean beds are really hard.

I feel like I need to accompany this with some positives about Korea, there are things we really do enjoy!

1. Korea has four distinct seasons. I may be including this because winter seemed to drag on a bit and now that Spring is here, we are loving the cherry blossoms and the warmer weather (I have finally been able to wear shorts again). Karmen and I love going for walks near our house, along a small creek and now that it is Spring this will become a more frequent evening activity again.

Cherry blossoms in Seoul

2. Korean children are really cute. I really enjoy teaching my kindergarten kids. It is a lot of fun because I can really see them learning and improving (at least some of them). The smiles they give me in the morning are really cute and when they are so little, even the trouble makers are hard to get frustrated at. My favorite is when I get M&M's to give them for a treat at the end of class. That is the one and only time I can count on all of them to behave and make eye contact with me. Maybe I should start teaching with a jar of M&M's in my lap...

3. The public transportation. You can get so many places in and around Korea without having a car. We have been able to visit so many places: city centers, shopping areas, department stores, sports stadiums, museums, parks and hikes. The subway is thorough and convenient!

4. Korean BBQ. Korean barbeque is an experience like no other. We order some meat (usually pork) and then we cook it in front of us on a grill heated by coals in the center of the table. We also put onions and garlic cloves on the grill. When the meat is finished, we take a lettuce leaf, put some meat, garlic and onion inside, then add some chili paste and a tasty version of kimchi and shove the whole thing in our mouth. Once we have finished this, we get to do it again and again and the only sad part is when we run out of meat!

Look at that focus and anticipation!

5. We feel safe here. I know you are going to call me crazy for this statement as we live in a very hostile part of the world right now. And don't get me wrong, we are making sure we are in contact with the Canadian embassy here and are keeping up with current news as to what is going on in the North. But in general South Korea feels safe. We can go out walking well after dark and not feel the least bit nervous. There are still so many people around and often even families with small children!