This is Part 3 of a blog which outlines the areas where Eastern and Western culture clash that can cause friction at work or even in our place of study in South Korea; I mentioned before the tension that exists between the two cultures of Individualism = Western and Collectivism = Korea, which can cause
All you need is a rock, a harness and rope! Well, a rock will be a start, but rock climbing is a versatile and athletic sport. Rock climbing is popular around the world and Korea is no exception! Korea may not be a top-destination to travel to for rock climbing, like Venezuela or Yosemite, but
In my previous blog I wrote that, as guests to South Korea, us Westerners need to reconfigure our settings, meaning the way we have been conditioned in our home-country’s environment – because we see the world differently to Koreans – otherwise this may cause us problems. I mentioned that one area where we see the
If you happened to have just climbed off your airplane, or, like me, have been here for 18 years, you will soon notice, it is not just currency differences we need to change – we also need to change our attitudes for we have been conditioned differently from Koreans; it is not just our language
During my time here in South Korea it has been a pleasure, most of the time, for I have found Koreans, mostly accommodating and kind, especially to foreigners. But one thing really nags me – it’s those times that I am just walking along the pavement, minding my own business, when suddenly, “woooooooooooooshhhhhhhhhhh!” Something just
I’m no animal activist, but every time I visit some sort of space where animals are inclosed in Korea, I come out either depressed or bored by the horrible lack of space and tacky decorations. When my husband and I decided to visit the Seoul Zoo this morning, we had very low expectations and assumed we would be in
Living in a goshiwon allows you to meet a lot of different people with very different goals, dreams and motivations. Some of them you like, some of them you don’t. I have this theory that there maybe be a correlation between the prize of your goshiwon room and the amount of oddballs surrounding you, but
How long does it take for an expat to settle in South Korea? Well, that depends. As a Korean American, it has taken me 10 months, more or less. Even so, I might still be transitioning. Yes, it is trite, but time does seem to fly here. I attribute the arbitrary pace partly to the
