I have lived in a couple of different countries teaching English and one of the strangest places was South Korea. I moved to South Korea from Vietnam just before new years to teach at a winter camp for 1 month during January ’08. Not only was it a big culture shock it was also a huge adjustment to move from the tropical weather of Ho Chi Minh to Jeonju in the south of South Korea.
It snowed for my first 3 days a shock to the system coming from hot and humid Vietnam but the whole place looked picture beautiful covered in white. I sat in my new dorm room watching the snow fall and the mountains in the distance, wondering if I had made a mistake coming here.
The school where I was working was not in town, it was a couple of miles outside of Jeonju. A quiet little place with not much going on. I stayed on school property and got 3 meals per day in the school canteen. Most Korean food is spicy and hot and that is something I really can not stomach. They love this very spicy cabbage that’s been fermented in chillies, named kim chi. Unfortunately they loved to mix this in with the fish or chicken and even with the rice sometimes. So some evenings I would only be able to have rice or veggies, so I was quite hungry by the end of the month.
There was a local bus I took in and out of town a couple of times although it was not very pleasant waiting out in the cold snow for the bus. This was mainly due to me not having the correct winter wear for these snowy conditions.
The first time I went into town to look for a coffee shop to sit and read in I got a rude introduction into the Korean culture. The coffee shops refused to seat me because I was alone as if that is a crime. I finally found a small weird coffee shop that would seat me and that became my usual hiding place on weekends or evenings out. On snowy wet days I would head into town and sit in this sweet little coffee shop reading on their comfy couches. Whenever I ordered a hot chocolate or coffee I got a plate full of different cakes for free and once even got an ice-cream, in the midel of winter!!
Just stumbled on your page. I can’t believe they wouldn’t let you sit in the coffee shop! I loved living in Korea, but Seoul is much different than living in a small town. What an experience, if not a cold one. Hope you enjoyed some of your time there, too.
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Reblogged this on Truth Troubles.
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Great article ma’am, thank you for taking of your time to post it. I am going to reblog this article for you.
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I always wondered what South Korea was like. I have a feeling there must be a tremendous American influence.
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It didn’t feel like there was a big American influence, South-Korea has kept a lot of its own identuty and is still truly Asian, I think.
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Great to hear. I know a South Korean lady. She wanted to open a candle making business on her return.
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Did you like living in Korea and what were some of the pros and cons of being there I would love to visit some day.
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I enjoyed South Korea but didn’t stay too long as I didn’t particularly like the food….so moved to Japan from there.
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Oh okay I was just wondering bc I’ve heard so many different negative things about Korea and I just really want to experience it for myself
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That’s really weird that they wouldn’t seat you on your own. I have travelled alone a lot in China, and it was never a problem to sit alone in a cafe or even a restaurant.
But I like it that you got the cakes for free. That is so nice! Hahaha the ice cream in winter is something very unsimilar to China though. Chinese people fear eating or drinking cold things, even in summer :’D I thought koreans were similar to that.
Oh, I really tried giving the korean cuisine a chance, but I guess it is even spicier in Korea, right?
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I must admit that the Chinese and Korean cultures are totally different. I have travelled in china and Korea and only experienced this problem in Korea. The food in Korea is really spicy and that was actually one of the main reasons that I didn’t stay very long.
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I’m surprised you were refused at the coffee-shop ’cause of being single as the Korean women themselves look quite ‘liberated’ today. I wonder if they’d mete out the same treatment if a native single woman walks in
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I do wonder… But I think things have changed in the last couple of years so hope that next time I will be seated!
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[…] via Culture shock in South Korea — Janaline’s world journey […]
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Thank you for the re-blog!!
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ahh yes there is sort of a stigma of eating alone in Korean culture… it’s shown in dramas like “Let’s Eat”
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I never knew that…..well, as a lone traveler it did make life a bit difficult for me.
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I had my battle with culture shock my first night in Busan, trying to find food without knowing how to read Korean. Luckily the night turned around: https://worldwidewojnar.wordpress.com/2016/08/14/my-unexpected-tour-guide-in-busan/
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Glad it turned into a good experience Sebastian.
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Wow it looks so different indeed! It looks like I would like South Korea – seems very similar to what I’m used to…weather wise anyway 🙂
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I would like to go back someday but preferably in summer so that I can explore the place properly.
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well… youve turned me totally off Korean food. What about the BBQs – there are places I believe that you get to cook your own meat.
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I did get to try the BBQ and that was quite good but I do love my vegetables and they were mixed with kimchi most of the time….
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Looks so bleak, glad you found a haven in the little coffee shop.
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If it wasnt for my little hideaway I might have left before my contract was up.
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What a culture shock! I remember some of my colleagues spending 3 months in South Korea on business and all 3 ended up loosing weight, as like you, they could not stomach kim chi. Glad you found a place to help you through this.
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Thanks! Yes, if it wasnt for the kimchi I might have stayed on a bit longer but as soon as my contract finished I moved to Japan…..where the food was a lot better!
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That is so weird! I worked in Seoul for a while and never encountered that problem while eating out. Nice that you got all the free stuff, though!
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Thanks Penne. Things might have changed since I have been there as this was in 2008 that I worked in South Korea.
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Me too! But only for 10 weeks or so.
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Cake & Cake sold South Korea to me 🙂 …and I HAVE winter clothes. Heaps of them.
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The cake in South Korea is very good!! It was one of my highlights.
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What an interesting glimpse into south Korea from a western point of view!
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Thank you! It is a weirdand interesting country
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It sounds as if your friendly little coffee shop was the “make or break” of your months in your new location. 😊 Glad you found it.
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It definitely was! If I didn’t have that little hide away I might have left before my contract was done.
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Interesting that they would not seat you in the coffee shops. Do you think it was because you a woman or just because you were alone? I’ve had a couple of problems getting seated in Italian restaurants when I was traveling alone. Always makes me mad.
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Wow, didnt think it would be a problem in Europe as well. I think it might have been because I was a woman alone, but with the language barrier I could never find out the reason.
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I really think it was just that coffee shop. South Koreans are very kind to foreigners, shy at first though.
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Unfortunately it happened at more than one place, I tried a couple of different places and they all turned me away except the last one which then became my regular stop. In general I found that the South Korean people were lovely and very friendly so I couldnt understand why I would not be seated or helped at places.
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Sorry to hear that it happened at a couple of stores. But I’m happy to hear you found the one coffee shop that treats you well. If you’re a loyal customer, they will go above and beyond to have you keep coming back.
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It could be because you are a foreigner. Some of the smaller towns in Korea refuse foreigners. It’s not against the law, so they can do that. Sorry you had that experience!
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I dont know, but it was quite weird.
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Hey Janaline… To answer your question. In Korean culture, ‘meal times’ are communal. Its all over such that some restaurants serve large portions, enough for more than two people, because that is just the culture. Maybe there were other reasons but I have found that eating alone here is taboo. They probably thought you had hermit tendencies haha
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