Moving to Korea: Unexpected Cultural Experiences

Can we redefine the meaning of life by living abroad? What are the ‘little things’ that can help us to blend with a new culture?

13th March (2020), An unforgettable day of my life when I finally made it to Korea after delaying my trip twice with my tickets getting cancelled multiple times due to the coronavirus pandemic.

I heaved a sigh of relief when I reached Incheon International Airport in Seoul. This much awaited journey was definitely something that changed my life in an instant and I can still feel butterflies in my stomach when I remember the day I landed here.

I live in Busan, a beautiful city along the south-east coast of Korea, around 300 kms away from the Capital city (Seoul). Overwhelmed with the cultural setting, I was anxious and confused about everything around me in the beginning.

But this is my home now!

It’s a given that I was going to encounter cultural bumps when I moved to Korea. Accepting and adapting to these cultural differences can help us to appreciate and understand another culture. I personally think that by learning these “little things” we can change our experience altogether.

I have tried to list all my experiences and the “little things” that I’ve noticed during the past few months in Korea and compared them to my life in India.

It’s Safer than I thought!

In India I was too scared to travel alone and felt unsafe every moment. Thanks to my experience of losing my entire luggage in a train from New Jalpaiguri (West Bengal) to Bhopal.

But I can say that I can feel 100 times safer in Korea even when I walk on shady and dark streets in the middle of the night. You have CCTV cameras installed everywhere, even in the smallest alleys where vehicles cannot enter.

People leave their phones and wallets at their tables in a café or restaurant and go out for a smoke without any fear of losing their belongings. This is something I can NEVER do back home. Even if you lose something on the subway, a convenience store or any other place someone will try to turn it over to the lost and found.

Walking, Walking and Walking...

Everyone in Korea walks a lot. Even older people prefer to walk rather than using an automobile for smaller distances. Most of the people use the subway for travelling and walk from their homes to the station irrespective of the distance.

At home I always preferred travelling on a bike with my parents even for petty shopping. But now after looking at the people around me, I started taking a stroll now and then around the campus in the shopping streets just to get some fresh air or even for talking with my friends.

Hiking is also a favourite pastime in Korea and you can find amazing walking trails everywhere.

Dating!

Ask any youngster and you will hear that dating in India is sometimes a problem and can never be accepted as something which is “normal” by parents even today. You can often spot people giving you dirty looks when you go out with your significant other even though you might just be grabbing a bite or shopping.

Korean dating culture can be added on the top of all the cultural bumps I have encountered. You can find countless couples everywhere with matching outfits taking millions of selfies to remember each of their outing.

They even consider holidays for boyfriends and girlfriends. Sometimes parents set up their children with blind dates to find a good partner. Couples often introduce their partners to their parents in order to show their respect.

Drinking and Noraebang (Karaoke)

Drinking culture helps in bonding and spending time with friends, colleagues or family members in Korea. Refusing a drink might sound impolite or disrespectful during meetings for business purposes or even casual get-togethers. But they respect religious or health related reasons when explained and apologize for putting you in a tough spot. Drinking is fun in Korea and it can help you to socialise with people easily.

In beginning it was bit difficult for me to find friends because of COVID-19 restrictions but, when the Korean government relaxed the rules after a while, I was able to go out with people.

I was invited by my professors and other lab friends to go together and have a drink. This helped me to socialise and bond with my lab mates easily. After drinking, most of the people love to go to the Noraebang (Karaoke) and sing for a while for relaxation and entertainment.

It is way more fun than what I am saying!

Greetings and Formality

Back home when I walked to a general store, the store owners have a grave expression on their face and ask me “what do you want?” Even in shopping malls or large department stores the staff members respond only when you ask them about something. No greetings are exchanged by the customer or the owner.

It is important to greet everyone in Korea. Walk into a convenience store you can hear them greeting you and you are expected to greet them back. Similar to Indian culture, Koreans also respect their elders and superiors.

The hierarchy in Korean society is similar to India and people address their elders based on their relationships but not by their first names. One strange thing that I came across was people asking my age when I introduce myself. It is very common to ask your age in Korea to make sure how to address the person you are talking to.

Looks matter!!

During my undergraduate study, I was never judged on my appearance or dressing during classes. Sometimes my classmates ended up coming in pyjamas and it was a “new normal” for all of us. In Korea appearance and lookism were far more disappointing than I thought it would be.

Everyone is concerned about their looks and body shape making it an obsession. This has made Korea one of the plastic surgery capitals in the world and even in school kids plan for altering their faces or bodies.

It is important to dress well when you go out or attend a class. I have never personally experienced any problems based on lookism but, heard from my friends about it.

The list goes on and on when I start talking about my cultural experiences here. I hope to update few more in the next articles on some exciting and adventurous moments of my life in Korea!

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Sreenidhi Konduri, Writer

Sreenidhi is exploring new cultures across East Asia. You can call her a globetrotter who is fond of language and words. Madly in love with the food, culture & architecture, she has tried to share her experiences of the 'Little Things' that can inspire people to travel.

She is currently studying Architectural Design and Spatial Theory in South Korea. You can write to her at kondurisaisreenidhi@gmail.com for further info.