Things I Miss About Korea

I haven't gone around to the enormous task of blogging about the rest of my Southeast Asian trip, so I'm gonna talk about things I miss about my life in Korea and Korea itself.

1. The food. I am a foodie and I love food and eating it. Korean food is no exception! Bibimbap, kimbap, samgyetang, eel, octopus, kimchi, gakduggi, naengmyeong, and the list goes on! Thank goodness Koreatown is less than 20 miles away!

2. My friends. As I've said before, I made amazing friends in Korea and I saw them much more often than the friends I have here in LA. Maybe because we had the exact same lives and we only had each other as friends. No other friends to hang with. Whether it was mere convenience for us to see each other not, I definitely enjoyed my time with them. I wish we still were all in the same city going to the same bars together.

3. Cheap haircuts. I only got my hair cut twice in Korea. Both times I went to what Koreans deemed "expensive" places. The first hair cut cost me $12. It didn't turn out the way I wanted, but it was tolerable. The second hair cut I got was in my last weeks of being in Korea. I went to the top floor of the main department store, Shinsegae, and got my hair cut by Dawn. I love her and wanted her to move to California with me. She cut my bangs PERFECTLY. No other person has been given my trust to even attempt to cut my bangs (well, one other lady, but Dawn was much much better!). I think I paid less than $20 for the perfect haircut. Can't beat that!

4. My apartment. Yes, it was small, but it was MINE, ALL MINE! I enjoyed living alone, without my sisters, without my mom, without roommates. I could do whatever I wanted! I could leave my clothes all over the place. I could walk around naked. I could sing as loudly as I wanted. I could stay out as late as I wanted. I could come home as late and as loudly as I wanted. I could do ANYTHING.

5. Employment. I had a job. A full-time job. With benefits. And lots of holidays. Need I say more? Oh yeah, it was also just a 5 minute walk from my apartment.

6. No tax, no tip. The price it says on the menu/price tag, expect to pay that and no more than that. This made paying for restaurant bills a breeze, even with 15 people in the party. No need to calculate tax and tip. If you overpay by a little, expect the waiter to chase after you to give you your change. Riding a taxi? You'll get your change back, even if it's just 10 cents. Love that!

7. Bowing. I love it when the students (the respectful ones) would see me in the hallway and bow to me. It made me feel powerful. haha No, it made me feel respected and kinda honored. The students won't do it to foreigners if they didn't respect them the same way they respect their Korean elders, so when some kids bowed to me, it made me feel good!

8. Cheap healthcare. I got LASEK for a fraction of the price charged in America without sacrificing safety and up-to-date technology. Before LASEK, I also got glasses for super cheap - free eye exam! And I also got cheap skincare too!! And a cheap blood test! Oh, I miss having insurance.

9. K-pop. You can't live in Korea for any amount of time and escape the phenomenon that is K-pop music. I love K-pop!!! It is just so catchy and practically every song is accompanied by a simple dance move!


10.The festivals. Koreans love their festivals. They have a festival for anything and everything: kimchi, sand, mud, flowers, butterflies, etc. There's never a shortage of things to do in Korea!

11. Cheap transportation. Riding the bus is only about 90 cents, free transfer with a bus card which costs about $5 to buy. Just a one-time fee for the card and you fill it up with funds. Just scan when you get on the bus/subway and it deducts it from your card. Easy peasy! Also, everyone rides the bus, not just crazy people!

Which leads me to....Things I DON'T Miss About Korea

1. The 26 bus. It's always crowded without a doubt. The buses are so small in Korea, so you're bound to be standing for your entire commute because of the scarcity of seats. People all sweating and pressed up against you. Not cute. The turns of the bus just makes it even worse! The little rings you hold onto for balance are not stationary - they sway with you. How the hell does that help my balance? Man, I hated that bus with a passion.

2. No personal space. Everyone is so close to you! Why do you have to stand so close to me? Take a good 3 steps back, please. My goodness!

3. No concept of a line. So, I'm standing in line to pay for my groceries, to get on the bus, etc, and some old grandma just cuts in front of me. Um, hello, I was in line. How dare you cut me! I don't care if you're 88 years old, get to the back of the line!

4. The bush. Koreans don't say things straight to the point - they beat around the bush. If you got something to say, just say it to me, don't try to hint at it and hope that I can read your mind. So frustrating for me because I am not a bush beater, well, sometimes, but not with EVERYTHING. Geez, people.

5. Really white make up. I ran out of my press powder compact thingymajig that I brought from home and so I wanted to buy another one. I go into the biggest makeup shop in downtown Gwangju and look for the compact section. The darkest shade that they offered was practically vampire white. Koreans are so obsessed with having white skin! It's so opposite of what I like and am, so make up was a difficult one. I reluctantly bought the compact anyway and after I put it on, I was ghostly. I was so desperate. I think I tried to not tan so I would match the compact. Don't think I ever succeeded.

6. Modest upperbody clothing. If it's 100 degrees outside, sunny, f-ing humid, don't even think about wearing that tank top of yours. No no no. If you do, you will get looks from every which way. Girls in Korea do not show their shoulders, chest, upper arms, nothing. It is so annoying especially in the summer. It's so freaken hot outside and I have to wear something with SLEEVES AND A HIGH NECKLINE! They look at you like you're a prostitute. However, Koreans like to wear short shorts and the shortest skirts. It's really strange. If you show your legs all the way up to the butt cheeks, what's wrong with a little arm? And it also sucked because they all thought I was Korean, so I couldn't pull the foreigner card. 'I'm a foreigner, I can wear this!'

7. The education system. There is so much pressure put on the students. They work SO hard starting from very early on. I think it's important to instill good work ethic when the kids are still young, but it's just ridiculous how much pressure there is. My middle school students would start their day at regular school, go home really quickly (maybe!) and then catch the bus to go to academy for more studying, get home around 10, do homework, sleep, wake up and do it all over again. These kids don't get a chance to have a childhood. The teachers also hit the students (not anymore though, thank goodness!) as punishment. Totally not effective.


Hmm, I'm sure there's more for each list, but I can't think anymore!!!! I miss Korea though. More pros than cons :)