Korea
Ever since I came to Korea in early August, 2003, to take up a position at Seoul National University, I’ve been intrigued and endlessly amused. There hasn’t been a day when I haven’t been greeted by some surprise or other. The whole experience has been great. Of course, you can’t live around human beings without some annoyances, but, quite frankly, if anyone has been a bother to me in this country, invariably it has been a foreigner rather than a Korean. I’ve found Koreans to be nothing but polite, considerate and helpful. Of course, I’ve had my share of “Korean moments” but never anything too bad. It really didn’t take me long to adjust to Korea—say, a day or two.
After arriving I made a point of getting around and experiencing and seeing everything I could. I had few contacts in Seoul, so I went online and started making appointments with girls who wanted to meet foreigners, as you do. It kept me busy and gave me something to occupy my time most nights, rather than being couped up in the small studio I was in when I first got here. My thought was, if anything came of it, good, if not, then at least I might get a few valuable tips on places to go, things to see, or how to avoid cultural faux pars. The girls I met had various agendas, all under the cover of English exchange. Not many stuck around, and many were probably just ‘trying something different’ by meeting with a foreigner. But I was seeing new places and new faces and that suited me fine.
The job that bought me suited me well, and the conditions that went with it were and are still great, like a large office to myself with a magnificent view and relatively free campus accommodation. In fact, I can see that tower in the picture above from my apartment, although I’m on the other side of the Han River.
This is how I get to work every morning–in summer and winter; it’s a five minute hike up that hill–what a great way to start the day!
(Postscript: nowadays I take the bus from my apartment north of the campus. Info on my new place is under Living in “Apts” category.)
While I’ve been here, I’ve travelled a lot around Korea and to other Asian destinations, and I’ll continue to do so. It’s been easy for me to save money as public transport is pretty cheap and I often eat at the University cafeterias. My luck seemed to changed when I set foot in this country, but little did I know what was to come to top it all. I started going out with a Korean girl, and eventually we moved in together–not exactly the done thing in Korea, so it was kept a secret from most people. About a year after that we decided to get married, which was extraordinary for me, because I have never in my life entertained any thoughts of marriage. But I haven’t looked back.
A shot was taken from the roof of where I work, just above where my office is.
In short, I’ve enjoyed every moment since arriving in Korea and there’s simply no reason I can find to leave here any time soon.
