Our Year in Korea Reviewed

This is it!  We were stationed here in Korea for a one-year assignment and that year has now come to an end.  It is time to move on to an amazing new location and an exciting new chapter in our lives.  For the most part, I loved living in Korea and I will always cherish the great times we had, the amazing things we've seen and places we've been, the wonderful new friends we've met, and the memories that we've made.  We have no doubt that someday we will return to visit, to shop, to tour, and hopefully to adopt :)

I wanted this final Korea post to sum up our year, let you know our perspective of the good and bad aspects of living here, and offer some useful things to know if you plan on coming here yourself.

Highlights from our year:

• Tour of Beijing, China and the Great Wall
• Vacation to the Philippines and Apulit Island Resort
• Weekend in Japan
• Trip back to the States for weddings and a 1/2 marathon
• Ulleungdo Island, Korea
• Busan, Korea
• Jeju Island, Korea
• Visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
• Hiking in Korea
• Bike riding along the Hangang in Seoul
• Korean baseball game
• Orphanage visit
• Tea ceremonies with Buddhist monks
• Dulce's contest winnings!
• Our blog reached almost 30,000 views in its first year!

Things about Korea that we loved:

• Korean produce, especially the gigantic carrots and amazingly sweet strawberries
• Ghana chocolate
• Korean Gatorade
• The huge variety of restaurants to eat at with generally inexpensive food
• Korean food (some of it crazy... like raw octopus!)
• Amazing fruit teas such as citron tea and plum tea
• Safety (Korea is generally a very safe place with a low crime rate)
• Shopping (especially for purses, fabric, and custom-made clothing, art, and furniture)
• Korean market places
• Hiking
• Buddhist temples
• Royal palaces
• Korean Folk Village
• Korean Beaches
• Korean baseball games
• Seoul
• E-Mart and Home Plus stores
• Convenience stores
• Korean grocery stores
• Lots of huge festivals
• The amazing public transportation system (taxis, buses, trains, and subways)
• Driving - traffic rules are not enforced in most places ;)
• Nightlife (the bar and club scene)
• Incheon Airport
• Korean Airlines
• Our apartment and apartment complex
• Serious recycling efforts
• No tipping required
• Koreans are generally very friendly and helpful
• Heated floors
• Heated toilet seats
• Watching the planting, growing, and harvesting of the rice fields
• Finding "Not Quite Right" things

Things about Korea that we didn't love:

• Weather (brutally cold winters, excruciatingly hot summers, monsoon season, yellow dust)
• In restaurants, everyone's food comes out at different times
• Restaurants have TINY napkins
• Korea in general is a dirty place with lots of litter and garbage because...
• There is a complete lack of public garbage cans
• Hotels supply towels and bath mats but no wash rags
• The language barrier is frustrating
• Squatty potties (there is a technique to this that is worth learning!)
• Washing machine and dryer combo machines (everything is often left damp and wrinkled)
• Speed bumps and bad roads
• Many areas smell really bad, especially in the summer
• Driving (you must constantly watch for others not following the traffic rules)
• Lack of beer variety
• Many older Koreans (though not all) are often pushy and rude
• Apartment living can get claustrophobic after a while
• Korean's un-rational fear of dogs
• Blatant racism toward different people of different races (not always, but it is there)
• Commonly seen Juicy Girls and prostitution
• Air pollution, especially the Yellow Dust in the spring
• Parking spaces that are only the exact width of your car
• Having to use plug adapters and voltage transformers

Good things to know if you are moving to or visiting here:

• An iPhone or other smart phone is invaluable because of the maps, city guides, and translation apps
• Don't drink the water (not that it's dirty, it just has tons of chemicals in it to make it clean)
• Plugs are different and so is the voltage, adapters and converters are required
• Be prepared for ALL types of weather - seriously
• Some things are cheaper than in the United States and some are way more expensive
• You can find most anything you need in Korea, but not always the brands you know
• Clothing and shoe sizes are limited (larger sizes are not available everywhere)
• Tipping is not customary or expected
• Do not ask "yes or no" questions because Koreans will always say yes no matter what
• It is acceptable to bargain in the markets
• Pay for things with Korean Won or credit cards to avoid getting overcharged
• A T-Money Card is a reloadable card you can use to pay for buses, subways, and some taxis
• Military base taxis expect payment in US Dollars
• It's worth it to travel first class on the bullet train
• Hiking is one of Korea's favorite pastimes so the hiking trails are amazing and well-maintained
• It is acceptable to show a lot of leg but not acceptable to show your shoulders and back.
• Koreans don't like sunshine - pale skin is considered healthier and more beautiful
• Always look for toilet paper before using the toilet - sometimes it is outside the stalls
• There is a technique to using the squatty potties correctly
• Korean is a difficult language to learn but learning to pronounce the Korean alphabet is not difficult and is very helpful when traveling
• Keep an open mind and embrace the new culture you are immersed in :)

*******

"Embracing diversity is one adventure after another, 

opening new paths of discovery that connect an understanding to

caring, listening, and sharing with others who are different than ourselves." 

~April Holland