Tag: Seoul

Hi everyone!

This week I wanted to talk about something that's a little more personal.

My parents immigrated to Boulder, CO for their graduate studies and that's where my brother and I were born and raised. Although that means I grew up without ever really having family nearby and only saw my extended family 4-5 times when we took family trips to Korea, my parents did their best to raise my brother and me in a traditionally Korean household. That meant Korean food, speaking Korean to my parents, celebrating Korean holidays, etc.

When I was younger, I didn't really have a problem with saying that I was Korean when I was in the US and saying that I was American when I came to visit Korea. Because for me, that's what I was - Korean and American, just situationally I would identify with one more than the other based on what I knew people assumed.

However, now that I'm older and have a more solid understanding of my identity, there have been scenarios that have been more difficult to answer during my current stay here in Korea. At first, based on the way I dress and do my make up and hair, people could definitely tell that I was not from-from Korea. But they recognized that I was Korean, because when I walked into stores or cafes, the employees would greet me in Korean. Now that it's been a little over a month in Korea though, I've figured out how to assimilate more and as a result, came across some more unique circumstances.

...continue reading "Korean? American? Korean-American??"

By jlee4946

Having been born and raised in a traditionally Korean household, there weren't too many things that were culturally shocking when I arrived in Korea. However, since this is my first time really living in Korea for an extended period of time and not staying with relatives, I've gotten to know what it really is like living in Korea. I didn't think there would be such a difference but I now have many things to thank my Korean roommate for.

One of the biggest differences for me personally is the complexity of dealing with trash in Korea. For one thing, there are no trash cans around the city! People just carry their trash all the way home. And some stores/restaurants even have signs saying not to throw away trash that you brought in from outside. Though somewhat annoying since my bag ends up holding all my trash, at first I thought it was a positive thing because maybe people would feel more responsible with throwing away their trash instead of littering. I commented on the lack of trash cans when speaking with a Korean friend from Seoul National University, and he seemed surprised, as though he never really thought about it. But in his case, he remarked that maybe if there were trash cans in public, there would be even less trash on the streets which I thought was interesting since his view of it was so opposite from mine.

But wait! I can't just come home and put my trash from my bag into the bin. I don't live in the school dorms so I'm not sure how it works over there, but people here are really good at recycling. Maybe I've just been slacking off in my recycling habits back at home, but in the US I sort my trash into recyclables, such as plastic and cardboard, and then everything else is just regular trash. And the trash bags in the US are those huge white or black ones that fit over the huge rectangular plastic bins that you and your roommates watch fill up, hoping someone takes it out eventually.

...continue reading "The Unexpected Struggle"

Hi everyone! I can't believe it's already been nearly a month since I scrambled to get my suitcases' under 50 lbs the night before my flight to South Korea.

I think I have been having an abroad experience slightly different to those around me, as I have all of my extended family here in South Korea and as a result, have visited Korea several times in the past. Because of this, I believe the difficulties I have faced are unique to my experience as well, as they are for everyone's unique experiences.

Having been born and raised in the US but having spoken mostly Korean with my family my entire life, I've come to be accustomed to the traditional Korean culture and mannerisms. Therefore, an aspect I've come to notice is in general, I am treated as someone from Korea, for example when I enter a store or a cafe. However, this makes things slightly awkward when I order something and my slight American accent makes an appearance, or when the cashier asks me something that I've never heard of since I've never checked out of a store using Korean. In cases like these, my first reaction was to just nod or shake my head and pretend like I understand what's going on. However, after the first few weeks, I've come to understand what they were asking and answer appropriately.

...continue reading "Introduction to Korea"