Have you ever been somewhere for a while before it finally hits you that you’re there?
Yup, that’s South Korea for me.
It could have been that intense 14 hour flight, or maybe the fact that I am surrounded by an amazing group of new friends, but it took me a few days for it to finally sink in that I’m in a whole new country. I’d like to think that this means that I’m incredibly comfortable with my surroundings. Despite the differences in culture.
When we first arrived it was late at night, and I was a little concerned about how our large group of “foreigners” would stick out and be received. However, almost immediately I saw how people generally welcomed us. Anyone we spoke with was polite and understanding of our lack of Korean. There have been instances, mainly with older Koreans, where they will blatantly look at some of us with extreme curiosity or shock. It’s actually kind of funny.
Something that has actually really shocked me is the amount of food they all eat. Our Professor was born and raised in Korea, so whenever we go out to eat lunch and dinner he urges us to continue eating even when we’re already full. Sometimes he gets food for us even when we say we’re not hungry! Meat is eaten a lot here in Korea, and I can’t believe I’m actually craving a salad right now.
We get breakfast from Dongguk University’s cafeteria every morning, and even those can be a lot sometimes too. Below is a picture.
Despite all of this, I feel well adjusted to South Korea.
I got a hang of their weird sidewalks that double as car routes, their constant steep hills, the humidity, and found beauty in their vast mountains and the architecure. I made a lot of new friends and I am making great memories here.
We recently went to eat ‘samgyeopsal’ (grilled pork belly) and that was an amazing experience. *Note: this was before I started craving salads.* We had a a whole room to ourselves since there were 20 of us, and we split up at two long tables that were filled with little side dishes and a little hot grill. The meat came and we had to cook them ourselves. We were each given seat cushions for us to sit on the floor and aprons to not dirty ourselves. The room got hot, so the owner came in to open the windows and screen doors for us. The nice summer breeze came in and kept me comfortable for the rest of the night. We laughed and chatted all night long and I remember thinking that I wish my friends from New York were here to enjoy this too.
It was this moment that made me finally realize that I’m actually here in Korea. I was sitting back, eating my pork belly, enjoying the summer breeze that came in through the window, and I was watching everyone cooking meat and picking up food with their chopsticks. I looked down at my apron and my legs spread out in front of me and thought “I feel so relaxed.”
