Chapter Twenty-Two: People as Places as People

To answer a question
It'll probably take more
If you're already there
Well then you probably don't know
Well we were the people
That we wanted to know
And we were the places that we wanted to go --Modest Mouse
 

Considering a move to the hermit kingdom?  Blogs and recruiters will tout the financial and cultural benefits, both of which, depending on your lifestyle, can be very true.  But there are other, less obvious benefits available to those whom risk the change in continent, lifestyle, and career.  Here are five of my favorites.

Racism: The other side of the coin. 


Most of the teachers here are white, and most of us hail from North America, the UK, or Oceania.   Though our generation has been raised with an emphasis on racial empathy, it's good to live somewhere where you are a minority.  Further, it's good to live somewhere where many people disapprove of you based on your skin color.  It will primarily help you examine your own beliefs and preconceptions about minorities in your own country.  Secondly, it is freeing to live in a world where people are predisposed to find you an annoyance or, at best, a novelty.

Corrupting the Youth


This will depend on whom you teach and how old they are, but many teachers here end up with kindergartners in the 4-7 age range.  Taking kids who don't have English names and who barely know the English alphabet and turning them into English speakers who, for example, love the Beatles, quote the Princess Bride and Bill and Ted, and who sing "We Will Rock You," has made my year very rewarding.  What would you teach youngsters about western culture?

You don't need Twitter for Social Networking

By about the age of 25, most people have their friends set for the rest of their life.  Moving to a new country is a great equalizer; everyone is in the same boat.  You can meet so many more people, in the big cities in particular, than moving to another city in your own country.  The social networking for expats is excellent--you can easily find clubs and organizations for everything to soccer, hiking, rafting, drinking, and improv theater. 



It's the Great Outdoors.

Seoul won't be mistaken for Edinburgh, Melbourne, or Paris any time soon.  But Korea is a scenic, beautiful country--minutes of leaving the city reveal a rolling green countryside that belies the uber-urbanization associated with South Korea.  The valleys are full of rocky swimmable rivers, the islands have gorgeous, campable beaches, and everywhere you go are the mountains.  Seoraksan, pictured here, is a vastly scenic area replete with hiking trails, hot springs, hermit caves, and waterfalls.



Information Vacuum

In many ways, this is my favorite.  Korea is already a little out of touch with the rest of the world, and without a tv (or at least without English news) you can escape the over-dramatized uber-sensational programming mislabeled as "news" in the west.  Escaping the barrage of banality is a major boon; the mental equivalent of selling most of your useless stuff and paring down to the essientals.  If your ears ache from hearing too much celebrity gossip, I suggest you start developing a taste for gimchi and start thinking about what to pack. 


In fairness, you will probably have more challenges in Korea than if you stayed in your home city.  I have known many teachers here who had great difficulties dealing with how different the people, attitudes, and the culture is.  But dealing with challenges isn't always a bad thing, either; if you are open to new things or want to become so, then teaching abroad may be for you.  If it's ever crossed your mind, I say "go for it!" 

Chapter Twenty-One: One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

One bourbon, one scotch, one beer
Well I ain't seen my baby since I don't know when,
I've been drinking bourbon, whiskey, scotch and gin
Gonna get high man I'm gonna get loose,
need me a triple shot of that juice
Gonna get drunk don't you have no fear
I want one bourbon, one scotch and one beer
One bourbon, one scotch, one beer














Korea wants you to drink and it's not for nothing that the Koreans are known as "The Irish of Asia."  In addition to drinking vast amounts of alcohol, they are quite social about it.  Invitations to join people whose only common language is the international tongue of "drunk" are often forthcoming.  Korean media portrays alcohol as vital to health and some even suggest it can cure cancer.

There is a dark side to this too.  You don't have to live here long to see old women puking on the streets, sometimes quite early in the morning on their way home from the bars.  It's socially acceptable to pass out in the streets, on the subway, in an elevator, on a park bench, anywhere really.  Drinking in Korea is dangerous because many of the checks built into other countries don't exist.  Last Call?  No such thing.  Overserving?  Here that's known as "bartending."  Closing time?  Only when the last stragglers leave--and if that's at 8 in the morning, so be it.

Korea wants you to drink, but for those less interested in alcoholic drinks, many options exist.  From sweet potato lattes to delicious mocktails, you can always find something.  Coffee is everywhere, and in some places it is actually good..  It's usally in the 5 dollar range, however, and beer can cost as little as 2 dollars for a pint.  Korea wants you to drink.  Another consideration is that, unlike in the west, where pricing is based largely on alcohol percentage,  you can pay as much for a glass of lemonade as your friends did for their Long Island Ice Tea.  Korea wants you to drink.

Here are some photos from a year's worth of outings.  

These margaritas at On the Border are incredible and come in a variety of flavors--some of which are unique to this restaurant.











Makgeolli is a cloudy rice wine that one time was primarily for farmers.  Luckily, its deliciousness has transcended class barriers and you can now get it most everywhere.












Korean beer is, largely, flavorless lager.  It grows on you. Especially when it's in a nice evergreen bottle.

But the most delicious thing is this Korean raspberry wine.  It's like drinking candy.