5 things to miss about Korea

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    • #49111
      Maangchi
      Keymaster

      I stumbled upon this blog the other day:

      5 things I will miss about Korea

      http://repatriate.me/site/blog/single/5_things_i_will_miss_about_korea/

      The author is living in Korea but will soon move home. He thinks he will miss:

      1. The good customer service

      2. Convenient neighborhood shops

      3. Good, cheap, public transportation

      4. Good, cheap internet

      5. Not being able to understand anything anyone says helps him concentrate

      it got me thinking about my own list of things I definitely miss about Korea:

      1. Food

      Of course! It’s good and cheap and healthy. In the west it’s so hard to find Korean food done right.

      2. Active street life

      The streets of Korea are so full of activity, at all hours, it really is a fun and energetic place to be. The streets of the west, even in some major cities, can be dead in comparison. There’s a whole culture of going out to eat, meet with friends, drink, study, whatever, that means there’s always something going on.

      3. Small

      Korea is small, so you’re never far from the mountains. You can get around very easily, and if you have an hour to kill, most likely there’s a mountain nearby that you can explore.

      4. People

      Koreans can be noisy and brash, but underneath all that they really are good people and a lot of fun. They share a real can-do spirit, and will get it done, by hook or by crook. It’s refreshing.

      I’m sure I can think of a #5, just give me a minute.

    • #52814
      korea4me
      Participant

      What a wonderful post! God, I miss Korea. I really hope to get out there again next year.

      I totally agree with the first four items on your list. I think my #5 would have to be the lively, energetic and eager to please Korean children. I really loved being with them. I guess that’s one of the reasons why I want to go back to teach English. They were not well-behaved angels all the time (Confucius’ teachings were not ingrained in their heads!)but they made me smile and they were eager to learn. What more can a teacher ask for?

      And, of course, there are some very important Korean people and wonderful friends that I had to leave behind. My soul wants to return to Seoul!

    • #52815
      soko2usa
      Participant

      When I was in high school (so very long ago), we had a new student who was from Korea. I found it interesting when he was interviewed by the school paper that he missed going out for tea and the ‘sea of black hair’.

    • #52816
      Mapanggulo
      Member

      Nice post thanks for putting the link there.

      Things I miss

      1. The Food (though we have two good restaurants that serve great Korean food here. Plus I make some Korean dishes sometimes). I miss the street vendors right outside the gates of the base…good snacks to grab on the way home! Also miss going away from the base to try different things.

      2. The Sites to see. I loved going around to some of the historical sites and temples, the history of Korea is very interesting to me.

      3. Shopping. I’m not the best bargain hunter…I usually just either paid what price was listed or gave a counter offer and left it at that. Also loved being able to get a lot of things custom made.

      4. My dog Soju! He was a Korean Jindo Gae (don’t know if he was truly full blooded…I was told he was) that I got when I was stationed there and was lucky enough to bring him home. I’d love to get another of his breed (or two).

    • #52817
      Pure_Hapa
      Member

      I haven’t been back for a very long time.

      I miss the bustle of the city, especially Myong Dong, since I live a suburban life now.

      Dressing up – everyone dresses up there. In my beach town, dressing up means wearing long pants :-) At least I’m saving money by not living in the dress-to-impress city!

      The nightclubs.

      Shopping, shopping, shopping.

      Sokcho/Sorak Mountain.

      I don’t miss the weather!

    • #52818
      Bluecrab
      Participant

      Great discussion topic.

      Context: I’m American, but I’ve been to Daegu 5 or 6 times to visit good (Korean) friends. So, here we go…

      1. The food. It’s simply incomparable. All the fresh vegetables, the kimchi dishes, all the banchan… and so cheap, compared to eating out in the States.

      2. Cheap and ubiquitous soju. About 15% of the price you pay for the same bottle in the NYC area.

      3. The dirt-cheap taxis.

      4. The schoolchildren who come up to us Westerners on the sidewalks just to try out their English.

      5. Well, I was going to say the Korean people themselves, because you can’t possibly omit that huge charm, but I also need to mention Seonmun market in Daegu. ;~)

    • #52819
      kumaxx
      Member

      1. i miss the nature. you can spend days somewhere in the woods camping without meeting anyone. just great to escape and you can drink the running water most times. although I could do without the bugs and snakes.

      2. the people… there is something to say about when you go somewhere and everyone looks like you. in the gym where i used to work out, there although was this ggangpae and his subordinates. we started talking because he wanted to practice his english and not long after, his subs started treating me like a boss too, bringing me towels and water, cheering me on and offering me girls and such… kinda uncomfortable, kinda cool…

      3. the small alleyways… i love to walk around in those. sometimes you discover really nice places.

      4. taxi… definitely… live savers… everyone of them… even when they put your lives on the line when they start driving really fast…

      5. the bribing… i was driving without a valid license (i have one, but its not valid in korea) and i got caught speeding. my friend bribed the police, they agreed on 15k, I gave 20k and the police even gave me 5k change back!!! i couldnt believe it… btw…

    • #52820
      JM
      Member

      It’s so nice to read this because it makes me feel like i am more normal. I returned to Canada this past summer to go back to school, but i have now decided that i don’t want to continue with this course, and decided to go back to Korea, and people keep asking me why not go somewhere different… but it’s because of all these reasons you have mentioned.. most importantly it’s the people…

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