[HanCinema Korea's Diary] Living in Korea: Seven Peeves About Daily life in Korea

Living in Korea has been an amazing and eye-opening experience for me. Its vibrant city life and happening cultural offers plenty to explore and experience. These are largely touristy things that make Korea a wonderful place to visit but having lived here for a number of years now there are still things that I experience daily that just drive me mad.

1) Almost everyday you will be reminded that you are, in fact, a foreigner. This term never really meant anything to me until I came to Korea and my 'otherness' made me stick out like a sore thumb. Children will openly say "Look mom, a foreigner!", the elderly will sometimes just stare at you for a while on trains and in the street, and many will feel the need to practice what basic English they know on you at random. Now this may not all be a bad thing but the biggest thing here that gets me uncomfortable is the idea that I will always be the cultural "other" as it were. It's a strange and unsettling feeling that cannot be avoided in a homogeneous society such as Korea, but is impact is no less felt.

2) Korea has an amazing array of new and exciting foods that the adventurous will hale and gorge themselves on. But for those who are not so inclined Korea will present a challenge to you and your diet of choice. Even for those who enjoy the cuisine will have those days where they will be craving something more familiar. Finding convenient stores that cater to a more foreign taste is hard. Items such as cheese and a good variety of baked goods are tricky and expensive to find. That said Korea has shown signs of improvement here as more and more stores are opening up that stock foreign produce at reasonable prices.

3) Daily interactions are something that give me a peep each day back home. I miss the chance to chat to a store clerk, offer playful banter to a checkout lady, or just spark a conversation in the street. The language barrier is evident everywhere and while one can quite easily learn the language, there is a world of different between being able to say "Hello" and request things to having a purely natural conversation. Again, you are forever reminded that you are in alien territory.

4) Where are all the trashcans? Many a day I have bought a coffee or chocolate only to come to realisation that my cup or wrapper will now become a part of me for the next few hours. Public trashcans are very far and few between as many people instead dump their waste onto the overflowing trash bags on the street. You will soon seen a group of the elderly walk by, all kitted up in masks and rubber gloves, picking up all the waste people have left on the ground due to the lack of trash cans.

5) You would think that a country that has to manage a large population in a relatively small space would adhere to social rules of order and turn taking. While buying a item at a convenient store you should not be surprised if someone behind (or next to you) decides that he/she is entitled to be served first. Some places (such the cinemas, post office, and banks) have a clever ticket system but whether that was implemented as a preventive measure or afterthought is unknown. Even when your number is shown you might be interrupted by another individual who choices to ignore this small social rule.

6) Korea seems to me to be rather superficial at times. It is not uncommon for people to have plastic surgery and openly discuss it as if it was nothing more that a routine dental check-up. Young girls can be seen walking around with an eye patch from their doctor's office, marking them as yet another person who has chosen to make her eyes seem bigger and more attractive. From jaw shaving to breast implants and leg extensions, Korea does not hide the fact that it is one of top supporters of plastic surgery in the world. That paired with a, sometimes snobbish, inter-cultural judgement over dress and style, makes Korea for me a place filled with an unhealthy consumer culture.

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7) The Land of the Morning Calm is often marketed as a wonderful place to visit all-year round. Claiming to have four distinct seasons each worth experiencing. While the fact that Korea does, indeed have, these distinct season, there is the uncomfortable fact that they differ drastically in length and intensity. Winters in Korea can be brutal and the city snows and bitter winds make for a sometimes miserable slush though the wind-chilled streets. Summer is another harsh time where, when your not deafen by the most annoyed sound in the world – cicada's, the humid and clammy heat will drive you to drink. Spring and Fall are by far the most pleasant but because they feel so much shorter, those pleasures are short-lived.

The above 7 represent my personal pet peeves about living in Korea. I am sure others will have their own and some will enjoy that which I have listed here. Take them with a pinch of salt and to prove that I am not a total cynic, next week I will be posting a list of the things that I love about this country and its people!

-C.J. Wheeler (Chriscjw@gmail.com)