8 Weeks and Counting...

One of the most interesting things that I noticed upon my arrival to Korea is that it seemed so similar to the US, to the point where I often would forget that I was even in a different country. Part of the reason why is because I have been working in an environment where I speak English most of the time, so I don't have to deal with the language barrier that much. Even when I leave work, I still don't have to use Korean because I don't have to talk to people on the bus or the subway (I wouldn't even talk to people if I was on a subway in the US).

But after being here longer, I'm starting to feel more like I'm in a different country, as I continuously learn about the differences between Korean culture and American culture. In particular I have been noticing that people here are incredibly competitive in terms of work and school. Signs for restaurants and businesses are huge and neon colored all over the place because the competition between people is so great. Even parents push their kids to work hard in school to get the best job that they can possibly get.

We had some visitors from the US come and visit, and one of them asked "Where are all the teenagers?". My response was simply "studying". Apparently getting into any university is really hard, and high schoolers spend the majority of their time either in high school, at a private English language school (called a Hogwon), or studying outside of school. Apparently many high school students usually begin their day waking up at around 7:00 am to get ready for school, and then after going to school, followed by going to a Hogwon, followed by more studying, they usually get back home around 11:00 pm! Yikes!

Anyway, on another note I've reached a point in my trip where I've been feeling a little homesick (which of course is to be expected). But I don't miss being in Goshen or Minneapolis, but rather my friends and family that are still back home. Sometimes is a little hard because I don't know that many people here yet, so when everyone that I know here in Korea is busy, it's hard to keep myself entertained sometimes. Also I realized that writing in a blog, while it's interesting for my friends back in the US to read (yes that means you!), it's a one way street, and I don't usually get any sort of response.

Long story short, I would appreciate knowing what you, my friends, are doing with your time, even if it's the same old routine. I'd be interested in hearing some fun stories. I'll try and keep writing more interesting stories, and maybe try and post some pictures.