magazine

10 funny quirks you didn’t know about Koreans

Filed under Features Slide, Just Show Me Pictures! by Christine Ka'aloa on September 23, 2011 at 10:54 am {27 comments}

Korean culture is often a dynamic and fun to observe. Most of the time, from a foreigners viewpoint, it offers interesting quirks which might leave you either scratching your head or speechless.

My favorite quirks about Koreans:

1. Koreans love English (even if they don’t always know what it means)!

Despite being unable to find a lick of English translation where I need it, Koreans actually think English words are cool, visually speaking.

Shirts, jackets and baseball caps with English text are hip hype throughout the country. Unfortunately, many Koreans don’t read English. This is where the problem begins…

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Just Show Me Pictures! Would an Expat Know if there’s a War? North & South Korea tensions rise

Filed under Just Show Me Pictures!, Korea by Christine Ka'aloa on November 24, 2010 at 4:32 pm {6 comments}

South Koreans watch the North Korean bombardment of Yeonpyeong island, which left two soldiers dead. The White House described the attack as an ‘outrageous act’. Photograph: Yonhap/Reuters (Read article here)

Yesterday, South Korea’s Yeongpyeong Island was struck by a North Korean missile, killing 2 people and injuring 16. The hit list count was less that when North Korea sank a South Korean Naval ship this past March, resulting in 40 casualties; yet this recent news still makes South Koreans a bit nervous.

North Korea’s belligerent actions are begging attention and South Koreans (more…)

Just Show Me Pictures! When the Honeymoon Fades (Part 2)

Filed under Just Show Me Pictures!, Survival Issues by Christine Ka'aloa on September 20, 2010 at 4:28 am {no comments}

When I hear of “midnight runs” and English teachers leaving Korea in 6 months after their start, it wasn’t hard for me to believe. The statistics are there and ESL forums are littered with disgruntled and fed up NETs. I’m on month #7 and my Facebook updates are splashed daily with the frustrated spouts of other EPIKers: “Enough is enough!”. As one fellow EPIKer said– “Honeymoon Finishee!”

Coping with culture shock is all about perspective.

Adapting to life and work in Korea isn’t easy. Even if by stroke of God, your school, apartment AND co-teacher is a dream, the odds are still against you.

Moving to a foreign country for the first time, it’s natural to experience a culture shock and sometimes, this hits below the belt. You’re not always aware when it will strike or leave you winded. A “honeymoon phase” can last, anywhere from a week to several months. Inevitably however, the reality and struggle with homesickness and adapting to a foreign environment happens; the war with that romance begins.

Living in a bad marriage for a year is a different mindset from living with it for 3 weeks to 6 months. It’s all a matter of perspective and you realize you (more…)

Just Show Me Pictures! When your Expat Honeymoon Fades (Hitting the 6-month mark)

Filed under Just Show Me Pictures!, Survival Issues by Christine Ka'aloa on September 16, 2010 at 5:05 pm {9 comments}

Chuseok (추석), the Korean Thanksgiving is next week and EPIKers are abuzz with vacation plans… again. This is a six-day vacation for many NETs, so imagine the excitement! Though summer was only 4 weeks ago, the national holiday will give NETs a second wind for getting over the hump of months to come. Why? It’s our 6-month anniversary and this vacation will be our last breath of freedom until December. It’s almost as if the freedom found in our summer vacation getaways have made returning to Korea, our schools and the Korean school cafeteria a bit more …challenging.

A Fading Honeymoon:

If I have to see seaweed soup one more time…
Koreans love seaweed soup! It’s supposed to be great for pregnant women and it’s the ritual food for birthdays. But I am (more…)

Just Show Me Pictures! The New Illness of a Newbie Expat (Pt III)

Filed under Just Show Me Pictures!, Korea by Christine Ka'aloa on July 9, 2010 at 2:01 pm {3 comments}

Just when I think I’ve finally escaped my Korean Crud attacks and colds, there’s a new symptom in town…

How are you? I feel… (From my 5th Grade, Lesson #1)
Okay, this is month #5 and I guess I can’t really call myself a “newbie” expat. This doesn’t mean I don’t experience moments when I feel like I’m still a beginner to life here. While I should be finding my teaching wheel and workload fairly greased as (more…)

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Daegu

Just Show Me Pictures! Expat mysteries and strange morning routines

My neighborhood has a lot of local flavor, which fuels my imagination and personal queries. Currently, there are 2 mystery people I come across each day. Strange morning routines which you simply accept because you’re an expat in a foreign land Each morning, I hear a morning truck roll by with a loudspeaker recording, [...]

July 9, 2010 0

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Just Show Me Pictures!

Just Show Me Pictures! Simple Things that Slay an Expat (Pt II)

Living as an expat, you get to realizing culture shock comes in daily life-sized capsules called Language Barriers.; but unlike vitamins, these will eventually wear on you. They mimic your inability to sometimes do the simplest things. Do you feel stupid despite your MFA degree? Yes. Can you erase this feeling? Not easily. To an expat living in a new country, it’s the everyday, mundane things which quickly become your greatest enemies.

May 5, 2010 7

Written by MyCrazyKimchi Just Show Me Pictures!

Just Show Me Pictures! Expats Dealing with Language Barriers (Part 1)

So I’ve decided to start a short series, conveniently titled “Just Show Me Pictures!” about battling language barriers and culture shock in Korea. It’s suspect that generally 90% of expats suffer culture shock and depression because the familiar is replaced by the foreign and you must live and endure, compromised lifestyle for a lengthy duration. Language barriers are the beast which only adds to this frustration.

April 26, 2010 3

Written by MyCrazyKimchi Just Show Me Pictures!

Pass the Paper: Experiencing Culture Shock in Korea

So you live in a new country, you’ve got a new job, you’re working out the variables of navigating new food, new work relationships, cultural and communication barriers… so why are you depressed? Welcome to culture shock. Nothing you do can prepare you for what you think you will or won’t experience when you move abroad.