I found jawbreakers! Oh yes I did! I found jawbreakers, Chance found dried garbanzo beans (which equals hummus! yum!) and Margaret found soy products at Emart. Okay, just so that you know I’m not totally worthless, I did find Goldfish crackers at HomePlus, dried lentils in Itaewon and soy chicken nuggets at Loving Hut. The expat game of life abroad is sometimes, like playing Scavenger Hunt!
Moreover, my cool expat community here is quickly making me realize how I underestimated being a part of one. I don’t know how I would have gotten by without them. I used to think of expats as isolated bunch, desperately clinging to each other to shield themselves from their foreign environment, but that’s not been the case. Many expats are very accepting of their environment and open to making local friends; unfortunately, that’s not enough for survival or often times, sanity.
5 Reasons to join an Expat community:
1. Bitch sessions are necessary.
Oh my god, they are! While not always healthy, everyone occasionally needs to blow off steam from a bad day (or many) at work. Yes, you will need that outlet. Who will understand you any better than fellow expats going through similar experiences? Most of the frustrations with the foreign workplace comes from cultural differences and not understanding or knowing how you should navigate the system. Expats, who have gone through or are going through your situation can help provide information and support, even if only to let you know you’re not alone.
2. All expats encounter similar challenges with “adapting” to a lifestyle
Everyone is playing a Scavenger Hunt game in piecing their life together. Where can I get shoes that fit? Is there a Greek food restaurant? Where can I get a good deal on a cellphone plan? Or a travel agent-doctor-dentist which speaks English?… Most of these questions have already been asked by fellow expats; thankfully, they have answers.
3. If you’re teaching English in Korea, your fellow NETs (Native English Teacher) and Facebook are your best friends.
In Korea, everyone teaches from the same classroom textbooks. When I researched Korea, it had the worst bitch sessions of any other country in the ESL teaching forums. There is good reason. Aside from bad hagwon experiences, NET’s have to deal with a constantly shifting work environment and a work style politics and conduct that may seem backwards if you’re from the U.S. It’s not uncommon to be tossed last-minute projects (like teaching English to parents and teachers, video broadcast, etc… with the schedule for the entire semester being due in a week!) or experience situations, where we feel like the rug is pulled out from under us.
ESL teaching websites like Dave’s ESL Cafe and Waygook.org certainly help for this quick fix need. Facebook can also be a source and has become more than a social networking tool for me. It is my newspaper for sharing cultural tips, asking questions, seeking expat information and help with lesson plan ideas. Fortunately, our Daegu EPIK group has some forward-thinking people, who created a FB page/ forum so we can share ideas, connect for social outings or gain advice for our last-minute scrambles.
4. Everyone hits Kimchi overload.
If you’re not tired of eating kimchi everyday, one thing is certain– you need to get your head out of that ESL Korean funk! It’s not healthy or natural to live your life 24/7 living, thinking in and speaking ESL. It can feel like re-training course in retardation and remediation, as you’re constantly pushed to think in short basic phrases that foreign students might digest. It’s good to have Native English-speaking friends to occasionally have dinner or do things with to keep your English skills fluid! I’ve been here less than a year and I occasionally catch myself speaking grammatically poor and broken sentences (Further down the line, I hear it gets worse…)
5. Making local friends is not as easy as you think it will be.
Meeting and making new friends after a new move can feel challenging anywhere you live. Where do you go to meet good local friends? Unless you find shared interest groups or hobbies, finding friends with similar interests can feel a bit like dating. Furthermore, it’s not always easy to make friends with locals (in Korea). I’m not saying it’s impossible, but the cultural differences and language barriers between the Korean vs. Western worlds present a small obstacle.
Some great suggestions but I don’t agree with them all. I came to to Korea to escape my fellow countrymen and while I miss the company of decent people, many of the expats living in Korea are twats – just like they are back home. One of the expat bars near me, since closed, was notorious for fighting. Many are just passing through and see Korea as a place to get pissed, pick up a local girl because they can’t do that back home, and go to a mud resort. Sorry if that sounds horribly negative but over the years I’ve seen a small army pass through the area I live and there are now so many of us living here, since EPIK introduced teachers into every school, that being a waygukin is pretty run of the mill. Anyway, I’m generalizing and I acknowledge there are decent people with decent intentions out there, but once you’ve lived here even a short while you realise that most are passing through.
On a positive note – some great photos and interesting info.
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Christine Ka'aloa Reply:
August 7th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
@Nick: I appreciate your comment. Everyone has their reasons for feeling differently about situations and all of them are valid. Those negative aspects about expats and/or military stereotypes definitely do exist all around (not just in Korea); and yet, as not every expat will experience a positive welcome into Korea or an easy transition. Korea seems to be one of those countries where it’s really a hit or miss on what you will experience and have to deal with on a daily live & work basis. If things go wrong in your life abroad, it takes a lot of inner strength to maintain a positive attitude when you’re feeling vulnerable and helpless, and not having local/country support in adapting or learning to understand your foreign surroundings can add to negative beliefs about the culture. But overall, I get what you’re talking about and thanks for adding your point of view. The military’s presence and sometimes, insensitive actions is something I haven’t touched upon in my idea of the expat community. They seem to be a slightly different lifestyle.
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Good post – and congrats on getting picked up by Expacked
The biggest reason to create community is one of enjoying your time. Would you rather spend your time finding the best place to find XYZ, or would you rather spend your time experiencing what this culture has to offer? If I share one tip with you – and you pass it on to another expat – you’ve contributed to that goal. Finding a Thanksgiving turkey shouldn’t be a scavenger hunt (OK, it really is, but it SHOULDN’T be…), and neither should a hundred other things. Figure life in Korea out, then go out and enjoy it. Keep up the good work
Chris
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Christine Ka'aloa Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
@Chris in South Korea: Thanks for the congrats on Expacked (tho it took me a while to figure it out! LOL. My site stats don’t always show who’s linked up to me). Let me also add, your blogsite has definitely contributed information to help me figure out life in Korea, so thanks back at ya! =-) Totally agree w/ you– “Enjoying your time” & “figuring life in Korea out” are definitely great perks of the expat community! We all strive to enjoy our time & life here; & yet, there’s much to figure out when you want to make your life in Korea an enjoyable one. Occasionally, some of the “figuring out” is an enjoyable exploration; other times, it’s arduous & frustrating… a potential obstacle. Tips from expats can help inform, remove or ease the latter, so you can appreciate your new life and home.
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[...] 5 Reasons to Join your Expat Community when Living Abroad [...]
Great article. I am an expat living in northeastern Thailand and seek out fellow expats. They are a rich source of information especially if you just moved here and they have been here for years. It doesn’t matter that I have been traveling to Thailand for the past 35 years. Living here is completely different. If nothing else, a fellow expat is someone i can speak English with!
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Christine Ka'aloa Reply:
November 28th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
@Khon Kaen: Thanks for your comment!
Yes, I’ve found the expat community -new and old timers- to be excellent resources. They know what you’re going through in adjustments and they’re usually supportive in offering a helping hand with information that locals can’t provide or won’t understand.
Totally. As much as it’s good to make friends with locals, it’s a very different feeling to come home to your English roots with a fellow expat. The mentality is similar as the foundational values and beliefs and eases the transition a bit. Without my fellow expats, my English speaking skills would’ve gone retarded. Well, they’re already slowly evolving that way.
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ATEK has forums and volunteer opportunities that bring expats together, address questions about lufe in Korea, and help with labor issues. You can also make Korean friends who belive it or not have similar challenges.
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