I am officially in the midst of the last quarter of my one-year contract in Korea. I am in my tenth month here, rounding third base, on the last turn of the track before the final stretch.
To me, life in Korea has been a wonderful mix of compromise and contrast, temporariness (I'm not 100^ sure that's even a word) and permanence... And, I'm not ready to leave this place.
My life here is a perfect compromise between living a 'real' or 'grown-up' life and living the 'dream' (at least, a dream in my mind). I have a full-time and meaningful job that, at the end of the day makes me feel good. There's rarely a day that goes by where my students don't make me smile. I have health insurance and my own apartment. I pay bills. And at the same time, I get to experience life abroad, see new things every day, familiarize myself with a country in-detph and travel to other countries during my vacations. My time here has passed by so quickly because my friends and I take advantage of every free moment we have--whether it's a weekend hike, a trip to the big city, or an evening picnic at the nearby lake. There really is no slowing down here and I've never thought I of all people would say this, but I like it.
Related to this are the permanent and temporary nature of my life in Korea. I know (or, at least confidently assume) that I won't be here forever. Friends started coming in and out of my life almost immediately after my arrival to Korea. The people around me, namely my foreign friends, are always changing--even if ever so slightly. This aspect is very much like traveling. I immediately have a common and shared interest with the people I meet here and because of this, one becomes friends with the majority of the foreign community upon arriving. Of course, it doesn't take long to find the people that become your "close" friends, but there is still a very familiar element to traveling (where the potential to create very strong bonds with people in very short amounts of time is very prevalent). Yet, at the same time, I maintain a daily routine and come back to the same apartment,
my apartment, every night. I do have enough time to take my established friendships to deeper levels, unlike those established while traveling (though, many of these friendships have been very intense and deeper than one can understand until one has actually experienced it). But I know I've got some time with these people and my life in Korea before moving on to the next thing. And this sense of permanency, short-lived as it may be, is at times very comforting.
Another interesting component of my life is the clash between Western and Korean culture. As a foreigner here, you are constantly pulled between the culture you've always known, and the one you're immersed in now. We oftentimes use the excuse "we're foreigners" when doing something that may be seen as slightly inappropriate to a Korean. For example, swimming in a bikini or with your shirt off (they swim fully clothed here), or wearing shirts that dip below our collar bones (Korean women don't often do this). There are times one just wants to be Western and not abide by Korean cultural norms. But then, there are many things about Korean culture that we immediately take into our lives and that have become a second nature. Take bowing, for example. The slight bow of a head is a sign of respect and acknowledgment of a person's presence. It becomes ingrained in your actions here--even when you're NOT required to do so. During my vacations in Philippines and Mongolia, and during my friends' trips back to their home countries, the bow automatically comes out whether you're saying thank you to a convenience store clerk or thanking a driver for stopping while you cross the intersection (which NEVER happens here because pedestrians have anything BUT the right-of-way here!). Another thing that happens automatically anymore is the act of giving and receiving with one's other hand supporting the giving hand at the wrist, elbow, or even resting on the heart--when giving or receiving from someone who is older than you, that is. Sometimes I feel very Korean, sometimes (okay, most of the time) I feel very Western.
This barely touches on my experiences and perspective on my life in Korea, why I couldn't be happier right now, and why I plan to stay a second year. I suppose then, more than anything, it's just an effort to let people know that yours truly here has never been happier. (My friends and I have decided that we have never expressed the statement "I love my life!" more than we have while here in Korea).
COMING SOON:
Adventures in the Land With No Fences: Mongolia 2010
