Thailand
I went to Phuket for 7 days and Bangkok for 3 days with my parents, and got back on Jan. 21st. The trip was wonderful, and it was really nice seeing my parents again. Some of the islands around Phuket are breathtakingly picturesque. Bangkok is a vastly different city from Seoul. It seems to be far more diverse and liberal. Overall it was a really awesome trip. If I go back some time I would like to check out the northern part of the country, which I’ve heard is really cool.
Busan
I visited Korea’s second largest city, Busan, last weekend. It was a wonderful trip. I actually like Busan more than Seoul. Seoul is a great city, but Busan just looks so cool and has a different vibe to it than Seoul. It has a unique mix of beaches, nature and skyscrapers/city. I’ll definitely be going back over the summer to swim at the beach! How strange it will be swimming in the ocean and being able to see huge skyscrapers in the background.
Couchsurfing
I went Couchsurfing for the first time in Seoul after my trip back from Thailand! It was so cool, and I’m really happy I did it. Couchsurfing is a website that acts as a link between people who want to engage in a cultural exchange. It allows “surfers” (people that need a place to stay) to make requests to stay with “hosts” (people that are interested in allowing someone to stay at their place for free). Obviously, some people would never consider staying in the home of a random person they met online. These fears are exaggerated in my opinion- in order to demonstrate their legitimacy, surfers and hosts must upload photos, provide information about themselves, and most importantly, have references from other Couchsurfing members detailing what the person is like. Most people in this world are genuinely good people, and if you pick a host that has a complete profile with good references from others that have stayed with/know them, it is extremely unlikely for something bad to happen. Use common sense.
If you have the chance and are willing to go a little out of your comfort zone, I highly recommend trying Couchsurfing. It’s a great way to learn about the local way of life/places to go while also saving a bit of money on accommodation costs (and if you’re a host, it’s a great way to meet travelers from literally all over the planet). I couch surfed for four nights total in Seoul, each with a different host. In the future I’m going to try to stay with fewer hosts for a longer period so that I have more time to get to know them. I stayed with a guy from Scotland, a guy from Malaysia, a girl from China, and a guy from Korea. All of the hosts were very kind, accommodating, and interesting to talk to. About a month ago I hosted my first surfer, a guy who was visiting Korea from China (where he teaches English). I showed him around, took him hiking, and tried to be the best host possible. Since then I’ve hosted a couple from Greece, a student from Germany, a traveler from Australia, and a traveler from Malaysia. Everyone has been extremely kind and grateful for being able to sleep on my floor (I borrowed a floor mat/bed from a friend).
The main reason why I really like Couchsurfing is being able to interact with and learn about people from different cultures. I also think it’s great because even if you don’t have the ability to travel, you can still reap some of the countless benefits of traveling by simply hosting people from around the world and getting to know them. The learning never ends when you integrate with other cultures- and sometimes there are false attitudes, perceptions, judgments and beliefs that will inevitably break down- some of which you may have never even realize existed. Couchsurfing (along with travel in general) not only pushes your physical comfort zones, but your mental ones as well. It’s all a process of becoming a more open, aware, and compassionate person.
Education in Korea
The education system here saddens me sometimes. I think many foreigners, and especially Korean students, would agree. To start, Korean society places an extremely high emphasis on education- much more so than the US. Here, everything builds up to getting a good CSAT score in high school and then getting into a good university, with the end purpose of securing a good job. Education is also a big status symbol- asking someone what university they attend is considered a little rude. People may feel ashamed if they go to a university that is not considered to be that good by Korean society.
To get into a good university, you need a good CSAT score (the Korean SAT). This score carries far more weight than an SAT though. Here, test scores and grades are everything. Sadly, this single test is a major determiner of how the rest of a Korean person’s life will play out. It is quite literally, life or death- it is not uncommon to hear about students committing suicide prior to the test or after they receive the results (more on suicide below). Starting at the elementary school level (and getting more intense with each progressing year), students are stressed, over-worked, depressed, and sleep deprived due to the insane pressure put on them to study hard, get good grades, and test well. The amount of time put into education and studying is equally insane- after public school ends, many students will then attend private school (“hagwons”) for hours upon hours- and it only accumulates as the years go on. For example, many high school students go to school at around 8 am and won’t leave until about 11 or 12 midnight! Or if they do leave school “early” (whenever that is), they will often attend hagwons until late at night. Students at all levels attend private classes year-round, even on weekends and during "vacation". In my opinion, these kids are being robbed of their youth- all for a number on a test.
Suicide and some history
South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. There are many reasons for this. Suicide here is most common among older people, but even for young people it is still a big issue. For young people, suicide is a combination of (but not limited to): school stress, pressure to get a good job, discrimination (racism is a big issue here in Korea, partially because Korea is not nearly as diverse as a place like the US), body image issues (I’ve already addressed the extreme beauty standard here), lack of sleep, bullying (also a big issue), and family issues (ex: parents abusing alcohol). According to a few sources, in 2012 suicide was the leading cause of death among people ages 9-24. This stat really stood out to me, but I should note that it’s slightly misleading because young people rarely drive, don’t drink underage, are generally healthy, there’s no drugs here, no guns, and Korea is overall a very safe country.
For the older generations, financial hardship is the primary cause of suicide. According to a few sources online, half of all the elderly in Korea lives in poverty. This is due to a combination of a weak pension system (introduced in 1988, it is strict in giving out money- only a fraction of the elderly are able to receive payments), lack of education among the elderly (they have to work undesirable jobs to get by), and changing societal/Confucian values. To elaborate on the last part, Confucian values instill a strong emphasis on family and caring for your elders (including financial care). As I've mentioned before though, Korea is (and has been) rapidly changing- particularly when it comes to the "old" vs "new" or "traditional" vs "modern" way of thinking/behaving. Nowadays, the traditional Confucian values are eroding away- younger generations are more independent, less family-oriented, and do not believe they should be required to completely take care of older family members. The lack of support from younger family members essentially results in elderly family members living in poverty and mostly alone. This is of course a recipe for depression and ultimately suicide. Strangely enough, suicide also occurs because elderly family members do not want to be a burden on the rest of the family.
I cannot imagine what these elderly generations are going through. They live in a radically different world from what they’ve grown up with. The rate of change they’ve seen in every aspect of their lives has been quite dramatic. I will briefly explain:
South Korea was extremely poor the entire decade after the end of the Korean War- their per capita GDP (this is a rough measure of individual wealth) in 1961 was $92 (converts to $719 in 2015). According to World Bank figures in 1961, Bangladesh’s per capita GDP at the time was $93. Sudan? $103. Kenya? $95. There are other countries that were lower than South Korea’s $92 at the time, but not many. In short, South Korea was among some of the poorest nations on the planet back in the day. Yet remarkably, over the course of roughly 50 years, Korea has rapidly developed into one of the richest countries in Asia with a 2013 per capita GDP of almost $26,000 (World Bank figure).
Imagine growing up in a dirt poor, rural, totally undeveloped third world country. Now imagine witnessing rapid industrial, technological, economic, and social change- to the point where there are now huge, bustling modern cities, smartphones and technology everywhere, excellent transportation, safety, food, etc.- everything you would expect in a normal first world country (for the most part). South Korea went from nothing to everything in the span of around half a lifetime. I would assume some of the elderly are very proud of how far their country has come- yet I would also guess that there are some older people out there who feel totally alienated in a Korea they hardly recognize (not to mention being mostly alone and struggling to get by). I’ll speculate and say that maybe this plays a role in the high suicide rate of older Koreans...
Sewol Ferry Disaster
April 16th marks the one year anniversary of the Sewol Ferry Disaster. I’m expecting to witness some tears that day. For those who don’t know, the Sewol Ferry Disaster was one of the worst tragedies in South Korean history. Last year on a school trip to Jeju (Korea’s Hawaii) a huge ferry capsized and resulted in the death of 304 people, around 250 of which were high school students. I won’t go into the details, but there was a massive amount of negligence by the entire crew, the captain (who abandoned the ship and left the students behind), and the “rescue effort” by the Korean Coast Guard. Many lives could have been saved that day.
Extra
I would like to reiterate once again how truly kind some Korean people are (although it might as well be people in general, because I’ve heard countless stories from travelers about the kindness of others). A few months ago I walked into a Korean “kimbap” shop (sort of like sushi, but not really). A random Korean man was there and upon seeing me, started talking to me in English and asking me all about my life. He invited me to sit down and eat with his wife. I gratefully accepted, and not only did he pay for my dinner, but he even ordered extra food for me to take home. My couch surfer from Germany missed the bus after a “temple stay” so a monk drove her 2 hours to where she had to go. Other friends have received loads of free stuff and free rides to where they are heading (to be honest, I think the fact that we’re foreigners may help a bit, but most people here are genuinely good-natured and extremely helpful). Sometimes after playing volleyball with a bunch of the teachers at school, we will all go out to dinner, drink (sometimes a lot, hah!), and maybe play some billiards. They are loads of fun, treat me like a good friend, and are of course very kind.
I am also friends with a Korean university student who is one of my closest friends here (if you’re reading this- you know who you are!!). He and his family are truly wonderful. I could go on forever about them. They feel like my second family. My home away from home! We’ve done loads of things together- going out to dinner, movies, hiking, or even just relaxing in their home. They are honestly some of the nicest, most good-spirited people I’ve ever met. I’m very happy to have them in my life.
Also, if anyone is interested in what daily life in Mokpo looks like, here is a nice fast-motion video.
Conclusion
Well that’s pretty much all I’ve got! I know some of you are wondering when you will see me again. No worries! I am going to come home for a little while after my contract finishes on August 20th, with plans to travel a little bit somewhere in the fall (not sure where or when). What a great time it will be to see everyone again! I will probably do one or maybe two more blog posts before my time ends here. I miss all of you, and thank you so much for those of you who have sent me cards. I have literally kept every single card I have received in my kitchen. I’m running out of space! I’ll take a picture of my collection at some point.
Love,
Andrew
PS: Special thanks to Victor Zhang, Courtney Lameman, my parents, and a few others for taking the photos below (I have a bad cellphone camera). There are captions if you click on or hover above some of the photos. Enjoy!
Hi everyone! My apologies for the long delay on this post- it’s taken some time for me to gather things worth mentioning (and I’ve procrastinated lately). Everything is going very well over here! I am alive, I am healthy, I am happy, and I am living my life!! This is going to be a pretty long post considering I haven’t updated things in a while. I've separated things into sections once again and there are some new photos below. Enjoy!