There's just really no way to cram it into a few photos or bullet points. Some things are "irreducably complex" - they can't be simplified past a certain point, and an atomist can't tell you anything about culture. Some things I learned by living elsewhere: People are not the same all over - so it's important to never lose sight of them as people. There's no such place as the greatest country in … [Read more...]

Korea has the world's highest fatality rate from automobile accidents. So even though the taxi driver may think you're casting doubt on his driving ability, apologize and buckle in. This is never more true than when you're riding in the infamous bullet-taxi - a long-distance taxi that goes as fast as the engine will allow. Personally, I really dig the subway (for getting all over the place … [Read more...]

There are important but easy things to learn about conducting yourself in Korea, if you plan to spend any time there. When it comes to older people, refer to them as ajimah (married woman) or ajishee (married man) or, for senior citizens, halmoni (grandmother) or halaboji (grandfather). Be polite, and give up your seat on the bus for the elderly. Never give something to or receive something from … [Read more...]

In the film Devil's Own, Harrison Ford's character is telling Brad Pitt's that there are houses in his Northeastern seaboard neighborhood that are more than 200 years old. Pitt responds that, in Ireland, their new ones are older than that. Korea is all about new construction, another product of Cold War politics, It was flattened during the Korean war. Prior to that it was called the Hermit … [Read more...]

The complexes can span dozens of buildings of dozens of stories. All concrete. Not everyone lives in apartments, but a lot of people do. Land is expensive - they're not making any more of it. Well... actually, they are - they just built a modern airport on land they built out into the sea. But houses aren't an efficient use of space, and are either very expensive or the hovels of the very poor. … [Read more...]

is another favorite activity. There's always something tucked away that's unexpected and worth the adventure.. The fun thing, too, is to seek out various districts in urban areas. Take a day and visit the antiques district. Take another day and visit one of the major university student districts, with its bookstores, communist coffee shops, and internationally-influenced food. Be sure and … [Read more...]

At least once you've got to visit NamDaeMun and DongDaeMun, and you can do it the same night. Those are the names of two of the ancient city gates of Seoul, but  visiting them means visiting the gigantic open-air markets on the one hand, and the vast malls on the other. Things open up for business around dark, and close down around 7am. Stay in a yeog-wan (a small inn), visit a ta-bang (tea shop) … [Read more...]

Basically, there are two approaches to living in Korea as an expatriate. One is to stick to the tourist districts (like the infamous Itaewon in Seoul) and eat at McDonalds. These designated areas have the benefits of: high prices, occasional crime, and a lot of drunken Westerners roaming about looking for a brawl or being basically obnoxious. But you will find a Burger King. The other approach … [Read more...]

Different. In amazing ways. I think perhaps the watershed moment in my adult life was living in another culture. Not just visiting, but living and working there, paying utility bills, renting, getting dental work. Going to work in the morning with everyone else. Getting haircuts. Buying kitchenware. Hailing cabs, riding the subway. The whole thing. I spent any time I could trying new coffee … [Read more...]

Korea is probably the single most wired country in the world. Its per capita broadband connections dwarf anything on the North American continent. Electronics are small, cutting edge, and ubiquitous. In downtown Seoul there's a giant plasma screen on the side of a skyscraper. Speaking of Seoul, it's smoggy but you'll never run out of things to do. Think of NYC without the crime. In Korea, there's … [Read more...]

There are a lot of misconceptions: for instance, sure, there is a strong confucianist tradition regarding age differences and ancestors. Buddhism is prevalent. But actually Protestant and Roman Catholic Christianity are the dominant religious trends. And there's a thriving presence of Orthodox all over the country. And some people eat dogs and live food, but young people eat a lot of pizza, … [Read more...]

You can find almost anything from this nation of entrepeneurs. You can get your watch battery replaced by a man in a cart passing by, enjoy noodles standing up, and walk away with a suitcase and a new leather coat, drinking coffee made on the spot. … [Read more...]

Every building is several stories. Throw a stone and bounce off two coffee shops, skip over an internet cafe, and land outside an upscale clothing store in the hand of a street vendor. Every urban area in Korea was unique, due to the prevalence of small businesses. In all the world, Walmart went bankrupt here.  But the density, the lights at night, and the people are common elements. Drop me … [Read more...]

And they wouldn't be wrong. The mountains and beaches are so accessible. If you've spent a lot of life cooped up in flat, landlocked states, this part of things can quickly come to feel like a long-awaited home. … [Read more...]