There are many reasons why I love Korea, and, very sparingly, there are moments when I can see myself living here permanently. Oh, and then there's *reluctant smirk*... reasons like above why I couldn't live here.
Here's what I can remember of what I "like/love" and "put up with/hate" about Korea:
- Like: being able to go for a walk/run even at midnight and not stress too much about being attacked.
If anything, I feel confident in beating up a lotta Koreans XD Seriously though, I even see little kids walking around til 10pm on there own -- I don't condone this, but just elaborating on how much safer it is in Korea than say, oh~, LA. - Dislike: wondering if I'll run into drunk Koreans because it's a Saturday night and people of all ages go partying, sadly.
- Like: four seasons -- I thought it's funny how we were taught that trees change color in fall, snow falls in winter, flowers bloom in spring, and the sun shines in summer 'cause it's summer about 90% of the time in SoCal^^;
- Dislike: weather changes so quickly and drastically. Winter is super cold while summer is super hot and humid. Spring is amazing, but short. Autumn is pretty, but can get pretty chilly (only in comparison to the super hot summer preceding it).
- Like: Koreans are friendly. You'll run into amazing people grocery shopping, hiking, walking to work, etc. They are open to conversation, willing to take you out for coffee, hold onto your bag on the bus (if you're standing and it seems you're having trouble carrying your heavy bag or have a lot of other things to hold. The nice thing is that you don't expect them to steal your stuff like I would if it was LA :P)
- Dislike: Koreans are unfriendly. You'll also run into those who are grumpy for life and will find any reason not to like you. Oh, you're a foreigner, you're a girl, you have eyes, you speak English, etc. Some people who seem friendly are really this latter type. They're only nice to you because they want to get something from you, but once you've fulfilled your purpose they show their true selves.
- Like: Public transportation -- you can get pretty much anywhere you need to using buses, trains, subway, and taxis. It's reliable and cheap(er than the states)! There are flat-screen LCD TVs on all the buses that travel between provinces.
- Dislike: Korean people don't know how to drive. Sure, they are way better reverse park-ers than I'll ever be, but they can.not.drive.
- Like: Things are cheaper in Korea. Taxes are built into the cost when you pay for things, and there's no tipping!
- Dislike: Since the standard of living is lower in Korea, minimum wage is super low, too. I always try to purchase my groceries like fruits and vegetables from the halmunees on the street to help support the local people (though they must likely commuted from the country side to get here).
- Like: Bathroom stalls have no huge cracks where it's possible to peep on others >.<
- Dislike: It seems that all Korean bathrooms smell the same. Okay, that's not true, but it ranges between smelling like wet mold, gross cleaning supplies, urine, smoke, or a strange combination of these smells.
There are plenty more things to write, but I'll leave it for another time. Let's just say the above list is my love hate list of Korea #1.
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