“So have you had that ‘holy cow I’m in Korea’ moment yet?”

This is something I’ve been asked, in some way, multiple times over the course of my first weeks here, and the answer has always been “Uhhhh….no, not really.” At least not in the sense people have in mind when they when they ask this question.

Why haven’t I felt this classic expat teacher sentiment? — I’ve spent the past couple of days trying to figure it out, and I have a theory.

Part 1: Long-Distance Illusions of Difference
To give you an idea of what I mean, let’s take an extreme case: Paris syndrome. This “disorder,” which particularly affects Japanese tourists, is essentially a mental breakdown because Paris is not everything the person had expected/imagined it to be. Paris syndrome is perhaps half hokum (who knows how mentally unstable these people were to begin with), but the fact that it “exists” to the degree that the BBC will report on it is nuts.

I mention Paris syndrome not just because I find it amusing, but also because I think everyone experiences this kind of thing to some degree. From afar, foreign countries get packaged into neat little boxes of facts and stereotypes, and it’s easier than one would think to be affected. For example, I started watching Korean dramas before I left to get a sense of the language and the culture. I remember it took longer than I would have anticipated for me to explicitly think: Plot absurdities aside, I really have no idea how much of this reflects reality and how much of this is exaggerated. I stopped watching Korean dramas for awhile.

Gyeongbokgung Palace in South Korea.

When one actually arrives in another country — or at least in another first world, modernized country — oftentimes things don’t feel that different. When it comes to my experience in South Korea, I like to say that yes, of course there are lots of differences, and it’s not like those things escape my notice, but on a surface level, it feels really normal, like how I’d expect to feel if I moved to another US city instead of another country.

TL;DR — One expects things to be big ‘D’ DIFFERENT, and then they’re just small ‘d’ different.

Part 2: My Particular “Normalized” Experience
Since most teachers seem to feel this, “Wow, I’m in Korea” thing, this part is probably the more important one, but it’s also not as interesting. Including studying abroad in college, this is my fourth time living abroad for a month or longer, and this is the first time that being abroad has felt like a continuation of my normal life instead of a big period of change.

Public subway system in South Korea.

Here are the mundane reasons:
– I have a working smart phone
– I have easy access to wi-fi
– I have easy access to awesome public transportation
– I have my own living space
– I have a paying job
– I’m here for a somewhat undefined period of time
– I have friends here other than my coworkers
– I can continue hobbies like dancing
As a result, things feel pretty normal; I don’t have to truly change any of my daily living habits, I just have to adapt them.

All of this is not to say that Korea is not that different; it’s just that, on the surface, my everyday experience does not feel as different as one might think. I’m still in the honeymoon period of my time in Korea, and already I feel the differences coming to the surface, both the small ones and the deeper ones. I’m excited to encounter them.

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