It has been exactly 2 months since I left India and arrived in Busan. I have grown to really enjoy and love this city. Busan is like a hybrid of San Diego and New York with its laid back beach-like atmosphere mixed with a surge of energy from its residence. We live by this beach called Gwangali, a stretch of beach about one kilometer long with lots of hofs (bars/pubs), restaurants, coffee shops, and hotels on the boardwalk. The strip even has an amusement park on one end! (I hope to check it out this weekend). A typical week night would be playing Shithead (This really fun card game) and Gin on the beach with light ocean breezes. Not only does Busan has natrual beauty (oceans and mountains), it also has pockets of lively neighborhoods like Seomyeong with its norebongs (kareoke) and street eats. We usually hang out at these places with other foreign English teachers on the weekend.
One major challenge I'm facing is the language barrier with the locals. Koreans, at least in Busan, for the large part still don't speak English. This is very debilitating as normal social interactions we take for granted become extremely difficult. I've had to endure a similar situation when I immigrated from Taiwan to Canada almost 20 years ago. The only difference this time is that my brain has less capacity to absorb another language... boo :( However, I'm trying, perhaps not hard enough, to learn Korean. I can read basic Korean and understand simple phrases like "hello" and "thank you" (I know, it's not very much). Also, some Korean words resemble Chinese words so sometimes I try to comprehend that way too.
I forsee a couple of road blocks in my continuing stay in Korea and it will take some creativity and maybe sacrifices to keep this going but I will try my best. I will keep you posted as I find out more.
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Hey Wally, how long are planning to stay in Busan?
ReplyDeleteI hear you about language barrier as we have had similar experiences here in Japan. Actually, my wife thinks it is easier to learn Korean than Japanese - you should watch Korean dramas (or listen to K-Pop) like she did.
Anyway, you should check out BusanKevin's YouTube videos (http://www.youtube.com/BusanKevin), he is a Canadian currently living and teaching in Kobe, Japan, but used to live (and teach) in Busan for several years.
I saw a couple of pictures of those parts of Asia on facebook and I always wonder, not a single sing in English!
ReplyDeleteJust how do you get around if you can't speak or read the local language?
@ Bartman905: I've been searching for Korean soaps with english/chinese subtitle... the truth is I just don't have enough time to watch TV (especially I'm usually asleep during the day here). I hear F4 is a popular show.. maybe I'll get into that. :)
ReplyDelete@ Mezba: Foreigners can usually get around find because everything is also written in english... and chinese. The challenging part is socializing with the locals.