Things I Love about South Korea.

Disclaimer: Only the Boxer photo is mine this time around. The rest are googled and property of their respective photographers.

I've realized recently that I tend to focus solely upon negative things about my experiences here in South Korea and sometimes I'm liable to forget all the good things about living here. So I decided to make a list that I can look back on every time I feel down or need a mental pick-me-up.



1. ~ The Food ~

This is what the majority of foreigners (in my experience) praise when they come to Korea for a holiday or longer term. The selection is very different to what I'm used to at home where I cooked almost all my food as a student and used the oven religiously.

Here hardly any homes have ovens (only a hob and microwave.) so I've been ovenless for two years now. I do miss my oven, but it's been fun to find new ways to cook.

Korean food ranges from the DIY barbeque restaurants where you can grill your own pork or beef slices along with kimchi and garlic. Usually (depending upon location and cut of meat chosen) these meals can be as cheap as approximately 3 dollars.

Most 'traditional' Korean restaurant meals offer a massive range of side dishes that include different types of kimchi, pickled radishes, salads and seafood.

There is also a good selection of imported foods both in the supermarket and at fusion restaurants. Seoul has Japanese, Chinese, Italian and even Indian cuisine on offer.

Also the stall foods which can be purchased and eaten at the stall itself (so seconds and thirds are easily purchased on a running tab system.) are a fun way to snack during shopping - everything is very cheap and you can buy a big selection of foods from hot dogs to odeng (fish pancakes on sticks.)

I love korean food for the most part and it's interesting to experiment with new items from time to time. I recently tried soondae/sundae - which is intestines filled with a noodle mixture and even though I wasn't told what it was beforehand (Thanks Hwanni -_-) it was actually pretty yummy.



2. ~ Public Transport. ~

Back in England it costs five GBP just to get into a taxi. Here the price is much lower at around 3000won (about 1.50GBP) for a decent trip. Also the public transport system has just been refitted from buying paper tickets at the manned booths in each station or using T-money cards which had to be refilled at the same booths.

Now it is a fully automated system where you buy a card for around 1500won for the base journey and the 500won (about 25pence) is considered a deposit so you can get it refunded by another machine which you recycle your card in after passing through the stall to leave the platform. The queues are smaller and the whole system supports English,Chinese and Japanese users so it's very easy to do each morning on the way work.

The fares rarely go above 1700won even to travel for over an hour so it's very, very cheap. The stations are also immaculately clean and well sign posted in Korean and English.

I mainly use the subway, but the buses are also very easy to use and you can even use your T-money card to pay instead of loose change.



3. ~ Housing. ~

I live in a One-Room Tel (it's like a dormitory style, but with many advantages.) My rent is very low and the building is spotlessly clean. We have a laundry room and all the powder is free. I also don't have to pay water, gas, electricity or internet charges. I get free internet in my room and a television plus a mini-fridge, on-suite sink/toilet/shower combination and there is a communal kitchen with free rice and cutlery/bowls etc to share. We also have a roof for chilling out on and hanging laundry.

My room is very small, but I like it because it's cozy and it's also a fraction of the rent I paid whilst living in private accommodation in University.



4. ~ Service. ~

In England you can sometimes find free sample tables in supermarkets. However, as Quickstriker told me last night they are so numerous in places like E-Mart in Seoul there has even been a scene in a drama about a man feeding himself from free samples alone.

Service doesn't just extend to these freebies when you're food shopping. It is usually at the staffs' discretion to give complimentary extra food to diners or free items when larger amounts are purchased. For example when I bought my camera at Yongsan I-Park mall I got a free flash drive, cleaning cloths and protective cover for my main screen. After going back a second time to the same independant retailer to buy my lens they gave me a free filter and card reader.

Skin Food is another good example of a freebie bonanza. I've gotten samples for just walking through the door and come out after purchasing with sponges, coffee, green tea and in excess of 10 free sample packets.



5. ~ Snow. ~

I can remember a handful of times in the past when it snowed back in my native England. Here it always seems to snow for a period between December and January when the weather is freezing. It's lovely to walk about in when you're not in a hurry.



6. ~ Shopping. ~

I hate clothes shopping. I'm plus-sized here and it can be a bit of a pain finding things like jeans or t-shirts designed to fit girls with wider shoulders.

I do however, adore Myeongdong - it's a really trendy shopping district in central Seoul which caters to Japanese tourists, but isn't tacky like some other places.

I love visiting the small independant music stores in the subway station which stock old and rare merchandise. Also the Chinese quarter has many interesting imports.

I am a bookstore junkie, but I tend to go to the two massive Bandi & Lumi and Yoongpoong bookstores in Jonggak station to get my fix of literature.



7. ~ Concerts and Other Live Events. ~

It's a bit trickier for foreigners to get tickets for concerts and other live shows here, but I've managed to attend gigs for Super Junior, Big Bang, ASF (Asia Song Festival which a free yearly International song festival.) Younha, FTIsland, Epik High and a 2pm signing.

The prices aren't cheap, but the concerts are usually very well organized and fun to attend. Live music and performing arts are catered to mainly in certain areas of Seoul such as Hongik and Hyehwa which have a lot of students residing in them. These live shows are almost always free and showcase some unique talents out on the streets.



8. ~ Architecture. ~

South Korea is loaded with temples, shrines and other historical buildings of interest. It is often pleasant to go out into the countryside and see these places in a natural, peaceful setting.

However, you can just as easily attend guided tours of the Royal Palace in Hyehwa or City Hall. Koreans pride themselves on maintaining these sites and so the paint work is always beautifully vibrant.



9. ~ Hangul. ~

Hangul (The Korean alphabet system.) is very simple to learn to read, write and recognize. It took me less than two hours of tutoring from a friend to learn all the characters.

Most important places in Seoul and beyond have English/Korean signs - such as hospitals, tourist sites and the subway. However, it's always fun to try and read the signs in hangul (for me anyway.)




10. ~ eSports. ~

Personally, I've saved the best for last.

~ eSports has given me confidence in my abilities as a journalist and provoked a strong passion for photography.

~ eSports has introduced me to many wonderful, fun and insightful characters online (like my friends on Vent and IRC.) Plus it has given me offline friends who I truly value.

~ eSports has given me goals and gotten me through times here when I've wanted nothing more than to book the next plane home.

~~~

I've only touched on a few bases here, so if anyone else has any thoughts on this or other aspects to love about South Korea then please comment