"I Go Back"

I'm back in the good ol' ROK and am ready to ROCK!

Yes, I indeed re-signed my contract for another year (but at this point it's only going to be another 10 months as I completed the remaining 2 months this summer before I went home).  

No, I don't have plans after next June. I'm playing it by ear for now - we shall see!

It was great being home though, the fresh air was just what I needed - well, that, and seeing my family and friends! (and buying new clothes as nothing I owned fit me anymore from losing over 30lbs! - (insert happy face here for being healthy and for getting new clothing!)

Not a whole lot is different being back here after a month. My school apparently re-tiled their floors. It actually looks clean now! The students used to mop the old ones every day but they seemed to be just rubbing in the dirt that has accumulated over the years. Another change was that they turned our staff cafeteria (also known as the Science Lab) into a technology classroom. We just were moved to a room down the hall where we can eat instead - this time without the possibility of eating off a table that was just used for an experiment with chemicals and/or dissected members of the animal kingdom....

A big thing I have noticed that is different from the past month in the U.S. can be summed up in a single word: Humidity.

Some of you will say "Gee, it's been awfully hot and humid in the U.S. this summer" -- trust me, you have no clue what you're talking about. Last summer when I arrived in Korea I thought it was unbearably humid. I had never experienced humidity that badly -- until now. I'm am thankful though that it hasn't been as hot as it was in the U.S.  I seem to recall that temps were in the high 90's and 100's, while here, it was merely in the mid to high 80's.

Yet, everyone always says "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" - which is soooo true. The humidity seems to lock in the heat and let it dangle above your head all day. Honestly, there is no point in taking a shower in the morning because by the time I get to work, I'm already dripping wet. I should just bring some shampoo on my commute. They call Korea the "Land of the Morning Calm" - they should change it to something like "The Land of the Absurd Humidity" or "The Land of Sweaty Foreigners". At least you know what to expect in the summer.

It seems a lot of other foreign teachers re-signed their contracts and we all went back home around the same time. We've all been talking about the differences of being home in comparison to Korea.

Here is a top 10 of what I have noticed about being home to America after living over a year in Korea:

1. Size: Everything is bigger - the people, food portions, cars, homes and apartments.

2. Cost: Many things are more expensive: transportation, dining, entertainment

3. Public transportation: It sucks in the States and is impossible to really get around without a car. I missed not being able to jump on the subway (across from my apartment) or take a dirt cheap taxi.

4. Style: Some people really dress inappropriately in America -  women with a lot of cleavage, fat men with hairy arms in tank tops.... Koreans in contrast are pretty conservative with how they dress (except for the ladies in short skirts) - but at least the majority have amazing legs*!

 vs

(*completely unfair comparison of style and body shape!)

5. Language: My English speaking ability has suffered over the past year. Over vacation I noticed I spoke like an idiot only using very basic vocabulary and leaving out particles.

6. Comfort: Having personal space rocks! I hate dodging people (and cars), but also like not being cut off by adjuma's while waiting in line. Also, just working in the US is more comfortable than Korea. The hours are better, the vacations are longer, and the stress is less - at least compared to Koreans I know who are not teachers and sometimes work 10+ hour days, get 5 days of vacation time a year, and are expected to come to work sick unless they are hospitalized.

7. Customer service: American businesses/employees really don't make the effort like they do in Korea. Here I always get service with a smile and a helping hand as businesses are hungry for your money. The folks at your local stores will always say "Let me know if you need help" but we all know you're just going to say "I'm just browsing" anyways.

8. E-Mart vs. Wal-Mart: This kind of goes with #7 but it was just something I noticed. At E-Mart in Korea, employees are nicely dressed, professional, and focus on service, but at Wal-Mart, employees dress like slobs, aren't very professional, and are more concerned about their break time than you. However, both stores are similar in the fact that only a handful of their employees can speak English.

9. Silence: America is a lot quieter than Korea. We don't honk our car horns every 10 seconds, we don't yell in the subways or on the streets trying to sell you crap you don't need. There are simply less people per square mile and it is very noticeable. I traveled to Boston and thought "this is it?" I used to be intimidated to take the subway and walk around downtown because I thought it was a bustling city - now I am unimpressed and Boston seems very small and quaint.

Boston:

Population: 645,169 

Area: 89.63 sq mi

Seoul: 

Population: 10,464,051 

Area: 233.7 sq mi

Note: Even in comparison to the Greater Boston area, it doesn't compare:

Greater Boston has an area of 947 /sq. mi (4 times larger than Seoul) but only a population of 4.5 million.

10. Diversity: Korea is very homogeneous. It might sound racist, but it is pretty much true. Most Asians look alike. Skin tones, black hair, similar clothing styles (school uniforms and a dress code for hair styles don't help much) similar builds. People just seem to blend in. Americans are very diverse - we all seem to stand out apart from one another. It's nice - but here, it's also nice to be the minority and stand out from the herd - just stop staring at me!