JEJU WEEKLY

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Perspectives from back homeFormer English teacher and Jeju Weekly contributor Daniel McNamee talks about his reverse culture shock
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When Westerners come to Korea they are inundated with things that are new and different. But what about when they get used to the way it is in Korea and then return to their homeland as so many do?

Some people experience what is referred to as reverse culture shock. It can be such a shock that it takes months to recover and they even feel the need to return to Asia since they have embraced a local culture so thoroughly. For others it is a complete relief to be rid of the culture they have had to put up with for so long.

For me, perhaps as for most, the result was in between, with a little more relief than regret upon my return. What surprised me was how much Koreans actually have it better than North Americans and how much I would miss.

I enjoyed and got very used to the relative safety of Korean society. I never once felt unsafe in Jeju but in North America, cities have “pockets” that people avoid. It is a bad reflection on North American culture that crime is so prevalent.

I have to also talk about prices as part of the differences. Some things cost a lot more in the West and other things are a lot cheaper. Some of the price differences have a direct link to Korean culture, because those things which are cheaper in Korea are those things that are commonly purchased in Korea and those things not used by Koreans in general tend to be far more expensive in Korea.

For the most part I have to say that I am happier at home because I like to eat butter and cream and potatoes as well as other non-Korean foods which I paid a lot for or simply couldn’t buy in Jeju.

As well, each person will have some specific things that they personally miss from Korea. For me it was the Jimjilbang (a Korean sauna). The first time I went golfing outside Korea I distinctly missed the Jimjilbang and the sauna culture that would have refreshed me so much. It is one of those things which I most enjoyed about Korean culture.

It doesn’t end there, either. Like everyone, I do not particularly like to tip. I do not appreciate being asked if I want my change. I like getting good service for the simple reason that the server wants to do a good job. That is another ‘shock’ that I had forgotten about from back home.

On the whole though, I am very happy to be back and my ‘culture shock’ has been pretty slight. I’m more shocked at how good things are for me here than anything else.

The other day I ordered a pizza. It doesn’t sound like much, but I never knew my address in Korea nor could I speak Korean well enough to do that in Korea.

I also like being treated like everyone else. It was a little fun, for a while, to be treated like a foreigner. For the long term I wouldn’t be able to put up with people seizing up when they look at me or staring, or having to go through the government-sanctioned biased “foreigner passport” section every time I travel. And I can criticize the government of Korea now since I’m no longer an E2 visa holder. Previously I would have been restricted in those things which I could say politically.

Korea’s closed society makes things a little awkward for foreigners and because foreigners are pretty new to the country I don’t think the Korean people have quite grasped the way some of their actions and rules are perceived by foreigners. There is a lot of “us versus them” in Korea, as evidenced by the school children who can’t hold themselves back from shouting “Heelllloooo” when you walk by them. Although most of it is pretty benign and harmless it is still there and it made me feel like an outsider.

I’m happy to be able to fit in again, though I’ll miss a lot from good old Korea. For those people who are only in Korea for a limited amount of time, just remember to enjoy it while your there, because you might be surprised by what you end up missing.

¨Ï Jeju Weekly 2009 (http://www.jejuweekly.com)
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