Day 215: The Top Ten: Best Of Korea - Part 2

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5) FOOD:

Considering what huge difficulty I had with adapting to the food when I first arrived, I never thought I would become such a huge fan of it. I love Korean food! It's amazingly delicious! It's the spiciest food that I've ever eaten in my life, but once you get used to it there's no turning back. Eating Korean food is not just for the taste and the flavors, but for the physical sensation of eating such spicy food. Your mouth literally burns sometimes and you feel like your tongue is going to explode, but that's what gives it that addictive kick. It keeps you coming back for more. And don't even get me started on kimchi! I can't get enough of that stuff! Korean food is very cheap and all meals always come with a variety of side dishes, meaning that no matter what you order there's always quite the sampling right there on your table. Being the non-red-meat eater that I am, it can sometimes be a bit tricky finding restaurants/meals that don't include beef or pork, but the meat-free dishes that I have had here have been incredible. Chumchi Kimchi Chigae may just quite possibly be my most favourite food in the whole world. Wow!

4) HISTORY & CULTURE:

For being such a tiny little corner of northeast Asia, Korea has such a long and fascinating history. Considering that its people have survived being invaded 3000 times in its history (that number is not an exaggeration, I kid you not) its amazing that Korea has survived at all over the centuries. The most recent piece of violence in its history - the Korean War - burned most of the South (and especially Seoul) to the ground, but again the people rose up and rebuilt their homeland. And somehow quite a lot of amazing little jewels of Korean history have survived despite all the wars and invasions, and these remarkable treasures are incredible to visit. Buddhist temples, royal palaces, old markets and city gates, Confucian shrines, and some really ecclectic little neighbourhoods are smattered throughout the country, just waiting to be discovered. History buffs like myself are in heaven, and even those who aren't will be more than impressed with Korea's historical remnants. And there's a million and one really cool cultural festivals to check out, being dedicated from kimchi to mud to green tea to masks to drums to Buddha to ceramics. Korea has a fascinating culture and history.

3) LIFESTYLE:

The life of an expat living overseas really, truly is The Shit. To be a foreigner living abroad has been an amazing, life-changing experience. I could spend hours writing pages upon pages of how incredible it has all been (both the good and the bad) and how my world has been changed forever, but even then I wouldn't truly be able to capture it all. Here, nothing is ever ordinary. Every single day is an adventure. The simplest of tasks can be thrilling or challenging or hilarious or endearing. My weekends have been like one natural high leading right to the next one. Life abroad is like LifePlus. It just feels like you're living *more*, if that makes any sense. You test yourself in ways you never imagined, and all your previous notions and concepts and ideologies of how the world is (and should) be run is completely shattered. For once it really is life outside the box. Hell, I'm so far outside my old box that I can't even see the walls anymore in the distance. To be able to experience day-to-day life in an environment completely different from the world you grew up in, and learn the things you learn, and experience the adventures you experience, and to meet the people you encounter, and to travel the voyages at your doorstep, it's all so brilliant. How will I ever be able to go back to NormalWorld after this?

2) THE PEOPLE YOU MEET:

Tying in with the lifestyle, are the people you meet along the way. You meet the most amazing variety of people (I'm talking foreigners here) who, like you, took the plunge and threw themselves into the chaos of Asia. You bond so so quickly with strangers here, and you become more outgoing than you ever imagined you'd be. You become the best of friends with people who's paths never ever would've crossed yours in a million years back home, and learn so much from them. Friendships here are fast and intense. People come into your world, usually only for a few months, you bond and you connect, and then you say goodbye to probably never see them again. It's one sad beautiful goodbye after another, but you feel really lucky just to have been touched by them. The best thing about the people you meet here is that they have this innate *understanding* of everything you feel and think regarding life as an Outsider here in Korea. Your bestest of friends back home will never ever really comprehend what this life is like, what it gives to you and what it takes out of you, but the people here do. You can see a stranger in the crowd, not even say a word, but one second of eye contact and you know that you're both on the same page. Most of the friends I'll make here I'll probably never see again once I leave Korea, but the ones I do stay in contact with will remain as cherished friends forever. We shared a uniquely intense and thrilling experience together and nothing else can compare to that.

1) THE KOREANS:

There are days here when the world seems to be against you, when you're grumpy and irritable and feeling frustrated and exhausted and just looking for a break and not getting one, and almost feel like you just wanna throw in the towel and say "Fuck it! I'm tired! This is too hard! I just can't take another minute of Korea" when all of a sudden you'll come across a Korean stranger who'll make your entire day. The Koreans are some of the nicest, friendliest, most curious and hospitable people that I have ever met in my life. Random people on the street will go out of their way to help you out. They're absolutely thrilled when you say even the shortest Korean phrase or can string together a basic sentence. They're always bending over backwards to make sure you feel welcome and comfortable. Complete strangers will come up to you and want to chat with you. Everywhere you go you feel like a virtual celebrity, with plenty of curious and fascinated stares, and every single Korean teenage girl wants to have their picture taken with you. And the children are the cutest, most adorable little kids that I have ever seen. They have the sweetest sparkle in their eye, and to get a hug from one of them can make your entire world. The Koreans have been wonderful hosts to me, and many days I feel more special and receive more attention than I feel like I deserve. Taxi drivers, ajimas in the markets, the girl at the check-out counter, the cluster of friendly boys at the mall, the groups of friends buying you drinks and dinner at the bars cause they wanna be your friend, the 15 year-old girls fauning over you and giggling incessantly just because you smiled at them, the random little kids running up and grabbing your leg, the strangers helping you on the street cause you looked lost, the people who don't speak a word of English but their smile says it all. These are the people who have made my experience so memorable. I will always remember the friendliness of the Korean people.

***Korea has been really amazing, and although it hasn't been an easy one, it truly has been the adventure of a lifetime! I'm so glad I decided to move here to teach English - that one moment and decision of bravery will reward me with a lifetime of incredible memories. Korea rocks, baby!***