The kind of nervousness where your heart beats abnormally faster as though you took one too many shots of espresso in your morning coffee at Caribou. Or the kind where your palms palpitate as if you were meeting a cute date for the first time. The type of anxiety that causes restlessness the night before Christmas and all you want to do is just catch ONE glimpse of Santa Claus to see if he really is real. The type where food has lost its appeal and you would rather turn to chocolate and coffee, because let's be real folks.... that is what a true diet should consist of anyway.
I know this is an adventure, and I know the process of moving comes with hiccups of anxiety, nervousness, bouts of insanity here and there, late nights of packing, and don't forget... all the crammed hang-out sessions. This adventure of packing up and moving across the seas into the unknown has finally caught up with me.... I'm stressed and I'm going bonkers. I swear, if I keep looking at my suitcases, I will keep purging and re-packing and will end up going to South Korea with the clothes on my back. Therefore, my final solution has been to pick out 2 outfits for my duration of American living; the rest has been stuffed and packed away into my closet.... for good [at least until I leave].
As I've been doing the physical preparations of moving to South Korea, I've also been doing reading and researching [nerd alert] on South Korean customs, traditions, social quirks, and ways of living in a foreign country as a Westerner and I have to say: I'm in for the long haul.
1. Eat kimchi- Kimchi makes everything better!
Feeling blue? Eat kimchi! Have a cold? Eat kimchi! Nasty stomach bug where nothing stays down? Eat kimchi! Seriously, Koreans eat 40lbs of kimchi per person annually. But, it has been named the "World's Healthiest Food," according to Health magazine.
Now, I've always hated cabbage but I made it work while living in Kenya, so why the heck not in my kimchi? Here's to healthy year of eating kimchi with a smile on my face.
2. Cover your ta-tas.
I'm a bit worried about Korean fashion. Koreans are very concerned with how well women are covered from the waist up, but apparently there isn't much concern for the bottom half. Skirts are allowed to run short [sans workplace] but you better have your shoulders and the mini-ladies covered up. Perhaps I shall bring the turtleneck back in style?
3. Korean's don't sweat it.... literally.
Apparently Koreans don't sweat like many of us Westerners do and because of this, they find no logic in putting anti-perspirant in their deodorant. However, I do understand that many of them smell like garlic and onion.... must be all that kimchi. So in preparation for my sweaty days ahead, I've loaded up on 5 sticks of my favorite Degree scents and I'm ready to face the humidity that comes so nicely with their monsoon season.
4. Raining cats and dogs.
Korea has four lovely seasons, one of them being monsoon season. Hello umbrella! I'm tempted to pack an umbrella, but I've read many stories where umbrellas are given as gifts, so I'm banking on the chance someone will politely gift me with one upon arrival. If not, I'm adequately prepared thanks to my experience with a particular MN monsoon a few years back that resulted in a soaked white t-shirt, wet moccasins, and an abandoned bicycle.
5. Goodbye claustrophobia, hello new best friends.
I hate being in crowded spaces, germs, and the likelihood of brushing up against people... aka "The Great MN Get-Together." Why am I going to Korea? To conquer all of those fears. Sometimes I find myself too comfortable as an American, and I feel the need to switch things up, live a little more freely, and let my hair down. Hopefully by living in a heavily populated city with people that have no social boundaries [women will touch your thigh or hold hands with you], I'm bound to come home a little more relaxed.
6. No more tumble.... dry, that is.
Koreans wash their clothes with a machine [some are monsters, I hear] and afterwards they will hang dry or put them on racks. I did read that laundry services do have dryers and it is fairly affordable to drop your laundry off. It will most definitely be an adventure in washing my clothes for the first time.
7. Coffee= buzz kill.
Koreans don't adhere to the proper measurements of coffee grounds:water ratio and in result, you end up buying more cups of coffee to get the caffeine kick. In my years of drinking coffee here in America, I've realized I've had to gradually add cups of coffee to my day to get the caffeine effects, so I switched over to espresso. Have no fear, I visited my local Caribou store to stock on plentiful until I find the secrets of coffee in my new homeland.
8. Mirror, Mirror.
I've read (and heard) many stories about how seriously Koreans approach vanity. Here in America, we find plastic surgery as a privilege or elective and while the concept of plastic surgery is as vain as it is in SE Asia, Koreans take it one step further by gifting their children with plastic surgery to give them an edge to the job market. If you aren't "beautiful" in Korea, good luck finding a job. Koreans prize vanity and they value it so much that there is a plastic surgery clinic on every corner (should have gone with Starbucks), and 1 in 5 Korean women end up having plastic surgery. My mind is completely boggled by this and I have some serious self-esteem building to do before I leave.
9. K-Pop!
I am excited to embark in the realms of Korean music and their fascination with guy/girl bands such as Super Junior and Girls Generation. I've read many stories that if you can learn to appreciate the cheesiness of K-pop music (and you can dance), you will get along with fellow Koreans and your students. Hopefully in return, I will introduce them to NKOTB, Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC :)
10. Beef: It's 'what's for dinner'
All aboard the meat train! Gag. I am not much of a meat-eater because of the taste/texture/health reasons but I will/do eat meat if it is considered respectful to the culture. I am plenty grateful though that there are plenty of fish options, and I'm hoping to stick with mainly veggies/rice combos. Good thing I packed plenty of Cliff bars and oatmeal to last me the first month of my journey. God bless 'Merica.
As you can see, I have plenty of culture shock to get me through the first couple of months in South Korea. Send your positive vibes frequently friends, as I will need them! I know that with any move or cross-cultural experience, I just need to stay positive and slowly adapt. I also know that I'm fully capable of adapting and finding my laid-back personality, but it all happens in due time. Good things come to those who wait.
For now, I will just 'smile and eat my damn kimchi.'
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