By Spencer de Tenley, Multimedia Managing Editor
When initially choosing a location to study abroad, I had only two criteria: It must not be in Europe, and it must be in a city. While these criteria might not appear to be incredibly limiting since most American students who study abroad go to Europe, these constraints would significantly slim my options, but after learning about Sogang University’s exchange student program in Seoul, South Korea, I was sold.
Now living in Seoul, South Korea for the last three months, my time has been well spent traveling around the peninsula, making friends from across the globe and drinking lots of Soju. All in all, my experience has been excellent thus far, but that’s not to say there haven’t been some culture shocks along the way.
Banchan (반찬): South Korea is the side dish holy grail of the world. At almost every restaurant, you can usually expect three to six smaller side dishes called banchan on the table for everyone to enjoy. While the most famous banchan, kimchi, is provided just about every time, the rest of these dishes are seemingly random and vary depending on where you are and what day you go. The banchan is always fun and delicious as it caters heavily to a more communal and friendly meal-eating experience, but be prepared to clash chopsticks when you and a friend both reach for the last kimchi.
Elevator courtesy (or lack thereof): After watching the elevator doors close right in my face while motioning for the riders to keep it open for a second longer so I could join, I found this rude, but after it happened the second, third, fourth time, I realized this is just the norm. When Koreans are in an elevator, they have places to go and thus will push the “door close” button the second they get in. Along with a sense of urgency with the elevator door procedure, it is not uncommon to have people reaching every which direction to push the button corresponding with their floor. Granted, this may be due to a supposed language barrier, but, even if a dozen of us are packed like sardines in an elevator, someone will always snake their arm through to push their button door.
Public transportation: Not to beat a dead horse, but the public transportation is genuinely remarkable. Every major city in South Korea has an easy-to-navigate and extensive public transportation network. Everywhere in South Korea relies on a T-money card, which you can use when getting on and off any bus or train. I can’t even overstate how convenient this is as it makes getting anywhere super easy and efficient. Often, even taking public transportation is faster than driving or taking a taxi due to traffic. No more calling an Uber to get home from a fun night out; simply hop on the night bus for the equivalent of a dollar and you are home in no time.
CCTV and safety: Cameras exist just about everywhere in South Korea. At first, these cameras, colloquially called “CCTV,” might seem unnerving, but once you get used to them, they are almost reassuring. The CCTV and the social norm of not stealing make Korea feel very safe. Due to this culture, leaving your credit cards, passports, or anything else crucial out in public is almost worry-free. You can be guaranteed that it is precisely where you left it when you return even days later.
These culture shocks, though, in no way diminish the amount of culture, fun and adventure that South Korea has to offer. Even after being here for a quarter of a year, I have barely scratched the surface of Seoul’s almost 10 million-person megacity and even less so of South Korea.