If you've come this far, you're either really bored or you're really serious about going to Korea. Here follows some random, unrelated thoughts and opinions (so much for objectivity...) I have on life in Korea:

Ask Yourself "Why?" What is it you want to get out of your experience in Korea? Are you going just for the money, or do you want to actually learn something about the culture and society, the history, the people? Money is good to have, and you certainly can make a lot of it in Korea, but I would caution you that those who don't get out there and find out what Korea's all about are the ones who are most miserable and harbour resentful feelings towards Korea.

Watch Your Step! Crossing the street in Korea is always an adventure, as is walking on the narrow streets of your neighborhood. Drivers will not stop for you, they'll just honk to encourage you to move faster and get out of their way. Cars will pass you at speed only inches away from you. Crosswalks mean nothing! I personally think that they only put white paint on the roads to highlight the bloodstains...

Watch Your Step! (Redux) Koreans spit. Everywhere. You're also likely to find, on a Saturday morning (well, just about any morning, actually), the not-quite-fully-digested remnants of someone's dinner from the previous night splattered on the street or sidewalk - Technicolor curbside quiche, if you take my meaning.

Have an "Out": As I said at the beginning, going to Korea is risky. There is still a possibility that you will end up in a less-than-desireable situation, and you don't want to be stuck there. It's a good idea to have an alternative plan. Take extra cash or a credit card. If you know anyone in Korea, make sure you have their address and phone number before you leave. Hang onto that return ticket, and NEVER let your boss keep your passport. (That is, with the exception of leaving your passport with Korean Immigration when you get your E2 card.)

The Food: Don't be afraid to try new foods. Korean food is generally quite spicy; a lot of people who previously didn't like spicy foods end up developing a taste for it in Korea. Others don't like spicy food and just can't get used to it, and that's legitimate. But what really frosts me is the people who refuse to try new things just because "it looks funny". Well guess what pal? You're in Korea! YOU look funny! Also, the smells take some getting used to; sometimes, the worse it smells, the better it tastes! Keep in mind that some of the foods we eat are just as bizarre (if not revolting) in the eyes of other cultures. Give it a try (marischino cherries on a pizza, are you serious?), you might be surprised.

Not to mention how Koreans eat; for example, placing one plate/bowl of food/soup on a table for 4-5 people, each person eating from the same plate/bowl with their own choptsticks/spoons... the constant slurping and smacking and picking of teeth... depositing unchewable bits of gristle right on the tabletop... Gross, right? Well, it does take some getting used to, but you'll survive. Or, you'll just be very hungry.

Are you a vegetarian? There's a lot of meat in the Korean diet. In fact, meat is a very important part of the diet, and meat or meat by-products are in almost everything. Koreans also don't think of things like ham and pepperoni as "meat", so asking for "no meat, please" just might not be good enough. Vegetarians can survive quite well in Korea, but I've known a few vegetarians who just ended up "temporarily" suspending their strict vegetarian diet in favour of the odd meat dish (chicken, fish). One vegetarian friend of mine said that he has "...learned to ignore the clam floating in my soup if the situation requires some tact..." Instead of trying to explain that you are a "vegetarian" (which is a completely foreign - no pun intended - concept in Korea), try instead saying that you are a Bhuddist and can eat no animals or animal prodcuts, since THAT'S something that Koreans understand.

!!! WARNING!!! Korean cuisine contains quite a bit of fish and seafood. (It's a peninsula, what do you expect?) In fact, various parts of fish and seafood are often ground up and put into things you wouldn't expect (like kimchi). If you are allergic to seafood (or nuts, for that matter), be extremely careful, especially with soups. It would be wise to keep an epi-pen (?) with you at all times.

Uhhnn... Koreans eat dog, don't they? Yes, some Koreans do. It's almost exclusively a male thing, and its usually the older generation that partakes. It's technically a "restricted" activity, in that only certain restaurants are really allowed to prepare it. It's also quite expensive so you really don't have to worry about getting some "accidentally". As for any ethical/moral misgivings you may have about this practice, you'll have to work them out for yourself.

Animal "Rights": Do you like animals? Stay away from Korean zoos.

The Water: Fine for showering, cooking (if boiled), clothes and dishes, but for drinking? Stick with bottled water.

Drugs: If you use drugs at home, leave them there. Back home you might get a slap on the wrist, but Korean authorities take drug use very seriously. People who are caught using drugs in Korea are dealt with swiftly and harshly, and Korean prisons are not happy places to be. Last year the Korean police raided a bar in Busan, and any foreigner who did not have a passport or their ARC with them were held and had to undergo a urine/blood test to check for the presence of illegal drugs. Some tested positive, and were immediately arrested, jailed for 2 weeks, and subsequently fined and deported.

Getting "high" in Korea is extremely risky. Ask yourself if it's worth it.

Vaccinations: An ounce of prevention.... While in Korea you may well decide to travel to other parts of Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, the Philipines...), and there are some NASTY bugs out there. While a full load of shots generally isn't required for Korea alone, there are some things that you should be vaccinated against: Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A & B are the ones you *SHOULD* have for Korea. For other parts of Asia, you'd be wise to get a polio booster, a tetanus shot, and shots for diptheria and typhoid. Keep in mind that some of these vaccinations require a series of shots, and the entire series may take several months to complete. I had the entire spectrum of shots listed above done and it cost me about $250 (Cdn.) - money well spent, IMHO. (However, I have since discovered that the Hep. A&B shots can be gotten here in Korea, and it's a heckuva lot cheaper!)

Get Involved: "Get busy living, or get busy dying". Don't be afraid to try new and different things. Take up a new hobby, something that you might not have considered doing "back home", be it art, music, hiking, going to the gym, needlepoint, whatever. Try one of the Korean martial arts, or traditional Korean dance/music lessons. It may take some doing, but if you're determined, you will find someone more than happy to teach you!

Be Bold, Be Adventurous - Go Exploring! Take a day trip or an overnighter, get out there and see the country, and don't be afraid to travel by yourself! So many people first arrive in Korea and talk about how excited they are to be in such a far away land and how they can't wait to get to know the culture and experience everything, but what do they end up doing? They stay up all night drinking every weekend with a bunch of foreigners who bitch and gripe about Korea all night long, and/or chase private classes to fill up every spare waking hour they have. They may also be waiting for people to go with them on these little roadtrips, but no one wants to go the next day when they're hungover on soju and can barely talk because they smoked a pack-and-a-half of cheap Korean cigarettes the night before. That kind of thing has its time and place, but if you just want to drink good beer with your friends every weekend, you might as well just stay home. Far too many people are missing out on so much of the Korean experience in part because they don't have the courage to get out on their own, and in part because they're too busy hunting the almighty dollar. It's so much more fulfilling to get lost while trying to get somewhere, to find some obscure, not-well-known temple (memories of Busan), stop and chat with a monk, get invited to drink tea or eat dinner at a monastary, stroll around the side streets of some small village, hike up a hill, get asked to eat lunch and drink makkoli with Koreans by the side of a trail, get laughed at by the ajuma because you have your shirt off on a 35 degree afternoon, give pennies to adoring children, and find out what Korea is REALLY all about, because there's no other place like it!

(And in the process, you just might find out a little bit about yourself, too.)

Another good hobby for you would be to...

Learn Hangul: Something else I've already mentioned somewhere in these pages, but it's worth repeating. Even if you never become fluent or even marginally conversant in Korean, learning to read the language will help you in ways you can't even imagine - and it's EASY! Spend a couple of evenings/afternoons studying it and you'll be surprised at how fast you can pick it up. Most people get the basics in a few hours and within a few days are reading street signs, menus, and bus/subway schedules. Then you can get out there, baby, and explore the REAL Korea - and believe me, getting around in Korea is a snap. Once you make that first trip, you'll be hooked.

Make some Korean Friends: Your best friends back home were never so helpful and generous as a good Korean friend. They will go out of their way for you, above and beyond. If you want to explore some of the country, they will be ecstatic to go with you and help you around since many Koreans haven't seen very much of their own country either. If you need help with anything at all, your Korean friends will be there for you, night or day.

Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labours: Spend a little of your hard-earned money and spruce up your place. Too many people get hung up on sending as much money as possible home every month, keeping just enough to survive on until the next payday. Sure you'll probably have bills to pay back home, but don't be a Scrooge. Buy some artwork, get a comfortable chair, buy something to listen to music with, upgrade your VCR or TV, put up some curtains, get a throw-rug, pick up a nice piece of furniture, whatever! It makes being at home much more pleasant, and since you're going to be there for a year (or longer), it's worthwhile. You will more than likely be able to re-sell the big stuff, or just give it away. Think of it as "renting" it for a year; if whatever costs you 60,000 won, think of it as only 5,000 won per month to make your place more liveable and your home life more comfortable.

Get Outta Korea! Take a holiday to another country. Really, when will you get the opportunity to go to China one month, Thailand the next, and then take a weekend trip to Japan on a whim?

Mementos from Home: Yes, it's nice to bring pictures of your family and friends with you, there's no question about that. But having too many reminders of "home" around your place only reminds you that your home and loved ones are really far away, and this tends to cause unnecessary homesickness. Bring some along, sure, but don't cover the walls with them.

What Goes Around Comes Around: We've heard this before. Someone will do something nice for you, so pass it on to someone else. Even when it comes to material goods, a lot of foreigners share what they have by passing things around (books, videos, etc.) or by giving away things that they no longer need, especially before heading back home (small household goods, knick-knacks, whatever). "Pay It Forward", Korean-style.

"I HATE Korea!" Days: We all get them; those days where everything and everyone makes you want to scream. The crowded streets, the staring, the inconsiderate drivers, the maniacal bus rides, the smells... it all gets to you after a while, I'd be lying if I said it doesn't. Hey, that's all part of the ex-pat experience. The good thing is, in most cases, it's a passing thing, and in a day or two you'll be fine again. If you have to vent, vent! Call up a friend and talk (cry) it out, write a scathing post on a discussion forum, go for a jog, hit the gym, write a poem, climb a mountain and scream when you get to the top, do whatever it takes to get it our of your system. Anyone who's been in Korea longer than 6 months knows exactly what you're going through, and there will be no shortage of shoulders to lean on.

What to do When Things Get Tough: Often, the times of greatest difficulties are also the times when we make the greatest gains in knowledge and experience. How do you deal with adversity? Are you prepared to deal with the challenges and difficulties that you WILL face? Are you going to tough it out, or run back home? Make no mistake about it, Korea is going to push your limits. Will you push back, will you go with the flow, or allow yourself to be pushed away? Choose your battles and your plan actions carefully.

Thanks for visiting! I hope these pages have been helpful. Here are some more pictures if you're interested, and don't forget to send in some feedback. If you have any further, more specific questions, feel free to ask. Good luck, and annyeong haseyo!

Thanks again to "Captain Korea" for the help...

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