Before I left for Seoul, I was almost in disbelief of travelling halfway around the world. Even within the moments in the Seoul International Airport, I couldn’t fully grasp the idea that I would be immersing myself into an whole another culture. South Korea seems like a distant place that I had only seen through K-dramas and a few K-pop music videos. However, I quickly adjusted because even in the country with so much history and tribulations, I was able to find some similarities to either the USA, the UK, or Nigeria. Some things that I realized that were quite similar how the younger generation acts at a collegiate level and importance of easy access to communication. For instance, in Seoul and Busan, we were able to meet a lot of Korean natives in the city and learn about the South Korean lifestyle in the perspective of youth our age. When talking to them, I was interesting that we were interested in all of the same things. Music, dancing, going to the movies, etc. were all shared attributes. And though there were some differences – like how most people hang out at bars and cafes and rarely people’s house, I left those cities knowing that people generally experienced the same lifestyle. In terms of the importance of communication, in the US and Korea, Wi-Fi is available almost everywhere. People are always on there phones walking around connecting the next free Wi-Fi service. Surprisingly, this connection is more stressed in Korea versus the States. After I was able to see the similarities to South Korea and adjusting to the initial shock of traveling so far, I was able to see Korea from a more realistic perspective. However, as soon as I found similarities in Korea, I also recognized the very different parts of the Korean culture, both socially and professionally.
South Korea is still a unique country and has a lot of differences to the Unite States’ ways. For example, The South Korean citizens are far more homogeneous and patriotic than Americans. From car colors to fashion, from a physical perspective, Korea have a united ambiance. This fairly differs from the vibrant sense of individualism in the States. Another social difference is the differences between the political perspectives of a liberal and a conservative. A conservative Korean is a Korean who appreciates the US’s involvement in political affairs and a liberal Korean feels that the United States’ current assistance in Korean political affairs is unnecessary. Korea also differs through their current reminder and appreciation for their past. From the incorporation of traditionally historical architecture in modern buildings to the several memorial or historical reservations in big cities, Korea has shown in several ways how they love their overcoming arch from their troubling past. In America, the opposite is true; the American citizens rarely acknowledge their problematic history of enslavement and stealing of land. Korea’s social differences has made appreciate the beauty of this country. From little things like appreciating nature to the various characteristics of a Korean that makes them distinctively unique, I have developed a stronger sense on why people worldwide love this country. From this study abroad opportunity, I have enhanced my global understanding of the social dynamics of South Korea and East Asian world.
In a professional sense, from all of the company visits and interacting with Korean professionals, I have also found some interesting professional differences between Americans and South Koreans. The most prominent of difference between the professional dynamics in South Korea and the United States is overshadowing sense of the bali bali or, hurry hurry, culture in work life and the strict hierarchy among workers in a company.
Bali bali culture has been ingrained into the South Korean’s work life for decades now. Historically speaking, after the Korean War and the devastation it brought the Korean community, South Korea was highly undeveloped and impoverish region. In order to combat this, several Koreans overworked themselves to become a financially and economically independent country. Methods such as overworking shifts allowed Korea to get to the financially prosperous place that it is today. However, because of this hurry hurry and overworking nature, South Korean have a tendency to push themselves into their work and struggle with a work and life balance, which is less of a case in the United States. Thankfully, in some newer generation industries, a shift is coming where there is a much more leniency and understanding for the interruption of life circumstances and a 9-5 day is more likely.
In terms of the strict hierarchy among workers in a company, it comes from the seemingly mandatory respect for elders in the Korean culture. Even if someone is one year older than you, you are expected to speak formally to them until they tell you otherwise. This social dynamic transcends into industry’s atmospheres in various examples. For instance, one employee at one of our company visits told us, if your higher up is staying late, you have to stay overtime as well because it is otherwise disrespectful to you elders. Another time, a guide at one of the companies stated that sometimes it is difficult for a better and younger expert to train an older man due to the social environment ingrained in the Korean way of life.
Despite all of these social and professional differences, with this program, I see Korea differently than when I initially left. It has been a truly outstanding experiences and I would love to return, for academic, social, or even professional purposes.