Ashley: "I was treated kindly, but I was also prepared to understand certain things. I had heard complaints that Koreans were very rude to foreigners, but there is a cultural explanation for this. For instance, I waited in line to purchase my airport bus ticket in order to travel from the airport to my guesthouse but because the attendant saw that I was a foreigner and was ashamed of her English skills, she passed me over to someone else; granted I had to wait in line again util that attendant was free and I could easily see how that would upset someone. I finally purchased my money card and had already done my research on which bus to take and the location, when the bus driver turns me away because he doesn't speak English but I somehow convinced him that this was my bus and I needed to get to Myeongdong (it's a good thing because after waiting that long in line it was the last bus)!"
"Lots of Koreans will either want to randomly start a conversation with you take selfies with you and such or avoid you all together because they are simply ashamed of their English, that and if you are not used to it be prepared to get stared at. I'm used to stares, so it doesn't bother me but I have met other foreigners who simply dislike the attention."
P.A.R.C. Mag: What types of unusual food or drinks did you enjoy? Do you remember the name of some of the places where you dined?
Ashley: "August 4th, 2016 was officially my first day exploring S.K. I had decided to stay in Seoul for the month of August and had secured lodging in Myeongdong, famous for their Marketplace. I walked across the street to the nearest convenience store and was overwhelmed
by how foreign everything seemed. Hastily I grabbed two cans, I believed were soda, one had a picture of an orange, the other had a grape. As I proceed to consume the drink I started swallowing a sweet jelly-like substance! I was so shocked but now I have acquired a craving for it if I had only read the Hangul it stated that it was Jelly Soda! (hahaha) Apparently, after speaking to several Koreans about it and they were shocked to realize that it is not commonly sold in the U.S."
I have consumed meat on a stick thinking it was chicken and to my surprise, it was really spicy deep fried squid which I have been purposefully avoiding squid and octopus. Apparently, they use squid powder In many foods here. I think it's as popular as ketchup in the states."