Culture | Lala Warner
SONGDO
GYEONGJU
IF SOMEONE HAD TOLD
ME FOUR YEARS AGO that
my one year plan to live in
South Korea would turn into a
four year journey, I would have
laughed in their faces and perhaps I would have
thought twice about leaving my comfort zone
in South Africa. But four years later, here I am
in this country that I now call my home with
more experiences, lessons and memories gained
than I could have ever have imagined before.
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1. A Gyeongju sunset creates a
beautiful silhouette of the trees
on the hill.
2. The South Korean education
system is challenging. Students
face immense pressure to attain
good grades in order to get into
the top universities in Korea.
3. Jeju is not only an island full of
beautiful beaches but majestic
waterfalls as well.
Before moving to South Korea, I knew almost
nothing about the country. All I knew about
this place were the things I had read on Google
and now in retrospect, nothing I read could
have ever fully prepared me for what lay in
store. Seoul, K-pop, Soju, Korean drama and
Gangman style is how the internet portrays
South Korea. What you read on the internet
though and what one experiences when living
abroad are two entirely different things.
In my first year, I lived in the most conservative
and traditional city in Korea, glorious
Gyeongju also known as the City of Silla,
which used to be the capital city for over 1000
years. During my two years in Gyeongju I was
surrounded by tombs, temples, pagodas and
the rich history of this ancient city. Luxuries
such as bars, clubs and designer brand shops
were non existent. At the time I found it
challenging to adapt to such a simple way of
life. However, now that I look back, I am so
eternally grateful that I lived there and not
in a big city. Living in this quaint small town
fostered friendships that perhaps I would never
have had if I had been living in a big city. The
friendships are ones that I know I will have for
life. Another reason that I am grateful for my
time in Gyeongju is because it changed my
entire mindset towards traveling and exploring
Korea. I realised that I didn’t need to travel to
the big cities such as Seoul for excitement and
adventure and that in fact, the most interesting
places and experiences could be found in my
own city.
Last year, I decided to leave the City of Silla
and move to Incheon, due to new teaching
opportunities that had opened up in Songdo,
a brand new smart city built on reclaimed land
lying a mere 30 kilometers from the world
famous Incheon airport. Moving here has been
quite an adjustment and a huge contrast to
my life in Gyeongju. I have traded temples
and pagodas for skyscrapers and shopping
malls and visually, I feel as if I am permanently
overwhelmed all the time. The pace of city life
is so much faster here than it was in Gyeongju.
I am now very close to Seoul yet I have no
desire to spend my weekends in such an
overcrowded and chaotic city. I decided to set
myself a challenge when I moved to Incheon.
Issue 4, 2016 | The Travellist
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