Culture | Lala Warner
I would not be just another foreigner following
the crowd to Seoul to drink away my hard
earned cash on bottles of soju. Instead, I would
attempt to find more interesting and unusual
places to spend my weekends.
Korea possesses over 3000 islands – yes,
truly! – an unknown fact to most. Many of
these islands lie here in my city of Incheon.
As a result, I have spent the last year and a
half exploring as many of them as possible.
Spontaneous trips to the islands have become
a weekly occurrence and they have become my
escape from the chaos of everyday Korean life.
From having to walk kilometers in bikinis on
dirt roads due to the lack of transportation;
to sleeping under the stars on the beach due
to my poor ability to book accommodation
in advance; to getting lost on the hiking paths
only to discover the most incredible landscapes
once I reached the end; to getting shoved into
a van with a group of ajummas (a respectable
Korean term for married women or women
of marriage age) and attending their Sunday
church service; to stumbling upon a home for
the disabled and spending the entire weekend
volunteering in exchange for accommodation. I
really felt like these island experiences have truly
opened up my eyes to a whole different world
in Korea. A world that is so far removed from the
alcohol-infused, image-conscious, K-pop and
Korean drama culture that is portrayed on TV
and the internet.
It is hard to believe that I have been here as
long as I have and sometimes I think what
if I had just been like every other foreigner
and stayed for only a year? But then I am
reminded of the amazing network of people
that I have come to know and love in Korea,
the priceless life experiences and memories that
have been created during my time here and
most importantly, my restored sense of faith.
Faith that gave me courage to overcome many
obstacles and achieve things that I had never
imagined were possible before.
Living abroad in a country that is vastly different
to your own is something that everyone should
experience. Things that seemed so ordinary in
your own country become extraordinary in the
country that you find yourself in. You gain a
new outlook on life, one that is far more openminded and more accepting than the mindset
you had before you left. Living abroad teaches
you to deal with the most unexpected situations
without falling apart. You learn how to overcome
language barriers by communicating in more
creative ways. You learn the importance of what
truly matters in life and you learn to let go of the
things that aren’t. You learn to have respect for
people, for cultures and for beliefs that you had
never imagined before. And lastly, but perhaps
most importantly, living abroad teaches you to be
courageous and to find comfort in stepping out
of your comfort zone.
Issue 4, 2016 | The Travellist
39