I’ve had a few weeks to be able to get some distance and think clearly about my time in Korea. I moved to Seoul August 2019 so that only gave me a short time to experience what Korea was like without Covid. However, I do think that I got the gist of it and think I’m qualified to write a report card about how I viewed different aspects of life in Korea. I’ve written report cards about Thailand, Poland, Shanghai, and NZ.
https://bertbrandon.blogspot.com/2021/03/shanghai-report-card.html
https://bertbrandon.blogspot.com/2016/07/poland-report-card.html
https://bertbrandon.blogspot.com/2013/10/idid-report-card-for-thailand.html
https://bertbrandon.blogspot.com/2013/10/idid-report-card-for-thailand.html
Food: A-
Korean BBQ is what’s up.
Bibimbap is also great. I had my sashimi guy in a charming little market near my house. School lunches were solid. Kimchi grew on me; I like it spicy. Lots of fruit, seafood and convenience stores. I also feel like there was a bunch of food in Korea that I didn’t love and breakfast was basically zero. More all you can drink brunches and then we can talk about moving this up to an A.
Price: A-
I feel like living in Seoul was reasonable. My school paid for my apartment but even apartments in cooler parts of the city wouldn’t bankrupt you. Taxis aren't too crazy, metro is cheap, I have no idea what a phone plan costs because I went two years without data and a number but it has to be cheaper than in Canada. Drinking is expensive anywhere but trains and flights weren’t too bad and I found it easy to go a few days here and there without spending cash. No friends, girlfriends or travel is a real great way to keep costs low.
Location:
I guess that depends. If you want to explore Asia, it’s an A. If you are from somewhere far away and want to come home occasionally, it would be a C. Being close to North Korea is definitely not a plus but being close to Japan is (sort of). Let’s just give it a B.
Weather: B
Weather in Seoul isn’t that different from Ottawa weather. An Ottawa winter can be a tad more brutal and snowy but overall, the difference isn’t that great. It’s nice that Seoul has 4 seasons and 99% of the time it doesn't have snow. But there are lots of places for snowboarding towards the middle of the country.
People:
The fact that I have been giving a grade to people seems horrifying to me. How is someone supposed to grade an entire culture of people? This category has not aged well. I feel like Korean people:
1-Hate Japan
2-Love baseball
3-Have been greatly influence by the presence of America throughout their country
4-Love drinking
5-Are playful
6-Educated
7-Stressed out
8-High rate of suicide
9-Love to go to a coffee shop after a meal
10-Lots of plastic surgery
Safety: A+
You probably aren’t going to find too many safer countries than Korea. Great job.
Activities: B+
Snowboarding, biking, hiking, kayaking, surfing, fishing, losing a passport in a bamboo forest, dead tombs, palaces, markets, museums, cherry blossoms, jjimjilbang, K-pop, and other activities gives Korea a solid B+ for activities.
Transportation: A
Getting around Korea is not an issue. Trains actually run on time compared to Amtrak in America. Flights aren’t crazy expensive and Seoul metro has one of the most advanced metro systems in the world. It’s incredible that Korea can do so well at public transportation and Ottawa can do such a terrible job.
Beauty: B+
Lots of mountains and beaches. My one complaint would be that a lot of Korea looks pretty similar. Jeju is an exception but going from one place to another, the changes aren’t that drastic. Furthermore, almost all of the neighborhoods look almost exactly the same.
Nightlife: A-
Korea is a party. No doubt about that.
Environment: B+
Korea recycles but it’s a system that I still don’t fully understand. There are lots of garbage bins around and there isn’t trash everywhere so let’s say B+.
Overall quality of life: B+
I know that some Koreans dislike or even hate living in Korea. There’s a term that basically means Korean hell. Apparently, 75% of Koreans aged 19-34 want to leave Korea.
https://asiatimes.com/2019/12/75-of-young-want-to-escape-south-korean-hell/
Soaring housing prices, high competition in school and for jobs, as well as a growing animosity that young men feel towards women are some of the reasons why younger Koreans would like to move away.
If you want a more in-depth dive into this, watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s4CpxN4Otg&ab_channel=AsianBoss
Also, if you are interested in what life in Asia is like, just watch Asian Boss on YouTube. No need to move there for multiple years like someone we know.
Overall grade: B
(I'm aware that the real score should be B+ but you aren't in charge, ok?)
Korea is fine. It’s just like any place. I liked it for the biking, hiking, safety, and fast internet that enabled me to game far, far more than I should have. I was also a big fan of the heated floors and keypad to lock your front door instead of bringing a key every time you left the house. I didn’t love how far it is from home, the fact that Korean ladies ignored me for two years, the fact that Covid ruined a lot of regular life that made it tougher living there and the total stress that students have because of school. I’m glad I got the chance to live in Korea and I’m almost positive I think Korea is a better spot than Japan.
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