In Korea, 100 Days is a significant time marker. I believe it started “back in the day,” when there was a low mortality rate among babies and to protect them from disease they didn’t take them outside for 100 days. If they survived til then there was a celebration called Baek-il, a tradition some people still carry on today.

Couples have sort of adopted this same time marker, counting out their relationships in 100-day segments. I believe in the US, some regions of the country have adopted “First 100 Day Celebrations” as a tradition, as well.

SO, with a nod towards ancient traditions, I am earmarking My First 100 Days in Korea by listing out some of my top observations about my time here so far.

Note: If you’re new here, you might want to check out The One Where I Got Myself to South Korea and I’m Moving to South Korea  to understand why I’m here. 

What I Like Most About Living in Korea

  • The people. People have been helpful and kind and patient. They talk to me even when I try to convey that I can’t understand a word they’re saying, ha ha.
  • The never-ending list of events, activities, and celebrations. Most free! There is ALWAYS something new, fun, interesting to do.
  • Healthcare is efficient and inexpensive.
  • The architectural landscape is so diverse – traditional and modern, side-by-side. I love the mix of housing options on any one street, every one completely different from the next. I love the alleyways and twisty, winding backroads in most neighborhoods. You can be riding the bus passing modern stores, then older, run-down areas, then you go by a 600-year-old palace! I love the visual of it all.
  • Similar to the above, I love the signage. It’s like…neon chaos. Tos of signs smooshed together, all in language I can just barely read. I find this very visually appealing.
  • It’s not the United States. And this is not a slam on the US. I just wanted to experience something DIFFERENT before I died.
  • No tipping. This is a No Tipping culture.
  • Restaurant tables: 1) They have buzzers on them so when you’re ready to order/need something, you just press the buzzer…and there’s no annoying wait-staff stopping by to check on you while you eat, and 2) they have drawers in them with all the flatware (and by “all the,” I mean spoons and chopsticks) and napkins. So if you’re messy (like some people), you don’t need to ask for more napkins, they’re right there. 2) Some places have ordering tablets (like an ipad) on the table, so you order when you’re ready without waiting for a server.
  • Pre-paying at restaurants. You often ay when you order…so when you’re done eating, you can just leave. No waiting for the (WHERE IS THAT) waiter/waitress with the check.
  • Restaurants (for the most part) are extremely reasonably priced.
  • The convenience stores are Next Level. Pouch drinks, pre-ice-filled cups, SO many snacks, a million different drinks (just milk flavors alone is astounding). They run lots of BuyOneGetOne (1+1) and BuyTwoGetOne (2+1) sales, which are great opportunities to stock up on goodies and necessities. Many have outdoor seating areas, which is lovely. Like the Japanese Maple shaded veranda overlooking the lake at the EMart24 right next to the building where I live.
  • Safety – I feel safe everywhere I go, regardless of time. I’m not walking dark alleyways at 3am, but…even back home, if I was walking on a street AT ANY TIME, and the only other person I saw on the street was a man…there was always a bit of “keep your guard up” feeling. Get my keys in-between my fingers, put my cell phone in my hand with keypad open, be aware of his distance from me. I don’t feel that way here At All.
  • There are CCTVs EVERYWHERE. That might be a con to some people, but to me it feels like a pro. I think this is, in great part, what keeps street crime down.
  • The hustle and bustle and constant activity at all times of day and night. I LIKE the feeling of people busily living their lives all around me. I like hearing the sounds. I like feeling the energy.
  • Public transportation is really good. It’s everywhere, it’s fast, it’s on-time, it’s inexpensive.
  • Bus Stops are lovely places – often with heated benches in winter, air conditioners in summer, phone charging stations, and digital schedules to let you know exactly when your bus will arrive.
  • Coffee Shops: Korea’s coffee culture is Top Tier. There are ENDLESS coffee shops, both chains and individually-owned/operated. And one is cuter than the last. And they are all extremely welcoming to people sitting there for HOURS with a laptop or book or friends.
  • Which brings me to – there are so many types of meeting places. Coffee shops, karoake rooms, PCBgangs, convenience store dining areas (both inside and out), even “Love Motels,” for those looking for a little intimacy 🙂 In the states we call them No-Tell Motels and they’re always a little shady. Obviously also bars and clubs, but that’s not my scene.
  • Affordable rent – relative to the US, specifically NY/LA. Nice officetels (small studios in buildings with business lower floors and residential upper) can be had for $750 (US) and up. Caveat, they DO have large deposits – like most apartments in the $750-1000 price range are going to be 5-10,000,000won, which is about $4-8,000 (US), but that is fully refundable (by law) when you leave.
  • And goshiwons are a great low-price option. No deposit, no utilities, often no “length of time lease,” and reasonably priced. They range from very small/cheap, to a little larger/reasonable. Modern ones have private bathrooms but shared kitchen and laundry. It’s too bad no one is replicating something like this in US cities.

What I Like the Least About Living in Korea

  • While their internet might be the fastest in the world, that is only when you can connect to it. I have had more problems trying to connect to my data plan when outside an internet-infused indoor location. My phone just does not want to and I’m consistently stranded, stuck with no way to access maps or transportation. It’s not good. I don’t know if it’s them or me.
  • The sidewalks/walkways are out to kill you. I suppose ancient countries have ancient roads. These are the worst I’ve ever seen – uneven, many surface changes, loose pavers. I am constantly stumbling and tripping.
  • Paper products. Paper towels are like toilet paper (disintegrating at the mere mention of moisture) and toilet paper is like a wispy cloud, barely even there.
  • There are hardly any public trash cans on the street. If you get a drink from a shop, be prepared to carry the empty cup/container all the way home with you, because chances are you will not see a trash can anywhere.
  • They are Hard Core about their trash separation. It’s a little complicated and trash becomes pretty high maintenance.
  • ATMs are a little fickle. THIS time it will give you money, next time it won’t. Also, they’re not all open 24 hours.
  • No salt. Like anywhere. I haven’t even found normal salt at the market. And food is decidedly UN-salty, at least to my taste.
  • It seems like 95% (if not more) of the pre-made sandwiches at convenience stores have some type of egg on them: egg salad, thin layer of scrambled egg, sliced hard-boiled egg, etc. I have nothing against eggs, but I don’t want them on EVERYTHING.
  • The hills. And stairs. I realize that part of what I like about the geography of Korea is the hills…but MAN do I hate having to go up so many hills and stairs.
  • Speaking of hills and stairs, I REALLY miss having a car. Sometimes I can be put off from doing something because of the amount of walking I’m going to have to do just to get there. I would do a lot more if I could just drive there. And honestly, I’d be perfectly happy taking a taxi everywhere I go – yes, it’s more expensive than the bus or subwaay, but it’s MUCH less expensive than it was in NY, so I still feel like I’m getting a bargain. But while I would be fine taxiing everywhere, my activity buddies usually are not, so.
  • This is more of an observation than a “thing I don’t like,” cuz it personally doesn’t bother me, but there are a LOT of smokers in Seoul. Like, I haven’t seen so many people smoking since the 70s before “no smoking” rules started to be enforced everywhere. And they smoke in clusters right outside doorways so it’s very obvious how many people are smoking.

Some Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Came

  • That new hair-dryer I bought was not going to work here, even with the Korean ac-adaptor, because the voltage was wrong.  The US is 110-120V and Korea is 220V. And when you try to use an appliance with the incorrect voltage, you get a startling POP and a scary FLASH and then you have a dead hair dryer. If you’re buying new hair styling tools for your time here, wait til you get here to buy Korean made products.
  • Everyone speaks Korean. Ha. This seems obvious, but…I’d expected more English speakers out in the wild.
  • Many apartments are not available to foreigners, or, more specifically, foreigners on a Visa. It’s not anything against foreignors, but it’s sort of a long explanation, which I gave here.

Some Things I’d Been “Warned” About…That I Have Not Found to be The Case

  • “The whole city smells like kimchi.” Uhm. Nope. Not at all. I haven’t smelled kimchi anywhere, not on the street, not in restaurants, not even in the kimchi refrigerator in the building where I live.
  • “The whole city smells like a sewer.” Again, nope, not at all. I do remember one morning when I lived in Brooklyn, it was an especially hot day, and I could smell old urine wafting up from the sidewalk in the heat. But here? Seoul? Have not experienced anything even close to that.
  • The smog/fine dust. Maybe I wasn’t here for smog/fine dust season, but I’ve been here since August and have not experienced this at all. I always mean to check the “dust report,” to see if their reporting matches my experience. Maybe I’m just not noticing it, I *can* be a little oblivious to my surroundings.
  • “They’re going to stare at you because you’re a foreignor/fat.” Again, if people are staring at me, I’m not noticing it. Frankly, I don’t care if people stare at me. I mean, clearly, I DO look different than the people they typically see in their daily lives, so I get someone “looking.”
  • “GoogleMaps and Uber don’t work in Korea.” Uhh, yeah they do. Not in 100% of instances, but Google gives subway/bus directions, just not car/walking…and unless it’s late at night in a very remote area, Uber has always responded to my ride request. I *prefer* them because they’re all in English.

These are my observations of my first 100 days…they are just from my perspective, others may feel differently, and these are mostly opinion and not fact…so please don’t come at me if you’ve had a different experience. I am just sharing *my* experience.