Is Korea a Modern
"Developed" Country?
Answer:
Kind of
. . .
Korea is
astoundingly modern in many ways - yet distressing
backward in others. But, to some degree, you can
probably say that about almost every country in the
world whether the issue is infrastructure or attitudes.
Let's take a look
at a few things:
Will you freeze
at school because they don't want to heat rooms until it is "cold"
to save money?
Yes, in some places.
Will you develop
a persistent cough in the winter from the use of
kerosene heaters in some schools?
You might.
Will you get
super hot because the kerosene heater doesn't always
have a thermostat?
Sometimes.
Will there be
disgustingly dirty and smelly "squatter" toilets at the karaoke (no rae
bang) joint where you go singing with your
friends?
Probably.
Will your school
on the fourth or fifth floor of the building have an
elevator to get there?
Often times no.
Can you find and buy the VERY latest
electronic gadget at a good price?
You bet!
Will almost every adult student know
how to give a Power Point presentation?
Probably!
Is it easy to
get a high-speed ADSL line to my apartment, or cable TV
with English programs?
It's probably already there!
Can you take a high-speed bullet
train from one end of the country to the other in only a
couple hours?
Easy!
Will a taxi take literally HOURS to
get across Seoul or Busan during rush hours?
Yes, especially if
you are in a hurry.
Aside
from Infrastructure? How about Attitudes?
Be mentally and
flexibly prepared for attitudes that seem quite out of
date such as men and women needing to fit into well-defined
roles, notions about races mixing being a bad idea and
even the ongoing hatred of Japan for offenses of more
than 60 years ago.
But yet,
Westerners often have ideas that astound Koreans as
well. And sometimes the Koreans are right. I
thought it quite nice that preschool teachers can hug their
kindergarten students. That female students could
come into my office at the university and close the door
- and no one would get accused of anything - and I
didn't even need a witness! Yes, Koreans have some
amazingly GOOD attitudes about keeping life simple and
wholesome.
Some of those
nice attitudes you may well adopt for yourself.
After a few years in Korea I learned to value and honor
my parents MUCH more than I had before. And I am
glad I learned that BEFORE they got old and passed away.
Thank you, Korea.
Oh yeah
- What about Crime?
If developed
country means big crime rate - then Korea is
undeveloped. That's great! The crime rate is
much lower and you will often feel okay about dark
streets in strange neighborhoods. You will see
young children out in the neighborhood in their pajamas.
How sweet!
That low rate of
crime is one of the best things about Korea.
The author left Busan for Seoul one weekend - a long
time back - and realized he didn't need the umbrella he
was carrying. So he left it in the public train
station - on a locker. Three days later when
returning . . . it was still there. Try that in
New York! Or London, or Sydney, or Johannesburg!
Of course, use
common sense and don't ask for trouble, but
you will be very pleasantly surprised.
Korea can be
wonderful, just expect your notions and ideas to be
rattled about a bit. But that is part of the fun
of living abroad!
|
"Twenty
years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do than by the
ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the
trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover." -- Mark Twain |
|
Raise your hand if you'd like to spend your "working"
time in a Luxury Resort . . . 
