Teaching in Busan: the culture shocks nobody warned me about
Claire Dubois3 min read34 views
Rated 4 out of 5
After two years in Tokyo, I thought moving to Korea would be easy. Both are East Asian countries, both have excellent public transport and a love of convenience stores. I was wrong. Korea surprised me in many ways during my first year teaching French and English at a private academy (hagwon) in Busan.
The speed of everything
In Japan, things are slow and careful. In Korea, everything is ppalli ppalli (quickly, quickly). Deliveries arrive within an hour. Restaurants serve your food in five minutes. My school changed my timetable twice in the first week, with one day's notice. At first this felt chaotic. Now I love how efficient daily life is.
Age and hierarchy
On my first day, three colleagues asked how old I was. In Japan, nobody asked. I learned that in Korea your age helps people decide how to speak to you and what level of politeness to use. It is not rude. Once I understood, I stopped taking it personally and started asking back.
Directness about appearance
A mother of one of my students told me I looked tired. A colleague commented that I had gained weight after the winter holidays. In France, this would be very rude. In Korea, it is often said with care, like a family member would. It still stings sometimes, but I understand it better now.
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