Most of the time I was in Korea I wanted to leave. The city didn’t appeal to any of my five senses…
The winter air felt like ice-covered pins were piercing my skin. Every item of clothing I packed in my suitcase never seemed enough to keep me warm.
The lay-out of the buildings were a sight for sore eyes. Everywhere was so congested with concrete and people. Every block had the same collection of shops. If it wasn’t for the huge church next to our apartment I would have never found my way home.
Apart from the temples, the architecture was fairly bland because most of the city had been bombed by North Korea in the 1950s, so the buildings were built quickly in great quantities.
The smell was hideous. As I walked along the streets the foul smell of sewage wafted up from the drains offending my nostrils.
The food was spicy and although I did enjoy my first Korean BBQ, I soon discovered that every dish I tried in Korea pretty much tasted the same. They would serve the same dishes in every restaurant using the same red chilli paste, sesame oil and side servings of kim chi and other root vegetables. I did manage to discover a few hidden restaurants that were not known by tourists that offered a bit of variety, but these were few and far between.
Every day I was woken by the sound of car alarms, sirens and people shouting or honking their horns. For some reason Koreans seem angry most of the time. The way they shout at each other, the road rage, the pushing, the shoving.
But of course, now that I’ve left there are things that I miss about my time in Korea. It has nothing to do with the city itself, more of moments that I experienced there. Hearing the Brazillian couple conversing in their romantic language. “Ai amore” was my favourite, meaning “my love.” Although I was told by my housemate Shaun one of the things Brazillian guys like to say to their women in Portugese translates to be a compliment on having a big vagina.
I miss Alena from Czech Republic. She was like having a little sister. We would go to the gym and play squash, explore markets and sit in our room chatting about love and life. She was an excellent latin dancer as well and the joy that she got from dancing in the living room was priceless.
Then there was Shaun. Larger than life, outrageously hilarious, heart of an angel, Shaun. He brought a lot of laughter and joy into the house, and also a lot of controversy. I loved the silly antics we got up to on our late-night chat roulette sessions... a video chat program that connects you to random people from all over the world. The crazy day we had at a Korean theme park, Everland was unforgettable. It was the worst theme park I've ever been to - most of the best rides were shut down and the Koreans would push into us if we got in their way, but with Shaun there it was a laugh a minute!
But all things must come to an end and I was quite happy to leave when the opportunity came up. My friend from Sydney, Paul had a stopover to Seoul for a night on his way to Berlin so I happily took the trip with him. I met some great people but the journey must continue to move forward.
