Trivial Details

There are so many big differences in the culture here; everyone expects you to have culture shock. Everybody looks different, the language is different, the food is different, they open doors differently, they dress differently....

Wait, back up. They open doors differently?

Yep.

There are door handles in Korea. There are automatic doors here, as well. But a good number of places that are hugely important to your survival (marts, restaurants, coffee shops), have this little gem:

It may not look like much, but it's a truly terrifying thing if you've never experienced it before. A flood of questions run through your mind: is it automatic? Is it locked? Is it biometrically coded for members-only? Or to electrocute foreigners??

Solution? Walk away. I don't need to eat that badly right now, and I'm pretty sure there are still some ketchup packets in the fridge leftover from the last teacher*.

You may think I am kidding, but when you're in a foreign country by yourself, a simple thing like not being able to open a door becomes a huge deal. However, common experiences like this can lead to great stories and even better friendships. A real life example is my friend Mandu.


Mandu had just moved to Gwangju two weeks before, and she came across one of these doorknobs (door buttons?). Many days she had walked past the restaurant, but one day she decided to be brave. She marched right up to the door, and tried waving her hand to open it.

Obviously, it did not work.

However, it did catch the attention of another expat who was in the cafe that poor Mandu was trying so pitifully to enter. This girl was a Gwangju veteran of two years, but she still remembered her first experience with those door buttons. So she came to the rescue of my friend, and after an awkward shared giggle, they became friends.

Now, don't think I'm making fun of Mandu, because I'm not. If I hadn't had Oni to show me how to work the blasted things, I would have eventually been waving my hand at a cafe door just like Mandu.

That's what has been the worst so far - the little things that I'm not expecting. I expected to miss my parents; I didn't expect my hot water to only work between 1 AM and noon. I expected a mild amount of terror due to the language barrier; I didn't expect to make the exact same mistakes here as I did back home (over committing, over working,  and over thinking everything).

So what's the point?  It's the small stuff that will get you. Every single time. The Devil is in the details. 

Nabi 

out. 


* a lot of times you are replacing another teacher who already lived here for a year or so - quite literally. You get their job, their classes, and a lot of times their apartment.... and sometimes their ketchup packets.