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I’ve been living in Seoul for over a month now and a lot of people have asked me how it’s been.
The short answer: Korea’s been amazing.
If you know me, you know I’m a simple person. I like to gym. I like to read. And I love podcasts. Outside these activities, I don’t do a whole lot…
So when I say Korea’s been great, it’s not because I’ve seen or done anything particularly special (though there have been some fun things), but it’s because it’s never been easier for me to enjoy my favorite activities.
On every corner of every street, there are cool cafes. Within a 30 minute commute, I have access to five climbing gyms and a 24/7 lifting gym. Everywhere I go it’s safe and clean. And, of course, I’m surrounded by endless Korean food.
It’s hard to imagine a better place to be right now.
Adjusting to life in Seoul has been a lot easier compared to my other abroad experiences - in Japan and Chile. I think this is partly because I’m better at handling novelty and uncertainty now than when I was in college.
I also think having prior cultural familiarity played a big role. Because although I’ve never lived in Seoul before, everything feels so familiar. The language. The people. The food.
It’s a weird but cool experience.
The one thing I’ve become more aware of while living in Korea is just how American I am. Even in brief interactions with english-speaking Koreans, it’s obvious to me how foreign my mentality is.
And especially given the learnings and experiences in recent years, I’ve never valued independent thought, honesty/transparency, and the strength of the individual so much in my life.
Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge I’ll face - specifically as someone trying to better understand Korean culture - is finding ways to navigate Korea while being sensitive to and respectful of the social and cultural norms.
In regards to my positive experience in Korea so far, I realize it’s heavily colored by my American perspective.
The saddest thing about living in Seoul is that a lot of the English-speaking Koreans I’ve met - that have spent any time abroad - want to leave the country.
It’s hard not to feel the heaviness of Korean society weighing on their souls.
With that said, I’ve been surprised by the handful of young, kind, and ambitious Koreans I’ve met within the startup ecosystem. It really feels like there’s a lot of energy in the ecosystem that needs more outlets to be released. (Some things I’m excited to invest more time into.)
The best part about my first month in Seoul has been gaining assurance that I made the right move.
In recent weeks, a lot of people have asked me why I moved here. At this point, I have a few talking points to help satisfy their curiosity. But the real answer is that it just felt like the right thing to do.
There’s still a lot of uncertainty about what the future holds, but having finally done the thing I’d long been contemplating and having assurance that it was the right move is so cool :)
