Korea Part I-Where is my box?

As part of my MBA program I recently spent a week in Korea as an exchange student.  I was both excited and nervous to be visiting one of the largest cities in the world.  I have a tendency to live within a box and global travel and experiencing cultures outside of my own are way beyond the walls of my box.  I also am not much of an experimenter when it comes to food and that box is even smaller and boarders on peculiar.  So when I arrived in Korea and was introduced to eating Kimchee while sitting on the floor without shoes my box was blown to smithereens and I was on the adventure of my life. 

  

Korea in August is hot and I mean sweltering as a descriptor does not do this heat justice.   It may not have been so bad but the air conditioning in buildings was either nonexistent or set on some conservation mode that only gave me the illusion of relief.  Where ever I went I was dripping in sweat while the Korean’s I was around seemed to be aware of the heat but tolerant and accepting of the discomfort. 

Up to this point in my life most of my knowledge about South Korea has come from growing up watching the television series M*A*S*H.   The popular TV series was about an American Mobile Army Surgical Hospital set in South Korea during what we officially called the Korean Conflict.  The actual conflict (US political term for war)  lasted three years while the TV series lasted 11 years and the final episode to this day ranks as the single most watched TV episode in US history. 

My first impression of Korea (after the heat) was how modern and Westernized it felt. Seoul is a bigger city than New York City and in many ways more efficient and impressive.  I thought all of the escalators and people movers were broken until I realized that they don’t operate until you actually step on them triggering a sensor that activates movement, brilliant.  WiFi connectivity was readily available and the speed was noticeably better than what I am accustomed to in the US. The built in technological efficiencies in Korea were obvious and utilitarian to a modern society.  It is no surprise the flagship businesses of their modern era are Samsung and LG.  We visited both companies and their operations and philosophies are quintessential Korean success stories.  Korea seems to have reinvented themselves by blending their traditional ancient culture with a modern postwar dedication to over achievement by out working the rest of the world and focusing on technology.   It worked, but mix in some air conditioning.  

I am not going to say I had issues with the food because I have issues with all food, but I just don’t get the tradition of taking off your shoes and eating on the floor.  Floors to me just aren’t clean and taking your shoes off doesn’t make them cleaner.  It became clear when I sat on the floor that I am not as limber as I used to be and I would get a cramp or my leg would fall asleep, I prefer chairs and shoes.  The food was actually good but I discovered I am not a Kimchee fan (no big surprise) however I did appreciate Koreans fanaticism for their beloved fermented spicy cabbage dish.   I did make the mistake of eating a bug from a vendor that apparently is considered a delicacy to Koreans, I was trying to get out of my box.  They called the bug a silk worm but I recognized it as a cicada, in case you are wondering it looked like a dried up cockroach and did not taste like chicken.  It tasted more like an old moldy sock.  The dish I survived on was Bulgogi which is a thinly sliced beef grilled or broiled and eaten with rice or added to soup.  It quickly became my go-to dish.  

We went to a Doosan Bears baseball game and it was like a pep-rally meeting a rock concert with some baseball being played in the background.  The excitement and crowd participation was electric but I could have done without the thunder sticks.  The fans cheered in unison constantly for their team.  The hometown Bears had a built in stage behind the first base dugout with an emcee that lead the cheers, chants, and general controlled chaos complete with cheerleader dancing girls and all.  The Korean teams are sponsored by corporations with their logos prominently displayed on their uniforms, I wonder how long it will be until we see that in the US. 

I was the most impressed with the Korean people.  The older generation was discipline and traditional in their manner while the younger generation seemed curious and in search of knowledge. This intellectual curiosity should come as no surprise because Koreans graduate 93% of their high school students (compared to 77% in the US) and their 15 year-olds rank second in the world in reading skills.  Regardless of age all the Koreans that I met went out of their way to share their culture and to help me assimilate.  I felt very comfortable while I was in Seoul and consider myself fortunate to have had the pleasure to make several new friends.  This country seems at a crossroads with their third postwar generation trying to find their identity and usher in a new era that builds on past success.  I am confident they will figure it out, my only advice is not to be afraid to step out of your box.  

  

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