— I’ll never forget my first week in Hyehwa. I was jet-lagged, lost near the Marronnier Park, and desperately trying to call my landlord. My international roaming plan had just died, and the local convenience store clerk stared at me blankly when I asked for a “phone number.” I ended up paying 50,000 won for … Read more
I still remember my first week in Songdo. I was fresh off the plane, jet-lagged, and convinced I could just wave down a bus like I did back home in Chicago. I stood at the stop, arm raised, smiling like an idiot as the bus driver stared through me, then pulled away. It wasn’t until … Read more
It was 2 AM, and I was hunched over in a convenience store in Seomyeon, clutching my stomach. The ajumma behind the counter took one look at me, handed me a bottle of water, and pointed toward the glowing red cross sign down the street. I walked into the emergency room, my brain scrambling to … Read more
I still remember my first week in Hyehwa. I was staring at a Korean real estate app, convinced I had accidentally opened a math exam. Jeonse? Wolse? A deposit of 50,000,000 KRW that I get back? A monthly rent that’s actually low but requires a “key money” deposit of 10 million? I felt like an … Read more
— I remember my first trip to a Korean mega-mart near Kyungsung Univ. I walked in for a box of cereal and a bottle of wine. I walked out 45 minutes later, confused, broke, and holding a bag of frozen dumplings I had no idea how to cook. The sheer chaos of the layout, the … Read more
I remember my first month in Pyeongtaek. I was broke, bored, and staring at the ceiling of my one-room, wondering if my barista skills from back home could actually pay for my ramen addiction. Everyone said “just get a job at the base,” but nobody told me that the real money was hiding in plain … Read more
It’s 2 AM in Dunsan, and I’m lying on a towel on my floor, sweat pooling in my belly button. My AC unit is set to 18°C (65°F), but it’s blowing warm air because the compressor is struggling against the 35°C (95°F) outside. I got here in March, thinking I was clever. By July, I … Read more
I remember my first month in Daejeon, Dunsan. I was working at a small academy, and my boss casually mentioned, “We don’t pay for the first week of training.” I nodded, smiled, and went home to panic. I didn’t know my rights, and I was terrified of losing my E-2 visa sponsorship. That fear is … Read more
I remember my first month in Bundang, staring at the receipt from Homeplus and feeling my soul leave my body. I had paid 18,000 won for what I thought was a “budget” grocery run, and all I had to show for it was a sad bag of grapes, some overpriced imported cheese, and a single … Read more
I remember my first trip to the Gangnam Immigration Office. I felt like I was in a beautifully organized, high-tech version of a zombie apocalypse. I had my passport sweaty in one hand, a folder of photocopies in the other, and absolutely no idea which floor I was supposed to be on. I stood in … Read more