By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Lalien Guillen
Photos = Lalien Guillen
March ix marked my 5th twelvemonth inwards Korea. It only seems similar yesterday since I arrived at Gimhae Airport, in addition to at ane time I'm halfway through a decade of living inwards Korea. Time flies thus fast. I await dorsum in addition to reverberate on how my life has changed over the years. I've listed 5 things close how Korea has changed my life.
1. Having in addition to beingness business office of a novel family
Family is a relationship. Like whatever sort of relationship, identify unit of measurement comes inwards many forms.
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| My husband, my parents-in-law in addition to my bother-in-law are all business office of my novel family. |
Meet my novel family. They're Korea! I'm rattling fortunate to have got my parents-in-law. Despite all the linguistic communication barriers in addition to cultural differences, they select me in addition to process me amongst zip but kindness in addition to generosity. Both of them welcomed me amongst warmth in addition to dear since twenty-four hours ane when I arrived inwards Korea. My mother in law is rattling patient amongst me in addition to she is e'er on my side. She has e'er yearned for a fille later on raising 2 sons all of her life, thus she said it was bliss when I came. My father-in-law must have got felt the same, every bit he e'er brings me something when he comes dwelling from work. He e'er has some chocolate or snacks for me. He also gives me an allowance from fourth dimension to time. He never forgets to give me presents on my birthday in addition to on Christmas. Sometimes, my hubby complains that his parents dear me to a greater extent than than they dear him, he who is their ain boy past times blood. I can’t assist but smile whenever he complains similar that. He also has ane older brother, in addition to my brother-in-law is every bit gentlemanly every bit ane could be.
I also institute a novel identify unit of measurement at my novel job. I started pedagogy at an English linguistic communication university inwards 2013. After almost 4 years, I'm even thus at the same academy. When you lot pass most of your fourth dimension inwards the twenty-four hours working amongst the same people over a long menstruation of time, you lot can’t assist but prepare a deep connecter amongst them. So it's non surprising that what was initially simply a working human relationship has turned into a family-like human relationship throughout the course of study of time. We chitchat close our lives every twenty-four hours inwards betwixt breaks in addition to nosotros sometimes hang out fifty-fifty on weekends.
Just earlier 2016 came to an end, I became business office of the squad of Korea.net honorary reporters, my newest extended family. I'm humbled in addition to overwhelmed to live business office of this huge family, amongst a lot of members from hither in addition to all over the world. We part the same passion in addition to dear for Korea. I actually await frontwards to knowing to a greater extent than close my swain honorary reporters in addition to to reckon us every bit ane stronger identify unit of measurement than nosotros are correct now.
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| The Korea.net honorary reporters all part the same passion in addition to dear for Korea. |
2. Learning a novel language
The belatedly Nelson Mandela ane time said, “If you lot verbalize to a homo inwards a linguistic communication he understands, that goes to his head. If you lot verbalize to him inwards his ain language, that goes to his heart.” I mean value that is the beauty of learning a novel language. Since I'm living inwards Korea, it's natural that I acquire the language. This is non only to brand living hither easier, but also to connect amongst people. I dear learning the Korean language. It's deeply embedded amongst culture. You tin post away select a peek into the Korean soul every bit you lot acquire their language. You tin post away reckon how much they honor their elders in addition to how they process someone younger or older than themselves. Respect is a virtue you lot tin post away imbibe land learning Korean.
In my Korean learning journey, I met a lot of wonderful people, both teachers in addition to swain linguistic communication learners. It's e'er skillful to acquire something novel each twenty-four hours in addition to it is improve to acquire when you lot are amongst an awesome grouping of people. It makes learning to a greater extent than fun in addition to memorable. In my case, I learned non only a novel language, but I also gained novel friends. I'm rattling much grateful for that.
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| Korean teachers in addition to linguistic communication learners stand upwards inwards forepart of the Gumi Catholic Center. |
3. Acquiring novel skills in addition to hobbies
While I'm learning Korean, I also savage inwards dear amongst Hangeul. I believe it is a masterpiece. It's scientific in addition to diverse. This is how I got into my novel hobby, Korean calligraphy. I simply started 3 months agone in addition to I dear every unmarried 2nd that I practise calligraphy. It's a beautifully relaxing hobby. I promise to acquire improve at it every bit fourth dimension goes by.
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| I'm learning how to write Korean calligraphy, which volition permit me to write Hangeul beautifully. |
Nonetheless, my biggest science achievement thus far is learning how to drive a car. It all started when I overcame my fearfulness of riding a bicycle. I had a bad autumn land learning how to ride a bicycled when I was a kid. So I never tried to ride a bike again. However, Korea changed that for me. All of those who dear watching Korean lather operas must have got seen a few wheel scenes. Korean TV shows have got this magic of turning wheel rides into a rattling romantic thing. From in addition to then on, I e'er wondered how it feels to ride a bicycle. So ane day, I challenged myself to acquire it, in addition to I did. It took me only 20 minutes!
Then I opted for a bigger challenge: driving! Trust me when I state that the Korean populace shipping organization is rattling convenient in addition to efficient. I'm actually a satisfied commuter in addition to I never saw the demand to drive inwards Korea. Also, I was scared of riding a wheel in addition to I never dreamed that I would live able to drive someday.
I'm glad I challenged myself to locomote out of my comfort zone. This challenge taught me that nosotros never actually know our ain strengths until nosotros create upwards one's hear to human face upwards our fears.
4. Experiencing a seasonal climate
It is no hole-and-corner that the Philippines is a tropical country. We only have got 2 seasons: a dry out in addition to hot flavour in addition to a moisture in addition to rainy season. So inwards Korea it was both exciting in addition to challenging for me to experience the 4 seasons that be inwards all temperate zones.
It was my commencement wintertime when I arrived inwards Korea. My commencement impression of wintertime wasn’t nice. It made me experience frustrated to reckon the trees thus bare. In the Philippines, where trees are greenish all twelvemonth round, I couldn’t phantom the persuasion of trees looking thus forlorn. On that day, I was thinking that 4 hours agone everything was green, in addition to at ane time trees don’t have got a unmarried leafage on them.
However, at ane time later on 5 winters, I'm used to it. As the seasons revolved, I learned many things in addition to I've discovered to a greater extent than close the beauty of each season. In Korea, in that location are many things to do inwards each season. Korea has it all! There are many wintertime activities to bask similar snowboarding, skiing in addition to sledding. The boundary in addition to autumn are best enjoyed when you lot locomote hiking or camping, because you lot tin post away appreciate the beauty of nature: the wonderful flowers inwards the boundary in addition to the colorful mountains inwards the autumn. Of course, in that location are many H2O activities inwards the summer.
Also, in that location are unlike kinds of foods associated amongst each season. I'm e'er excited to consume tasty fish cakes inwards the winter, sugariness strawberries inwards the spring, refreshing H2O ice desserts inwards the summertime in addition to juicy melons inwards the autumn.
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In the winter, you lot tin post away play inwards the snow. |
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Cherry blossoms come upwards out inwards the spring. |
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| The summertime has both sunflowers in addition to H2O ice desserts. |
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The autumn brings autumn foliage. |
Living inwards a temperate zone has given me many fun experiences in addition to also life lessons to learn. Such as, the seasons are never constant. They're e'er changing. Therefore nosotros have got to live flexible when alter comes to our lives. One day, our life tin post away live brilliant in addition to warm similar spring. The adjacent day, it tin post away live grayness in addition to mutual frigidity similar the winter. So it's of import to live resilient against the hot in addition to the mutual frigidity parts of our lives. I believe that each flavour changes us in addition to molds us into a stronger in addition to improve person.
5. Being exposed to a novel society
One of the many reasons that Korea fascinates me is how it tin post away hold its rich history in addition to traditions through to modern times. I read somewhere that history in addition to modernity run across inwards Korea. I fully agree. In Seoul, despite all of the modern buildings inside the city, you lot tin post away even thus discovery a lot of historical places, in addition to experience ancient traditions, similar wearing traditional Hanbok attire or drinking traditional teas. You tin post away fifty-fifty consume an entire repast that used to live alone served to the Joseon Rex in addition to to other imperial identify unit of measurement members dorsum a century or thus ago.
There aren't many countries inwards the footing that have got a long history dating dorsum thousands of years, similar Korea. It's genuinely fascinating that a lot of Korean traditions have got survived later on such a long time. I'm blessed to have got some first-hand experiences of celebrating some traditions that have got stood the exam of time.
One of them is the memorial ceremony in addition to the bowing to one's ancestors. This ceremony is observed on Korean Seollal Lunar New Year's, in addition to on Korean Chuseok Mid-Autumn Festival. Both ceremonies include ancestral rites. The ancestral rites are held differently for each family. Some families perform the ancestral rites only ane time a year, land others do it two, 3 or many times a year.
Before the memorial ceremony, a tabular array of fancy nutrient is laid up. Traditionally, the foods are cooked without garlic, chili pepper or whatever aromatic seasoning. It's believed that strongly-flavored dishes would chase away the spirits of the dead. Fruits in addition to vegetables are placed inwards the commencement 2 rows, land meats in addition to soups are pose inwards the 3rd in addition to 4th rows. Also, the heads of the fish, if fish is served, must betoken to the east. I'm non certain why, but that’s how the tabular array is set.
There are usually long strips of white newspaper amongst the names of deceased identify unit of measurement members written on them inwards traditional Chinese characters. Sometimes, pictures of the deceased are also placed on the table. One or 2 sticks of incense are also lit inwards forepart of the table.
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| The tabular array is laid amongst a lot of nutrient for the memorial ceremony in addition to for the ancestral rites. |
Each identify unit of measurement is different, but usually only the manly somebody identify unit of measurement members perform the bows in addition to other ancestral rites. The oldest manly somebody bows first, in addition to and then it proceeds downwards to the youngest boy.
The youngest manly somebody pours some liquor into a loving cup in addition to ane of his older manly somebody relatives holds the loving cup inwards a circular motion simply about the smoking incense. This older manly somebody in addition to then makes a bow ane or 2 times. Bowing 2 times is only done when commemorating the dead. Therefore, it's considered gravely rude to bow 2 times to whatever living person.
After each manly somebody has taken his plough to bow to the ancestors inwards forepart of the ceremonial tabular array of food, all of them bow altogether in addition to that ends the ceremony.
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| Males inwards the identify unit of measurement select turns to do bow to their ancestors. |
However, my father-in-law is a generous in addition to awesome person. He asked me to bow on my commencement Korean Chuseok Mid-Autumn Festival. I was actually glad to live able to pay my respects to my novel family's ancestors, in addition to it made me experience genuinely accepted at ane time into their family.
As I await dorsum on my 5 years hither inwards Korea, I can’t assist but experience deeply thankful in addition to honored. Living inwards Korea has opened my hear to a wider perspective on life. I tin post away state that I have got acquire wiser in addition to to a greater extent than skillful than before. I I've learned a novel language, experienced unlike ways of life, challenged myself in addition to -- most importantly -- my identify unit of measurement has acquire bigger.
I promise past times beingness a Korea.net honorary reporter, I tin post away somehow pay dorsum Korea for all the skillful things I've received in addition to am even thus continuing to enjoy. Korea has definitely changed my life over the past times 5 years, but they are the changes that brought out a improve version of myself. Thank you, Korea.
wisdom117@Korea.kr
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