Culture Shock Is A Bitch

So, it finally happened. The novelty of South Korea has worn off and the reality of my situation is finally sinking in. Can I last one year in this place. So far I've only made it for half a week, and I'm already feeling overwhelmed with everything that is going on. I can't read Korean yet, the letters just aren't sinking in. Words I hear, even when I know what they mean, I can't repeat because as soon as I hear them I forget what they were. It's like the language as a whole goes in one ear and out the other without leaving any breadcrumbs I can follow.

And then there is the food. I'm thankful I brought plenty of granola bars and oatmeal. I went out and bought a pan to boil water so I could eat my oatmeal for breakfast, a comfort that may seem trivial but that is actually far from it. I don't know the names of any of the foods here except Kim Chi and Kim Bop. My policy is that I will eat any food, but it's hard to do so when you don't know how to order anything that isn't in a major chain restaurant. McDonald's is the same everywhere, if only I actually liked McDonald's that might be a compliment; same thing for Burger King. However, they do have instant hamburgers in the Family Marts, which are better than expected.

The edible thing that brings me the most comfort is the beer, wherever you go the beer tastes almost the same. Alcohol is alcohol, no matter how you wrap it up, what kind of bottle it comes out of it or even how strong or weak it is. I found a stout in Korea, and it was surprisingly 1,000 cheaper than any comparable beer of the same size.

I think that once I start working some of this will start to fade away, and I will start to have a settling feeling.