by Tracy Bee

Created on: August 30, 2008   Last Updated: May 21, 2009

Teaching English in South Korea is an amazing experience. Becoming immersed in a new culture not only teaches people about the world around them but it forces them to take an important look at themselves. My year in South Korea as an English teacher based in Seoul was not only incredible in itself, but it allowed to me to travel through Asia and beyond, really forcing my eyes wide open. Looking back on the experience, I am quite certain that had I chosen to teach in a different country, my experience may not have been nearly as enlightening. At first, I was tempted to teach in Japan, as that is where everyone I knew was going at the time. However, my decision to not follow the herd was the best one I have ever made.

I will admit, when I first moved to South Korea, I knew very little about the country. While people always hear quite a bit about Japan and China, South Korea has always maintained a relatively low international profile. It basically flies under everyone's radar. Most of my friends and family were shocked at the news that I was leaving to teach in a country about which I knew so little. Yet, here I am, having survived to tell my tale.

As I quickly discovered, South Korea is a vibrant and thriving country. I feel fortunate to have spent time there, immersed in its culture.

While I aimed at maintaining an open-mind about what was ahead for me, leaving behind all expectations was difficult. The one expectation I could not seem to shake was that life in South Korea would be less modern and less convenient than life at home. I didn't expect technology to be thriving. Rather, I associated technological abundance with Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and even parts of mainland China, but not with South Korea. I suppose this, again, is because I had such little information about South Korea. However, the fact of the matter is that I could not have been more wrong.

South Korea is more modern than I ever could have imagined it, even had I known more about it beforehand. Technology, and its rapid advancement, is clearly a way of life there. The height of Korea's advancement ultimately shocked me. Being able to text message on phones was a communication necessity in South Korea long before it ever caught on in Europe or North America. In fact, Korean phones had already merged with cameras and music players before North Americans had ever heard of such a thing. Essentially, there was little, if anything, I had to do without while living in Seoul. Actually, leaving

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