But, coming from the U.S. with no idea of what to expect here other than Samsung, Hyundai, Kia and Daewoo and LG (Life is Good) I'm not sure what I exactly expected. My friend kept saying, "There are these granite hills everywhere, Fred!" I didn't really know what to make of that either.
So, after flying during the day both back an forth from Jeju Island during the last 4 days I think I understand South Korea better than before. The people take great pride in everything they do. If there are homeless people here I never saw even one. I only saw one man drunk but he was likely employed and just tying one on because he had a day or two off. I tried white wine last night in Jeju which is about 1/2 as much alcohol as a beer and is sort of cloudy like milk but tastes okay to me. When I picked the baby up to take it upstairs from the barbeque to the hotel room I almost tripped over the lighted barbeque range so I was grateful I saw it before there was a problem for the baby or me. So, rice wine even though 1/2 the alcohol of beer you still have to be careful of it.
The interesting thing for me about South Korea is that there is literally nowhere there is tillable land that they aren't either growing something or there is a building of some kind there. This has to be seen to be believed because except for Jeju Island this is true of all of Korea that I saw except where there are golf courses or granite mountains covered with trees where people don't usually live that much on top of. So, all tillable land either has houses or high rises or food is growing there and even inside houses or apartments or walking through a subway there are grow lights and more food growing so it is almost unbelievable how industrious these people are in regard to growing food, and good food at that likely more healthy than most grown in the U.S.
So, coming here for someone from America is sort of mind blowing on multiple fronts. So, still after 10 days or more being here I'm still somewhere between a state of awe and a state of shock of everything I'm experiencing. I've learned a lot and I suppose now I'm ready for the reverse culture shock which is always much worse than going to someplace new.
Culture shock: Reverse culture shock
Reverse Culture Shock (a.k.a. "Re-entry Shock", or "own culture shock") may take place — returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one can produce the same ef…
More at Wikipedia
Reverse Culture Shock - StudentsAbroad.com - Study Abroad ...
Just as culture shock can differ greatly from person to person, reverse culture shock
is just as personal of an experience. Upon return to the United States,
you may find many things are different from how you left them.
Reverse Culture Shock Definition | Investopedia
DEFINITION of 'Reverse Culture Shock' The shock
suffered by some people when they return home after a number of years
overseas. This can result in unexpected difficulty in readjusting to the
culture and values of the home country, now that the previously familiar has become unfamiliar.
Dealing with reverse culture shock - CNN.com
Many long-term volunteers who return from abroad feel reverse culture shock; Coming back and readjusting to life at home can be harder than going overseas
Can You Survive Reverse Culture Shock? - Vagabondish
Everybody knows about experiencing culture shock when you visit a country with different customs, cuisine or language. But sometimes the worst culture shock of all comes when you return home.
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