The Heart and Soul of Seoul

Throughout the trip, I've had several opportunities to talk to locals, observe cultural differences, and, overall, learn Korean culture from their point of view in more detail. I'd like to share a compilations of interactions I've had that taught me a lot about the differences and similarities in culture between the US and South Korea. The first interaction I'd like to share is during my first time trying jokbal which is a Korean dish consisting of pig's trotters that's usually shared by several people. We had dinner at a jokbal restaurant near our hotel in Busan. I've never had Korean jokbal before, so I was excited to try it for the first time in Busan. During our dinner, we sat next to a group of older men. They noticed we were foreigners and helped us order our food, speak to the waitress, taught us to drink soju before eating the meat and greens together, and casually conversed with us throughout the night. Something I won't forget is when they helped us open the soju bottle. When we thanked them, one man pointed at themselves and said, "Busan man". Later on, we asked on of our professors what this means, and he said it referred to a macho/tough guy from Busan. This was interesting to me because I now wonder if there were these types of descriptions in the US. From what I could think of, sometimes we have stereotypes about people who live in certain states. For example, when I think of someone who lives in California, I think of a social media influencer. When I think of someone who lives in New York, I think of a blunt and no-nonsense person. I feel that the "Busan Man" is similar to the stereotypes that we have for different people who live in different states. I thought this was a cool and interesting comparison.

Another story I'd like to share is when I finally got the visit Myeong-dong. Myeong-dong is famously known as the shopping and fashion district of Seoul. It is probably one of my favorite spots I've visited during this trip; but, not because of its fashion reputation, but because of the food stalls they put up at night. I love food stalls because I feel that the soul and authenticity of a culture's food lies in the local street vendors. During my food, spree, I was surprised to hear my language (Tagalog) nearly the whole night, whether it be from the crowd of people or from the vendors who learned Tagalog to be able to cater to the apparent high population of Filipinos in Seoul. I previously learned about immigration in South Korea from class, but it was interesting to see for myself just how many Filipinos are living here, to the point where our language is learned by street vendors. I knew that this was sort of a way to rope us into buying their products, but I just found it so interesting that I did end up buying their product. Seoul is on of the most diverse places in South Korea, so it makes sense for marketing strategies to be tailored towards foreigners. It is also very interesting to compare the diversity with Busan which is not very high. In addition, I've also noticed that tourist attractions in Jeonju were filled with a majority of South Koreans. The difference in population makeup of the crowds in all three of these cities, as well as the geographical location aspect of culture in South Korea, is incredibly interesting. There is so much to learn and experience here, I am very grateful for this educational opportunity.