Fil-Am in Japan: Experiencing a Identity Crisis while Lost in Translation

We might've come across this at least in one point in our lives, you know, that crossroads of "Am I Pilipino or American?" Now imagine throwing a third element at that crossroads something like, say... living abroad where The Namesake meets Lost in Translation? Heaven knows that there are fellow Fil-Ams who can relate: interestingly enough, I became more aware of UniPro thanks to our editor's entry about experiences with her Fil-Am identity as she taught in northwestern Thailand. Reading Ryann's bit had me recall a pivotal event in my life: my senior year of high school in Japan.

In a nutshell, I chose to make the most out of my final year of high school by choosing study abroad. While my parents would've loved to have me study in the Philippines, I wanted to go outside familiarity and to be able to experience a different country, culture, and lifestyle that wasn't completely related to my ethnicity nor my nationality. And so I spent senior year at Hokkaido International School (HIS) in Sapporo. And it was within a few weeks into my time at HIS came that particular revelation from a Pinay friend and classmate, when she gave me a certain revelation:

"You're not Filipino."

While I've struggled with this identity crisis before, I've never had it so bluntly laid out in front of me that night, more so in Japan and not in the US or in the Philippines as what Ryan Songalia experienced! I vividly remember the confusion I had as I walked down the cold winter streets of Sapporo in tears, the Kanji of the signs that I passed seemed just as incomprehensible as the emotions and thoughts I had. Until then I thought I embraced my heritage, I believed that I could proudly call myself a Pilipino. However, I didn't realize it immediately that night but I eventually grew to appreciate such an epiphany.

During the weekends, I would hang out with Pilipino friends who were scholars in the graduate programs at Hokkaido University or Hokudai for short. Admittedly, it was a challenge at times when they would speak in Tagalog but it allowed me to immerse myself in a language that I typically would only hear whenever TFC was on at home or at Fil-Am potlucks. One of my Hokudai kuyas used to joke that when I returned home from Japan, I'd be more fluent in Tagalog than Japanese! Alongside picking up some Tagalog, I learned of terms that I wasn't typically exposed to in my sheltered life in suburban Southern California, words ranging from Japayuki to TNT.

During my experience I watched the scholars create Hokkaido Association of Filipino Students (HAFS) with the first meeting coinciding with the birthday party they hosted for me and fellow scholars. Can't forget enjoying apritada and birthday cake while using chopsticks! I remember how we'd have informal initiations where the newcomer has to do at least one song at the karaoke bar. I managed to hold out until my final weeks where I ended up giving a rendition of With or Without You. But one thing I loved about those karaoke trips was that some bars actually had Filipino songs! I began missing my vain attempt at Bono when I disgraced Carol Banawa's Iingatan Ka. And alongside HAFS, I grew acquainted with some engineers who worked with local technology firms and Pilipina housewives who joined their Japanese husbands in Hokkaido.

The most prominent of the housewives was Tita Susan, a wonderful lady whose goal was to bring a more positive image of the local Pilipino community; that image was one that went beyond the stereotypes of young Pilipinas working in bars and clubs with some entering prostitution. It's certainly a tough image to shake off (I'll never forget a Japanese friend joking about having me bring back a stripper when I come back from my spring break trip to the Philippines) but Tita Susan would do her best to help fight such stereotypes. She would always lend a hand in coordinating Pilipino cultural events, link Pilipinos across across the island through the Samahang Pilipino ng Hokkaido organization, and even offer her home for us to practice folk dance which we'd then perform in local festivals. Looking back, my first ever physical involvement with Gawad Kalinga was through a fundraiser that Tita Susan where I ended up strapping myself with coconuts to dance the Maglalatik!

As I grew more involved with the Pilipino community of Sapporo, I realized that there was more than just my lack of fluency in Tagalog that had me lost in translation. Admittedly one of my favorite examples was the idea of "courting" in relationships seems to be a hot topic of debate as I watch Fil-Am friends and family go at it on every other trip back to Iloilo!  Bit by bit, the revelation that my Pilipina friend at HIS started to make more sense. I mentioned that I started to appreciate it--not in the sense that I was glad to not be identified as a Filipino but instead as someone who has benefited from living through two different sets of perspectives and values.

And I can't help emphasize that out of all places and times that I would come to appreciate this outlook, it was during the study abroad experience in Japan. This experience helped me realize that my identity was further magnified by how I was perceived not by just Pilipinos or Americans, but instead by the local Japanese and my friends and classmates. They comprised of 30+ nationalities at HIS, and many could relate with identity crises as Third Culture Kids or as haafu, children of Japanese and international blood but aren't considered by local society as Japanese at all, due to their diverse heritage in a ethnically homogenous society.

A couple years ago, David Casuco shared an eloquent solution to his college-bound son's own experience with the Fil-Am identity crisis:

"Imagine a person who is a beneficiary of two great cultures. If he is smart enough to pick the best of both worlds, it is definitely a great thing."

I feel that my time in Sapporo allowed me to more strongly draw from both worlds, while being exposed to a third foreign one. My experiences there helped me appreciate more of how much I've taken for granted as a Fil-Am, and how such tight-knit Filipino communities overseas go beyond just potlucks. It certainly was an experience that has helped me in being more content with my disposition. And through that, I want to emphasize to fellow Fil-Ams to interact with the local overseas Pilipino communities when going abroad. Who knows, maybe alongside learning the identities that make up the overseas Pilipino communities that you might find something that helps shape your own.

Experiencing the Asian Hierarchy Firsthand in a Korean Hagwon

A Korean Hagwon, in my experience, is a private English school for Korean students. My Hagwon, which I’ll refrain from naming, runs as an English pre-school and kindergarten in the morning where three to six year old students had English lessons from 9am to 3pm.

I spent the earlier part of this year teaching at a Hagwon. As a Fil-Am stepping into this radically different culture, I was eager to learn and be inspired from this new career path. I can honestly say I learned and was very inspired, but not at all in the frame I was expecting. I left after only four months.

Have you heard of the Asian Hierarchy? It was explained to me as a sort of racist Asian caste system where light-skinned Asians from growing Asian economies were ranked amongst the top and darker-skinned Asians were at the bottom. It was discussed in passing when I was in college among other Asian-Americans, and I laughed off. I sort of forgot about it until I landed in Korea and was confronted with it on my first day of school.

The night before, I was greeted by other foreign teachers who worked at the school. They were from all parts of the United States, as well as Canada. After helping me into my hotel room, one of them bluntly said to me:

“You don’t look like Jessica Alba.”

Confused, I responded:

“Yeah, Sorry….What?”

“The supervisors at the school said you look just like Jessica Alba.”

“Oh… yeah. I don’t look like Jessica Alba.”

“It’s funny how the supervisors view Caucasian faces. They didn’t even mention you were Asian.”

The next day my appearance was again addressed by a Filipina from Southern California. She pulled me aside and asked me:

”What are you?”

I am no stranger to this question so I knew exactly what she was talking about. I went to my auto-generated response of “I’m half-Filipino, part Mexican and White.”

“Yeah, I thought so. We have another Filipino at the school!”

She excitedly high-fived me. I smiled at having found an ally on my first day of school, until she added:

“Don’t tell the school, the parents don’t necessarily want Filipino teachers.”

She went on to explain to me that Filipinos in South Korea were ranked lower socially. Because of poverty and the cost of education in the Philippines, many Filipino immigrants in Korea turned to one of two professions: child care (nannying) or prostitution. Because of this, Filipino women were seen as second-class and unfit to teach the uber-rich students at my Hagwon. I immediately recalled the concept of Asian Hierarchy, but was horrified at seeing it in action. For fear of getting fired and just wanting them to like me, I kept my ethnicity under wraps. I knew this was not a safe space for me when one of my fellow white teachers from the United States threatened to tell my student’s parents that I was Filipino in order to get me fired. Korea was a hotbed for competitiveness and sometimes came out in really ugly ways. A week later, I booked my plane ticket back to California.

Culture vs. Identity

After leaving Korea, I’ve had time to reflect on this experience and while other things contributed to my leaving early, I couldn’t let this rest. My small taste at discrimination had me running home to my mommy. To me, it wasn’t worth it to risk my self-worth, sanity and pride by subjecting myself to a constant fear of being fired. It also wasn’t worth it to hide my family, heritage and in essence who I am. This was not my first encounter with a bully who chose my ethnicity as his or her weapon. But it was the first time that this bully had society on her side. A couple months later, I’ve been able to reflect and break down how this system of racial oppression still exists in South Korea, and Asia as a whole.

It’s easy to walk away from a bad experience in a foreign country and blame it on the culture for their backward uncivilized people and just embrace a Go America! Rah! Rah! Rah! attitude.  Not only is that lazy, but it’s largely incorrect and leaves room for bigotry. It has been used to rationalize imperialism and genocide in all parts of the world. So like a good liberal arts graduate, I put my experience in a global and historical perspective.

Korea in Historical Context

In the 1950s, The United States was engaged in the Cold War. We hear a lot about how this impacted the people at home, but the only images from abroad are of children in crossfire with their clothes burning off. This did contribute to the unsuccessful wars in Vietnam and Korea, but what’s rarely depicted are the lasting effects of the war today.

After leaving Korea divided into two countries, the United States declared the war a win, but not without setting up various military bases in around in South Korea. The U.S military presence is still very prevalent in Seoul, with the United States Army Garrison Yongsan military base located in Itaewon, which is at the heart of the city. Not far up the road, you’ll see Hooker Hill with large window displays of Filipino and Korean women. Not long after U.S wartime presence in Seoul, you began seeing a widespread adaptation of Western culture. Adaptation and idolization to the point where today, Korean men and women alike get eye reconstruction, nose jobs, and skin bleaching to appear more white.

As the Korean economy sought to reconstruct, they searched for models for their education system, for they embody the fact that a good education leads to higher economic productivity and advancement. This is when the United States had already begun putting more pressure on scholastic aptitude tests and initially studies showed that they were a good motivation for growth (today that is not the case.) This influenced Koreas education model greatly, which resulted in increased school day length, more lessons, and a huge push for English aptitude financed by the Korean government. As a result, there was an increase in U.S presence in the form of U.S teachers and recent college grads -- they seek to obtain that magical living abroad experience, but with little background in education or Korean culture, and I was one of them.

As a result, the idealized American face is what has been sought after and thus gave birth to the Asian Hierarchy. Filipinos rank low on this because of our naturally dark skin, lack of a pointy nose, and seeming low economic rank. Capitalist and Western cultures have created a belief that appearance indicates status, therefore, appearing more wealthy or more white, in this sense, makes you more valuable. And in order to be more valuable, one has to be less valuable than you. This value system has created a hyper-competitive race to what Korean culture sees as perfection, therefore explaining why plastic surgery is quite common, as well as stress-related suicides. We see this trend occurring in other developed Asian countries as well, such as Singapore, Taiwan and Japan.

No, it is not right that I had to hide my identity in order to keep a job, nor that I was chased away because my ancestors are brown. However, I am glad that I had the privilege and agency to leave. My experience is only the tip of the iceberg; it is one of many, similar to those of other Filipinos living in South Korea. It isn’t just an isolated occurrence in another part of the world, but rather, a construct that has inadvertently been created and adapted from U.S. culture. It is an occurrence that I hope other Fil-Ams and Pilipinos can learn from.

Photo credit: Zimbo

Postcard from Thailand: 8 Life Lessons

Thirteen months ago, I packed a couple bags and left for Thailand. But not the Thailand you imagine.

I did not move to the land of ‘Pad Thai’, exotic beaches, full moon parties and the Bangkok portrayed the Hangover movie.

More specifically, I moved to Mae La Noi, a village in Mae Hong Son province. Mae La Noi is surrounded by rice fields and mountains, and has a river running down the middle. The province is right along the Thai-Burmese border, which is marked by the Salawin River. Though Thailand is a Buddhist-majority country, I worked with kids who also practice various faiths and traditions. In Mae Hong Son, and in my village in particular, there five ethnic groups and hill tribes. The Thailand I have learned to love is a community comprised of people from these backgrounds.

The Karen hill tribe people are historically from Karen State in Burma. Many of my students are Karen, and are practicing Catholics. Their Karen language, written in Latin script, sounds reminiscent of French.

The khon mueang, or northern Thai people, live throughout northern Thailand. They are from the Tai ethnic group and are Theravada Buddhists. In addition to Thai, they speak phasaa mueang, a northern Thai dialect that is different from Thai.

The Hmong are an ethnic group found throughout mountainous areas in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. However, in the 1970s, a civil war broke out in Laos, and many Hmong sought refuge in Thailand and overseas under UN-sponsorship. Today, there are Hmong communities found in the US and in Europe. They speak varieties of Hmong dialects.

Next are the Tai-Yai, or Shan. Originally from the Shan State in Burma, they can be also found in China. They practice Buddhism and animist traditions, and some speak Shan, which is related to Thai, and Burmese.

Finally, the Lawa hill tribe. Their ethnic group can also be found in Laos. They are native to Thailand, and have lived in Thailand before Thai people arrived. The Lawa students at my school practice Protestantism, though other Lawa are known to practice Buddhism and animist traditions as well. The Lawa script looks similar to Thai, but they are different languages entirely.

My students’ first language is their native dialect or hill tribe language. Their second language, which they learn in school, is Thai. It’s no wonder that my students struggle to learn English or Chinese, which are taught at Mae La Noi Daroonsik School. Learning a third language through a second language is a challenge, no matter if you are living in the mountains or a bustling city. So I give my students a lot of credit for their efforts.

During my time in Thailand, there are eight things I’ve learned about life.

1. You can live simply and still be happy. Money isn’t everything.

My house was made of cement brick with a tin roof propped above it. There was no insulation, and half of the time I had no running water in the house. I often showered in other teacher’s homes, or used my reserve water that I collected when water was working. Sometimes the water would work, and it’d be black (because of the pipe bursting further up in the mountains). I remember waking up early to check if there was running water every few days. If so, I’d hurry to wash my laundry before I got started on my day. I was never frustrated with this though. I learned to love hand-washing my clothes, and found it therapeutic at times. If the opportunity presented itself, I would gladly live under these conditions once more, if not for the rest of my life.

2. It’s good to be flexible. Nothing is ever set in stone, so being able to accept life’s fluidity will help you stay afloat.

Sometimes, ceremonies or special events would take precedence over class. At times, I found this to be frustrating, because all I wanted to do was hold class and teach my students. But, this is the reality of the Thai education system and culture. I learned to adjust and understand the facets about life at Mae La Noi Daroonsik school, as well as in each of the new places and countries I’ve journeyed to while abroad.

3. Try new things. I’ve shared Karen dishes of raw pork, chili and coriander. I watched students prepare a sack-full of live frogs for dinner outside my house. I went to eat dinner with the dormitory students, as they were responsible for cooking all of their meals. Some things on the menu were gaeng khiaw wan (sweet chicken green curry, though it was actually spicy), fried fish, bamboo shoots, jackfruit, noodles and eggs. My students were so excited that I’d join them for dinner, as other teachers simply oversee them during meal times.

4. Always accept an offer. 

Or at least, truly consider it before declining.

5. Know how and when to say “no.” – This is different from the lesson above, as I'm referring to when people are asking things or favors of you.

I had a hard time doing this. As a volunteer, receiving no compensation from the school, I was glad to say yes to teachers when they needed help to teach, create lesson plans and worksheets, assist with committee duties around the school, and more. I was happy to help my students and hold tutor sessions a few times a week, be it after school or on weekends. However, the one time frame that I remembered to keep for myself was Friday afternoon until the evening. If someone asked for something, I remembered that I wanted to keep this time open for myself. However, I should add that if I wasn’t sharing a meal with teachers or starting a weekend travel trip on Friday evening, you would certainly find me hanging around the student dorms, helping whoever needed assistance with their English assignments.

6. You can’t change the world alone. But you can make a difference in someone’s life. You may not see it at first, so give it time, take a step back and view the whole picture.

Sometimes, I’d feel so guilty for not having the class time to adequately prepare my students for tests or standardized tests. I tried so hard to develop teaching methods and styles for each of my classes, because each class is different and the students were always at varying levels in English. But what I’ve learned to do is to focus on them as much as I could, but realize that things are out of my control. What I saw happen throughout my time at Mae La Noi is that students, who were initially too shy to speak to me in class, warmed up to me when I’d approach them outside of class or at the dormitories. The students who wanted my help would ask if they could go to me during office hours, or even after school. They may not remember all of the verb tenses, but the students who truly wanted my help have developed some amazing study habits, as well as their curiosity about learning.

7. Home is not a physical space, but a sense of becoming your self. It’s defined by the people you meet and learn with, the lens through which you view life, and the actions you take to improve yourself and the environment around you.

The teachers at Mae La Noi Daroonsik gave me so much support and love. While they were busy with teaching and other duties to the school, they always wanted to make sure I was fed and comfortable in my house. The students were no different, especially those living at the dorms. One specific home I found was at St. Peter Catholic Church in Bah Ma, a village adjacent to the school. I went there every week for mass with my students, which was either held in Thai, Karen or English (Thursday nights only for the latter). Last Thursday night, I said goodbye to the Karen students who live at the Catholic children’s home, and attended mass with them for the last time before I left the village. That evening, after mass, the father and catechism teacher invited me to say a few words. I promised myself I'd fight off tears a bit longer. I am truly glad I found this loving community here that I could connect with on a spiritual basis. I was accepted instantly; as a foreigner here in the village, I felt like an outsider at first. But discovering a family (comprised of individuals from Catholic Karen hill tribes) that is also minority in their country was truly a humbling experience. The father, who used to work outside of Manila for a few years, can speak Thai, Karen, English and a little Tagalog, and has invited me to work at the children’s center in the future. I plan to work, save money, and return to this church and children’s home, if not to volunteer, then at least visit again.

8. Pay it forward. If you give with expectation of receiving anything in return, the universe will reward you with various forms of love.

There’s a guesthouse that I stay at when I need to make visa runs (every three months) in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Deejai Backpackers has been an incredible place to get my dose of Western music; it’s usually bustling with backpackers and tourists from around the world and the staff is incredible. Mama, one of the Thai staff members here, always remembers me each time I return. As a gift, the other day, I brought her some fresh (and expensive) longan. She ended up serving me a plate of rice and curry, because she noticed I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. Today, I was checking out of the guesthouse, and she asked me what time I was heading to the airport.

“I think I should go at around 8 o’clock this evening”, I said. “Oh, that taxi is free for you. Free for you,” Mama whispered. "Make sure you come to the desk at 8:00pm." She then proceeded to ask the staff at reception to book a taxi for me.

Photo credit: Mae La Noi Daroonsik School

Just Travel: 7 Reasons to Journey Abroad

I’ve heard the whispers of some relatives of mine. Concerned Lolos and Lolas can't comprehend why I moved to Thailand to teach English for a year immediately after I graduated from college.

 “I don’t understand why Ryann is doing that. Why does her mom let her go [travel] alone?” a relative relayed to one of my aunties.

To older generations, I may be acting irresponsibly by gallivanting around Asia for a year. I really don’t have any other defense to offer, other than I’m doing something that allows me to help others, and further define myself as a person. The assumption that my time away from the US is a “gap year” is also a tad offensive to me. I’m not taking a year off from studying or working, because I am actually working in a secluded village as a full-time volunteer under unfamiliar and challenging circumstances. I am abroad right now because I wanted to take a risk, venture into the unknown (at least for me) and find a greater sense of independence. I would say that I’ve done all three of these things, and have grown stronger and more self-aware. This time away from home is merely another chapter in my book. It has been a fulfilling and enriching experience that I needed to have.

I’ve never heard a single soul complain that they wished they traveled less. The fact is, the older you get, the harder it becomes to travel. You’re confined to your routine. You have significant others, children, bills, chores, responsibilities and commitments. All of these things are hard to simply leave behind, so why not travel while you’re still young, healthy and open to the world?

Here are the things I’ve gained from traveling abroad. Granted, I have been working while overseas, but I take advantage of my time during the weekends and school breaks to journey to new places. I truly believe these are reasons for everyone to seek out opportunities to travel. Also, I’ve included some postcards from my trip to Indonesia this summer to accompany each reason.

1. Love for new food and flavors – Perhaps one of the biggest advantages to traveling for us Pilipinos is the food! When you’re abroad, you get to broaden your palette and introduce your taste buds to exotic (by our standards) dishes, delicacies and desserts. This alone is enough of a reason to travel, though I can think of a handful more…

2. Knowledge – Just because you’ve finished with school, doesn’t mean the learning stops there. The good thing about traveling while you’re young is that you can learn without critical judgment, but with an open heart. You should learn about other cultures, lifestyles and beliefs, and expand your understanding of the world. Continue to nourish your mind. Feed it the knowledge and compassion it deserves.

3. Appreciation – This is the time in our lives for us to really understand what matters most. When you travel, you learn more about gratitude and love, simply by seeing how the rest of the world lives. You’ll learn about the realities and environment that people face in various pockets of the world. You’ll play a witness (and sometimes an engaged citizen) to other’s struggles and accomplishments, and not just read about it in the news (not that the news depicts the whole story anyway).

 4. Friendship – It’s time to break out of your comfort zone. If you venture to a new country, it’s also helpful to try and learn the language there as well. You’ll be a big hit with the locals, as they will appreciate that you’ve taken the time to learn how to communicate with them. Even if you already have an array of friends from school and work, you'll have the opportunity to network and socialize with new friends you make along the way. When you travel, you will connect with people from all walks of life, and you can certainly have them as contacts for future endeavors.

5. Confidence – Traveling is challenging, but it’s easier than you think! Sure, it can be exhausting when you have to catch a 12-hour bus from a remote village to a major city, or if you have an overnight layover in one of the busiest airport hubs in the region. But you will learn that the world is much smaller and more accessible than you realize. There is an amazing rush that comes with traveling; you’ll get lost, hit roadblocks along the way, and your plans will change or fall through. But facing your fears head on means you’re living life.

6. New perspective – When you travel, your ideas and perceptions of life will shift, as they should! You'll realize the importance of slowing down and finding the beauty in everything around you. I’ve known too many people who have reevaluated their time in graduate school or in their first couple of jobs after college. Some tell me that they are miserable at their jobs, or feel they are perpetually stressed out and overworked. Many recognize that they are unhappy and have lost their sense of purpose, or have become just another number in the system. I fear it’s an American mentality to work so hard for money, but is that all that matters? What about happiness? It’s important to get a change of scenery and move at a different pace. When you’re stuck in a routine, life can seem bland and repetitive. Invest in your happiness and quiet your mind from all of the clutter and chaos!

7. Personal growth – During your travels, you will grow. You’ll test your limits, but also learn to go with the natural flow of life. Old habits will disintegrate as you realize how to live more purposefully. In addition, you can use this time for self-discovery and healing. Traveling is more than just vacationing, and casting away all of your worries. It can be a way for you learn more about yourself, as well as heal any emotional and mental wounds. You will identify your values more clearly, and upon returning home, be more at peace with yourself.

Photo credits: A Journey of Postcards, Philaquely Moi, JP Stamp Collecting, Stamps Book, 9teen87

Postcards from Korea

Back in March, I spent ten days in South Korea, visiting with friends and relatives, and traveling around on my own. South Korea isn’t exactly in the Southeast Asian neighborhood (since I’m currently based in rural Thailand), so getting there was a bit of a trek. However, I asked myself, “When else am I going to be on this side of the planet again? Might as well go where I want while I can!” I merely purchased airfare and planned accommodations for my trip, and left the rest to chance. Naïve? Yes. But I’ve learned to be open to possibilities, so I was more than ready to explore.

There were four major things that stood out to me about my time in Korea:

1. Friends and Family

I arrived in Seoul early in the morning during the end of winter, rented a local phone and thus began my ten-day trip in Korea. I planned to meet up with my good friends from college, as well as my cousin, who I hadn’t seen in over a decade. Honestly, traveling to places where you know people makes the experience less stressful. Having a home base and some good company makes it even more worthwhile! It was so great to meet up with them, and see where they study and work! Just like Thailand has been my home over the past year, Korea is their home. I didn’t feel completely like a lost tourist, because they knew more about the culture and were able to share their insight with me (before and during my trip). They also welcomed me into their apartments so I didn’t have to worry about paying for hotels or guest houses. Always a plus!

2. Food

When people think of Korean food, they think of Korean BBQ, kimchi and other spicy delicacies. However, after living in Thailand for year, I’d have to say that Korean food is not that spicy. One of the great things about food in Korea is that it’s not expensive, especially if you know where to go! The kimbap (similar to sushi) near Korea University was about $1 a roll. If you steer clear of touristy areas, you can find a bite to eat for only a few dollars. However, I’d have to say that the food in Busan was best, simply because of the abundance of fresh seafood.

3. Shopping

One of the cool things about Seoul is that if you love shopping, you can literally check out each of the subway stops and find a shopping mall or market. You know that really catchy “Gangnam Style” song? Gangnam is actually a neighborhood in Seoul! It’s the equivalent to Beverly Hills in the US - that means it's filled with high-end housing and shopping. I checked out Gangnam for a bit, but was overwhelmed by the prices and the plastic surgery advertisements in the subway. So, I moved onto other areas, like Dongdaemun, Myeongdong and Itaewon.

4. Sights Korea is full of vibrant culture and history. There are several museums, palaces, some even being UNESCO World Heritage sites! Aside from Seoul, I was able to travel to Busan, the port city in the south of the country.

Photo credits: Cat Stamps, Penn Family, Exploring Korea, Stamps Living At, Stamps Living At, Design Related-Karen Horton