Welcome to Korea: Squeeze On In!

A Relatively Uncrowded Ride on the Subway

The motto of South Korea is, roughly translated, Benefit All Mankind. This seems like a fitting statement considering the entirety of mankind seems to be living shoulder-to-shoulder within SoKo's narrow borders. Not exactly sure what the benefit part of the motto could mean... perhaps safety in numbers?

Since moving here, I've learned that less than 2% of the entire population of South Korea consists of foreigners. Coming from the melting pot of the US, these numbers surprised me. At first I thought this was due to SoKo's stringent immigration requirements or other red tape issues. Now I'm beginning to think it's simply that more people won't fit. Everywhere you go, any time of day or night, there are people. Lots of them.

I've tried running on my neighborhood track at various times to avoid the throngs of walkers... but no luck. Whether it's 5 am or 11 pm, the experience resembles something like a Walk-a-Thon. Grocery store? Every day is like the day before Thanksgiving, minus the turkey.

There are no town homes or free-standing houses here. Everyone lives in giant towers of apartments. Hotels, restaurants, shops and clinics aren't their own entities, either. They're all tucked into large skyscrapers, with different floors for every type of business. It's all very efficient; packed in nice and tight, just like the citizens.

I still haven't gotten used to the crowds. I still get annoyed when Korean people slam into me and act like nothing happened, or step on my feet and remain oblivious. This is just a regular part of their lives and I'm trying to get accustomed to it. I have a feeling this is going to be the hardest part about transitioning to my SoKo life.