Toto je příspěvek, který vytvářím, abych zjistil, jestli na to mám být sám nebo jestli se to cítí i někdo jiný. Žiji v Koreji již 4 roky a plánuji se přestěhovat do jiné země za rok či dva z několika důvodů, včetně tohoto: jak je uvedeno v názvu, život tady mě dělá cítit se odpojený od zbytku světa v určitém smyslu. Mám na mysli, že mám pocit, že Koreje je bublina, která málokdy komunikuje s vnějškem. Chápu, že to může být kvůli její geografické poloze, což z ní dělá prakticky ostrov, ale někdy mám pocit, že Korea je velmi egocentrická. Je to taková triviální a hloupá věc, ale například Sephora zavřela, což mi znemožňuje zkoušet produkty, které nejsou korejské a které opravdu chci vyzkoušet. Chtěl jsem koupit hru, která byla dnes vydána „globálně“ a kterou všichni moji přátelé okamžitě stáhli, a samozřejmě v Koreji nebyla uvedena. Kdykoli se pokusím mluvit o politice nebo jiných tématech s lidmi, především s Korejci, je to zpravidla vždy o Koreji nějakým způsobem, ale jakmile jde o jiné téma, lidé nemají zájem nebo o tom vůbec nevědí. Toto je jen několik příkladů z mnohem delšího seznamu. Všechny tyto detaily jsou celkem nevýznamné, ale tento pocit se ve mně začal vyvíjet od doby, kdy jsem sem přišel. Zajímalo by mě, jestli se s tím někdy cítí i jiní?
the bubble can feel so nice at times because you can literally forget about everything and just… exist un ur little sphere. but the global disconnection is very jarring when travelling/connecting with international friends and news
It’s one of both the best and worst things about living in Korea. Sometimes you miss and want to be able to connect with the outside world. Then there are other times when you really don’t. I do get the annoyance of not having access to a lot of goods and other items you would otherwise, but it’s Korea. It’s got its own stuff that Koreans want. That said, it would be nice if horizons were broadened somewhat.
It’s all of us everywhere, including you. I have lived in Korea and Japan and worked in over a dozen countries. That includes Netherlands who take pride in their sophisticated understanding of the bigger world - much truth to that in business - yet in the daily life you describe, they are the same. Korea is no more or less insular, though it can vary a lot by individuals.
he USA is described as a “melting pot.” We are not. We are chunky stew. It’s ironically more obvious in diverse places like San Francisco and greater LA. Koreans know Korea. Glendale Arminians commemorate the Armenian genocide. Bellflower Dutch attend Dutch-Calvinist churches and send their kids to Dutch-Calvinist schools. Monterrey Park Chinese know Taiwan. Yet combined we also are insular as a nation. One root cause: it’s hardly possible to simply get global news from US sources.
So, it’s up to you. To simply know what’s going on in the world, including areas like Africa, try the BBC, SKY, France24, and DW. Maybe al Jazeera, too. Still, folks in Korea and everywhere have their bubbles.
You need to break your bubble. Maybe search for cross-cultural organizations. Search for non-Korean cultural events - there are plenty. If western classical music suits you, Korea is a terrific place to be. To a lesser extent, ballet and opera. Seoul has several locations where one can see a play written by a foreign author and acted in either English or Korean. Museum exhibits from around the world. Or perhaps an international conference on a subject of interest to you being held in Korea. Or maybe a business organization event like one of the many international chambers of commerce.
Utimately, it’s not just the events - it’s the sort of people you meet.
To be fair, talking politics isn’t something ppl normally do in the West either (at work at least).
BTW, Korea is part of said “outside world”. Everywhere you go, you will be in a bubble. We just think we’re free, but that is just an illusion. in reality humans just jump from one bubble to another.
Yes, many Koreans are cliqueish and insular. Also doesn’t help that a lot of Korean apps and web services are focused only on native Koreans and that the government is rather protectionist when it comes to domestic markets. Nationalism plays a role as well.
Can’t relate, I do all my gaming on consoles and order the games I want from Amazon. Barely feels like I moved to a different country. I recommend becoming a console gamer like me. does cool console gamer pose
Hmm.. sorry for the hard time. It really sounds like you are homesick and maybe not plugged into the most fulfilling social circle / network while in Korea.
I’m fairly certain each country comes with its own “bubble” and varies in style / accessibility from place to place.
Have you tried subscribing to a VPN for the game download problem?
what game you talking about? that’s so weird because a lot of Koreans are gamers from my experience. also you’re not missing out on much in America which is slowly becoming trumpified imo
I dunno, to me this is every country, well at least many, from Americans to Australians to French to Chinese, they all seem nationally very self absorbed and concerned with only inner-nationalistic views and topics, especially maginified when within that country. Each country also has certain availability and limits to products available.
Here’s my experience. When I lived in Japan, I felt a very great disconnect with the rest of the world. It was like it had fallen off the edge of a cliff and was fake news. As if I had emigrated to Japan, and the West seemed to be irrelevant.
More recently, I went to South Korea. I did not feel the disconnect effect for a long time. However, I later began to feel it. It is not always bad to be different from the West. For example, between 2020 and 2022, I was very often SO GLAD to be in a country that had taken an organised and rational approach to coronavirus!
In my own country, almost everything was closed between April and July 2020. Yet, a huge number of people got sick and died. Even the prime minister nearly died. In South Korea, by contrast, the government had managed to greatly limit the number of cases of the virus. So, many venues stayed open till 9 p.m. and less damage was done. I really appreciated being in South Korea.
For the games issue, could you use a VPN and just set your location to somewhere else (e.g., the US)? A VPN is really cheap BTW, like $2 or $3 USD/month.
I can completely relate to your sentiment. I’ve lived here for 15 years and I know this in my bones. It can be fantastic in the sense that you are often disconnect form some of the daily stressors that otherwise could wear you down in your day to day life. I speak Korean, but it can still be quite easy to tune in and tune out of things and really only let in the stuff that I want.
It adds a distance to family and home matters, which again can be nice, but then can struggle when things go wrong at home or for big events like weddings, births funerals etc.
In terms of the cultural things you have mentioned, Korea is definately an island in that regard. Do you want access to this item, product or service? Not available in Korea, or released with limited access/functionality.
Is an artist/band touring in Asia? Well, they don’t come to Korea - go to Japan, Singapore or Hong Kong.
I’ve been into fitness over the last couple of years and even global events like Spartan Race or Hyrox which are held in Korea are run in a way that is either sloppy or poorly organized compared to overseas. Booking websites and information is not available for an event coming up in a couple of months whereas most other countries details are open as far away as September.
There are pros and cons, and things are hella better than in the past, but the longer I am here, the more I feel like I need to be connected to the outside world.
I hope you’re doing alright O.P and that you have the connection/community that you need to thrive.
I feel the same way about living in the US. The media is completely US centered and international news is treated mostly in how it affects the US. It’s a bubble there, just a US bubble instead of a Korea bubble. Not even a US bubble, mostly that particular city bubble. Just depends on which bubble you like.
each country is a bubble in a way