Dec 14, 2006 12:16 PM
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How do you like ……..?
Be prepared for this question the moment you meet a Korean acquaintance. These questions are used to start a conversation, as fillers and at times even at the end!!!!!
I was sent for a looong deputation to Korea by my company and have spent nearly 8 months in here – mainly in Seoul.
The country – called the Hermit Kingdom and Land of the Morning Calm. Area - slightly bigger than Chattisgarh and is beautiful. Most of the terrain is hilly (Koreans refer to them as mountains) and most of the population stays in either Seoul or Busan. A very well developed air, road and rail network connects the country. Indian contacts started way back in the ancient times with the spread of Buddhism and the Indian medical contingent sent here during the Korean war. There is also a legend of a princess from Ayodhya coming here and marrying a king of the Silla dynasty. Well, I can’t say much about the legends, but some of the jewellery and utensils in the museum resembled ones used in Kashmir.
Seoul has a very good Metro network and coupled with a good bus network, there is a lot less vehicular traffic on the roads. The international airport at Incheon is about an hour away from Seoul. It is a huge airport and very traveler friendly - hope IGI also becomes like that. Immigration and customs are a breeze – you can get out of the airport with 15 minutes of your landing with all formalities completed. There are special airport buses which pick up and drop off passengers and luggage to Seoul. People generally use the metro and public bus service to travel. Metro is preferred and is the most convenient way to travel. Taxi service is also good but is very expensive – all are metered. The traffic is generally disciplined – if you ignore the delivery guys driving on the footpath and crossing the zebra crossing with you on their scooters and bikes.
Stay – Beware!!! Seoul is the second most costly city in the world after Moscow. Good hotel rooms are available at 100 USD per day (benchmark figures it seems – same range in other countries also), cheaper hotels are available for as low as 50 USD. Apartments rents are higher in the main city – outskirts mean a commute of an hour plus each side. I managed to get a studio apartment for 600 USD per month in the city. The best thing about the houses are that they are well insulated and air tight – with heated floors ( that is the traditional Korean way). They also have a system of deposit or key money as they call it. ( similiar to our pagdi system)
There are very few traditional markets (bazaars). Most of the new shopping malls are huge buildings with small shops of about 10 sq. m. area. Shopping areas are well defined and generally every body walks around. Vehicles are generally not allowed inside these areas. Koreans do not bargain much and are generally happy with a discount of 10 %. My friends managed to get discounts upto 50 %!!!.
Food – Korean and Chinese is the main cuisine over here. There are lots of eating joints – I wonder if they ever cook at home??. Veggies beware – you are in for a hard time. There is meat, meat and meat all around. Being omnivorous, it was not much of a problem for me. Pictures of the animal on the signboards generally indicates the type of meat served there. There are speciality joints which serve only special cuisine of octopus or squid. Beer and Soju (their local drink) is available every where – even grocery shops!!!!
Most of the people are friendly but there are a few rotten apples also. If you are working with them, better watch out. Koreans generally try to prove that they are superior to other people ( read : nationalities). One can come across this attitude while working with them. Well, Samsung and LG are big companies nowadays – but the news of Indian companies taking over Korean companies was a sore point for many of my Korean colleagues! Seems it was difficult for them to digest that there are other progressive countries apart from the US, EU, Japan and Korea.
It took some time to get used to their way of life but it was interesting and frustrating at the same time!
Sample this – “We love mountain climbing – come with us” . I visualized something huge like the Himalayas. Reality: hiking in hills - max height about 200 meters. Next question – are there mountains in India – I told them about the Himalayas, Vindhyas, Deccan and all( and their heights). Well, sample the next question – how many days does it take to cross the Himalayas? I felt like jumping off the rock!!
Koreans are proud of their culture – they have preserved everything beautifully – made me realize of the sorry state of our monuments. BUT their pride their in culture is so much that it gets annoying at times. During one of these sessions, I had to point out that Indian culture was much – much older and ancient than theirs. That day I learnt that 2500 BC came after 1000 BC!!!
Conversation – English is a sore point with them. One of the most important and common questions is : How do you like …….?. Food, country places are all fine but it gets a little dreary when everybody on the table asks the same question one by one. I was out for a dinner with about 10 guys and each one of them asked whether I liked the food and beer after every 15 minutes. The last straw was when one of them asked “How do you like Korean water?” I was stumped and at a loss of words.
With more of Korean companies recruiting Indians and Tata and Videocon taking over Daewoo, Indians are slowly becoming a familiar sight.
I would definitely recommend a trip to the country.
