5+ things African women complain about in Korea

 I am writing this post so that you understand what we go through in Korea. Being away from home, the new environment and culture affects our well-being... The 5 things we African women complain about in Korea are:

1. Hair braiding is so expensive, it costs from 50,000 to up to 250,000 won (roughly 50 to 250 USD) for the cornrows, micro to box braids and fancy weave hair styles on a fix and supply basis. 

Box braids by one talented sister in Itaewon,
 please inbox me for contacts.

2. Hair products are out of reach in Korean shops and they're so expensive in International Marts. You may check the products for yourself on Coupang products or Gmarket the popular shopping sites in Korea. Other international marts also sell hair products at 5 to 10 times the prices we buy them in our home countries. However, some products tend to be cheaper on Coupang and other shopping sites.

Cantu hair product prizes on Coupang shopping site Coupang products

3. Honestly, most hair braiders are not talented, they just learnt how to braid as an opportunity to make money. So far, WE HAVE HEARD and seen THE WORST hair dresser reviews online.

4. Korean cuts are smaller for some of our curvy-licious sisters, we fail to get perfect fits to cover our arms, and legs. Shoe sizes too, we struggle to get bigger cuts so buying online is a no for non-international cuts (only an option for the FAMOUS Branded products like Nike, Puma, Adidas etc.).

Korean slim cuts

5. Kitchens or houses are tiny, I embraced the minimalistic spaces but it was so difficult at first:

       

                Tiny kitchen 

Tiny kitchen in Seoul

6. No cleavage out, the modest dressing in Korea is the one where you cover the cleavage! This was and is a culture shocker for us. Sigh! To avoid the judgmental stares one has to cover up the cleavage.

Round 'T-shirt cuts' are the best

The list is endless, but we try to fit in the Korean culture. Please check my video on YouTube for more details.

  

Wishing you a happy 2022. ciao ciao

Culture shock in Korea - cross-culture awareness tag

Today I will share some culture shockers in South Korea. Disclaimer: these may not shock you or shock you depending on your background. This post is for culture awareness and nothing else. Let me just list them down without wasting time:

(1). Removing shoes when you enter the House, some traditional restaurants too and some facilities. You just have to remove your shoes at the door as you enter the house. Early days I used to forget to remove shoes but now I'm pro at removing shoes at the door. It actually keeps the floors cleaner.

Leave the shoes at the door!

(2). No hand shakes for greeting just bow and greet though some people believe in handshakes so you only give handshakes to the those interested in them.

(3). Sleeping on the floor, most people prefer sleeping on the floor and most families do not have beds, not that they do not afford them but because of the health benefits of sleeping on the floor. OK!

(4). Warm floors; At least the floors will be warm in winter.

(5). Make up on the bus or subway, of all the places Korean women/ladies/girls are comfortable to do their make up in public places. 

(6). Kindergarten for dogs just like the way we send our kids to kindergarten here in Korea there are pet kindergarten. Pet maintenance is top notch and very costly too.

Pic 2015 with Mong my friend's dog.

(7). If your dog p--ps in the pavements you clear the mess, I saw many dog-owners clearing the mess and sometimes I get surprised to see some not clearing it. Review on dogs going to school.

(8). Mandatory army trainings for a certain period 'for all men'

(9). You pay for throwing away furniture or electronic appliances such as fridge, tv. The trick is if you wanna throw away better sell or give away.

(10). In general Korean society is not very judgmental (compared to where I come from) so most women drink alcohol and they really don't understand if you say I just don't drink beer. 

There are many other culture shockers and I will try to share them in next blogs. Thank you for taking your time to read these culture shockers. 

How I mastered using Chopsticks

I knew Asian community uses chopsticks to eat. From the TV programs I noticed that they were 2-types of chopsticks, the wooden and stainless steel types. I wasn't surprised to see chopsticks the day I first ate Korean meal in Korea back then on 26th of March 2011, "Bulgugi rice' at Keimyung University.

Since it was my first meal, I just used the spoon throughout. I tried chopsticks for  a short while but they were sliding from my hands, yes, they were falling down on the floor not on the table.  😂😂

So I thought, 🤔 how will I manage for the next 3-years. Few days later an idea came to me. I had to practice till I perfect my chopstick eating skill.

I had to buy and eat Ramen, not with a spoon

but with chopsticks. Please check my Spoon the Ramen challenge

Luckily they sold wooden chopsticks attached to cup Ramen. That was the beginning of my success story to handling stainless steel chopsticks. I repeatedly tried on other foods then 😎 I became a pro. Now I can even cook with chopsticks, yeah 😂. I hope you enjoyed reading my chopsticks success story in-few-words. Have you ever tried chopsticks? Please check my YouTube video where I was trying to cook chicken with chopsticks.

My next blog, I will share my kimchi taste review. 

Thank you! Kamsahamnida.

Life in South Korea in few words

 I came to South Korea in 2011 to pursue my Master's degree in Materials Science and Engineering. How I came to Korea. I had to complete the Korean Language classes and pass the TOPIK intermediate level first. It was a tough journey to learn Korean characters from scratch among other Asian students who already knew Korean culture and language. I studied hard, real hard, my journey wasn't an easy one but I later passed Korean in 18-months. Then, I did my Masters degree from 2012-2014. 

During the Korean Language program I met many friends from all continents and it became a daily learning experience in terms of hearing different languages and seeing different cultural dressings. 

 Adjusting to Korean Culture and food was easy since I am a food lover and adventurous person. I had endless 'eye shopping' sprees, tour visits and memorable Korean food tasting moments. Yeah, food food food, I love food and I also desired to gain just a few kilos but during that time the stressing study schedule couldn't let me gain a pound.

Mungyeong-saejae Trip May 2011, South Korea

I later moved to Seoul for my PHD degree studies  from 2015 to 2018. This was the longest part of my journey, I felt like it was a 10-year degree program. BUT here I am now, a PhD holder motivating young girls in Science. Intro to my life in Korea. That's my life in Korea in-few-words.

I would like to know if you enjoyed my life in Korea in-few-words. Please check my YouTube channel for more detailed videos about my life in Korea: Shiyelia in Korea.