What is it to be Black in South Korea? Part 1

Being black in Korea means you are at the center of attraction. Yes, people will just notice you! This is a positive vibe post of the things which have become normal to me here in South Korea for the past 10 years. I have some sweet and bad first-time encounters with Korean kids. 

At Starfield Library, Samsung World trade exit 6.

What normally happens when I come across Korean kids: some kids cry or scream, some become shy and some are exceptionally nice. Here is a list of the things I have heard from Korean kids, firstly they scream with excitement saying:

- black person or,

- African person

- American person

- English teacher

- Foreign national

- Movie actor

- Some may even mention some black actor. 

Some kids become so shy that your eyes can't even meet, LOL. Most parents would say, "greet her you know English..." Some KIDS would shyly say hello while other KIDS' English disappears and they just wave and bow. I think I have said enough about kids. Let me move on to the Korean grandfathers and grandmothers, you would wonder why I skipped other age groups! It's only because those age groups are more reserved, they don't say anything. But I remember one day I passed a group of high school students, they all said, "Reggae style" because I was having hair braids. Anyways, the grandmothers/grandmothers usually ask in Korean, "where are you from?"  If you respond in Korean, they become so happy and continue with conversation asking about your life in Korea or your country. Most grandfathers are retired army generals, I have met a lot of them who speak English so well. These experiences sum up, what it is to be black in South Korea.

I will write part 2 of this post, but if you are interested in knowing what Koreans think about black girl's hair please check this video;

All about being black in Korea in this video.

If you are black in Korea, please inbox me your experiences if you can't comment for other reasons.

 

I regretted buying a phone in South Korea untold stories part 2

An electronic dictionary or smart phone dictionary apps were very handy for understanding Korean language. Most students who were on good scholarships could afford them. I remember very well that I couldn't afford such smart devices. At the same time, I didn't want to buy a 'buttons phone' or kambudzi in Shona because it only limited me to text messages and calls. Though some of those phones had dictionary apps, but the absence of color pictures was something else.

Buying a phone in South Korea

My scholarship was partial, but it was good because the dormitory (including breakfast, diner) and tuition were fully covered! The downside was my stipend. It was just little but better than nothing. I was receiving 150,000 won (~$125). I was living on a very tight budget, and I kept pondering on how to buy a phone. In South Korea that time, smart phones were rolling in and most people were transitioning to smart phones. With that tight budget of mine, I also decided to buy a smart phone. THIS WAS A VERY WRONG MOVE. 

The 2011 smartphone

Fast forward to how I bought a phone. I went to an LG shop near Yongsan station in Daegu. My Korean Buddy accompanied me because I couldn't speak Korean. I only knew greetings and few phrases for buying food. We got there, I selected my cheapest smart phone, LG brand. The LG shop was going to auto deduct money from my account every month. The fixed installment was 34,000 won per month for two years. It was the cheapest option available. I don't know if some explanations were lost in translation, the LG salesman assured the installment was fixed inclusively of data. I settled for it and signed the contract.

One month down the line, 94,000 won was deducted from (bank account) my little allowance of 150,000 won. I STARTED REGRETTING the whole idea of buying a smart phone. I went off the budget and sacrificed my lunch money for some time. I kept complaining whenever I discuss about contract phones with my friends. Most students were also going through similar contract bill dilemma, but most of them could afford. I then decided to switch off data and the next two months the bill came around 70,000 won and 45,000  won. I did the Maths again and realized the data wasn't fixed at all. I was paying more than the stipulated 34,000 won monthly installment.

I didn't want to live in regret, worse I couldn't make international calls on that bill. I sent a message to my Korean Buddy, asking her to help me cancel the contract because I couldn't afford the phone anymore. I think that was after only 3-months of using the phone. The Salesman understood my problem, and he said I had to pay off the phone bill in installments of  16,000 won to the agreed 24 months. They cut off the data and the cellphone number. That day I returned to the dormitory with a sim less phone. Luckily, I used the phone over WIFI as dictionary and Facebooking. 

On several occasions I tried to look for a prepaid sim card but couldn't get one. A few months later I then registered my smart phone with the same service provider for prepaid phones. If you want to know more of this story please watch this video: full video here

Ten years later, I haven't bought any contract phone. I don't want any regrets! Korean internet is fast but very expensive to use on contract phones. I resolved to prepaid phones which require a monthly top up of 10,000 won. The good thing is there are many WIFI hotspots in Korea so YAY to free WIFI.

Ten years later, with my prepaid Samsung phone.

Thank you for reading my story, please feel free to leave some comment! Bye.

My Untold Experiences in South Korea (Part 1)

 This week I'm celebrating my 10 years in South Korea, so I decided to share on how I survived back then in 2011. 

International Students Festival 2011 @Keimyung University Daegu.

When I got the full tuition, dormitory and stipend ₩450,000 scholarship I thought it would be enough. Even though the rate to US to won was fluctuating between 1,000 to 1,200 won, I just thought it would be enough. When I arrived at Incheon International Airport and tried to buy some snacks that's when I realized this allowance wouldn't last for two weeks. 

My settling week, everything became real! We could only get breakfast and dinner! Buy our own books every Korean language semester. Unlike in Zimbabwe we used to recycle books, but here the teachers wanted you to use personal copy that you write the answers inside. As a lady I also had to balance to buy monthly toiletries. Which were even 10-times more more expensive than back home. For a semester I managed to pull through with my toiletries from home. 

The good thing was the settling in anxiety and culture differences! I didn't focus much on my stipend. Fast forward to the second semester, I could speak little Korean, I could ask how much a product is in Korean and all the survival Korean skill.  Then we used to get the 450,000 won at the beginning of the semester to cater for 3- full months 😥. I had to buy new books, leave lunch money, toiletries and transportation to church and other  activities with friends. It wasn't enough, one trip by subway was around 1,000 won so I cut off shopping and hanging out with friends. I would just go nearby our school. I mastered eye shopping those days. Just go and watch and admire the products and leave it there. It wasn't easy because most people were on a well sponsored scholarship which gave them almost $800 to $1000 per month. Mine was just ~$125 per month. It was a partial scholarship but they didn't really specify the need for back up funds so I just assumed it was enough 😁. Well, I needed backup and in 2011, back home we were recovering from the 2008 inflation and I didn't want to bother anyone to support me, I just tried to survive within my tight budget.  

I thank God for the support we got from our international church the Abundant Life Worship Center in Daegu. We used to get winter clothing and some supplies. My first 6 months in Korea were the toughest, but I pulled through. I can only express in words what I went through. Fortunately, around 2012 my scholarship grant from University of Zimbabwe was processed. That's how I managed to complete my studies at peace as a normal stress free student.

My advice to anyone accepting a partial scholarship in Korea is; "take it, if you're really desperate." Take it knowing that there are high chances that you can't do part time in Korea. Though most people do work illegally.  I also think now the immigration wants to see backup funding of around US$10-20,000 per year when you renew the visa. Back then, we just used the scholarship certificate that's all. We used to get student visa extension easily, irregardless of the stipend amount on paper. Whenever you want any information about visa processing, please visit the official websites because my information is outdated. Things changed so fast and they are changing every day. I hope my story will be helpful to someone. 

Part 2 is coming soon, you may comment below or inbox me through my Instagram @shiyelia_in_korea. I will be glad to share more information only if you ask.