While there are surprisingly not many things I miss about the U.S., I decided to share with you what I do miss. Of course, friends and family are #1 on the list, but other than that, most of what I find myself wanting is the food.
While Korea does have a variety of multicultural food options, they are harder to find where I live, because it isn’t a major city, and they usually have a Korean twist to them that changes it. For example, one thing I crave most days is french fries. Yes, Korea does have french fries, but they usually are served with honey or powdered cheese on them instead of a little bit of salt.
Korea has a lot of fun snacks, but they are almost all sweet, instead of salty. You can buy imported snacks, but they are more expensive. A lot of Koreans complain that American food is way too salty. I never used salt when I was living in the U.S., but I didn’t realize how much salt was just generally used in everything until I moved here.
Another cuisine I miss is Italian food with gluten free noodles. Again, Korea does have Italian restaurants, but they don’t offer a gluten free noodle option. It was much easier back home to request a gluten free meal.
Korea has more traditional food options that are naturally gluten free, but it seems to be less common to request a dish without an ingredient than back home.
I also miss traditional Mexican food. There are Mexican places here, but again there’s usually a Korean twist to them, which means that it tastes different from what I am expecting. Plus they generally don’t have the same options. For example, back in the states if you go to an authentic Mexican restaurant, it is more common for them to offer corn tortillas than flour, but in Korea I can’t even find them.
As the months pass, and it comes closer to the end of my contract, I realize that other than my friends and family and some of the food, I don’t really miss anything else about the U.S.. Obviously it is easier for me to communicate back home where everyone speaks English, but I have grown a lot more comfortable with that aspect since living here.
In Korea, everyone is polite and respectful. Even though I know it must be difficult for Korean people to try to communicate with me because I don’t always know what they are saying, no one is ever rude to me and they don’t show their frustration. People in the U.S. are just so much ruder on a general basis in my opinion.
I also don’t miss the fact that I used to have to drive everywhere back home. It has been nice not having a car here, and being able to walk literally everywhere. People in Korea are so active, and it’s easier for me to be more active here as well. Back home, most people don’t walk places, and there are definitely not free outdoor gyms for everyone to use. On the weekends, if you walk along the path by the river here, there are tons of people walking, riding bikes, exercising, running, roller skating, you name it. They just like to be active and be outside.
I realize that there are more things than I realized that I will miss about living here. It’s just sad that me leaving was how I came to really feel that way. Thanks again for reading and I will see you next time! 읽어줘서 고마워요. 그리고, 다음에 봐요! Stay safe and stay happy! 안전하고 행복하게 지내라요.
Sam's Scenes & Soliloquies 
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