Fall Semester at Seminary is Over

Well as you see, it's been awhile since I've updated my blog. Fall semester was from August 26 until December 13 and it was very interesting but also very stressful.  Thankfully I had a very good first semester. I passed my one-credit ministry formation class. All I needed was a 60% to pass and I got a 95% in the class. Since it was only one credit, it was graded with either a pass or a fail. In my two-credit spiritual formation I got an A in the class (96%) and in my three-credit Old Testament Introduction 1 class I got a B+.

I am proud of myself and I am thankful to the Lord that I was able to stay healthy during the process. However, as I mentioned earlier, it was one of the most challenging moments of my life. Here's the workload that I had in a nutshell:

• In my Old Testament class, I had two short papers and a timeline assignment, three to five lectures to listen to every week, a quiz every week, reading, and a final exam. 
• In my spiritual formation, I had reading, had to submit two daily journal assignments, take a quiz, had one lecture to listen to, and one writing assignment each week.
• In my ministry formation, I had reading, a lecture to listen to, and multiple writing assignments.

I did all of this while working split shift at work. My wife can tell you how stressed out I was. On the other hand, it was nice to be busy, I learned a lot, and it was very fulfilling. Yet, I realized that I just can't take three classes while working full time. It's just way too much. And I have no idea how people that are married with kids do it. It would be mind boggling to see how they juggle all of these tasks. By the grace of God, I was able to finish strong and my hope is that I can catch up on some reading, hang out with some friends, and rest until spring semester starts in February!

Scott Worden

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

What Am I Thankful For in 2019?

My favorite holiday in is coming up in a few weeks in the United States: Thanksgiving. Why? It reminds me of what God has done for me and what I should be thankful for. Here's a great verse to remember and it's in fact a famous Christian song: 1 Chronicles 16:34- "Give Thanks to the Lord. For He is good; his love endures forever".

So what am I thankful for?

1. My wife- She is fan-tas-tic! She knows everything about me and knows what I need. If I need time to rest, she gives it to me. If I need time to get out of the house and do something fun, she's right there with me. She is an amazing cook, never complains about doing housework, never complains about me snoring, and loves me more than I can imagine. I couldn't ask for a better wife.

2. My dad- I've lived in South Korea for 16 years and although he definitely wants me to come back to California, he still supports me no matter what. I'm thankful for his unconditional love.

3. My friends- Some of them are like family if not closer. We have group chats on our phones and we support each other through prayer. I'm blessed to have friends that I can share my problems and praises with.

4. My job- No job is perfect but I'm thankful to have been at Wall Street English for 11 years. I still like 95% of my students and I have some great coworkers and a supportive manager. Unfortunately, a lot of them will be leaving soon, but I might not be far behind them.

5. Living in Seoul- It's a great place to live in as an expat. It's safe, the public transportation is convenient, there are many choices of restaurants, many cultural activities, and it's modern and traditional at the same time.

6. My home- I live in a quiet neighborhood on a hill and near a children's playground. There are two local cafes run by very friendly people, the local market has people that are kind, and there's a small chicken store that is run by a kind older couple. I couldn't ask for a better neighborhood.

7. God's provision- While living in Korea, I haven't had to worry about major expenses and it has allowed my wife and I to save some money. That's a huge bonus.

8. An exciting future ahead- My wife and I plan to be missionaries within the next five years. I can only imagine where the Lord is taking us. I'm scared but thrilled at the same time!

9. My travel experiences- I could never imagine that I would be able to travel to 16 countries and still not have any debt. Jesus, you're amazing and I'm very thankful for that.

10. Cute nephews and nieces- I'm thankful that I have two nephews and two nieces on my side and one nephew on my wife's side. And you know what? They're all adorable and amazing!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy



1 Thessalonians 5: 18- Give thanks in all circumstances. for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

There are Some Things about Korea I Will Never Get Used to

Sometimes I love living in South Korea and appreciating God bringing me to live here for the past 16 years. It's easy to say that it's my home away from home since I've spent over one third of my life here. However, at other times, things happen in Korea that are just mind boggling and strange.

One of my Korean coworkers just recently got married and she's awesome. I couldn't attend her wedding, but I wanted to get her a gift. I considered cash, but I had already missed her wedding, so my wife suggested me to go to Zara Home. Yesterday, I went to Zara Home in COEX Mall at 10:15am and once I got there, one of the shop clerks said that they didn't open until 10:30am, which was fine. I waited outside the store and went inside at 10:30.

After that, I looked around and found some nice dishes. I decided to get her two small dishes and two large ones. I was pretty quick with my decision and took them right to the cashier. As I get to the counter, the lady said something in Korean quickly and she seemed to be slightly irritated. Because she said it so fast, I had no idea what she said. If she had spoken a little slower, maybe I could have caught what she said. I just shrugged my shoulders as to let her know that I didn't understand her and she got the point. It's amazing that she just assumed that I could understand her fluent Korean without any hesitation and that she didn't attempt to slow down or speak English. Anyway, she scanned my items and I told her in Korean to please wrap them up. She asked me if I needed a duty-free coupon (in Korean) and I said that I didn't. She told me the price and I inserted my credit card into the machine. After that she said "Sign..." somewhat rudely and I was a little surprised so it took me a second to process it. Then she said "Sign!!" two seconds later. Then I was pissed off because of her rudeness so I said okay in Korean loudly  ("네!!"). She packed my stuff and handed it to me. I said "Thank you" in Korean and she didn't say anything. It's amazing. I spent over $50 on her merchandise and got treated like garbage. Customer service in Korea can be really good or it can be very poor depending on who caters to you. I miss customer service in California when 90% of the time they are polite, friendly, and even chat with you.

Then after I got on the subway, I found a seat and sat down. To the right of me, a man in his 40s sat to the right of me in the seat reserved for pregnant women. It doesn't bother me if a woman sits there even if she isn't pregnant, but a man should not sit there in my humble opinion. However, that's not what bothered me about the situation. As soon as I get off the subway, the man moves over away from the seat reserved for pregnant women and into the seat where I sat. Why was the seat that was reserved for pregnant women not good enough any more? If he didn't think it was wrong to sit there at the beginning, why did he move? That clearly showed that he felt like he was doing something wrong in the first place, but at the beginning, since it was the only seat available, he was selfish and took it not caring what other people thought. Here's my advice to the man: Man up. You can stand and wait for a regular seat. If you really need to sit, then you can sit in the seats reserved for older people since you're in your 40s. Don't be a stereotypical ajoshi and use your age to feel entitled to do whatever you feel like doing. 

Finally, I went home and went to a restaurant that specializes in meatballs. I walk into the restaurant and see two people eating. It's 11am, so the restaurant is quiet since everyone eats lunch at the same time in Korea (12pm). But I notice that none of the staff are in the front of the restaurant. Both servers are in the kitchen talking to the cook. Finally after four minutes, I had to say something because I was hungry and tired of waiting and said "excuse me" in Korean (요기요!). Finally, a woman comes out and takes my order. You don't realize how often this happens in Korea when you walk into a restaurant and no one is at the front. When I worked at Office Depot from 2000 to 2003, one of our main rules was that at least ONE person had to be at the front of the store. It was for security purposes and for basic customer service to greet people and be there if anyone needed help.

It was one of those days. I have a love-hate relationship with Korea sometimes. I'm sure today will be one of those days that I love Korea especially since today is Friday!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram (l.a.seoulguy)

Seminary Life is Fun But Crazy

I am now in my fourth week of my first semester in seminary. I'm taking an Old Testament class that is three credits (units). Up to this point, I've been working pretty hard. I finished one paper two weeks ago that was due this week. I finished a timeline assignment of Israel's history last week, which isn't due until November. I had a day off from vacation and spent 12 hours writing it. Phew...The reason why I finished that one so early is because next month my schedule will get crazy.

Next month, I will take two more classes: one is one unit and the other is two units so in total, I will be taking three classes at the same time. For my O.T. class, I still have one more paper that is due in October, but my goal is to get that paper done before the other two classes begin. Then I will only have to worry about quizzes and lectures for my O.T. class.

So how can I describe seminary up to this point? Very interesting but the work is intense. It's not necessarily difficult. It's just extremely time consuming. For example, last week, I had to watch five lectures: 54 minutes, 37 minutes, 28 minutes, 9 minutes, and 15 minutes in duration respectively. I had to take notes as I was listening to the lectures, so last week I had 15 pages of notes. On top of that, I had to read one chapter from one book, 12 pages out of another, and 8 chapters out of the Bible.

All I can say is that thanks to help from the Lord and me working my rear end off, my current grade in my O.T. class is an 89%. We'll see how strict my professor grades my papers. That will determine if I have a chance at an A in this class or not.

All I can do is do my best and hope that I can get a Master's Degree. Unfortunately, I need to get through 95 units (credits) to graduate. After this semester, I will have 89 left, which will pretty much have me graduating in 2023. It's a long way to go, but the beginning has been okay so far despite the intense amount of work. To God be the glory!

Scott Worden

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Koreans are like Americans: Sharp Divide Along Party Lines

Featured Image: Reuters

Here's how Koreans view politics in a nutshell: Younger people love Moon Jae-In and like the fact that he's doing his best to build relations between North and South Korea and they're okay with President Moon helping North Korea financially. Older people in South Korea are very conservative, have experienced the Korean War, and are very leery of North Korea. Any help by a South Korean president towards a North Korean leader is seen as treasonous. They also seem to love Trump because he's a Republican and Republicans have historically been tough on North Korea. Ironically, Trump is actually pretty soft on North Korea, but don't tell them that. Politics are similar to American politics since they support a president based on their party politics. And although age isn't a huge determinant in American politics like it is in Korea, it is still somewhat of a factor. Millenials seem to vote for Democrats while people over 55 are more likely to vote Republican. However, race is a bigger factor in American politics.

Also, with regards to politics, something interesting happened to be on the subway (There's never a dull moment in Seoul, by the way) last week. An older man, in his 60s, was sitting in the seats reserved for elderly and disabled people. As soon as he gets up, he quickly puts a yellow sticker on the wall of the subway saying “Resign President Moon Jae In” and then runs to the next car. A woman in her 40s, who was standing near the sticker peels the sticker off, folds it up and puts it in her pocket after he leaves. People have strong viewpoints in Seoul as you have seen from the recent boycott of Japanese products in South Korea.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

How Serious is the Boycott of Japan in Korea?

Lately, South Korea is livid with Japan and my students are not going to Japanese stores and refuse to travel to Japan based on a trade war that Shinzo Abe seemed to have started. The boycotts have caused Uniqlo to close shop in Seoul and Japanese restaurants have slowed down sales unless they have signs on the door like the one in this blog post. You can read about how Japanese businesses are affected below:

Uniqlo Set to Close Store Amid Anti-Japan Boycotts of Cars, Beer, and Holidays-Telegraph (UK) August 9, 2019

South Koreans Shun Japanese Products and Tours as Boycott Gathers Momentum- The Japan Times- August 5, 2019

I just recently went to a Japanese restaurant during lunch time in the business district and was shocked at how bare it was. This is the worst boycott since the American beef boycott in Seoul a while back and since it's Japan (Korea's arch rival in sports and an infamously historical rival), this could easily be the worst.

Here's a great video of why people are boycotting Japan and while most people are for the boycott, you'll see a couple Koreans that think the boycott will just end up hurting Korea and Japan in the long run:

Why Koreans Are Boycotting Japan- August 4, 2019

Many people believe that the boycott is not about trade relations and Korea losing some money from its semiconductor business. They believe it's Japan's colonial history, Korea's opinion that Japan has never apologized for their behaviors during their occupation between 1910-1945 (although they actually have and paid compensation), and the "comfort women" issue. Here's a great article explaining why the boycott is happening and what the US has tried to do to mediate the differences:

The South Korea and Japan Trade War, Explained- Vox- August 9, 2019

The sad thing is that I love both countries for different reasons. Korea has been my home for almost 16 years and I've been treated very well here. But I've also traveled to various cities in Japan (Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, and Kyoto) and found the people to be very kind and welcoming to non-Japanese people. I sincerely hope that one day those two countries can have a strong relationship because they're both great places to live and/or visit.

Not only that, but it will also help with regards to the denuclearization of North Korea. Notice how North Korea has been testing missiles quite often lately? That's not a coincidence.

Get with it Korea and Japan and grow up. You need each other and the safety of the Far East depends on it!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Exploring Halla Mountain (Hallsan) with my Wife on October 9, 2018-Part 1 of 2

If you don't rent a car on Jeju Island (I strongly recommend that you do), you can stay in the Jumun area and take a couple local buses to Hallasan, which is what we did. Unfortunately, I don't have a Korean driver's license (haven't had a strong need for one yet), so we relied on buses during our trip. The bad thing about not renting a car is that you can only focus on two areas of the island if you're staying there for two to three days. Nevertheless, we took a couple buses (as I mentioned) to Hallsan from our hotel and I will have to tell you that it was one of the best experiences I've had while living in South Korea. I'll let the pictures of us going up the mountain speak for themselves. In my next blog, I will show you the pictures of us descending down a different trail.


After we got off the bus, we had to walk for about 15 minutes to the main parking lot...

Once we got to the parking lot, this is what we saw...

Then we began our journey....

I had to take a picture of my wife with this amazing scenery in the background and we still hadn't even started trekking yet!

Now the real journey begins....

The great thing about this trail is that it wasn't too difficult to climb and you can see wheat fields like this....

But we still had to keep going....

And some parts were rockier than others....

The weather wasn't that clear but if you look closely, you can see the ocean in this picture...

And just a bit higher, you can see a better view of the ocean and landscape below...

But we still kept ascending....

Once we got to the 4-hour mark, we decided to take another trail and head down the mountain. Getting to to the peak would have been nice, but the weather was a bit cold and it was already about 2:00pm. We stopped at an area with A LOT of crows, at least 50 of them and then we headed back....

In the next blog post, you'll see some breathtaking shots as we descended down the mountain down a little more difficult trail. Watch out for my next blog post soon...


Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Expat Life in Seoul: Ordering Food in Basic Korean

If there's one aspect of my Korean that I know that I'm excellent at, it's ordering food. Haha! Yesterday two unique situations happened. I will begin by telling you about the first situation:

For lunch, I went to a small Vietnamese restaurant near my home and I ordered my food from the restaurant ordering machine. The owner is Korean, but she's only there occasionally and cooks in the kitchen are Vietnamese. After I ordered my food and waited, one of the Vietnamese cooks came and brought my food to me and said my order was ready in Korean and I said "thank you" in Korean. That's one thing that I haven't gotten used to. Both of our native languages aren't Korean, but in order to communicate, we have to speak Korean because I don't think she knows English and I definitely can't speak Vietnamese!

Now I'll discuss my second interesting situation. Usually my wife cooks but she had a long day yesterday, so I decided to get food from Burger King. I had Asian food for lunch and I went to the gym, so I thought I could spoil myself with a burger. I go to this particular Burger King in my neighborhood and go at the same time (10:00pm) twice a month. Before I get back to my story, you're probably thinking 10:00pm is fairly late to eat dinner especially if it's a burger, but my evening classes start at 6:30, I'm not hungry at 5:30pm, and I'm starving after three hours of teaching in the evening. Anyway, back to my story. There's one lady that is always behind the counter at that time and she knows me pretty well. And because I can't stand mayonnaise on my burgers, I can't order from the kiosk; I can only order at the counter. The strange thing about it is that she mixes Korean and English, which always makes it an awkward experience. She greets me with a "hello" in English. Then I tell her the combo meal (known as a “set" in Korean) that I want in English since she starts off by speaking English. After that she repeats in Korean ("You don't want mayonnaise right?"). So I respond in Korean "right". Then she goes back to English to tell me to put my ATM card in the machine next to the cash register, but then goes back to Korean to tell me to take it out. Ugh! It's so confusing! Can she just pick a language and we can just run with it? Yesterday to end the transaction, she told me in English that my order was ready and back to Korean "there's no mayonnaise". Oh Korea. I love you! Anyway, despite the awkwardness, she always gets my order right and when my order is ready. I can't complain too much, right?

Do you have any funny or interesting situations in Korea? I'd love to hear about them!


P.S. Here are a few links below to use when ordering food in Korea. I thought they were all fairly useful. Enjoy!

Ordering food at a restaurant in Korean

Essential Korean Phrases- Eating

Ordering in a cafe

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

A Strange Modern Art Experience: Arario Museum in Seoul, South Korea

I've never been a fan of modern art and I think one visit to the Arario Museum has cemented my opinion for good. Don't get me wrong. I've seen some displays of modern art that I have found quite talented, but I would say that I have disliked 90% of anything that is considered "modern art". My experiences have included visits to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Tate Modern in London, the Leeum Samseong Museum of Art in Seoul, and now the Arario Museum in Seoul. As you see, I've tried to give modern art a chance on multiple occasions, but after checking out the Arario Museum, I'm convinced that I will never like most modern art. I'm quite satisfied with that and I don't think I'm that closed-minded. I'll show you some displays from the Arario Museum of just one exhibit that I came across and let you be the judge. I will display some things that I enjoyed as well as scratched my head at. Let's begin:

The entrance to the museum

Sometimes there's a fascination with TV screens in modern art

Simple, not bad

Creepy

Creepy and depressing

I like this one especially her outfit

She looks sad but the painting is well done

Her expressions are very well defined

I'll just put my bed frame in a museum next to a random bathtub and call it art.

I think this collage is a statement about racism in London in 1968 but I'm really not sure.

Modern art randomness

The museum has 6 floors that are open.

Is this supposed to mesmerize you?

Is this a statement about ISIS in the Philippines?

Rudolph the glass balled reindeer?

A room made to look like an artist's sanctuary?

It's time to take a nap from this overload of  randomness

This picture came out pretty well I must say

Chucky as an adult??

Just plain weird

A nice cafe outside the museum, but it got crowded quick

Here's some information about the museum in case you actually enjoyed the artwork that I displayed on this blog post:

Hours: Open from 10:00am-7:00pm daily (Closed on Mondays)
Address: Euijiro 83, Jong-no-gu, Seoul
Transportation: Bus: 109, 151, 162, 171, 272, 7025, Get off at Changdeokgung stop
Subway: Line 3 to Anguk Station (Exit 3), and then walk 3 minutes on foot
Cost (Exhibition and Museum Only): W10,000 (General), W6,000 (Youth), W4,000 (11-13 year olds)
Website: Arario Museum
Phone: (02) 736-5700

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Koreans Sometimes Don't Take Friendships Seriously

About 6-7 years ago, I met a Korean American friend at church. I will call him John since I'd rather not use his real name to protect his identity. Through him I met his Korean friend Jack (also a fictional name). I'm very good friends with John and I've hung out with him for many years. We've had lunch together numerous times and gone out for coffee on a lot of occasions. He would move back and forth to Philadelphia and then move back to Seoul. He has done that numerous times (Philly is his hometown yet he loves Seoul and can't decide on where to live permanently).

Two months ago, John came to Seoul and I saw him at church. We also had dinner together one other time. I saw him at least two times during the trip but didn't see Jack despite John hanging out with him a couple of times. When I first met Jack, I asked him if he wanted to hang out with him a couple of times, but he said he was busy, so I never pursued the friendship seriously. In total, I've only hung out with Jack once in the 6-7 years that I've known him. We had been Facebook friends and that was the extent of it. On the other hand, John and I are good friends, hang out often, and even send text messages to each other when he's in Philly and I'm in Seoul.

Three years ago, Jack called me and asked me for help about something. I believe that I helped him, but I can't remember exactly. Since then, Jack might "like" a post here and there on Facebook and I do the same. Just recently I "liked" his profile picture of him, his wife, and his daughter. (Sidenote: I've never met his wife or his daughter).

Two days ago, Jack called me at 3:30pm on a Wednesday, but I was taking a nap between my morning and evening shifts at work. I thought to myself, "He must need help with something. What other reason would he call me?" He called again at 5:30pm. However, I didn't realize it since I was walking to my workplace. When I got to my workplace, I texted him and said "What's up Jack? I was taking a nap and missed your first call and now I'm at work." He responds, "I see. I was thinking that (sic) moving to US to become a UMC pastor. I need to write a cover letter and get a script of 20 min (sic) sermon that is simple and powerful. If I send my resume, can you write a cover letter for me? If you can't, it is okay. But I ask you to pray for that." 

I shook my head in disbelief. I really don't understand people like that. I barely know this guy,  we've hung out once with my friend John, and don't know his wife. How can a very distant acquaintance ask for such a huge favor? He's also going to the US, so I'll probably never ever see him once he leaves. And he had the audacity to call me a second time an hour later after I missed the first call. Am I supposed to just answer just because he's my friend's friend? He can't actually think that we are good friends or does he? What I'm guessing is that because I'm a nice guy, he figured I would be there no matter what.

Then a thought came to my mind. This is common in Korean culture. I have a Korean friend who lives in Australia. The only time he contacts me is when he needs help with his resume or cover letter. Recently he contacted me and I figured that he needed help again. Sure enough. He was worried because an American female friend that we mutually know from church was annoyed with him. Apparently she was ignoring his text messages and he called to find out why. They used to have a language exchange together and we all used to hang out together after church and have coffee. I told him that the reason she is ignoring his texts is that maybe he only contacted her when he needed help. He said it was common in Korean culture to help a friend in need at any time. I said that in Western culture if you don't contact friends just to see how they're doing and only contact them when you need something, it's a fake friendship. He seemed surprised when I told him that.

Yet this is also common in wedding culture in Korea. I remember getting a wedding invitation from a friend that I hadn't heard from in three years. I also recall getting an invitation from a student that I had only taught twice. I've also gotten invitations from Korean friends and then after I attend their wedding, I never hear from them again. The goal of many Korean weddings is to get as many people as you can to your wedding to make up for the cost that you put into the wedding. That's a shallow concept and I don't get how relationships can be taken so lightly in Korean culture. That seems to be fairly common in Korea especially because the work culture is so intense. They don't have time to hang out with their friends and once they get married, friendships are put on the back burner.

Many of my friends aren't Korean for this reason. I'm an introvert, so I only treasure friends that I know are going to be reliable and trustworthy. To add to that, I'm getting older. When I first got a Facebook account, I added many people to my friend's list. Now I'm pretty happy to have weeded out people that I can't even call an acquaintance or people that used to be friends but don't keep in touch with me any more. My goal in 2019 is to send more texts or make more phone calls to my real friends and worry less about people that won't be there for me. 

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

God Knows What You're Going Through

Two weeks ago I sprained my left ankle coming out of a bathroom that had a high step. I forgot how high the step was to the platform outside the bathroom, so I fell down and rolled it. On top of that, it was the same ankle that I sprained two years ago as I was jogging down a hill. Due to that, I think this ankle has been healing at a slower rate.

Fast forward to two days ago. I was on my way to work at 6:00am (from Nakseongdae Station to Samseong Station on Line 2) and I had to stand because there weren't any seats available. One seat became available but it wasn't quite close enough to me and an older lady quickly took that seat. I was standing alone with my sore ankle and figured that if any seat opens up, I would be able to get it and rest my ankle. Once the subway stopped at Seocho Station, an older man in his late 60s stood next to me waiting for a seat. The subway continued to Kyodae Station and once it stopped there, the seat in front of me opened up. I really wanted to sit down because my ankle was aching a bit, but I couldn't sit and let the older man in his 60s stand, so I let him take the seat. But I was thinking, "Lord, my foot isn't feeling that good. Why can't I get a seat this morning?"

As Gangnam Station approached, an older man in his 50s who was sitting next to the older man in his 60s, got up and I immediately took that seat. What I didn't know is that he noticed that I had allowed the older man in his 60s to take my seat earlier and he seemed to appreciate it based on his body language. Then he asked me in Korean, "Which country are you from?" I said "USA". And he gave me a thumbs up sign and said "Good!" with a big smile on his face.

It made me realize that the Lord appreciated my gesture and he knew my pain. Don't ever think that God isn't watching out for you. He loves you and he knows everything you're going through. Don't ever forget that!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Reverse Culture Shock from Being an Expat in South Korea

When I go home to Southern California for vacation after living for so many years in South Korea, I always get a dose of reverse culture shock when I stay there for 1-2 weeks. This time was no different and I would like to share some of them with you and see if you experienced the same things!

1. Small talk. Americans are friendly and when you go shopping, store clerks will always ask if you have their store card so you can get discounts or get on their mailing list. When I tell them I'm not living in the country at the moment, they ask me where I live. Once I tell them I live in South Korea, they get interested. My wife and I were in a clothing store and she decided to buy a couple of shirts. When I told the teenage girl that I lived in Korea, she got excited. Apparently, she had a fascination of Korean culture and actually tried to learn Korean due to her being a major fan of K-Pop. Then she said that she wanted to teach in Korea like I was and live in Gangnam (of course I told her that it was extremely expensive to live there). She must have talked about this dream for 10 minutes!

2. Huge food portions. Whether it be an American breakfast or a burrito, with rice beans, and salad, the portions are out of this world. I love food, so yes it was enjoyable for awhile. But after awhile, when you hang out with family or friends on vacation, and the meals pile up, you can gain weight and feel stuffed on a consistent basis. If you're hungry after eating at a restaurant in California, then it's your fault!

3. Driving is a breeze in L.A. compared to Seoul. I don't drive in Korea and I will avoid it as long as possible. What's the main reason? People are so impatient in Seoul. As a pedestrian, I see it all of the time. Drivers block intersections, honk if someone isn't moving 2 seconds after the light turns green, or drive through red lights because they're constantly in a hurry. While I was in L.A. I think I heard three or four honks in the two weeks I was there. In Seoul, you'll hear someone honk their horn every other minute. On top of that, people will wait for you to cross the street even before you get to the curb. It was nice to see people being polite on the road and I definitely miss that!

4. People in Seoul live a very busy lifestyle. For some reason, if you're not keeping busy doing something, you always feel like you're wasting your time. In Seoul, I always feel guilty if I haven't read my Bible, studied Korean, exercised, and read a book all in one day. When I get to L.A., I feel very relaxed. I tend to go to bed earlier, watch TV a lot more, and things just happen at a much slower pace than in Seoul. But that's the danger of it. You can easily get lazy and not do any of the important things that I mentioned above.

5. My wife noticed that the cost of fruit, vegetables, canned goods, and other groceries in general were much cheaper in Southern California than in Seoul. She commented that she could easily cook if she lived in America. One of my favorite snacks is nuts. Nuts are still very costly in Seoul because they have to import them to Korea. My aunt used to send me a box filled with 4-5 bags of nuts in my first year of Korea as care packages. I miss that.

Overall, both places are great and have their pros and cons. I will always be a California guy and I definitely plan to retire there if possible, but Seoul has been good to me. It's definitely my second home! If you have anything you would like to share about "reverse culture shock", feel free to leave a comment! I'd love to hear your experiences!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Sermon: "Crown of Thorns, Crown of Victory" by Pastor Andrew Gu

Mark 15:16-20


Before Jesus is to be crucified, he's led into the Governor's quarter. About 500 soldiers are called in after Jesus has already been beaten. These people mocking Jesus for being "The King of the Jews" were doing it in the king's palace. He was dressed in purple which symbolized royalty. It's doubtful that it was real purple since real purple was expensive. It was probably a faded scarlet robe. Then they put a crown of thorns on him and mocked him by kneeling and saying "Hail! King of the Jews!". Next, they "honor" him by hitting him with a reed and spit on him again and again (NIV). After that, they put on his regular clothes so that he can be crucified. Finally they "worshipped" him. It's highly insulting since Jesus deserves ALL of our worship and they gave him a fake and insulting kind of worship.

What about us? We call him "king" but we insult him with the way that we worship Him. We are no better than these soldiers. When things don't go the way that we want, we rid ourselves of Him. Just because we bow, wear nice clothes, and show it outwardly, that doesn't mean that we are really worshipping Him. Are we showing halfhearted worship and obedience?

Jesus did nothing wrong and even Pilate knew this (vs. 14) or in John's account "not guilty". He said "What wrong has he done?" He had done nothing but heal people and do good for them. Yet Jesus doesn't fight back. Why not? Jesus was on a mission (Isaiah 50). There was a huge problem: our sin and our rebellion towards God. God's way is always better. Something was wrong in the world. The soldiers were saying Jesus was weak, not worthy, and a fake king. Yet what they were doing was that he was actually worthy ironically.

He came to rescue us because we needed rescuing (Galatians 3:13). Jesus willingly subjected himself to abuse and mockery for our behalf. It's a triumphant endurance (Spurgeon). Thankfully it isn't the low point of the story. It's the climax. This is the story of redemption and sacrifice. His death is not a defeat. It's the victory. The crown is not just used to symbolize royalty. It symbolized victory.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Changgyeonggung Palace at Night in Pictures (Seoul, South Korea)

In 2018, evening visits to Changgyeonggung Palace were only offered at special times. However, beginning this year you can visit there from 9:00am until 9:00pm from Tuesday until Sunday and the latest time that you can be admitted in is at 8:00pm. Please note that the palace is closed on Mondays.

Here are some pictures that I took with my wife last year. The place is underrated since everyone talks about Gyeongbokgung Palace and not many tourists know about this one. It's not that huge, but you can expect to spend about an hour here.

The entrance

Outer courtyard

The center of the temple

A full moon

A woman is taking pictures in a traditional Korean outfit called a "hanbok"

Exiting out of the temple

Cost: Adults= W1,000; Aged 7-18= W500; For children under 6, senior citizens over 65 years old, and those wearing a hanbok= FREE.
Hours: See above
Address: 185 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul
Directions: Hyehwa Station (Seoul, Subway Line 4), Exit 4. Walk for approximately 15 minutes.
Website: cgg.cha.go.kr (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Inquiries: +82-2-762-4868 (Korean only)
1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Malay, Vietnamese, and Thai language available)


Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy