Why did I leave Korea? pt 2

Warning: Some things get a bit dark, especially near the end. It can be triggering for some since there’s mention of suicide.

Also if you didn’t read part 1, you can read it here.

My last job was…

Going to make a few posts about this place…maybe. I’m not living or working there anymore, so I’ll be able to express myself freely about it. So much to tell.

Honestly, it was decent the first year, which is why I stayed another year. However, before my first year was even completed fully and my second contract was already signed, things got really weird. By the time the new school year started, which is only like 3 months into my new contract, it got worse.

2022 was definitely a year I would like to never repeat. It broke me in some ways I never expected. However, that job was the push I needed to help me decide that I was over living and working in Korea. Especially as an ESL teacher but in general, there are a lot of changes that made me decide to leave. I’ll have to make another post for that too.

Not worth it anymore (to me at least)

For me, Korea wasn’t worth it anymore. From seeing people breaking the law and nothing happening to them in so many different situations, it was tiring. Being a foreigner didn’t help, the law works against us in so many ways. I’ve seen some Koreans literally pay their way out of situations that would get a foreigner arrested and/or deported easily.

The won

Let’s not forget the won has weakened against the dollar. Money-wise it’s not worth it. Especially with inflation in Korea too. When I first arrived kimbap (dried seaweed-wrapped rice rolls) were easy to get for 1,000 won or 1,300 won if you were fancy. Now those are 2-3,000 won or more. 1,000 used to be around $0.98-$1 and now it’s around $0.75 (the lowest I’ve seen in a while)-$0.82 (on a really good day). While rent, electricity, taxis, gas, and literally everything else have gone up. Pay is still not enough for anyone actually. Maybe I should make a post about how much things cost now in Korea compared to the past.

The minimum wage has been revised in South Korea from January 1, 2023. The minimum wage has been increased from ₩9,160.00 to ₩9,620.00  per hour.

For more information on changes, please refer to the minimum wage pages:

In Korean/한국어 and in English

Dating

Dating sucks. It sucks more now than when I was in my 20s. Maybe because I know what I’ll tolerate and what I won’t. What I look for in a man also differs from 3-4 years ago. However, dating in Korea as a big black woman is a unique experience that many can’t really share. I’ve had some nice dates, but most of them are just some weird moments in my life honestly. Which is why there’s a section on this site just for that.

However, it’s not just me that has this issue. I know a lot of women that have had the same problem in Korea over the past couple of years. It’s not just in Korea either, it’s a global situation. However, I spent a lot of time dating in Korea obviously. So, just sharing my experience with it.

If you are curious about those moments, just check out the Dating in Korea tab under Personal or click the link here.

외국인

Tired of just being a 외국인 (foreigner). No matter what you do, or how long you live and work in Korea, you’ll always just be a foreigner. It’s one of the first things you constantly hear when people spot you.

외국인…..외국인 …..외국인…..외국인….외국인…

It’s so frustrating sometimes. Imagine hearing that more than 20 times in one day. Some days, you might not hear it much and other days that’s almost all you hear.

Not to mention it’s hard to do things in Korea at times just because of that. There are a lot of things you just cannot do and the reason “oh you’re a foreigner.” Can’t even get a replacement bank card to your own account that has money you worked hard for. Why? You are a foreigner and if your visa is under a year at some banks (NH looking at you) you cannot get one. They changed that during covid for sure. That was not a policy. If your chip or something breaks you can get a replacement until the end of your visa, that’s it.

More 외국인 problems

You can switch visas but even so, it’s not easy to get. You have a bit more freedom with jobs and things. In the end, you’ll still be treated as another foreigner. I know people that have been in Korea for over 15 years, are married to a Korean, have children, speak Korean almost fluently, and still get told often that they can’t do something because they are a foreigner. Sometimes it’s not even being told that you can’t do something, they just won’t do things for you because you are a foreigner.

Ask them about a service or something and they’ll say “Oh, sorry, can’t do it because you’re a foreigner.” You can legit get denied service from places because you are not Korean. That’s something that a lot of people have issues with. Can just type it into google about people being turned away from restaurants, clubs, etc because of being a foreigner. I will admit I haven’t heard of a cafe doing that. Not saying it hasn’t happened, just never experienced it or heard of it.

Now with all that being said. It’s not thrown in your face all the time. Well, depending on who and where you are. When I was living in Gangnam I was stared at constantly and people tried to touch me a lot on a daily basis. Especially older men. It got so bad that even my friends were confused constantly about why it was happening. Wasn’t even safe in my own office building. That’s a story for another day. In other areas of Seoul and Korea in general, it didn’t happen so much. In Jeju, I finally felt freer from all of it.

A lot of life-changing events changed me quickly and not for the better in some cases.

Most people will go through a few life-changing events while living abroad. It’s to be expected. However, I went through a lot in 2015 from having major surgery to my first co-teacher and friend in Korea committing suicide right after celebrating my birthday since she didn’t get to while I was in the hospital. I spent my first birthday in Korea with her.

I was stalked in December 2016. Moved to Seoul in 2017 only to lose everything less than 4 months later. Really thought about taking my own life. Seriously. I never thought I would but I have to save that for another post.

Went from that to working 7 days a week without thinking about anything else. This is when I started becoming meaner. Well, I stopped caring about a lot of things and became more standoffish. Shockingly, I dated a guy while I was in Gangnam but wasn’t even focused on it because we both worked all the time. It was just convenient somehow. Moved to Jeju for some peace and got almost anything but that.

Jeju was my last stop

I made this decision a long time ago. It was something I thought about and said in passing and it ended up happening like many things I say. I always figured if I was going to leave Korea I wanted to live in Jeju first for a bit. I wasn’t going to move anywhere else.

While in Jeju, I love the island and the people there. Love all the nature, flower shops, and cafes. I just couldn’t stand my job more and more in the last year. Thing is, I LOVED my students to pieces. I still think about my students all the time. I love them. Management was not it though.

So, since I wasn’t staying there. I didn’t feel like getting another job in Jeju either. I decided to follow through with something I said years ago and let it be my final stop.

With everything that happened as I said in the previous post and this one, it really was time for me to go. I don’t think it would have benefitted me to stay any longer. So this is why I left Korea.

Not going to lie, while posting up the older posts and reading through them, I wonder why I didn’t leave earlier. I’m glad I didn’t because I met some amazing friends even when I was going through a hard time. For that, I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for the friends I have now.

I know some people have left recently or will leave soon. What are the reasons for you leaving Korea?