The cold air made my body shiver as I got off the shuttle bus from Incheon International Airport. As I looked around, I was already fascinated by this city called Seoul. It seemed very modern with its stylish buildings all around me. It was my first time in Seoul, yet for some reason, I knew I would get to love this city, despite not having heard of KPop or KDrama or even Gangnam Style (well, at that time, the song wasn’t even out yet). So for sure, this was my first impression of Seoul. Oh wait, I did see some movies from South Korea, so in a way, I had a little bit of an idea what South Korea or Seoul was like. Yet, still not so much the way you find out about this place from those other things. At that time, when I first came to Seoul, it was very early in the morning, so most of the stores were still close, but there was already a crowd of people rushing to get to the bus stop or to the nearest subway station. Being very cold and not used to it anymore, having lived in Los Angeles, California for such a long time, I immediately tried to find the nearest cafe, and there it was: a Starbucks. Talk about cold, last time I felt this cold was when I was still living in Chicago, but after getting my caffeine for the day and getting myself warm, I was ready to check out the city, and I wasn’t disappointed.
As I went around the city, I could immediately see what this city had to offer. Shops, including most of the famous brands you see in the States and Europe, are all over the city, so this is a city that is almost on steroids when it comes to shopping. As I looked around, I saw a lot of beautiful and sexy Korean women and handsome men walk around with their designer clothes and accessories, so you could tell that they really care about the big name brands and how they looked. For some reason, the men are almost feminine as the women with their almost flawless skin. Just to think that South Korea used to be an impoverished nation ruined by the Korean war about fifty years ago, but now it is basking in wealth from the money it has been earning from its rise as a technology powerhouse with companies such as Samsung, Hyundai, LG and others.
Fast forward a few years later, when I came back, I knew a lot more about the Korean culture through KPop and KDrama. Thanks to my ex-girlfriend and some Korean friends who introduced me to those things in order for me to learn the Korean language and culture. This made me appreciate my stay in South Korea a lot more just because everything now felt familiar. The culture was not that alien to me anymore. I could pretty much immerse myself in the culture with ease as if it were mine. I’d say that I did not really enjoy the country of South Korea and the city of Seoul fully until my second and third time here. Knowing much more than what I knew back then really made those trips a lot more meaningful and fun. It was not a question of doing “when in Rome, do what the Romans do.” I was actually doing it naturally. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to.
I’ve been to a lot of cities worldwide, including most major cities in Asia, except Japan, and I think Seoul is not your typical Asian city. Here you do not see a lot of scooters. If you do see scooters, they’re mostly used by delivery people. In Seoul, anything can be delivered no matter what. For a city that is on the go, it is pretty much a necessity. In this city, everything is fast paced. That’s why the most common Korean expression is “Pali-pali” which means “Hurry up!” or “Faster!” In this city, everyone seems to be always in a rush. They walk fast here that only a New Yorker can outrun them.
No wonder their internet speed is considered the fastest in world, when their people do not seem to have patience due to their fast paced lifestyle, it is pretty much a given that their technology is dictated by the their needs for convenience. So I assume that probably the Research and Development Departments of their top technology companies always try to fill in those needs right away as to keep up with the pace of the lifestyle of the South Koreans.
This is a country that does not seem to want to slow down. Because of this, when you come here, you get a sense of that energy. That energy does not seem to run out as the overworked Koreans get off from their work really late at night. Still they have a lot of leftover energy to spend their time at KTV, clubs, etc, drinking their soju until they do not have energy anymore. By that time, it is almost morning already. To say that Seoul is another city that never sleeps is definitely true. Everything here is 24-7.
I think that’s probably one of the things that really made me like Seoul a lot. The energy you feel when you are in this city. Now that I’ve been here quite a few times already, I do not think I would never get tired of coming back here. But with its 24-7 lifestyle, you will definitely run out of energy and get tired as you spend your time here, but then again, life is best served best on the go.
