First arriving in Korea, your first three months and homesickness

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    HOMESICK & ARRIVAL

FIRST ARRIVING IN KOREA AND ASIA, YOUR FIRST THREE MONTHS AND HOMESICKNESS.

First Arriving
Upon first arriving you will most likely feel some culture shock. How much and how you deal with it depends on the individual. Many ESL teachers have very little trouble and time adjusting and getting over any culture shock. Most of us undergo some level culture shock for at least a short while.

You may temporarily feel nervous and anxious, but you may also experience a very exciting and wonderful feeling created from being in a new foreign land. The new environment can be fascinating, as though you are on a long vacation.

Then you may have the realization that you do have to work, but also that many things in Korea and Asia are not like home. This can cause some disappointment, Homesickness and even depression. Again, not everyone goes through this process, which depends on the individual. At this point you can decide to ignore differences and accept your new surroundings or to grow bitter and perhaps even angry, regretting coming Korea. It is of course best to go with the flow and adapt.

Many ESL teachers assimilate into a local culture somewhat, many even get married such as a Korean Marriage, and also learn about much of the local culture and language. However, I have met several people who married Koreans who have not learned much of the local language, which is of course entirely up to them. If you stay long enough and enjoy it in Korea or another country in Asia, you can find it become a second home. Many people often find themselves missing Korea upon being back in their home country.

First Three Months
For many ESL teachers three months is the normal time to become adjusted to living and working abroad. This may be so for most new ventures in life. This will vary for individuals, but generally for ESL teachers this is the time frame. You may even feel settled in a much shorter time frame with the new job, culture and new friends.

I remember walking one Sunday morning on a busy street side walk, before I met any close friends in Korea and feeling down and even depressed. I was wondering how I could live in Korea for a year. This was in the first few weeks and fairly soon afterwards I met some wonderful friends and felt much better about being there. I also felt more comfortable living with the culture, language and work. Before I knew it, I was settled in, and Korea had become comfortable for me to live and work in.

One friend of mine felt rather anxious one day as well and after a walk in a park and the help of some friends he was back on track. This was within the first few months of being in Korea. The anxious feelings we had experienced soon passed, as any problem we may face anywhere eventually do. Basically, with some help from your friends will go along way for living abroad. Remember any problems will soon pass and settling in may take some time.

For many of us in Korea, perhaps like most places other than home and especially for the first time traveler, the first few months can be the most difficult to get used to and adapt. Again, any anxiety, culture shock, or any other kinds of difficulties will soon pass.

Homesickness
Homesickness is real and can drastically bring one down emotionally and even physically, producing a depressed and tired effect. It can be brought on by thoughts of longing for home, people and places. Dealing with a new culture, working environment and living in a new country all at once can be difficult at first. Things that can go wrong or not your way can invoke thoughts of heading back home. You may find yourself comparing home to Korea or another country such as Japan or China, often and dwelling on thoughts of home.

Dwelling on the negative side of things can make just about anyone feel down. Feeling down can bring on thoughts of home. You may experience some cultural misunderstandings or have trouble settling or getting used to your new job.

Try to rid yourself of any negative thoughts as soon as possible, which may at first seem difficult but is a great help to stay positive. Replace your thoughts with perspectives of your life and of good times ahead. Keep your mind calm. Keeping yourself busy can also help. Keeping busy can help wonderfully when dealing with homesickness or any problems and take your mind off any difficulties.

Meeting with friends as often as possible, usually on evenings or weekends can be extremely helpful. I found making good friends helped me tremendously with over coming homesickness.

Perspective is good. You are in a very safe place with lots or opportunity, much more than generations before, or perhaps you are one of several baby boomers making a new life for yourself. Either way, you have opportunity to meet great new friends, save descent money, travel and more.

To read more please see ARTICLES

Dom?s Cafe - The #1 Resource for ESL Jobs and Information in Korea and Asia - Nova Scotia, Canada - Busan, Korea - dom@domscafe.com

Dominic J. Deveau/Creator of Dom's ESL Cafe and Expert Author
Documents - Don't Leave Home Without Them | Culture - You Are Not In Kansas Now, Dorothy | Fun - Enjoy The Adventure
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