Funny American Things in Korea

Published on by stefaniepaikLeave a comment

Korea is well-versed in deep history and culture. On the other hand, Korea has grown into a very diverse country that offers global companies that are localized to Korean society. So to commemorate all of the strange American things I have experienced, I created a list of my favorite places.

Costco

The wholesale company, based in Washington state, has various locations all around Korea. In the greater Seoul area 6 Costco’s. The layout of the Costco is the same as the ones in the US, the only big difference is that the Costco here are multi-storied. Korean Costco will have parking on the basement floors, and then there will be a 1 and 2 floor for merchandise. Merchandise is localized to Korean taste. The best part of Korean Costco’s experience is the food court. The most popular item is the bulgogi pizza. It was fairly good, but I found the cheese on the pizza to be a little strange.

Ikea

While Ikea is Swedish and not American, I enjoyed going to Ikea for fun back home. So Ikea here is generally the same. All the merchandise is the same, still a long labyrinth of furniture. At the Korean Ikea, the menu is similar to the US menu. One thing I noticed is the large amount of vegan options. It’s interesting because vegan options are not super extensive in Korea, but it is growing among the population. The food was pretty good; thought it was a little bland. Also, the garlic bread was sweet, so I didn’t like it.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s has locations all around Korea. Recently, Korea has been doing more localized menu options such as the Jindo green onion burger. In my personal opinion, I don’t like Korean McDonald’s. The fries don’t have that signature American saltiness. Also, McDonald’s does not allow customization so I don’t want to order any burger cause I hate tomatoes. It is a fun experience to try but don’t expect it to taste the same as America.

A Trip to Amsterdam

Published on by hallieahoffLeave a comment
Reading Warning

This entry does contain mentions of sexual assault and human trafficking.

As my program comes to a half way point our study of migration has expanded past the African continent. We took a trip to Amsterdam at the end of October with the hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of migratory patterns, the migrant experience of assimilation and integration and all the challenges that come with. As with any area of academia there are experts and opinions that one will want to counter of have differing opinions, myself and other students being no exception. After studying and living in a city that is a migratory hub, often not by choice we have a certain lens while learning and observing migratory patterns. For this reason there were some lecturers within the trip that I found difficult to listen to, experts who had studied out topics but never lived the experience themselves, having opinions and facts based on academic journals and data analysis, a sharp contrast to the personal experiences and real world situations we have gotten to listen to and observe.

That was in the first few days, the days that followed gave a sharp contrast. We had multiple site visits to community-centered NGOs, one specifically aimed at the integration of migrants into Dutch neighborhoods. The experience and perspective gained in that visit will stay with me forever. These families represent a minority-majority in Dutch neighborhoods, schools, and daily life, yet the process of acceptance as they shared with us is not always simple. We also had the opportunity to hear the life story of a migrant woman who had tried to make the journey from the south of Africa to Europe after being kicked out of her home and facing arrest after being outed as a gay woman. Her story was one of the most difficult recounts I have heard in my life. On her journey, she paid a smuggler to get her through the borders but was deceived and sex trafficked, unaware of where she was for months, all her freedom taken from her. In a miracle moment, she escaped, found the police, and came to the realization that she had been brought to Amsterdam. She now tells her story to spread awareness about the fine line between human smuggling and trafficking, transforming her trauma into her greatest tool. Her courage and fierce attitude have stuck with me in my research and the lens I take while learning about migration; as I’m sure it will continue to stay with me throughout my life.