takiyama with SHEETAL MAKHAN
My trek throughout the world
Pic: Innovative Commons, Flickr, Hyku
In 2007, I packed up my life in South Africa and moved across the globe to a country I never visited before to call it home for a year august. I’d simply graudated after four years at university and made a decision to go on to Southern Korea to show English at a school that is elementary.
In the past, young graduates groing through towards the eastern to be English teachers ended up being only just becoming popular. Individuals (also even today) believe it is really intriguing and uncommon that we (an Indian girl) have gone my moms and dads house setting up shack in a nation so different to anything I could imagine. In the end, if we had been to check out the stereotype, I’d have finished by having a degree that is notable hitched a “nice Indian boy”. Needless to say, we’d have babies and I’d develop into a stay-at-home-mom or work with the family members company (which includes zero connection to my degree!)
Having attended an all-girls school and at college, I’ve prided myself on being open-minded about individuals and countries. I’ve for ages been enthusiastic about people and once you understand about social structures in culture.
The social groups I have associated with over the years have always been diverse while racism is still a prevalent topic in South Africa. Growing up, I never ever belonged up to a clique. I’d buddies of various events, countries and religions. Due to this, I’ve learnt to embrace individuals from all walks of life and also have discovered to empathize with buddies and strangers alike.
Settling into my brand new вЂhome’
I had to get used to many different things – food, language, respect for authority and general cultural aspects that is typical of Asian nations when I arrived in Korea. Another thing I experienced to obtain used to had been being stared at, whether close to my neighbourhood, regarding the bus or subway or once I was at a restaurant with my peers.
We are now living in city an hour or so from the center of Seoul – Korea’s money town. Foreigners in Seoul are not uncommon to see, particularly within the weekends. Numerous English instructors and American soldiers flock to an area called Itaewon, which caters mostly into the population that is foreign. It really is found nearby the United States Military Base and foreigners will enjoy typical food that is western don’t have any issue with interaction, because so many of the Koreans working in Itaewon can talk English fairly well.
My city is quite various and foreigners that are seeing here also makes me “sit up and look”. In the region I know that there are a few Bangladeshi’s and Sri Lankans who run Halaal shops that I live in. We don’t see them usually and also haven’t really communicated using them. I really do, nonetheless, have the periodic stare and whenever I’m call at Seoul, We sometimes also get whistled at. I’m told there are more Indian men right here than you will find ladies, therefore seeing A indian girl like me personally is pretty unusual.
I will be the very first and currently just international instructor at my college. For many of the employees and pupils, i will be additionally the foreigner that is first have ever had contact 
with and “seen” in true to life. For a few associated with younger kids that haven’t been exposed to TV that is foreign films, I became very different for them. Some pupils would show up for me in pairs or groups, peer at me personally inquisitively and stroke my supply!
Myself to my classes, I showed them photographs of my family and friends in South Africa (including the various races that make up our “Rainbow Nation”) The general reaction from my students were “Oohs and Aahs” when I introduced.
Something different In addition had to get accustomed to had been told by my colleagues that I’m gorgeous. They often times talked about how precisely big my eyes are and that i’ve a nose” that is“high. We certainly wasn’t familiar with this as We never got attention even near to this in Southern Africa. We suppose I became simply вЂordinary’ straight back home, however now I’m surviving in a homogenous country and also to the locals here, I’m exotic!