COMMUNITY 1 8 TUESDAY SEPTEMBE R 22, 2009 Expat Living is a section dedicated to the daily living of expatriates. It is printed on Tuesday, Wednesda y and Friday . To share stories about your life abroad, send stories or story ideas to Matthew Lamers at [email protected] Submissions may be edited for length or clarity. PHOTO CHALLENGE — weekly winner — In Wando,Jeollanam-do, a unique perspective is seen from the back of a ferry,on Sept . 12. Simon Bond Befo re m oving to Seoul, I wor- ried if I would be able to adjust. But after living here for two years, I’ve adjusted quite well and I don’ t r eally have problems anymore. But there are ways Seoul could impr ove to help non- Koreans have a more pleasant, comf ortable experience tr aveling or living in Seoul. Of Seoul’ s public tran sporta- tion options, it’s the bus system that could use the most im- provements. Because of the many difficul- ties in using public buses, of all the foreigners I know almost none take the bus. First of all, it’ s har d to even find which direction to go in. Subway maps are shown within the context of the city map, so they’re easy to navigate. But bus maps have no geographical con- text whatsoever; just a line with a few dozen place names. Moreover, they are usually only written in Korean. Some cynical expats will say “learn Korean,” but what then are tourists supposed to do? For that reason, transport maps in major world cities are always translat- ed into English. And since most professional expats are short- term (livi ng here for under a cou- ple years), learning Korean isn’ t a reasonable option. The lack of English on bus maps ma kes find- ing your destination (or even your location) impossible. On top of that, even if you know which bus to take, t here is also some discomfort when you ride it . If you don’ t get off the bus quickly, the door will simply be closed on you. When it ’ s too diffic ult t o use the bus or subway, or when you’re not sure exactly how to get to your destination, people usually use a taxi. A few probl ems some non- Koreans have with taxis are com- munication, dishonest taxi dri- vers and confusion about the dif- ferent types of taxis. Seoul has done a good job in addressing these concerns. First, there is a free translation services (BBB tran slation, call 1588-5644 , avail- able in 17 languages). Another way Seoul has taken on t he com- munication barrier is by intro- ducing “Foreign-friendly taxis.” They’re the orange ones that charge slightly more. For that premium you get a driver that has been trained specifically in the art of picking up and drop- ping off foreigners. Regarding dishonest taxi dri- vers that take you for a ride (a shortcut that slowly turns into a tour of Seoul), there’s not much to be done abo ut t hat, since this hap- pens in every city in the world. Another issue is lost items. It has happened to everyone at least once: Y ou get off the bu s, subway or taxi, give your pocket a quick feel to make sure every- thin g’ s wher e it’s supposed t o be — but you realize you left some- thing behind. In this case, Seoul should be commended again for creating a system where it’s not too difficult to get your things back. For lost items on the sub- way, go to www.seoulmetro.co.kr and www.smrt.co.kr; for lost items on taxis, go to www.spta. or.kr and http://hdtaxi.co m.ne.kr; for lost items on Seoul buses, call (02) 415-4101; Gyeongi buses (031) 246-4210. One criticism is that the aforementioned phone numbers are not multilingual, so you’ll have to learn Korean your- self (or if you don’ t ha ve time t o do that, have a Korean friend call for you). On the other hand, if you lose something in a taxi, you are sim- ply at the mer cy o f the driver and chance. In Seoul, there are taxis that are owned and operated by companies, as well as taxis that are personally owned and operat- ed by the drivers themselves. If you lose so mething in a company taxi, you may have a chance of being able to call the company and seeing if anything was turned in by a driver. But for the privately owned taxis, there is no such “Lost and Found” for the driver to return your items. If the driver is kind and there is some- thing with your contact informa- tion, chances are good for you to be reunited with your lost items. In my own experience, I lost my passport while taking a taxi, but was lucky that the driver called me and returned it. However, even if the taxi driver wants to re- turn your item but has no way to contact you, there’s no centra l place for the kind driver to leave your item for you to later r etrieve. I’ d like to sugges t t hat t here be a central “Lost and Found” for taxi drivers, both private and company owned, to return items that have been left in their cabs. This place should be made well-known to both dri- vers and passengers and would be helpful to both non-Koreans and Koreans alike. The truth is, if you can use the subway easily ther e’ s no real problem, but in order to better feel and experience the city, I think it would be better if foreig n- ers could use buses more easily. There are some pop ular places in Seoul that are hard to reach using only the subway; if non-Koreans could use the bus we could get there cheaply and efficiently. Zhen g’ s essay was chosen by the Seoul Global Center among the winners of a competition. The opinions expressed are the au- thor’s o nly an d do not necessarily represent those of The Korea Herald. To c omment, e-mail m at- tlamers@heraldm.com — E d. Buses, taxis can be improved By Zheng Xuejiao As a foreigner myself, I do admit that living in Korea can be difficult at times, but that h asn’ t made me turn into a co mplainer. It has only made me more determined to try an d fit in. Why should the Koreans change to suit us and our different cultures? Remember, we came here. In th e article about J oon, it doesn’ t mention if he can speak Korean. I th ink that is the No. 1 way to f it in and adapt . I have already enrolled in Korean Language School and I have only been here six months. I came from Vancouver, Canada, where homeless people roam the streets, hassling everyone; drugs are everywhere; crime is ram pant; personal property is stolen everyday; festivals and events are a haven for drunken hooligans; graffiti and vandalism lay on every street corner; and personal safety is being eroded. Now, let’ s talk about Korea . Seoul is probably the safest big city in the world; personal safety is never an issue. Where are all the homeless people? Crime is relatively low; personal property is re- spected and not stolen by some drug ad- dict; families can go to festivals and events and have a good time. I can put up with a little bit of spit- ting, being bumped, garbage on the street, being stared at bec ause I am dif- ferent. I like it here and Koreans are nice people. Brad Anderson, Suwon Joon is right in many ways. Teaching English should not be based on which passport you carry or your country of origin. In teaching English, a teacher should have not only skills, but also an educational background, experience and desire to teach English. Filipinos are versatile teachers as well as creative. Korean people must be aware tha t a speaker’ s acce nt is no in- dication of his or her ability to speak English. Professionalism is much more important. As long as a person is educated, well traveled, skilled and creative, he is qualified to teach English. I too experi- enced what Joon has experienced here in Korea, which I’ve never experienced in other countries. If Koreans want to compete and want to excel in English, they must open their minds and hearts to the world, not just to a few of its English-speak ing co unt ries. It’s time to explore the true and different colors of English. I am thankful to The Korea Herald for taking this issue up. I hope Korean people soon give us equality and realize that Filipinos are qualified to teach English. Because many of us are eager to share our knowledge. Hali Possa EXHIBITION LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WHAT S HAP PEN ING Korea not that bad Teaching English Pusan International Film Festival What: 14th Pusan International Film Festival When: Oct. 8- Oct. 16 Where: Busan Cost: Opening/Closing: 10,000 won General show: 5000 won Tickets go on sale Sept. 21for the open- ing and closing nights. Tickets for the rest of the events go on sale Sept. 23. For more information, go to the PIFF website www.piff .org Comedy night in Seoul What: Professional standup comedy When: Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. Where: Roofers Bar, Itaewon, Seoul Who: Jonathan Athert on (Australia) and Terry Johnson (U.S.) Cost: 35,000 won To get to Roofers Bar, go to Itaewon Subway Station (Exit 3) walk straight, and turn right at Mr. Kebab. Roofers Bar is up on the right. Ticket includes one free drink. To make reservations, e- mail spotlight comedyclub@ yahoo.com, call 019-802-2474 or 016-695-4624. International Seoul Marathon What: 8th In ternational Tourism Seoul Marathon When: Sept. 27 at 9 a.m. Where: Sangam World Cup Stadium Square of Peace, Seoul Cost: 20,000 won for 5 km; 30,000 won for full course For more information on this and other marathons, go to go to www.seoulmarathon.co.kr THIS IS KOREA Colin Roohan Simon Bond Dave Heidloff The Photo Challenge is sponsored by Hyosung Camera (English: 010-7203- 9599) and Babo Shir ts (www.ba- boshirts.com). Winners of the weekly competition receive a 50,000 won st ore credit at Hyosung Camera and a Babo Shirt. To take part in the competition, simply upload your photo at www.flickr.com/ groups/ seoulphoto- club — Ed. By Aaron Raisey Over the course of the year, some of the best images produced by members of the Seoul Photo Club have been fea- tured here on the Expat Living page and th ey are all coming together in one place for the Seoul Photo Club-Expat Living Photo Exhibition. The theme of the show is “This is Korea,” and the photographs really do represent all of Korea through t he eyes of the expatriate. There will be photographs taken liter- ally from one end of the country to the other. From broken dancer sculptures in Paju to a Hallasan sunset on Jeju, the gritty byways of Busan to the fortress walls of Hwaseong, Suwon. Seoul fea- tures prominently of course — images as diverse as club action in Hongdae and Buddhist sculpture. What t he SPC sees through the viewfinder is indeed varied, interesting and representative of the many different ways of loo king at this unique nation. Almost every different style of pho- tography will be represented. Landscape, street, portrait and night photography. Natural light, controlled light and black & white. Film and dig- ital. It will all be there. So when and where does it all take place? This Saturday evening is the opening eve nt, from 5p.m. at Gallerie Cafe Ohoo in Hongdae. It ’ll be a great oppo rtu nity to meet t he people behind those cameras, as Seoul Photo Club members from all over Korea will be there. It could be a good opportunity to share a drink, ask some questions, and get (or give!) a few tips. You’ ll dis- cover that expat photography in this country is practiced by ordinary peo- ple just like you an d I — living, work- ing and tr aveling here in Korea. If you miss out on the opening night, the ex- hibition runs for two more weeks, so ther e’ s plenty of opportu nit y to check it out. This is only the first SPC exhibi- tion. We have another planned for spring next year, and we’ll be selec t- ing the exhibitors each week until then. If the idea of winning a 50,000 won voucher from Hyosung Camera, a Babo shirt, having your image in the newspaper (a fantastic souvenir of your time in Korea, by the way) and being a part of this event ap- peals, then head over to the Seoul Photo Club on Flickr (www.flickr.com/groups/seoulphoto- club) and just upload a few pics a week. It’ s tha t easy. And as all of the photogra pher s you’ ll meet on Satur day evening will testify , it really is an excellent incentive to get out there and develop your photographic skills and travel the country. See you on Saturday. (raisey@hanm ail.net) For more information on the exhibi- tion, including directions and the open- ing time, e-mail matt lamers@her- aldm.com — Ed. RE: Struggling to fit in, Filipino wants equality