Great video today. Question #6 really struck home with me. My son has been living in Korea for 9 years and I have seen him once in Korea and once in Canada since the beginning. When I visited Korea people asked me what did I enjoy the most. What I can say is being able to hug my son whenever i wanted and just being able to reach out and touch him anytime. That is what I miss the. most about him living in Korea. BUT, he has the best life, the best girlfriend, the best job and I have seen him mature so much since he has lived there. If he had stayed in Canada he would be struggling to live and work. He is happy and healthy and that is all a mom can ask for. We have had that discussion and it was very tough but I'm glad we did it. We reach out most weeks through text and talk a couple times a month. Thanks Mike.
Thank you, Sandi. There was a long gap in the late 90s early 00s when I didn't go home. My father got fed up and booked a flight here. I almost didn't recognize him at the airport. That was a wake up call. I hadn't deeply considered before then either how much my being here was really impacting them or how quickly time was passing us by.
@@sandihunter1260 I understand. I am prob close to your son's age and is living in hcol city in Canada. Can definitely relate to high cost of living here but i do believe housing is expansive there.
I know you said your channel isn’t about you but I disagree. You bring a human-ness and slice of life view that is unmatched in any youtube channel I’ve ever watched over the past several years and I’ve watched many. Your conversations with us while you walk show us regular people going about their lives as we watch them behind you or see them in your wake as you walk past them, everyone from elderly men gathered and chatting on a bench to young moms hurrying with their kids to run errands to career people rushing to where ever it is they need to be. The traffic, the restaurants, the quiet neighborhoods, the mountain park trails, they are all part of your daily life and its very refreshing to see it presented realistically without a shiny gloss that seems to be the way most channels try to show everything these days. You have a way of looking back in time and then bringing it forward to now that is very interesting and engaging.
Thank you for the kind words. I'm happy you referenced the background activity and scenery. That's a major reason why I chose to use an action camera to vlog with. It has a wide field of view by default, and that means you get to see more of what's around me as I talk.
Thank you! I'm going to have at least two videos ready to go before I leave so that I can publish them while I'm there. My main concern is what to do when I get back. I'm going to be crazy busy for a while editing the conference videos and some other stuff, so the time I'll have available to go out and film is going to be very limited. Having all that UK footage will save hours.
I'm in the process of moving to Korea and your channel has been really informative on a lot of the topics I've been curious about. I love that it's more than just the touristy cafes and the surfce level topics and more of a deep level of culture and experience. Your answer for topic #6 really made me think about how I plan on keeping ties to my family healthy while I'm gone. My parents are getting older and I don't want them to feel abandoned while I'm figuring life out.
I'm happy to know my videos have been helpful for you. It took me much too long to grasp that my family and I didn't really understand each other: I didn't realize that their worries and concerns went deeper than what they expressed, and they couldn't understand why I preferred being so far away. One deep conversation cleared it all up. It would have been great if I could have understood that sooner. None of my older expat friends ever talked about that sort of thing. I probably still would have had to learn it myself even if they had.
Wow i cant believe u loved in korea for so long..amazing.. Im a korean who immigrated to canada when i was 9 years old. Now i have decided to move to korea in my old age.. I really love korea...im having a very nice time here..i find korea to be very safe and kind..and i met koreans here that are very kind...also i find korea to be very clean and organized...so far im loving it here... Ur videos are very interesting and i have enjoyed it ...keep up the good work...
Story about small talk and language. I was living in a small town from 2016-19, teaching at DGIST and living in faculty housing. When I needed a haircut, I went to an old school barber shop near the old market area. Older gentleman barber, his wife, and there were always a couple of older guys waiting their turn. I'd pick up a newspaper, watch the TV a bit. I'd been there a few times, so these people recognized me, and they'd heard me speak. My first years in Korea were in 전남, 화순읍, and that's where I really learned to speak Korean, although Peace Corps training gave me the basics. So despite being married 50+ years to a Seoul aristocrat, I still have the country farmer in my voice. So the barbershop chat turned to dialects, and they asked me, "are there dialects in America?". I said, sure, it's mostly in how vowels are pronounced, and a little in vocabulary. Ahh, that was interesting, and we chatted about how Korean dialects are different. What I found funny was that these guys were all talking in a pretty thick 경상북 dialect, even down to the "예" verb ending. Classic "we don't speak funny, it's everyone else."
Another great story. I appreciate you sharing your experiences. I have no idea how my Korean comes off these days. Now and again, a Konglish phrase or word will sneak in after lying dormant for a couple of decades, but I don't think I have a recognizable accent other than "foreign".
Mike, learning a lot from your videos! Yes, I wanna become a RUclipsr also! Doing an inventory of my skill-set to see if I have what it takes. Thanks for your advices!
Just came over from Bart's channel. 41/M going on 10 years in Korea myself! You and Bart are doing what I wish I had enough extroversion to do - filming your thoughts and experiences living here. I've got so much I wish I could share with friends and family back home, and anyone else interested for that matter. But I'm just too shy to walk around with a camera and film myself or other people nearby. I feel like it would aggravate them, as I don't like others filming me without asking. I know I'll regret not doing it, but it's a gigantic mental block. If you have a few seconds and care to reply on that, that would be cool. Anyway, enjoyed your stuff on Bart's channel so now I'm here. Try and stay cool in this endless summer heat!
I think there's a bit of a progression you can go through to get to where you want to be if you're serious about it. And this is advice I've seen from others, not just off the top of my head. The first step is to just sit at home and record yourself talking to a camera. Talk about your day, or what you did last night. Tell a story from your childhood. It doesn't matter as long as it's something you can speak about in the moment. Do it every day until you get to a point that it feels more natural and you're okay with the result. For example, it doesn't feel too stiff or monotone. From what I've seen, this is an issue sometimes even with extroverts. I've done a good bit of public speaking over the years, but talking to a camera was just outright awkward. The key thing here is to get comfortable with it so that it becomes more like a chat with a friend rather than talking to a camera. That's how I envision it when I'm out and about: I'm strolling along talking to a friend. Getting to this point is foundational to the rest. The next step: find a quiet spot somewhere outside, like somewhere in a park that isn't so busy, or maybe a dead-end alley, where you can sit and record yourself some more. Don't walk. Sit. Every day. The goal here is to get more comfortable doing it outside. You don't want to be doing it around people just yet. Once you're more comfortable with that, then you can sit and record yourself in busier places. Don't walk. Sit. Now you're trying to get more comfortable doing it around people. Once you get to that point, it should be a lot easier to walk down the street and talk to the camera. And please note that I keep saying "more comfortable". You're probably never going to be entirely at ease. The goal is to minimize the uneasiness. If you can get rid of completely, even better. But you just have to do it step by step. You're going to be uncomfortable at every stage. You may even feel the effects of anxiety. But the only way forward is to take the steps. By taking that first one, you'll hopefully find the motivation for the next, and the next. As for upsetting the people around you, I can tell you from experience it's not a thing. I know it's a thing in your head and it will probably continue to be a thing in your head, but do what you can to remind yourself of all the RUclipsrs in Korea filming outdoors every day. It's such a common thing here that people just don't even bat an eye at it, aside from a few older folks wondering what you're up to. When I was filming in London last year, a few times people passing by would shout out, "I do not consent to be filmed!". I've never experienced anything like that here, but plenty of people have had fun playing up to the camera in the background. I hope this helps!
@@MikeFromKorea That's extremely helpful, Mike! Thanks so much! Really appreciate the time and effort you put in to constructing and sharing a thoughtful step by step message like this for a complete stranger. You've got a great heart. Have an awesome weekend!
Hello, Mike. I am a Korean subscriber and I really enjoy your videos. The way you speak, your vocabulary, and your sentences are very helpful for English learners like me. I watch your videos over and over to practice. Also, your videos have great sound quality. I can't see a mic in your video, but it always sounds like you are broadcasting from a radio station. I always wonder how you get such good sound quality when you're walking and filming outside.
Thank you! I'm happy you're finding my videos helpful. In most of my videos, I have a small wireless mic inside my shirt attached to a magnetic medallion on a string around my neck. In this video, if you look at the center of my chest, you'll see a lump just next to the shoulder bag's strap. That's my mic. I don't always use it, though. In my previous video, I decided to use the camera's internal audio so I could pick up more of the nature sounds around me. I still had my wireless mic recording my voice in case the internal audio had a problem, but I didn't need it. My video editor has some good audio tools that allow me to reduce the background noise, balance my volume, apply EQ, and a whole lot of things. I do a little bit of tweaking to get the final sound you hear. Thanks for noticing :-)
Hi Mike, wow, the last part of your video loved ones left behind is pretty tough. I've been through this as well and I do understand you very well. As I already mentioned in a previous comment, I am an expat myself living abroad from home country 30+ years and I am having a darn good life as well. Today looking back to the day I left, when all my family and close friends gathered at the airport, I am pretty sure I would not have the same life as I have it today. So, my greetings from one expat to another expat. Stay safe. I like you videos.
Thanks for sharing this. It's reassuring to hear from people in the same boat that my thoughts on the subject resonate. Back when my social circle was much wider, I knew a lot of people who loved to pontificate on weighty topics, but those that were more personal like this weren't typically among them. There was a lot of advice about how to make it away from home, but not so much on how to deal with those left behind.
After living in the states for 33 years i came back to Korea about 10 months ago. I'm relearning this country that i call mine, although I'm a US citizen now. Happy to have found your channel . Do you have a meetup?
Thanks for sharing. It must be quite an experience reconciling the present with the Korea you remember. I've not had an open meetup and I'm not yet sure if I will. That's something I'll consider somewhere down the road.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts so generously and eloquently. And walking through geum-ho dong. It's where our house was before my family moved to the US in 1973 when I was a child. I am moved and my heart aches a bit, wanting to be there again after so many years. I will go next year.
It`s like a first comment in RUclips in personal opinion naturally, not only for your vlog but for others. Especially last question - loved ones left behind ones touches my mind. Years on earth are numbered and this is the truth which we should face with each other. anyway I used to see your vlog because you have your own aspect in Korea, which are better than me even native Korea myself. Keeping find your way as your own. I love this. Also thank you for sharing your thoughts. Appreciate it.
Good Morning , Sir. Recently I came across your video. Thank you for your insight. I was so impressed. I'm huge fan of you from today. (I'm Korean in Daejeon)
I think this video is showing more close look to local Korean life, compare with other foreigner's. I guess Mr. Mike has been stayed in Korea for a long time cause he is understand Korean culture very well. If anyone has some stereotype of Korea cause watching Korean singer, movies etc, the real ordinary Korean will be different quite a lot. Interesting video. Good job, Mike. I subscribe this channel today.
Hi Mike, thanks for sharing. My son has been taking Korean language classes through The Korea Society in NY. They offer structured online live classes so attendance is mandatory. The time difference is manageable as we are on the West Coast. As for crime, Korea is nowhere near as bad as it is here in the States. I see on the Nextdoor neighborhood website the daily home breakins, car thefts, bike thefts even fruit stealing from people's backyards and where I live it is considered a very nice area. I even avoid Oakland including the freeway that goes through it.
Thanks for the Q&A! Also surprised by the category of questions. However, what you said about defining a vision is very insightful. In a previous video you mentioned that you had wanted to talk or write about Korea for a while now, but it wasn't until this channel where you really started working towards that goal. Have you made other attempts in the past? How did you know this was the right time? I guess I am wondering how long you have let this idea simmer before acting on it and do you think it was useful for you to be patient about it as opposed to jumping right in with something not as clear and perhaps failing and becoming frustrated?
I think it first started in the early 2000s. I'd mention in an online forum somewhere that I lived in Korea, and someone would inevitably ask, "North Korea?". People knew pretty much nothing about the place. I just had this feeling inside that I wanted to tell the world about it, but it wasn't strong enough to motivate me to act on it. I was running two blogs, had a programming hobby, and was a regular gamer. All of that was taking up so much of my energy and attention that the Korea stuff kind of drifted to the shadows. But it never went away. Sometime around 2010 or so, I had the urge to launch a website about Korea--photos, videos, articles--but I wouldn't be able to do it alone. I could handle the writing and the tech side of it, but not the rest. I asked a friend who knew an about photography and a bit of videography if he wanted to work with me on a project like that. He declined. I toyed for a while with just publishing a blog, but in the end I didn't think it was the right medium for what I wanted to do. My hobbies soaked up my attention again. It really started coming to the surface about four years ago. That's when I began to recognize it as a compulsion, something that I felt I just had to do. The pandemic was well underway, I wasn't spending so much time on my programming and hobbies anymore, and I no longer maintained my blogs. There was nothing else for me to focus my energy on, so this was all I could think about. I had learned a bit about RUclips through my job with the non-profit I work for. It was much easier to produce videos than it had been a decade before, so I thought it would be cool to do some walking tours of Seoul for people who were in lockdown around the world. I anticipated that at some point I'd want to make some videos talking about the places I showed in the walks. I realized later that it didn't make sense to mix both kinds of videos on the same channel, so I started thinking about how I might approach a second channel. I wanted to really learn my way around the equipment and software I'd be using before I launched, so I took the time to get comfortable with the basics and settle on a video editor to really dig into while saving up for a more powerful computer, a camera, some mics, and so on. Then I had to get comfortable talking to the camera in public. Altogether I probably spent a year in prep.
I've heard many times now about bikes being stolen in Korea, usually in the context of a conversation of how uncommon theft is otherwise. It's actually really pretty funny that in a country with famously low theft, something as big as a bike is the one thing that isn't safe (and maybe webber bbqs). So many of the bikes on racks in Seoul look abandoned. It makes me wonder if they're just being taken for a one way trip, before somebody else picks it up and does the same. The bike belongs to Seoul now. Thank you for another great upload.
Thanks! That's funny. I hadn't looked at it that way. Over the years I've thrice left cell phones on the bus or in a taxi and all three came back to me. Just at the end of last year, I managed to leave my wallet in a taxi (or drop it as I was getting out). Ten days later it showed up in the mail, all my cards and cash intact. I've always been puzzled by that Weber though. I suspect it was someone from one of the neighboring buildings with windows looking down on our roof who got tired of the cookouts I was having.
Hey, Mike. What are you doing in Korea? I'm Korean Canadian, left Korea when I was 16 years old. My last visit to Korea was in 2017, couldn't stay there for more than 2 weeks. Due to the high-density population, air pollution is still better than in China. Take care!
Hi Stephen. I work for a small, non-profit tech foundation based in Seattle. I manage our RUclips channel, organize an annual conference, run all of our meetings, and whatever else falls into my lap.
Here's a question for you Mike, what is your general philosophy of life? You know as I've gotten older, got my first job, completed high school, I've realized that materialism/consumerism isn't all that interesting to me. I got my first job and bought a new laptop, a new phone, painted my room, and a year later it didn't really improve my life or change anything. Sure it's nice, but it's superficial. And since losing my pet two months ago, I came to realize how much I wish I could just have a good family life, and I wish I could have my pet back, and I wish I could enjoy the simple things that I took for granted or that I was never really afforded... I have a bad family life due to what I see as neglect and alcoholism. Now I look back to when I was young, like 8, 10, 12, and I realize how easy and good I had it. I'm only 24 but due to my own circumstances I wish I was about 10 again 😢
Thanks for your question. I feel ya. The short answer is that I've learned to take life as it comes. I worry about the things I can control and I try not to worry about the things I can't. I say "try" because it does take effort. I can't control world events, I can't control the economy, I can't control the past, etc., so I don't want to waste time dwelling on any of it. I don't want to end up paralyzed by guilt, regret, despair, or anything like that, so I focus on what's in front of me. It's okay to feel those things, but it can be unhealthy if they become dominant. It helps to stop now and then for a bit of self-reflection. I used to scoff at that kind of thing, but I was way off base. Reflect on things you've recently done and try to understand why you did them. Or analyze why you feel the way you do about something you can't control. Don't think about the thing itself. You can't control it, so it's pointless to spend time on it. You can control how you feel about it, though. And to do that, you need to understand why you feel that way. That's a lesson I learned from reading about Stoicism. It's been very valuable.
Thank you! This time we're doing Canterbury, Hastings, the Lake District (based in Windermere), and London. This will be my fourth time in Canterbury and my wife's second. I'm pretty sure we'll pop up to Whitstable for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants while we're there. My wife hasn't seen the White Cliffs yet, and neither of us have visited Dover Castle, so we may spend a day down that way, too. This will be our first time in Hastings and the Lake District. I think most people do a day trip to Hastings from London, but I've booked two nights. We're meeting some old friends up in Windermere and they'll probably have plans to cover quite a bit of the area over the few days we're there. Can't wait!
@@MikeFromKorea that sounds really nice and like a good plan 👍, I wish you and your wife a great trip with many memories. Especially Lake District in particular will certainly offer relaxation and pure nature. Before covid we’ve been to Dover, Leeds, Cornwall and and many small towns and city’s in the south, like Hastings, Brighton, Plymouth aso. with a Motorhome. It was such a great and adventures time.
@@ThatsJeanette Thanks! We did a day trip from London to Rye last year and absolutely loved it. I'm looking forward to strolling around Battle this time. And I wish I could do a motorhome trip like that. That sounds wonderful!
We moved to US from korea in 92 as a 12 yr old. While US has been great to me I do miss living in Korea. US is going down wrong path politically and culturally IMO. I do plan to retire back in Korea when I get older and make more money here in the US. Working in any foreign country isnt easy. Thank you for your video.
Thank you! From my perspective, it's gotten easier for foreigners to work and live here in Korea in many regards. Though I do understand that some people coming here for the first time today may disagree that anything about it is easy :-)
Q&A I have a question regarding the former site of the U.S. Far East Engineer District located in front of Dongdaemun. It has now been demolished and can be seen from the rooftop of the Peace Market (Pyeonghwa Sijang). I'm curious about any memories or information you might have about that place. Thank you.
Thanks for your question! Though I can say more about the compound today than I could a year ago, I don't have much to say in the way of personal memories. I can only recall going inside twice while I was in the Army. I tasked out as a driver during a major exercise and had to drive someone else there. For years, the only thing I knew about the place was that the Stars & Stripes, the US military's newspaper, had offices there. I didn't even know the FED was there until relatively recently. I'll include it in a walk in the not too distant future and talk a bit about it.
Man, remember the monthly air raid drills and the 6 AM national anthem? As far as safety and crime, I totally agree, back in 89~94 it felt very safe, day or night, drunk or sober. The main "danger" came from potential roughhousing in It'aewon with the other expats, and that was mostly occasional bruising. Like you, I had a robbery incident; someone slipped into my place in It'aewon while I was away and took a couple hundred bucks and my Swiss army knife from my bed-side table. My ex was pretty contrite since she said it would be fine to leave the door unlocked, and I felt like a bit of a jackass for allowing it. I agree that, especially if you can speak a little Korean, Korean people are actually pretty friendly and talkative with foreigners. Naturally the "English practice" is another common encounter, but both back in the day and on my more recent visits this was not as common as one might think.
If the national anthem was still coming on every morning after I got here, I don't remember it. I remember it playing on the TV when the networks would sign off for the night. The air raid drills have gone away and come back and gone away multiple times over the years under different presidents. I think we had at least one not long after Yoon Suk Yeol took office. I remember being surprised about it, but I may be mixing up my memories.
Been here in Seoul for 5 of 8 weeks, yes weather is HOT, but that's what a/c is for...$$$$. Walked a circular route from Seocho to Seorae and back sweat dripping off me, but need to drop 10kg😅😅 ..To comment in reverse order, ZERO close family in Ireland so not missing anyone, small talk...IF someone speaks English then we have small talk, and they're probably chuffed that their English is good enough for me to understand..like the 5/6 yo child in the shop with his parents engaging me in conversation, hope they were encouraged by his ability. Speaking Korean, I'll check out your recommendations, but I have a strange way of learning, hope it works because.....outside of 'touristy areas', there's ZERO English, and while I respect every countries native language, including my own Irish/Gaeilge, I feel that having English on business premises would help Korean businesses prosper.. I use Papago/Google to try to decipher menu boards but sometimes it doesn't accurately describe the dish, and trying to find an address or order a taxi , sometimes the address I enter shows up as 'unavailable ', yet when I get there and enter 'Start point' , it'll show up perfectly 😡😡 Crime...just doesn't seem to be the 'random' crime that happens regularly in the West, phones being snatched in London, Roma gypsies pickpocketing on subway trains.. 'Seoul just seems to have things like the runaway car at Seoul station/Samuri sword attack in the apartment block...but being able to hold your phone in the street is a luxury that US/EU citizens dont get. Meeting an agent Sat for a brief chat regarding property/business Visa, etc as you suggested before, gone to a lot of areas but think a university area or Itaewon have that 'buzz'. other areas seem too 'residential ' and peaceful😅😅
Good luck with the weight loss. I lost about 6kg from all the walking, then got stuck. Dropped almost 3 more after modifying the diet and increasing the average step count. And thanks for sharing your take on the questions. I hope you get the property sorted!
@@MikeFromKorea Property, and getting a 'small business(cafe) D-9-4 / English tutoring ' visa are the main priority for the next few weeks, then back to IRL and try to sell up.. Been around many of the dong and Itaewon 😳 and Hongkik/Konkuk university areas have a 'buzz' , where a lot of other areas are quieter a lot of the time (I live in the countryside so time to rejoin city life as I get older, nearer hospitals😎) Itaewon is not 'real Seoul' but for tourists it's probably easier to navigate in terms of signage, which is the BIG problem for tourists, very little English language signage in Seoul....maybe the percentage of English speaking/non Asian tourists doesn't warrant putting English translations...? When you are in the UK be alert to random crime, kids on electric bikes stealing cellphones, pickpockets on the 'Tube'(Metro) , like NYC, but without the possibility of guns.. facebook.com/reel/7696488637097312?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v ruclips.net/user/shorts7oYiyEOPt90?si=TuOfasqgilPXfajm
@@Dublintaxitours You and I think alike about aging. My wife wants to move out into the country. I want to stay close to Seoul's hospitals. As for the grabbers in the UK, this is something we think about every time we go to Europe. Last year, my wife was wearing a small backpack while we were out and about in London. There's a pouch on the outside where she usually stuffs things she might want to grab quickly. I told her to make sure it was empty. Sure enough, somewhere outside Burrough Market, I caught someone on video checking that pouch as he walked by. Neither of us knew it had happened until I got back to Korea and was reviewing the footage.
How did you live in Korea in the 90s? I moved to Korea before Netflix, but smartphones were around. I could use those websites to watch movies and watch RUclips.
The only thing I can say is that I just did it. There were a lot of things I was used to that we didn't have here then, but I adapted and got on with it.
@MikeFromKorea Interesting. Did you watch tv? Was it just only KBS, MBC and SBS? Were English language VHS/DVDS available? I moved to Korea in the internet age. I watch American RUclips or Netflix. Sometimes I forget I'm Korea if I work from home and don't go outside. I can be in a bubble. That is so cool. I watched Korean movies from the 90s and always wondered how it looked it. Some neighborhoods in Seoul look like you are still in the 80s still. My mom lived in Mexico in the late 80s and ealy 90s and she had no internet anx felt more homesick. I'm one of those foreigners who likes Korea, likes being in Korea. I have always had a fascination for the Korean people since I was in elementary school after reading an article in National Geographic. I moved here when I was 22. I'm 36 now. My sister moved here when she was 18 and is now 25. It's very cool to see a long-term foreigner. I remember when I was 6 or 7 years in, I would get sad when people treated me like a tourist or told me to go back to America. Several people in my work literally told me to go back. They weren't being anti-American, but just me living here or working there upset them. Sometimes, people were upset that my wife wants to stay in Korea. They idea of my wife not marrying me for a visa upset them maybe. Somehow, that offends them. But since that period, now I don't feel sad or upset, I just think it is funny. It is interesting to hear that you go through certain periods. Some Koreans hate living in Korea, and that used to upset me as well, but I realized that many Americans hate living in America, they act like the US is a hopeless third world country, it seems they haven't traveled much. I realized people are negative in all countries. They don't appreciate anything. This doesn't upset me anymore as well.
@@Mountainshark The US military ran AFKN (Armed Forces Korea Network) with shows from home, but I rarely watched it. I occasionally caught shows on the Korean networks, particularly on the weekends. But I didn't really watch much TV. There were video rental shops in every neighborhood in the 90s with plenty of English-language movies that had Korean subtitles. I rented them sometimes and went once or twice a week to the cinema. I was more interested in being out and about, though.
33년을 한국에 계셨으면 한국인의 특징을 많이 아시겠네요 저는 여기에서 나고 자란 사람으로써 한국인의 특성은 긴 역사의 기간만큼 진화 되었다고 생각합니다 즉 하루 아침에 현재의 한국인들의 특성이 만들어 지지 않았다는 거죠 좋은 특성이든 나쁜 특성이든 긴 역사 속에서 진화 되었다는 것과 사람을 중심으로 진화 되었다고 저는 특정하고 생각합니다
I've noticed that some you tubers collaborate with others to create more content. Have you ever thought about involving some other people that you've known over the years?
I've spoken to a couple of Korean guys I know (not RUclipsrs) to see they'd be willing to chat with me about the changes they've witnessed. One is around 80, and he declined. The other is in his 30s and said he's willing to, but we haven't lined up the time for it yet. There are other people I intend to ask at some point. I'm soon to go the other way, though. Next week I'm going to meetup with another RUclipsr to do a video for his channel.
I've met several people over the years whose families moved abroad when they were young. I was surprised to learn that some of them were prohibited from speaking Korean at home because their parents wanted them to learn English as quickly as possible. I knew three Korean Canadians who came over here together in the mid 90s. That was their situation, so they all attended Yonsei University's Korean Language program. They found that it came back to them pretty quickly.
I am Korean born and live in the States for a long time. On recent visits, I experienced something about the Koreans. Just asking for help or simple questions at the train or bus station, some of this people won't acknowledge you or act as if you are invisible. How rude this Koreans- mostly young ones. Most of the older crowd engages but not the young ones. I was in awe and asking- what the F""k is wrong with these people?
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Great video today. Question #6 really struck home with me. My son has been living in Korea for 9 years and I have seen him once in Korea and once in Canada since the beginning. When I visited Korea people asked me what did I enjoy the most. What I can say is being able to hug my son whenever i wanted and just being able to reach out and touch him anytime. That is what I miss the. most about him living in Korea. BUT, he has the best life, the best girlfriend, the best job and I have seen him mature so much since he has lived there. If he had stayed in Canada he would be struggling to live and work. He is happy and healthy and that is all a mom can ask for. We have had that discussion and it was very tough but I'm glad we did it. We reach out most weeks through text and talk a couple times a month. Thanks Mike.
Thank you, Sandi. There was a long gap in the late 90s early 00s when I didn't go home. My father got fed up and booked a flight here. I almost didn't recognize him at the airport. That was a wake up call. I hadn't deeply considered before then either how much my being here was really impacting them or how quickly time was passing us by.
Why would he struggle to live in Canada? If I may ask...
@@User_dkffkdrkagfgk very expensive for renting an apartment, high inflation, lack of jobs
@@sandihunter1260 I understand. I am prob close to your son's age and is living in hcol city in Canada. Can definitely relate to high cost of living here but i do believe housing is expansive there.
I know you said your channel isn’t about you but I disagree. You bring a human-ness and slice of life view that is unmatched in any youtube channel I’ve ever watched over the past several years and I’ve watched many. Your conversations with us while you walk show us regular people going about their lives as we watch them behind you or see them in your wake as you walk past them, everyone from elderly men gathered and chatting on a bench to young moms hurrying with their kids to run errands to career people rushing to where ever it is they need to be. The traffic, the restaurants, the quiet neighborhoods, the mountain park trails, they are all part of your daily life and its very refreshing to see it presented realistically without a shiny gloss that seems to be the way most channels try to show everything these days. You have a way of looking back in time and then bringing it forward to now that is very interesting and engaging.
Thank you for the kind words. I'm happy you referenced the background activity and scenery. That's a major reason why I chose to use an action camera to vlog with. It has a wide field of view by default, and that means you get to see more of what's around me as I talk.
I appreciate the information you've shared along with the beauty of Korea in the background.
Thank you!
무더운 날씨에 건강관리 잘 하세요~!!
감사합니다. 더위 조심하세요!
Have fun in the UK. We are really gonna miss your videos.
Thank you! I'm going to have at least two videos ready to go before I leave so that I can publish them while I'm there. My main concern is what to do when I get back. I'm going to be crazy busy for a while editing the conference videos and some other stuff, so the time I'll have available to go out and film is going to be very limited. Having all that UK footage will save hours.
Thank you for your insights. We're in Southern California, am K-Am learning more about my K roots, and very much appreciate your channel! Peace. 🕊️
Thank you!
I'm in the process of moving to Korea and your channel has been really informative on a lot of the topics I've been curious about. I love that it's more than just the touristy cafes and the surfce level topics and more of a deep level of culture and experience. Your answer for topic #6 really made me think about how I plan on keeping ties to my family healthy while I'm gone. My parents are getting older and I don't want them to feel abandoned while I'm figuring life out.
I'm happy to know my videos have been helpful for you. It took me much too long to grasp that my family and I didn't really understand each other: I didn't realize that their worries and concerns went deeper than what they expressed, and they couldn't understand why I preferred being so far away. One deep conversation cleared it all up. It would have been great if I could have understood that sooner. None of my older expat friends ever talked about that sort of thing. I probably still would have had to learn it myself even if they had.
You’re a great presenter! Keep up the great work!! Watching your videos from New Orleans Louisiana 👌
Thank you! It's been a long while since my last visit to New Orleans. I need to get back over there!
Wow i cant believe u loved in korea for so long..amazing..
Im a korean who immigrated to canada when i was 9 years old.
Now i have decided to move to korea in my old age..
I really love korea...im having a very nice time here..i find korea to be very safe and kind..and i met koreans here that are very kind...also i find korea to be very clean and organized...so far im loving it here...
Ur videos are very interesting and i have enjoyed it ...keep up the good work...
Thank you! There's a lot to love about Korea for sure. I hope you continue to enjoy your time here.
영어 공부용으로 유투브를 주로 보는데 너무 좋습니다 감사합니다
I moved to Seoul in December and your videos and experiences have been very insightful and helpful to me. Thank you!
That's great to hear. Thank you!
Hope you are good and healthy and so happy to hear you are satisfied with your life here in Korea ❤
Thank you!
인생의 교훈이 담긴 소중한 영상입니다 감사합니다
감사합니다!
Thank you so much for the transparency and heartfelt knowledge/advice. It’s appreciated and extremely helpful and inspiring.
Thank you!
유익한 영상 너무 감사합니다! Such an interesting perspective and love listening about my home country.
Thank you!
Story about small talk and language. I was living in a small town from 2016-19, teaching at DGIST and living in faculty housing. When I needed a haircut, I went to an old school barber shop near the old market area. Older gentleman barber, his wife, and there were always a couple of older guys waiting their turn. I'd pick up a newspaper, watch the TV a bit. I'd been there a few times, so these people recognized me, and they'd heard me speak. My first years in Korea were in 전남, 화순읍, and that's where I really learned to speak Korean, although Peace Corps training gave me the basics. So despite being married 50+ years to a Seoul aristocrat, I still have the country farmer in my voice. So the barbershop chat turned to dialects, and they asked me, "are there dialects in America?". I said, sure, it's mostly in how vowels are pronounced, and a little in vocabulary. Ahh, that was interesting, and we chatted about how Korean dialects are different. What I found funny was that these guys were all talking in a pretty thick 경상북 dialect, even down to the "예" verb ending. Classic "we don't speak funny, it's everyone else."
Another great story. I appreciate you sharing your experiences. I have no idea how my Korean comes off these days. Now and again, a Konglish phrase or word will sneak in after lying dormant for a couple of decades, but I don't think I have a recognizable accent other than "foreign".
Mike, learning a lot from your videos! Yes, I wanna become a RUclipsr also! Doing an inventory of my skill-set to see if I have what it takes. Thanks for your advices!
Awesome! I hope it's helpful. Good luck!
Great advice, thank
you..communication is also the key..❤
Agreed.
Just came over from Bart's channel. 41/M going on 10 years in Korea myself! You and Bart are doing what I wish I had enough extroversion to do - filming your thoughts and experiences living here. I've got so much I wish I could share with friends and family back home, and anyone else interested for that matter. But I'm just too shy to walk around with a camera and film myself or other people nearby. I feel like it would aggravate them, as I don't like others filming me without asking. I know I'll regret not doing it, but it's a gigantic mental block. If you have a few seconds and care to reply on that, that would be cool. Anyway, enjoyed your stuff on Bart's channel so now I'm here. Try and stay cool in this endless summer heat!
I think there's a bit of a progression you can go through to get to where you want to be if you're serious about it. And this is advice I've seen from others, not just off the top of my head.
The first step is to just sit at home and record yourself talking to a camera. Talk about your day, or what you did last night. Tell a story from your childhood. It doesn't matter as long as it's something you can speak about in the moment. Do it every day until you get to a point that it feels more natural and you're okay with the result. For example, it doesn't feel too stiff or monotone. From what I've seen, this is an issue sometimes even with extroverts. I've done a good bit of public speaking over the years, but talking to a camera was just outright awkward. The key thing here is to get comfortable with it so that it becomes more like a chat with a friend rather than talking to a camera. That's how I envision it when I'm out and about: I'm strolling along talking to a friend. Getting to this point is foundational to the rest.
The next step: find a quiet spot somewhere outside, like somewhere in a park that isn't so busy, or maybe a dead-end alley, where you can sit and record yourself some more. Don't walk. Sit. Every day. The goal here is to get more comfortable doing it outside. You don't want to be doing it around people just yet.
Once you're more comfortable with that, then you can sit and record yourself in busier places. Don't walk. Sit. Now you're trying to get more comfortable doing it around people. Once you get to that point, it should be a lot easier to walk down the street and talk to the camera.
And please note that I keep saying "more comfortable". You're probably never going to be entirely at ease. The goal is to minimize the uneasiness. If you can get rid of completely, even better. But you just have to do it step by step. You're going to be uncomfortable at every stage. You may even feel the effects of anxiety. But the only way forward is to take the steps. By taking that first one, you'll hopefully find the motivation for the next, and the next.
As for upsetting the people around you, I can tell you from experience it's not a thing. I know it's a thing in your head and it will probably continue to be a thing in your head, but do what you can to remind yourself of all the RUclipsrs in Korea filming outdoors every day. It's such a common thing here that people just don't even bat an eye at it, aside from a few older folks wondering what you're up to. When I was filming in London last year, a few times people passing by would shout out, "I do not consent to be filmed!". I've never experienced anything like that here, but plenty of people have had fun playing up to the camera in the background.
I hope this helps!
@@MikeFromKorea That's extremely helpful, Mike! Thanks so much! Really appreciate the time and effort you put in to constructing and sharing a thoughtful step by step message like this for a complete stranger. You've got a great heart. Have an awesome weekend!
Hello, Mike. I am a Korean subscriber and I really enjoy your videos. The way you speak, your vocabulary, and your sentences are very helpful for English learners like me. I watch your videos over and over to practice. Also, your videos have great sound quality. I can't see a mic in your video, but it always sounds like you are broadcasting from a radio station. I always wonder how you get such good sound quality when you're walking and filming outside.
Thank you! I'm happy you're finding my videos helpful. In most of my videos, I have a small wireless mic inside my shirt attached to a magnetic medallion on a string around my neck. In this video, if you look at the center of my chest, you'll see a lump just next to the shoulder bag's strap. That's my mic. I don't always use it, though. In my previous video, I decided to use the camera's internal audio so I could pick up more of the nature sounds around me. I still had my wireless mic recording my voice in case the internal audio had a problem, but I didn't need it.
My video editor has some good audio tools that allow me to reduce the background noise, balance my volume, apply EQ, and a whole lot of things. I do a little bit of tweaking to get the final sound you hear. Thanks for noticing :-)
한국을 좋아해 주셔서 감사합니다~
더운 여름 건강히 보내시고
구독 누르고 갑니다❤
감사합니다!
Hi Mike, wow, the last part of your video loved ones left behind is pretty tough. I've been through this as well and I do understand you very well. As I already mentioned in a previous comment, I am an expat myself living abroad from home country 30+ years and I am having a darn good life as well. Today looking back to the day I left, when all my family and close friends gathered at the airport, I am pretty sure I would not have the same life as I have it today. So, my greetings from one expat to another expat. Stay safe. I like you videos.
Thanks for sharing this. It's reassuring to hear from people in the same boat that my thoughts on the subject resonate. Back when my social circle was much wider, I knew a lot of people who loved to pontificate on weighty topics, but those that were more personal like this weren't typically among them. There was a lot of advice about how to make it away from home, but not so much on how to deal with those left behind.
Great video as always - I can relate to so much of your content!
Thanks!
After living in the states for 33 years i came back to Korea about 10 months ago. I'm relearning this country that i call mine, although I'm a US citizen now. Happy to have found your channel . Do you have a meetup?
Thanks for sharing. It must be quite an experience reconciling the present with the Korea you remember. I've not had an open meetup and I'm not yet sure if I will. That's something I'll consider somewhere down the road.
A nice and relaxing video, thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts so generously and eloquently. And walking through geum-ho dong. It's where our house was before my family moved to the US in 1973 when I was a child. I am moved and my heart aches a bit, wanting to be there again after so many years. I will go next year.
Thank you. I expect that's going to be an emotional trip for you. I hope it's a good one!
Have a great day! Nice and great conversation.
Thanks, you too!
It`s like a first comment in RUclips in personal opinion naturally, not only for your vlog but for others. Especially last question - loved ones left behind ones touches my mind. Years on earth are numbered and this is the truth which we should face with each other. anyway I used to see your vlog because you have your own aspect in Korea, which are better than me even native Korea myself. Keeping find your way as your own. I love this. Also thank you for sharing your thoughts. Appreciate it.
Thank you! I'm glad someone asked me the question. In my experience, it's not something expats tend to talk about much with each other.
Good Morning , Sir.
Recently I came across your video.
Thank you for your insight.
I was so impressed.
I'm huge fan of you from today.
(I'm Korean in Daejeon)
Thank you!
Great video. Thank you 👍
Thank you!
Very informative video. Thank you for sharing 👌
Thank you!
I think this video is showing more close look to local Korean life, compare with other foreigner's. I guess Mr. Mike has been stayed in Korea for a long time cause he is understand Korean culture very well. If anyone has some stereotype of Korea cause watching Korean singer, movies etc, the real ordinary Korean will be different quite a lot. Interesting video. Good job, Mike. I subscribe this channel today.
Thank you!
Hi Mike, thanks for sharing. My son has been taking Korean language classes through The Korea Society in NY. They offer structured online live classes so attendance is mandatory. The time difference is manageable as we are on the West Coast. As for crime, Korea is nowhere near as bad as it is here in the States. I see on the Nextdoor neighborhood website the daily home breakins, car thefts, bike thefts even fruit stealing from people's backyards and where I live it is considered a very nice area. I even avoid Oakland including the freeway that goes through it.
Thank you! I'd never heard of The Korea Society. I'll have to look into them.
Thanks for the Q&A! Also surprised by the category of questions. However, what you said about defining a vision is very insightful. In a previous video you mentioned that you had wanted to talk or write about Korea for a while now, but it wasn't until this channel where you really started working towards that goal. Have you made other attempts in the past? How did you know this was the right time? I guess I am wondering how long you have let this idea simmer before acting on it and do you think it was useful for you to be patient about it as opposed to jumping right in with something not as clear and perhaps failing and becoming frustrated?
I think it first started in the early 2000s. I'd mention in an online forum somewhere that I lived in Korea, and someone would inevitably ask, "North Korea?". People knew pretty much nothing about the place. I just had this feeling inside that I wanted to tell the world about it, but it wasn't strong enough to motivate me to act on it. I was running two blogs, had a programming hobby, and was a regular gamer. All of that was taking up so much of my energy and attention that the Korea stuff kind of drifted to the shadows. But it never went away.
Sometime around 2010 or so, I had the urge to launch a website about Korea--photos, videos, articles--but I wouldn't be able to do it alone. I could handle the writing and the tech side of it, but not the rest. I asked a friend who knew an about photography and a bit of videography if he wanted to work with me on a project like that. He declined. I toyed for a while with just publishing a blog, but in the end I didn't think it was the right medium for what I wanted to do. My hobbies soaked up my attention again.
It really started coming to the surface about four years ago. That's when I began to recognize it as a compulsion, something that I felt I just had to do. The pandemic was well underway, I wasn't spending so much time on my programming and hobbies anymore, and I no longer maintained my blogs. There was nothing else for me to focus my energy on, so this was all I could think about.
I had learned a bit about RUclips through my job with the non-profit I work for. It was much easier to produce videos than it had been a decade before, so I thought it would be cool to do some walking tours of Seoul for people who were in lockdown around the world. I anticipated that at some point I'd want to make some videos talking about the places I showed in the walks. I realized later that it didn't make sense to mix both kinds of videos on the same channel, so I started thinking about how I might approach a second channel.
I wanted to really learn my way around the equipment and software I'd be using before I launched, so I took the time to get comfortable with the basics and settle on a video editor to really dig into while saving up for a more powerful computer, a camera, some mics, and so on. Then I had to get comfortable talking to the camera in public. Altogether I probably spent a year in prep.
예전에 외국인보기 힘들다 생각했는데 한국 이곳 저곳 오랫동안 숨어 살던 외국인들이 이렇게 많았다니 ..신기하네요
예전에는 서울의 여러 지역에서 사람들이 저를 많이 쳐다봤어요. 이태원 밖에서는 외국인을 보기 드물었거든요. 요즘은 많이 다르네요.
Wow. I was in Korean 2009-2014 and the years fly by!
Much too fast.
I've heard many times now about bikes being stolen in Korea, usually in the context of a conversation of how uncommon theft is otherwise. It's actually really pretty funny that in a country with famously low theft, something as big as a bike is the one thing that isn't safe (and maybe webber bbqs). So many of the bikes on racks in Seoul look abandoned. It makes me wonder if they're just being taken for a one way trip, before somebody else picks it up and does the same. The bike belongs to Seoul now. Thank you for another great upload.
Thanks! That's funny. I hadn't looked at it that way. Over the years I've thrice left cell phones on the bus or in a taxi and all three came back to me. Just at the end of last year, I managed to leave my wallet in a taxi (or drop it as I was getting out). Ten days later it showed up in the mail, all my cards and cash intact. I've always been puzzled by that Weber though. I suspect it was someone from one of the neighboring buildings with windows looking down on our roof who got tired of the cookouts I was having.
Just discovered youtoday, very nice videos !
Thank you!
형님 대단한 사람이 었네요..!!
리스펙
감사합니다!
Hey, Mike.
What are you doing in Korea? I'm Korean Canadian, left Korea when I was 16 years old.
My last visit to Korea was in 2017, couldn't stay there for more than 2 weeks. Due to the high-density population, air pollution is still better than in China.
Take care!
Hi Stephen. I work for a small, non-profit tech foundation based in Seattle. I manage our RUclips channel, organize an annual conference, run all of our meetings, and whatever else falls into my lap.
Here's a question for you Mike, what is your general philosophy of life? You know as I've gotten older, got my first job, completed high school, I've realized that materialism/consumerism isn't all that interesting to me. I got my first job and bought a new laptop, a new phone, painted my room, and a year later it didn't really improve my life or change anything. Sure it's nice, but it's superficial.
And since losing my pet two months ago, I came to realize how much I wish I could just have a good family life, and I wish I could have my pet back, and I wish I could enjoy the simple things that I took for granted or that I was never really afforded... I have a bad family life due to what I see as neglect and alcoholism. Now I look back to when I was young, like 8, 10, 12, and I realize how easy and good I had it. I'm only 24 but due to my own circumstances I wish I was about 10 again 😢
Thanks for your question. I feel ya. The short answer is that I've learned to take life as it comes. I worry about the things I can control and I try not to worry about the things I can't. I say "try" because it does take effort. I can't control world events, I can't control the economy, I can't control the past, etc., so I don't want to waste time dwelling on any of it. I don't want to end up paralyzed by guilt, regret, despair, or anything like that, so I focus on what's in front of me. It's okay to feel those things, but it can be unhealthy if they become dominant.
It helps to stop now and then for a bit of self-reflection. I used to scoff at that kind of thing, but I was way off base. Reflect on things you've recently done and try to understand why you did them. Or analyze why you feel the way you do about something you can't control. Don't think about the thing itself. You can't control it, so it's pointless to spend time on it. You can control how you feel about it, though. And to do that, you need to understand why you feel that way. That's a lesson I learned from reading about Stoicism. It's been very valuable.
@@MikeFromKorea thank you for the detailed response!
Last Question was so emotional 😭 I could have cried. Have a really nice vacation to the UK 🤗 Which part of the UK you’ll going to travel through?
Thank you! This time we're doing Canterbury, Hastings, the Lake District (based in Windermere), and London. This will be my fourth time in Canterbury and my wife's second. I'm pretty sure we'll pop up to Whitstable for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants while we're there. My wife hasn't seen the White Cliffs yet, and neither of us have visited Dover Castle, so we may spend a day down that way, too. This will be our first time in Hastings and the Lake District. I think most people do a day trip to Hastings from London, but I've booked two nights. We're meeting some old friends up in Windermere and they'll probably have plans to cover quite a bit of the area over the few days we're there. Can't wait!
@@MikeFromKorea that sounds really nice and like a good plan 👍, I wish you and your wife a great trip with many memories. Especially Lake District in particular will certainly offer relaxation and pure nature.
Before covid we’ve been to Dover, Leeds, Cornwall and and many small towns and city’s in the south, like Hastings, Brighton, Plymouth aso. with a Motorhome. It was such a great and adventures time.
@@ThatsJeanette Thanks! We did a day trip from London to Rye last year and absolutely loved it. I'm looking forward to strolling around Battle this time. And I wish I could do a motorhome trip like that. That sounds wonderful!
We moved to US from korea in 92 as a 12 yr old. While US has been great to me I do miss living in Korea. US is going down wrong path politically and culturally IMO. I do plan to retire back in Korea when I get older and make more money here in the US. Working in any foreign country isnt easy. Thank you for your video.
Thank you! From my perspective, it's gotten easier for foreigners to work and live here in Korea in many regards. Though I do understand that some people coming here for the first time today may disagree that anything about it is easy :-)
한국에서 오래 사셨네. IMF 때도 다 겪으시고 산 증인이시네요. 우리나라에 범죄가 너무 많아졌어요. 미국처럼 강한 공권력이었으면 좋겠어요. 이번주 너무 습해서 힘든데 여름 잘 버티세여 ㅎ
감사합니다! 건강하세요.
Q&A I have a question regarding the former site of the U.S. Far East Engineer District located in front of Dongdaemun. It has now been demolished and can be seen from the rooftop of the Peace Market (Pyeonghwa Sijang). I'm curious about any memories or information you might have about that place. Thank you.
Thanks for your question! Though I can say more about the compound today than I could a year ago, I don't have much to say in the way of personal memories. I can only recall going inside twice while I was in the Army. I tasked out as a driver during a major exercise and had to drive someone else there. For years, the only thing I knew about the place was that the Stars & Stripes, the US military's newspaper, had offices there. I didn't even know the FED was there until relatively recently. I'll include it in a walk in the not too distant future and talk a bit about it.
Man, remember the monthly air raid drills and the 6 AM national anthem?
As far as safety and crime, I totally agree, back in 89~94 it felt very safe, day or night, drunk or sober. The main "danger" came from potential roughhousing in It'aewon with the other expats, and that was mostly occasional bruising. Like you, I had a robbery incident; someone slipped into my place in It'aewon while I was away and took a couple hundred bucks and my Swiss army knife from my bed-side table. My ex was pretty contrite since she said it would be fine to leave the door unlocked, and I felt like a bit of a jackass for allowing it.
I agree that, especially if you can speak a little Korean, Korean people are actually pretty friendly and talkative with foreigners. Naturally the "English practice" is another common encounter, but both back in the day and on my more recent visits this was not as common as one might think.
If the national anthem was still coming on every morning after I got here, I don't remember it. I remember it playing on the TV when the networks would sign off for the night. The air raid drills have gone away and come back and gone away multiple times over the years under different presidents. I think we had at least one not long after Yoon Suk Yeol took office. I remember being surprised about it, but I may be mixing up my memories.
Been here in Seoul for 5 of 8 weeks, yes weather is HOT, but that's what a/c is for...$$$$. Walked a circular route from Seocho to Seorae and back sweat dripping off me, but need to drop 10kg😅😅 ..To comment in reverse order, ZERO close family in Ireland so not missing anyone, small talk...IF someone speaks English then we have small talk, and they're probably chuffed that their English is good enough for me to understand..like the 5/6 yo child in the shop with his parents engaging me in conversation, hope they were encouraged by his ability. Speaking Korean, I'll check out your recommendations, but I have a strange way of learning, hope it works because.....outside of 'touristy areas', there's ZERO English, and while I respect every countries native language, including my own Irish/Gaeilge, I feel that having English on business premises would help Korean businesses prosper.. I use Papago/Google to try to decipher menu boards but sometimes it doesn't accurately describe the dish, and trying to find an address or order a taxi , sometimes the address I enter shows up as 'unavailable ', yet when I get there and enter 'Start point' , it'll show up perfectly 😡😡 Crime...just doesn't seem to be the 'random' crime that happens regularly in the West, phones being snatched in London, Roma gypsies pickpocketing on subway trains.. 'Seoul just seems to have things like the runaway car at Seoul station/Samuri sword attack in the apartment block...but being able to hold your phone in the street is a luxury that US/EU citizens dont get. Meeting an agent Sat for a brief chat regarding property/business Visa, etc as you suggested before, gone to a lot of areas but think a university area or Itaewon have that 'buzz'. other areas seem too 'residential ' and peaceful😅😅
Good luck with the weight loss. I lost about 6kg from all the walking, then got stuck. Dropped almost 3 more after modifying the diet and increasing the average step count. And thanks for sharing your take on the questions. I hope you get the property sorted!
@@MikeFromKorea Property, and getting a 'small business(cafe) D-9-4 / English tutoring ' visa are the main priority for the next few weeks, then back to IRL and try to sell up.. Been around many of the dong and Itaewon 😳 and Hongkik/Konkuk university areas have a 'buzz' , where a lot of other areas are quieter a lot of the time (I live in the countryside so time to rejoin city life as I get older, nearer hospitals😎) Itaewon is not 'real Seoul' but for tourists it's probably easier to navigate in terms of signage, which is the BIG problem for tourists, very little English language signage in Seoul....maybe the percentage of English speaking/non Asian tourists doesn't warrant putting English translations...? When you are in the UK be alert to random crime, kids on electric bikes stealing cellphones, pickpockets on the 'Tube'(Metro) , like NYC, but without the possibility of guns..
facebook.com/reel/7696488637097312?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v
ruclips.net/user/shorts7oYiyEOPt90?si=TuOfasqgilPXfajm
@@Dublintaxitours You and I think alike about aging. My wife wants to move out into the country. I want to stay close to Seoul's hospitals. As for the grabbers in the UK, this is something we think about every time we go to Europe. Last year, my wife was wearing a small backpack while we were out and about in London. There's a pouch on the outside where she usually stuffs things she might want to grab quickly. I told her to make sure it was empty. Sure enough, somewhere outside Burrough Market, I caught someone on video checking that pouch as he walked by. Neither of us knew it had happened until I got back to Korea and was reviewing the footage.
@@MikeFromKorearuclips.net/video/aGDuVuQAJsc/видео.htmlsi=3aLFoHgrXYtAlCat
💯👍👍👍Thank you, sir
How did you live in Korea in the 90s? I moved to Korea before Netflix, but smartphones were around. I could use those websites to watch movies and watch RUclips.
The only thing I can say is that I just did it. There were a lot of things I was used to that we didn't have here then, but I adapted and got on with it.
@MikeFromKorea Interesting. Did you watch tv? Was it just only KBS, MBC and SBS? Were English language VHS/DVDS available? I moved to Korea in the internet age. I watch American RUclips or Netflix. Sometimes I forget I'm Korea if I work from home and don't go outside. I can be in a bubble. That is so cool. I watched Korean movies from the 90s and always wondered how it looked it. Some neighborhoods in Seoul look like you are still in the 80s still. My mom lived in Mexico in the late 80s and ealy 90s and she had no internet anx felt more homesick. I'm one of those foreigners who likes Korea, likes being in Korea. I have always had a fascination for the Korean people since I was in elementary school after reading an article in National Geographic. I moved here when I was 22. I'm 36 now. My sister moved here when she was 18 and is now 25. It's very cool to see a long-term foreigner. I remember when I was 6 or 7 years in, I would get sad when people treated me like a tourist or told me to go back to America. Several people in my work literally told me to go back. They weren't being anti-American, but just me living here or working there upset them. Sometimes, people were upset that my wife wants to stay in Korea. They idea of my wife not marrying me for a visa upset them maybe. Somehow, that offends them. But since that period, now I don't feel sad or upset, I just think it is funny. It is interesting to hear that you go through certain periods. Some Koreans hate living in Korea, and that used to upset me as well, but I realized that many Americans hate living in America, they act like the US is a hopeless third world country, it seems they haven't traveled much. I realized people are negative in all countries. They don't appreciate anything. This doesn't upset me anymore as well.
@@Mountainshark The US military ran AFKN (Armed Forces Korea Network) with shows from home, but I rarely watched it. I occasionally caught shows on the Korean networks, particularly on the weekends. But I didn't really watch much TV. There were video rental shops in every neighborhood in the 90s with plenty of English-language movies that had Korean subtitles. I rented them sometimes and went once or twice a week to the cinema. I was more interested in being out and about, though.
@@MikeFromKorea Interesting, oh yeah. Video renting shops.
성동구 금호동 주변이네요 살기 좋은 동네죠
33년을 한국에 계셨으면 한국인의 특징을 많이 아시겠네요
저는 여기에서 나고 자란 사람으로써 한국인의 특성은 긴 역사의 기간만큼 진화 되었다고 생각합니다
즉 하루 아침에 현재의 한국인들의 특성이 만들어 지지 않았다는 거죠
좋은 특성이든 나쁜 특성이든 긴 역사 속에서 진화 되었다는 것과
사람을 중심으로 진화 되었다고 저는 특정하고 생각합니다
동의합니다. 30년 전에는 한국 역사와 그 영향에 대해 잘 이해하지 못했어요. 지금은 더 잘 이해하게 되었습니다
Also my name is mike too.
I have youtube videos called
Mike loves korea 2023
I've noticed that some you tubers collaborate with others to create more content. Have you ever thought about involving some other people that you've known over the years?
I've spoken to a couple of Korean guys I know (not RUclipsrs) to see they'd be willing to chat with me about the changes they've witnessed. One is around 80, and he declined. The other is in his 30s and said he's willing to, but we haven't lined up the time for it yet. There are other people I intend to ask at some point.
I'm soon to go the other way, though. Next week I'm going to meetup with another RUclipsr to do a video for his channel.
If you are over 50 its hard to get a teaching job there.
Bicycles are the most common theft item in Korea
Bicycles are the favorite items that are still being stolen in Korea,
as there are professional thieves who specifically target them for a living.
The language, being said that, I somehow can tell that your R sound bit a little Koreanized :)
Haha! Thanks :-)
Im guessing u can speak korean better than me..
I've met several people over the years whose families moved abroad when they were young. I was surprised to learn that some of them were prohibited from speaking Korean at home because their parents wanted them to learn English as quickly as possible. I knew three Korean Canadians who came over here together in the mid 90s. That was their situation, so they all attended Yonsei University's Korean Language program. They found that it came back to them pretty quickly.
I am Korean born and live in the States for a long time. On recent visits, I experienced something about the Koreans. Just asking for help or simple questions at the train or bus station, some of this people won't acknowledge you or act as if you are invisible. How rude this Koreans- mostly young ones. Most of the older crowd engages but not the young ones. I was in awe and asking- what the F""k is wrong with these people?