This week Jun and Daniel interview their former coworkers who have been living in Korea but are moving back to America. This episode is the first in our “iyagi” (“story” or “conversation” in Korean) series, in which we interview guests about their time living in Korea. Today, our conversations cover such questions as: What brought them to Korea in the first place? What are the first foods that they crave after landing in Korea and America? How do our guests define ‘home’, and where does it feel most like it? What are the top things our guests have come to appreciate about Korea? Does our American feel comfortable leaving their laptop while going to the bathroom at Starbucks? What are some misconceptions that people have about Korea and America? What is something our guests miss most about America after living in Korea for some time? What would it take for our guests to consider settling down in Korea long-term? What gifts do our guests bring with them when they visit Korea or America? What was the first bit of “culture shock” our guests faced in Korea? What bit of Korean culture would our guests like to bring back to America? What was their most memorable experience while in Korea? How does gym culture differ between Korea and America? How does parenting culture differ between the two countries?

If you're interested in any of these questions, tune in to hear Daniel, Jun, Rae, and E discuss all this and more!

Guest Bio
E: Born and raised in the USA. East Asian heritage, but not Korean. Together with his wife, tried life abroad. Ended up in Korea for 2 years. Works in software.

Rae: Rae was born and raised in Korea but always felt that “just being a Korean” doesn’t do justice to her identity. She ended up living 3 different continents and learning 4 different languages in her 20s and is currently located in South Korea with her Korean American husband and son after 10 years of hiatus in the US. Inspired by her personal background, she works as a qualitative researcher helping product builders understand their users. She is planning to move back to the US this summer. 

Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasaeng_fan

Support the show

As a reminder, we record one episode a week in-person from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!

Support us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862

Follow us on socials:
https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/
https://twitter.com/korampodcast
https://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcast

Questions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: [email protected]