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Eva Yu cycled from Shanghai to London across 15 countries partly to break away from her hyper-connected life, only to discover that the internet followed her almost everywhere. The multilingual journalist had already lived and worked across South Korea, the United States, the UK, Ecuador, Israel, and China, watching her relationship with technology change with every move. For expats and internationals building lives across borders, her story shows why online communities and constant connectivity matter now, but also why knowing when to disconnect can determine whether you actually experience the place you moved to.
Seek Roads: https://seekroads.co/
What You’ll Learn About Living Abroad, Online Communities, and Digital Identity
- How South Korea’s early internet culture shaped digital habits
- How Cyworld and Korean fandoms built online communities before Facebook
- How blogging helps expats process culture shock
- Why disconnecting can change the experience of living abroad
- How international work can create digital overload
- How moving to China shaped a multilingual digital identity
- What cycling from Shanghai to London revealed about internet access
- How expats can use online communities to build local connections
How South Korea’s Early Internet Culture Shaped Digital Life
Eva first used computers around 1997–1998. By age eleven, she was uploading school assignments online, reading Korean web novels, following K-pop groups including Shinhwa and TVXQ, and participating in digital communities.
She later joined Cyworld, the Korean social network that combined diaries, photos, music, and friends’ messages before Facebook became dominant in Korea.
How Blogging Helps Expats Process Culture Shock
During an exchange in the UK, Eva began writing online diaries to process cultural differences, relationships, and her reactions to living abroad. She later moved to Naver Blog, writing about Korea, China, business, travel, and international life.
At the time of this interview, her blog received roughly 600 visits a day. Writing became a way to understand her experiences as she moved between countries.
Why Disconnecting Can Change the Experience of Living Abroad
In 2012, Eva spent a year volunteering in Ecuador, teaching Korean in Spanish and living with local people. She deliberately left her phone behind and used the internet for only about an hour every two days.
Rather than staying connected to Korea through KakaoTalk, Eva wanted to focus on the life around her. Disconnecting removed an easy escape route back home.
How International Work Can Create Digital Overload Abroad
Her next experience pushed her in the opposite direction. During seven months in Israel, Eva managed social media, articles, and video across Korean and Israeli schedules while interviewing about 75 startups.
Some videos took ten hours to edit, and work could keep her online for twelve or more hours a day. The internet had shifted from a place for personal connection into an always-on workplace.
How Moving to China Shaped a Multilingual Digital Identity
Eva moved to Shanghai in 2015 to work as a journalist for TechNode. She reported in English, functioned in Chinese, and wrote personal observations in Korean.
She noticed that language changed how she presented herself. Korean encouraged more politeness and humility, while English felt more direct and professional. One Chinese diary post received around 2,200 views, highlighting how differently her multilingual audiences responded.
What Cycling From Shanghai to London Revealed About Internet Access
Eva later spent eight months cycling along the Silk Road from Shanghai to London through 15 countries, interviewing entrepreneurs and holding seminars along the way.
She expected the journey to pull her away from her connected Shanghai life. Instead, internet access followed her almost everywhere. Her longest offline stretches included a 36-hour ferry across the Caspian Sea, a 48-hour train journey in Kazakhstan, and a week in Croatia after her phone broke.
With 14 sponsors expecting updates, Eva often felt she was either cycling or online documenting the cycling.
How Expats Can Balance Online Communities With Local Life
Eva doesn’t reject the internet. She uses Couchsurfing, Meetup, and Tantan to meet local people, then gives those interactions her full attention before writing about them later.
Across years of living abroad, she learned to give her online and offline lives different jobs. The internet helps her reach people, but she doesn’t want it to replace being with them.
For expats and internationals, staying connected across borders is easier than ever. The harder skill is knowing when that connection helps you experience a new place, and when it keeps you from fully being there.
Original publication date: March 26, 2019
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