I first moved to Korea when I was just 8 years old. I remember during that time the Olympics were happening so everywhere I went I saw pictures of the Olympic mascot "Hidori" which was an orange tiger. Just being 8 years old, I thought Hidori was something really popular in Korea. That is actually my first memory of Korea; Hidori.
During this time in Korea it was the 1980's and Kpop was not as global of a sensation as it is now. South Korea was still developing and the area I lived in was quite rural. Our apartment was close to an Army base and around the Army base was mostly nightclubs with dancers, bars, and Korean fast food style shops.
Kids could buy beer and cigarettes for their parents! In Korea it seemed that as long as you had the money, anything goes - in a way it seemed more free than America is today.
One time I was walking to the store to buy something and a young boy actually stopped me and tried to steal my money! He was speaking in Korean and I couldn't understand what he was saying but I could tell what he was trying to do because his actions were very aggressive.
I spent most of my time in Korea as a young child going to piano lessons and playing sports like soccer and t-ball. Are you an American that has ever lived in Korea or a foreign country? I would love to hear your experiences.
Many people dream of going abroad. Again, many go abroad for a lot of work, some study, some business or something else. South Korea is a very good country.