The likes of which they've never seen...

Being a foreigner in Korea is an interesting experience.

Although there are quite a few foreigners in Korea it seems that the sight of one is still something to gawk at. I can't seem to go anywhere without getting a bit of a sideways look of curiosity. For the most part, people try to act like they don't see you... that is when you are looking. When you have your head down and are focused elsewhere is when you can feel the eyes burning a hole in your forehead.

Children look at you with curiosity and without shame. Teenagers seem to see you but don't care too much about you. Young adults will sometimes smile at you. Anyone over 30 will look at you when you are not looking. And old people either don't even notice you or look at you for extended periods of time.

I don't know what other foreigners have experienced but this is what I've gathered. I seem to get the most stares on the subway or on the bus. I think that is just because there is no other place to look and so people are more likely to scope out the situation. In any case, when I make eye contact with somebody I try to smile and look friendly, rarely do I get a smile back.


Make sure to act like you can't see me...
When I, as a foreigner, am walking down the street in Seoul and I see another foreigner I notice just as easily as all the people who notice me. When I first arrived I would always try to make eye contact and give a smile like: "hey, I stick out too, lets acknowledge each other." I soon came to figure out that foreigners purposely avoid eye contact with other foreigners.

Frankly, I think this is bullshit. I know that just because we are both white, or the minority, or whatever, this doesn't automatically assume that we should be buddies. But at the same time, it shouldn't mean that we have to make sure to act like we didn't notice each others' big white selves going by.

So, I am going to continue trying to make eye contact with other foreigners because frankly I think that its way more comfortable that trying to act like I am not noticing them sticking out in the crowd like a sore thumb. So other foreigners out there in Seoul, acknowledge my foreign ass.