Korea Adventures. The beginning Part 1

Korea has been a journey of ups and downs. Now as I look back at these past 3 weeks, I see personal growth and cultural appreciation. It's awesome to really immerse myself in my homeland and truly understand what kind of culture my parents lived in. I shall give a brief overview of the cultural shocks in my first blog.

My first culture shock came in my first day of lab. I was met by a post-doc who looked not much older than me. He was Dr. Hong, the post-doc I was suppose to work with. Immediately, I found myself struggling with Korean language, hangul, as I experienced my first true one-on-one conversation. Despite the language barrier, he was very nice and very welcoming. Then came my meeting with the professor. It was brief and he very intense as he drilled me about "water oxidation catalysts" and "Polyoxymetalates," my sub-field of research. He sternly lectured me about the respect given to those of higher authority and their proper titles. As I quickly found out, the structure of the lab, like every other corporate setting, was very hierarchical. At the top was the Professor (Prof. Nam); second, visiting professors and post-docs; third, Ph'D candidates; fourth, 2nd-year master's students; fifth, 1st year master's students; lastly, the interns...me. As the one and only intern, I was at the bottom of the totem pole. Being the youngest didn't help either as I realized one's age mattered too when determining respect. 

Beffore leaving, the professor added a final comment: I had to work for 15hr/day for 6 days a week. I chuckled at first, not knowing if he was serious. I asked the other grad students if this was normal; they all said yes. It became apparent at the meticulous and intense work culture as I saw the dry-erase board in front of the professor's office detailing each student's arrival and departure time every day and the much faster pace when doing research.  It suddenly hit me that I was witnessing the Asian mindset to work tirelessly and efficiently. I finally understood why East Asia was progressing so quickly in a multitude of disciplines as I saw the incredible speed and determination of the students/post-doc. However, I still yearned for the freedom in America. I appreciated my lab in America much more as I realized the immense amount of freedom I've had.

Those first couple of days were difficult as I struggled with the intensity and demands of the lab. However, I do not want to leave an impression of negativity. These cultural roadblocks were stepping stones for me to learn the Korean lifestyle and discipline at much faster rate. Though my life may sound difficult to the reader, I am thoroughly enjoying my stay here in Korea. I plan to share the nicer things about the lab and my activities in Korea in my next blog. FYI, I later found out the professor's comment about the 15hr/day was a joke. It was later told to me that the professor has a interesting sense of humor that not many understand. Through the 3 weeks I've been here, I've learned that the professor is a person who works hard and plays hard. A great teacher and a thinker who know how to push others. He cares for his own and provides the best opportunities for everyone. Maybe that's why he is one of Korea's leading chemists and has amounted sizable renown in the chemistry world.