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Dr. Cho
C&T 598
26 June 2019
Cross-Cultural Exercise
I was surprised by the cultural differences between South Korea and the United States
when I arrived in Seoul for the first time last year. But this year, since I had previously studied in
Korea for a semester, I was much more familiar with the cultural differences. However, I have
learned a lot about Korean high school life during this excursion. So while I was familiar with
cultural differences outside the classroom, I learned a lot about Korean culture inside the
classroom. Prior to the TESOL trip, I knew very little about high school in Korea. While I knew
the students studied and worked hard, I did not know the extent of it.
While education is valued in both the United States and Korea, Korean high school
students are much more driven to learn because the Korean education system is much more
competitive. I was unaware how important the Korean SAT is to Korean high schoolers. Most
students in the United States do minimal studying for the ACT or SAT. American universities
look at many aspects for college admissions other than test scores and grades. Even when
students do poorly on college entrance exams, they are still able to go to a decent college in the
US. However, in Korean there is immense pressure from parents and society to get into college.
Korean students feel they must go to college in order to be successful which leads to much more
competition in admittance. With competition and pressure to succeed, students are forced to
study long hours in order to prepare for the college entrance exams. Because of this I have seen
work much more seriously. This leaves the students with little time for after school activities and
relaxing. I was surprised that so many students go to after school academies to study more after
the long school day. With less after school activities and strict school uniforms, I noticed the
students at Kyunghwa don’t really form cliques. The girls all have to wear the same clothes and
all share the common pressure to succeed in academics which may lead to less cliques. As I was
talking to the students, they told me that bullying doesn’t really happen at their school and all of
the girls seem to get along well in the classroom.This is a large cultural difference, as bullying is
still a large problem in American high schools as both socioeconomic status and extracurricular
I also noticed that since students spend so much time at school, students are much closer
with their teachers. I expected the student-teacher relationship to be much more serious
considering the strict hierarchy in Korea. However, while the students respect their teachers, the
relationship is much more like a familial relationship. The students all seem to have a very close
relationship with their teachers, they all laugh together and depend on each other like family. In
the US, I respected my teachers but never became close with them like friends or family. Despite
the harsh pressure in school, it's nice to see that the girls have a strong support system within the
Although I have studied in Korea last year, I am still affected by cultural differences
outside the classroom. For me the biggest change between Korea and the United States is the
lack of racial diversity in Korea. With such racial and ethnic diversity, people do not stand out as
foreigners in the United States. In contrast, since Korea is such a homogenous society, non-
Korean individuals stick out in public and are quickly labeled as foreigners. When I am in a large
group of foreigners, such as the other KU students, people often stare. Elderly people more often
stare and sometimes can be rude towards foreigners. However, most elderly individuals are very
kind. I understand why some may stare since the number of foreigners has just recently increased
in the last couple decades. For me as a Korean adoptee, it’s a unique situation because though
I’m ethnically Korean, I grew up in a white American household. So since Korea is so ethnically
homogenous, people assume I am fluent in Korean and grew up in Korea. When I’m out with
foreigner friends it is more obvious that I grew up in America. However, people will still ask me
if I am Korean, and I’ll usually have to explain that I am Korean American. In contrast, when
I’m by myself I am torn between dressing and “looking Korean” in order to blend in, or dressing
more “American” so people know I am a foreigner. I find that I do tend to dress nicer and wear
Though it has been a bit difficult to fit in since I am in the middle of both Korean and
American identities, it wasn’t too hard to adjust to Korean culture. Since I had studied Korean
and was familiar with the culture from KU classes and television shows, it was easy for me to
adapt when coming to Seoul and Gwangju. I did not have much culture shock when coming to
Korea because I love the culture and traveling. I was surprised at the reverse culture shock I
experienced the first time I returned to the US after my semester abroad. My reverse culture
shock was probably worse than the culture shock I experienced when arriving to Seoul. I often
found myself bowing at stores and restaurants and was pretty sad to return to the midwest where
Overall, I experienced little cultural shock when arriving to Korea. I believe I had a much
easier time transitioning because I was familiar with the culture before I arrived both last year for
my semester abroad and this year for the TESOL program. It is important for travelers to educate
themselves about Korean culture before coming to the country. Having prior knowledge will
make the transition easier for an individual and will show respect when visiting another country.
Though I experienced little culture shock, I still encounter obstacles being Korean-American in a
country that is very homogeneously Korean. However, during the TESOL program the ethnicity
of each KU student hasn’t affected our relationships with the students at all. The students have
been very welcoming, and I have learned so much from them. With this program, I have learned
so much about Korean high schools which has given me much more insight into Korean culture.