Asian countries are becoming more and more popular travel destination for Lithuanians. The remote work mode, which has become extremely popular in the last few years, allows to spend not only 3–4 weeks of vacation in Asia. In order to get to know the countries of this continent and their culture better, Lithuanians come here for several months.

Driven by curiosity and a desire to get to know Asia up close, the Lithuanian Marijus Januškevičius went to Seoul, the capital of South Korea, to study. The student who took advantage of the opportunities provided by the international exchange programme says that he did not expect to be selected and be able to embark on a 4-month adventure thousands of kilometres from Lithuania.

Breathtaking views and angry looks from Koreans on public transport

The Lithuanian, who has been in Seoul for a month now, says that so far he has not noticed significant cultural differences and has not experienced a culture shock, but the sights he saw when he arrived in the South Korean capital took his breath away.

“After landing in Seoul and getting off the plane, the first thing that caught my attention was the airport, which was extremely large and modern. After leaving the airport, I was surprised by almost everything: skyscrapers, the sea, bridges, nature, mountains and the fact that there are so many people everywhere,” the student remembers his first impressions and notes that he was surprised not only by the environment, but also by the exceptional politeness of Koreans.

“I was pleasantly surprised that when greeting, Koreans always bow their heads to show respect. In general, Koreans seem to be very polite and respectful of each other, especially older people,” says M. Januškevičius. However, the guy has already had to get acquainted with some cultural differences.

“I had one misunderstanding when I got here – when I got to the gym locker room, I bent down to untie and take off my shoes when I felt someone tap me on the back. When I turned around, I saw that it was an older Korean showing me that I had to take off my shoes before entering the changing room. Everything is a bit different in Lithuania,” the Lithuanian says and remembers another incident, this time in public transport.

“I have noticed that you can’t speak loudly in public transport, as I was used to in Lithuania. Here, as soon as you start speaking louder, people turn around and look at you with an angry look, letting you know that there is no place for conversations in public transport” says M. Januškevičius, adding that Koreans are distinguished not only by their politeness, but also by their closeness when communicating with strangers.

“Koreans like to spend their free time in karaoke bars, which are not very popular in Lithuania, but the rest of their free time is similar to Lithuanians: shopping, sightseeing. Just like Lithuanians, when the cherry blossoms bloom, many Koreans go to take pictures of them,” smiles a student of the International Business at Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution and adds: “Koreans are known as big coffee lovers. When I came here, I noticed that they really like this drink.”

A dish that not everyone would agree to try and watermelons costing 25 euros

After arriving in Seoul, M. Januskevičius did not experience a culture shock, but it took time to get used to spicy food, and the student says he will remember the experience of tasting a live octopus for a long time.

“Almost all the food here is spicy. It was a bit annoying at first and took time to get used to because I didn’t really like spicy food before. In general, all the food in the stores seems to be different – there are no products that we are used to in Lithuania, but I am happy to be able to try everything. It is a really interesting experience,” shares M. Januškevičius. However, tasting a live octopus did not leave a positive impression on the Lithuanian.

“So far, I have had to taste only one rather exotic dish – a live octopus. To be honest, I was curious to taste it only until I saw the image on the plate. Seeing a live and curling dish on the table, my appetite suddenly disappeared, but I still decided to try this delicacy. When I put a piece of moving octopus in my mouth, I almost fainted. I really didn’t like it,” says M. Januškevičius about the experience of tasting food that not everyone would dare to put in their mouth.

Speaking about the price differences of food products, M. Januškevičius reveals that the prices of fruits are extremely different compared to Lithuania. “One apple here costs 1 euro, a medium-sized watermelon costs 25 euros, and a pack of 4 oranges costs 12 euros. However, for example, public transport here is quite cheap. You only pay for the ticket once, when you get on the bus, and you don’t have to pay for transfers. This means that for 70 euro cents you can go to the other end of the city and by paying another 70 euro cents you can return to the starting point.”

Did not believe that would have the opportunity to go to Asia

M. Januškevičius remembers that until recently he did not believe that he would have the opportunity to go to a distant country, and when such an opportunity arose, he did not have much hope that he would be selected. “At first, I thought about going to one of the European countries to study, but I received an offer to fill out an application to study in South Korea. I consulted with my study friend and we decided to try, although I did not believe that it was possible to go to study so far from Lithuania. After a few days, it became clear that we were selected. We started to fill documents and prepare to leave,” the student recalls.

The student admits that before leaving, he felt great support from his family and relatives and received encouragement to take advantage of the opportunity to go abroad, so he did not feel anxious about the stage that awaits him far away from Lithuania.

“I didn’t feel anxious about cultural differences or distance. The desire to see and get to know South Korea was much greater than fear. I also knew that I would not go alone, but with a good friend of mine, I felt great support from my relatives who encouraged me to go, get knowledge at another higher education institution, spend 4 months in a country far away from Lithuania and get to know it better. I was a little worried only about the English language knowledge and how it would be to study. However, after arriving in South Korea, all fears disappeared,” says M. Januškevičius.