Omg Martina! Can’t believe it’s been 15 years, and over 7 years since you moved to Japan! It feels like it happend yesterday! ❤ I’ve been following your journey since 2012, and I can’t even begin to explain what your content has meant to me over the years! I’m a Korean adoptee who grew up in Norway, and watching you in Korea was one of the first steps for me to learn more about Korean culture. You are the reason I started learning how to make Korean food! Thank you, Martina for making so much wholesome content, and help bridging cultures and explore other food cultures!
I lived in Japan for the last 5-ish years of the Showa era. I have not really been back in 30+ years. I was irrevocably changed by my experience there, during a period where we didn't even have cell phones and I was still renting videos on VHS. Directions to find a place were very involved, even for the Japanese, using only landmarks (get on the last car of the train, leave via the 2nd east exit, left at the Departo, 2 blocks, enter small alley with green noren over sushi shop on left, etc...addresses didn't mean boo to finding a place, especially in the city) to find small theatres or coffee shops or vintage clothes shops (long live Shimo-kitazawa in my dreams). GPS wasn't a thing. Social media wasn't a thing. I have learned so much more about Japan since I left, via TH-cam and the internet, despite having become quite fluent in the language while I was there. It boggles my mind how EASY it has all become for the new generation of travelers. And yet, you have nailed it so accurately, what it is like to live overseas in Asia, that I feel nothing has changed at all. Thank you for this video, you made me smile and laugh and nod my head vigourously throughout.
Oh man, you just gave me flashbacks with MAPS and directions! I remember writing out directions and then eventually, printing out maps of things like MapQuest. Crumpled paper in your pockets and bags, scribbling down notes from people. Sometimes I can't believe we ever made it anywhere without the internet, but we did! You must have had quite the adventure in Japan, Shimo is still awesome, I hope you can make it back some day.
I still have my portable Tokyo map book. I carried it everywhere, along with a Jap-Eng dictionary, a planner daybook, a notebook for handwritten maps, my journal, etc. And believe it or not, I was there in a world in which ramen had not yet really hit it big, like now. If I went to a noodle shop, it was a standing only soba stall outside the train stn, where I leaned to slurp like a native. The only woman ever in there, let alone the only gaijin. Eventually they got used to me, but it used to get quite ridiculous how BUSY the place would get after I appeared. Everyone wanted to see the gaijin navigate chopsticks and slurping. LOL
For me is the contrary I am forever amazed at people like you who navigated this country when technology wasn't a thing I get lost even with GPS, so really, how on earth?! It blows my mind 🤯
The flow and the change within one self and ones "home" is REAL. Having lived in the US and the UK altogether for a decade coming back to Germany (where I was born) during the pandemic was a true shock (my German still sounds like I fell down the stairs) and THEN going back to Croatia to see family was a welcome relief, almost a buffer of sorts, because it is so different yet again from all the previous experiences. I've been following your journey since since 2012 now and this was such a great insight on how all this moving and simmering in different cultures can effect you. Thank you!
You sound like you've been THROUGH the culture shock ringer, my friend. And where is your family in Croatia! Mine live in Zagreb now. I also, would like to say, you're such a big part of the community for me You post such lovely stuff on King Kogi discord, and always leave encouraging and thought provoking comments on my posts.
@@KingKogi Thank you kindly it's my pleasure!! ☺ Mine's down South by Makarska which is where I posted the crystal blue sea from on the King Kogi discord! I just got cheap tickets to go there for the holidays again and can't wait for the ensuing food coma with home made meats, cheeses, wine and more! Wish I could share those things for everyone to taste, too!
Um, I really love your description of your German 😂😂 So I'm going to say, my Chinese sound like I fell down the stairs and got serious brain damage 🤣 I'm not Chinese though (or any other mandarin speaking nationality) I just apparently love torturing myself 😅
I never comment on anything, but I just *had* to comment on this one! You're basically describing my entire life in this video, even though I havent been to Japan yet - I do live in South Korea now, though, and started watching you when I first started thinking about coming here, about 13 years ago! I started hopping around the world when I was 6 years old, and I'm turning 47 this month. I lived in Mozambique as a child and then South Africa as a teenager, and then went back to South Africa in my early thirties, going from there to England in my late thirties and now coming to Korea in my mid-forties. I loved how you described all of this delicious and excruciating chaos we live in when we are "displaced": the culture shock in the new place and then back home, figuring out the flow before figuring out the language (thank you so much for giving a name to what I've been experiencing all my life!), the isolation and how it hits different when you meet people who "get" you culturally and linguistically, the chunks of knowledge missing from back "home" - and how it somehow isn't quite home anymore... amazingly put. And yet, I don't think I could live any other way! Thank you for encouraging and inspiring me, not only with this particular video, but for sharing your impressions and experiences over the years. So many of the hard things here in Korea were easier right away because I had seen an EYK video on it a few years ago! I'm so glad an EYK video was one of the top videos to pop up when I started searching for "Life in South Korea" in 2012 (and that video had a Peppertones song in it, and I have been obsessed with them ever since!). TL;DR: This video is amazing! I'm glad you exist and that you are a big part of my life as an expat! ❤
I can totally understand 100% what you mean. I live in Australia and there so many things that are so different from Vietnam and it’s a great feeling knowing that I am not alone in my struggles and that’s it’s normal to feel this way 😊
@@flacaloca That's a really good question, actually. I suppose I make a distinction between the experience of an immigrant and that of an expat, and identify more with the latter. An immigrant is usually someone who moves to another country to create a new life in a new place, be it for emotional, cultural, political or economical reasons, and has the experience of transplanting themselves to that country; an expatriate is someone who is in a country where they are not originally from, be it because they chose or were forced to go. Because of that, I see it as a broader term. I feel expat is a better description for how I live my life, where I end up in different locations every 3 to 5 years because of work and experience opportunities, in places I either choose happily or feel compelled to go for some reason, and then the only uniting factor in these experiences is that I'm away from where I'm originally from. An immigrant has a hope for belonging, whereas I embrace my otherness because I usually stay in a place long enough to learn the ways of the place and sort of "blend in", but not quite long enough to become part of it and feel like I belong. Also, I don't fully belong where I'm originally from, either, because of my experiences elsewhere... I guess a way, I'm also an expatriate in my country of origin, too, and so I feel that term is a better fit for how I feel everywhere. Thanks for asking this question and giving me the chance to think this through! I've been calling myself an expat as opposed to am immigrant for years but had never thought deeply about why! 😊
@@priki I have the same sort of thought, having lived abroad a long time and now planning to move to yet another country; haven't felt like an "immigrant" because we've just lived in different countries for career reasons and experiencing new things, not to necessarily plant permanent roots. We have yet to decide on where the "final" place will be, be it "back home" or somewhere else.
Flow is something I totally struggled with when I first moved to Japan. I found myself getting so frustrated because although I was taking Japanese lessons I felt like communication still came off as awkward and disjointed. That’s when I asked my Japanese tutor to teach me how to say things as if I was a Japanese person, not a foreigner learning Japanese. He was surprised that I wanted to learn all the nuances of communication that weren’t specifically grammar and vocab. Fast forward 4 years and although my Japanese still isn’t great I can get by with a lot of context and understanding “the flow” 😅
I had always wanted to live in Japan but never had any luck with JET or other ASL jobs due to how competitive it was. Then, one year the opportunity to teach in S. Korea fell into my lap and I took it (even though I knew very little about S. Korea) and it was one of the best decisions of my life. I got to live there for 2 years (then the pandemic happened and my school shut down and I was out of a job). But it was an amazing two years. A very stressful two years, but amazing nonetheless. I'm so thankful I had other foreign teachers to help settle me in and my Korean coteachers were very helpful for the more complicated bits (bank and phone plans, etc). They all really helped make my experience so much better. One major change I saw in myself is before I moved I was a very picky eater. But living in Korea (and visiting Japan) completely opened up my palate. I tried things I never thought i would, loved things I would have sworn I hated. I love food now and appreciate it in a way I hadn't before. Living abroad was an amazing experience and imo the postives far outweighed the negative. If you have the opportunity, take it.
Great video Martina, I just wanted to mention how sweet i find the fact that you call your grandma "baka". Along with "deka" for grandpa, it's like a sweeter, softer way of addressing grandparents than the standard "baba/deda". It's heartwarming to see that your parents taught you that way and that you continue to use it.
My grandma was from Lithuania and you made me realize she was also making comfort food (and I thought was just "grandma's cooking") and how happy she was when she took me to visit her Lithuanian friend and they could talk in their own language (and carry on like teenagers, lol).
I lived in several countries, and I must say nowadays the amount of expat communities online that help and support each other are fantastic and can definitely help on many levels when everyday life in a new country becomes a bit overwhelming
I moved to Korea in February this year... so it's been 10 months. Not quite as long as 15 years... but it's crazy how quickly you adjust to living abroad even with all the things you have to learn and struggle through. I can't believe it's been 15 years, that's absolutely insane
That flow you’re talking about is called pragmatics/sociopragmatics and I love the way you explain in a very approachable manner. But, as a linguist and teacher, I have to add that, for example, the restaurant situation you are talking about belongs to more advanced level of language learning and, unfortunately, it is being left out due to its complexity. I used to learn Korean in a group and our manuals worked only with -입니다 -입니까 forms during the whole book number one and was really suprised when I visited a Korean restaurant and tried to flex with my superformal vocabulary haha. I guess that “the flow” is something every each of us has to deal with. At least it created more funny stories for me to share with my friends and family. :))
I lived and worked at a Korean company in college as an intern and I had such a culture shock around what it means to work there! I remember the "hours" we were supposed to work was 9-6 pm, so I would get up and leave around 6pm. It took me FOREVER to notice that no one else left when I did and that a lot of people gave me a side eye when I did leave😅it only later occurred to me to ask my coworker what time she normally left and she was like "oh, 8 or 9 pm". Mind. Blown.
It’s a stupidity beyond any measure. Not only productivity is very low but reproductivity follows. Play silly games win stupid prizes. I despise Korean work “culture”.
The work culture is absolutely something I would never be able to participate in. I'm from Germany and staying within the hours we actually get paid for is encouraged and not doing free or more labor is expected. We are also encouraged to actually take the vacation days we get every year and not come in sick either even though that means the company has to pay for sick leave.
That honestly sounds horrible. Having a 9 to 5 job but having to stay a few extra hours for it to be acceptable? I've heard about the crazy work culture in Asia and a huge reason I never want to live there. Visit sure...but no way am I living in a place that expects me to always stay hours after my supposed shift ends. Big yikes!
@@DieAlteistwiederda In Japan, you can of course get extra pay for overtime. What's more, overtime pay is higher than regular pay. In Japan, failure to overtime pay is a violation of the Labor Standards Act and will result in arrest. Occasionally there are company that cause problems, but that is not normal case. Because it is not common, they sometimes report on arrests of employer on News programs. In Japan, 9am to 5pm is generally the most common working time. There is always one or two holidays a week. You can have a more relaxing job outside of the city. Japan ranks 30th in the world in terms of average working hours, which is shorter than the United States and Canada. Foreigners blindly believe too much in bias videos produced by the West. They exaggerate and report things that are not common as if they were common. What you're saying is like saying all Americans have experienced mass shooting. It's like saying all South American live in slums. In Japan, only a few elite office workers or company run by yakuza are overworked. I have been working various jobs for 40 years in Japan, but I have never overworked. I have never seen such overwork even in my friend's job. Western bias media always exaggerates reports about Asia. Once again, 9 to 5 is the most common working time in Japan. Overworked people are only a small minority and are not the norm. Foreigners often talk about Japan and Korea in the same way, but they are completely different. There are big differences between Japan and Korea, and working hours are really long in Korea.
@@_Eisley typical lol Japan's laid-back countryside definitely has a more relaxed lifestyle than the West. In the first place, you can choose your own job. If you choose a job that always ends at 5 o'clock, you won't have to work any more. People who work long hours choose to do so in order to earn more. There are not many jobs that require long working hours, and most jobs end at 5pm. In Japan, night shifts have higher wages and some people choose to work at night like Izakaya. average working hour ranking(source by OECD data) 1. Colombia 2,405 2. Mexico 2,226 3. Costa rica 2,149 4. Chile 1,963 5. Korea 1,901 ↓ 12. USA 1,811 ↓ 19. Australia 1,707 22. Canada 1,686 ↓ 30. Japan 1,607 The rate of working 48 hours a week is 15% in Japan. US is 14.8％. thailand is 17％. Korea is 19.5％.
This channel is my comfort food :)) Even helped me when I got diagnosed with hEDS myself, and I rock the same Hello Kitty walking cane too (it's so cool though)! Even though I only moved within Europe (from Germany, to UK, to France currently), I totally get the feelings, of being different persons expressing myself in different languages, and feeling like a puzzle of everything. While I won't ever give up my german side, I did notice subtle changes now living a total of 20 years abroad, and feel myself weird going back to Germany. And it also changed my outlook on life in general, having seen places and communicating in 3 languages that opened me up. And I kinda want to embrace it more in the future, being the globe trotter I grew up to be and making even more experiences. Not gonna pack my bags for Asia asap.... but I am thinking a lot in my 30s now :)
Hi fellow hEDSer I'm in UK wondering how is medical care for hEDS & co is in France wonder if awareness is spreading there, as in UK it's getting difficult again as losing consultants either from retiring or leaving & rheumatologists stopped also seeing us. ps my grt grandfather was German (he travelled) & a French 6x grt grandfather (my dads from SE Asia). I did travel a little, definitely travel bug in my DNA (when finances allowed) before health took down turn. I had thoughts of moving abroad but health/family/Brexit made near impossible unless get a windfall 💰💰 🫶
@@SolarVibeEnergy Hey hey :) I can't compare directly, it's a recent diagnosis, but it's pretty hard in southern France as well. I am being seen by a pain doctor, but rhumato also refuses to treat it (heck, even the fibro diagnosis they gave me they don't treat, and neither the osteoarthritis since it's not inflammatory), and the EDS centers in the country have waiting lists for years... Plus a lack of knowledge within the medical community. My GP is learning about EDS and aknowledges my pain clinic diagnosis, and my PT is a sweetheart and fixes all my subluxations, and I can see him anytime as an emergency for him to fix my foot or other subluxations/dislocations I can't fix myself.... But pretty hard journey so far as well. Plus the incredible fatigue that makes day-to-day life and keeping up with things hard... Taking it one step at a time, building a ladder every morning to get my workday done, and a lot of rest, to manage symptoms better in the longterm even if I do a winter sleep currently :) Totally feel ye, it put a hold on my projects, and I'm still recovering and learning how to manage. But still keeping the mind busy and focusing on new hobbies and maybe future projects I'm realistically able to do. I don't want to fight and deny these handicaps, but I do want to push for a balance, living a life that also accomodates my abilities 😊
As a third culture kid who's gone back and forth between different continents, I relate to this so much! After a point both your native and current cultures are "home" and you're not really sure which one you belong to most. It can cause a bit of identity crisis because you don't always fit in the same way culturally native people do.
So many excellent examples in this video! The "reverse" culture shock has a nerdy theory name called Thrice Born. I have lived overseas before and am planning to do so again this year. I know there will be struggles (visas, ID, health care, grocery shopping, dating) but it's also so fun. I'm sure I will be combing through all your videos as we navigate living in Asia for the first time.
As someone with autism this video was super helpful. I normally struggle to understand the flow of conversation so I really appreciate the breakdown and examples.✨
I've watched you for years Martina since Korea and I lived in Japan for 6 years came back to America, my country in 2022 but it's hard being back and I'm planning on trying to move back to Japan, maybe for good.
I never moved out of my birth country, but living on my own I started shifting my food norms hahahaha, like I'm Dutch with a bit of a French touch now, I don't mind if my lunch is a cooked dinner portion. Kills two birds with one stones cause I usually have dinner left over anyway, so I can have the yummy for lunch :P Also, Martina, I just wanna thank you for existing, for being you. If you're feeling down in the gutter, build a ladder by reading appreciative comments, cause I can't imagine I'm the only person feeling thankful and you deserve every thankful comment there is. Your life is difficult and painful by default with your condition, but you've made it so worth it to pull through and share yourself with the world. You being yourself is worth so much that I can't even find the words.
We visited Bordeaux few weeks ago & was genuinely surprise how friendly the locals were when we see them … for example when you meet people in the lift they will greet you with Bonjour/ Bonsoir… simple gestures but end of the day feels nice… we are asians & they were very patient when we tried to communicate with them & teaching us some basic French words along the way… different vibe from Paris 👀
Love that you're talling about this! It's so much harder than a lot of people realise and youre right, many content creators don't touch on any issue that it's normal to come across when youre living abroad. And YES omg Town Halls are the worst! I still have flashbacks trying to just declare that I was living in Spain. Step 1!
Town hall.... *cries* I have to go soon and update one of my ID cards. Last time they weren't sure if my photo would be accepted because my hairstyle was a braid on my head, and the pink looked like a headband. You can't wear accessories, but it was my real hair. In the end it was okay, but it was a lot of unnecessary drama haha
Martina!!!! you taught me how to spruce up Shin ramen like a decade ago ❤ I owe you so so so much joy and memories. Ive been to Korea for the first time last year and cannot wait to use your recommendations and learnings for my Japan trip❤
Yes, all of this! I’ve been living in Japan for 13 years and it still has its challenges. Especially during the shut down and not being able to travel home for a few years. It definitely intensified some struggles, like the reality of not being able to be with family often and missing out on the little things. But my husband and I are happy where we are, and enjoying life near Tokyo. Comfort food is another big one for me, the older you get, the more you crave it! Love your content, thank you for sharing your journey with us. ❤
As someone living abroad for 7+ years now (I moved to the UK similar time to you moving to Japan, I've been following for the longest time ❤) I relate with a lot in this video.
I went to Uni in Australia, and expected it to just be a sunnier UK, but how wrong I was! Culture shock hit pretty hard, pretty quickly and although I remember those years a some of the happiest of my life (now 50... how did that happen?!), I also remember feeling very unhappy at time as well, probably because of the unfamiliar things around me. I found Australia to be much more like my expectations of the US than Britain. But I adjusted, and - possibly because I was a student and didn't have that many responsibilities at the time - grew to love living there. Like you Martina, it was the food that hooked me in. I never understood coffee culture until I was in Oz, and the range of fresh foods was fantastic. I think living there helped me to take things as they are and appreciate them much more readily, and it certainly helped me understand and cope with unfamiliar or strange circumstances better. I have always been fascinated with Japan and watching your videos has certainly not cured me of that! I finally (after years of waiting) took the leap and visited Tokyo in the summer and loved it - despite the heat! I have to thank you in part for that because your videos showed me some cool things to do and how to cope too. I also managed a CROD sighting in the wild too : ) Already planning my next visit to Japan! Thank you Martina, you are marvellous. Your positivity and viewpoint help me a lot, and I look forward to every single video you put out.
I love your journey Martina. You’re a golden chick on TH-cam, your energy and happiness speaks volumes to us viewed who’s been here on TH-cam with you for so long. I wish you the best on this continued journey in 2024. Stay blessed Chick. Much love, a viewer.
I've only been here for 2.5 years, and it's the lack of comfort food that really hit me the hardest! Nobody actually talks about that. Thank you for continuing to call out the challenges that nobody else wants to.
It's weird because you are totally excited to have new food, but things like holidays and birthdays can hit hard. You don't realize how much you need or want something from your home country, and you don't want to pay triple the price for it, or to go to a restaurant that kindof makes it right. It's like a deep missing of something that was so easy to find or make, but now, is not. I have deep appreciation for a lot of things like that now. What comfort food(s) are you currently missing?
@@KingKogi Oh, goodness! I don't even know. I guess southern style biscuits and sausage gravy. Fried okra. Lemonade that doesn't taste like battery acid? Honestly it's my sisters and I being in the kitchen together that I truly miss. Cooking together doesn't seem to be a part of Japanese culture.
I grew up in Spain then lived in the UK for 9 years and now live in the Netherlands for nearly 5. One thing I notice that is inherently built into culture is timing. How far in advance are you expected to reach out to a friend to meet up? How far in advance do you book a doctors appointment? How far in advance do you book a restaurant or a venue for a party? UK and Netherlands tend to prepare well in advance so now when I go back to Spain and try to call up a place to book something weeks in advance they look at me like I am completely crazy 😂 yet somehow I am still too late by dutch standards??
I have watched your content since around 2011 I think? Your videos while living in Korea inspired me so much. Today i have been living in Korea for almost two years. It hasnt been perfect and there has been struggles. Your video put into words a lot of thoughts i have had. I am so proud of you Martina and all you have accomplished. Thank you for being so great!
I didn't move to a different country but I moved to a completely different state. I am from Alaska (born and raised) and I moved to Florida and it's been hard but I am managing. One thing I miss the most is arctic blue berries and pilot bread. Can't get those here but hopefully I can get it soon!
It’s really been so long? 😭 I haven’t been in the comment section much lately, but I’ve been here for very nearly the entire 15 years. For context, I’m 25, so you’ve been a significant part of my life for a very long time, Martina. I lovingly refer to you as my parasocial auntie, and you’ve had such an impact on my life and who I am- from my interest in exploring different cultures and their foods, to realizing as I got older that I have chronic pain, to helping me learn how to deal with my mental illness. Thank you for being here, Martina. Here’s to another 15 years :) (assuming you still enjoy making content by then lol!)
I'm an American expat who has lived in Korea and Japan. The whole time I was in Korea, I had living in Japan as my ultimate goal. The thing that shocked me the most when I finally did get to Japan is how homesick I was for Korea. Don't get me wrong. I love both Korea and Japan but Korea feels like home and Japan feels like a country I've adopted. The whole time I was living in Korea, I thought Japan was the place I wanted to be. In reality, I was already there. If I knew then, what I know now, I think I would have just stayed in Korea. I had underestimated just how much I fell in love with the country.
@@10secondsrule I sympathize with you. That must have really sucked and my heart goes out to you for having a such a bad experience. I guess I should be thankful that most days I was off work by 5:00 p.m. and usually had weekends off. I'm sure that contributed greatly to loving life there.
I have never lived outside of Canada but I did move from Vancouver to a rural village 10 years ago. There are still “culture shock” things or some things that I still just can’t adjust to. Then when I go back to Vancouver to visit, it’s actually not home anymore. My friends don’t want to go eat things that I’m so excited to eat again, etc.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I think even for visitors, it’s helpful to hear first-hand stories. Maybe help set some realistic expectations and also help ease any fears. I can only speak from experience as a tourist, even if my last visit to Japan was almost two months. Though I was so happy to return there earlier this year, I found out quickly that it wasn’t going to let me escape the mental health challenges I have. For myself, since I was traveling alone, part of it was just kind of missing having someone around at times to share experiences with. Another part was being worried about things I knew I’d have to handle once I got back home. It was frustrating, since the immediate thoughts I had were “Why now, while I’m here? I’m not supposed to feel like this.” But, it’s also the best time to be kind to yourself. Acknowledge those feelings, work through them, and find ways to boost your spirits. Also, finding the flow of language really does help out a lot. Even with something simple like konbini. There’s only so many interactions there, so once you learn those, it’s a big confidence booster. My Japanese skills are pretty poor, but as time went on, I got more confident that I could be understood. Just took a bit to pick up on some things. Though, if a place had a way to automate ordering or paying, I was very happy to have those options. 😅
This video is exactly on point! I have been watching your videos since 2012 when I first knew that I intended to move to Korea. I made many trips here and there but in 2017 officially made the big move all on my own to Jeju where I lived for the next 3 years before meeting my now Khusband. I have been in Korea ever since and learned Korean purely through friendships while still back in America and then through immersion after moving. The flow in language and culture is so true. We have foreign friends who speak great Korean but learned it through university classes or the KIIP annnnnnnd they sound like a walking dictionary which is awkward to say the least. They know more formal language than I do for sure but take a long time to answer and in perfect... too perfect of sentences. My own Korean on the other hand is very natural sounding in that I have street/life slang and style. So I answer really quickly and naturally buuuut I also make more mistakes when trying to be formal. There is good and bad for both though our Korean friends have told me that they would prefer a foreigner speak like I do than how most do when they study formally. My husband didn't speak English when we first met so everything was in Korean. Later on once we were married he learned a little but it wasn't until we got pregnant and his family told him he had to that he hit the books hard. Now only 4 years later he is amazing at English but it's the same thing, he is toooooo perfect and I am constantly trying to make him loosen up in English. He also speaks Japanese very well and we want to teach our 3 year old son starting this next year so I am working on my Japanese these days. I have been trying to watch a lot of documentaries and news in Japanese, any other suggestions that you might have for getting the street/life Japanese flow while not being immersed?
Thanks for sharing this, and I know exactly what you mean! I’m afraid I don’t have any natural sounding media suggestions, anime to dramas, they always sound pumped up. And Japanese TH-camrs (not foreigners making videos in Japan) have a very TV voice with over the top big reactions. 😅 Anyone else have a suggestion ?
I went to Bakawarai Junsui and mentioned you! Of course they remembered and they made me feel very welcome. They even let me go behind the counter and cook Tonpeiyaki with them.
Martina, I’m SO proud of you and this channel you made. I enjoyed watching while doing Sunday cleaning. I taught in the UK for two years at the age of 25 and the cultural shock was wild. I think it’s interesting how we naturally reduce countries into what we’ve seen in our own pop culture. For example, I thought the UK was very Doctor Who London… but I actually lived in West Yorkshire, so it was so different. Communication and conversations were tricky at first too. You really do need to adapt… especially when teaching children. I am also going to be in Japan next December around the holidays and I cannot wait to purchase your guides. ❤
Last time my family visited Korea, I was getting a drink at the convenience store and didn't understand what the cashier wanted from me, and she got instantly angry with me. haha my friend saw and came over to help. (And over all have had amazing visits ) but I thinks it's really good to have these experiences. I live in America and see how foreigners can be treated. I moved from the Midwest (Minnesota)to the southwest and there is a total different flow here.
❤❤❤ My long time you tube bestie. As always thank you for sharing some of the best stuff out there. You habe sparked so much interest and peace for me. ❤❤❤
I partially got into your channel back in 2014/2015 due to being a fellow Canadian whose always dreamed of visiting Korea and Japan. I've learned a lot about the cultures through your hard work and I thank you for sharing your experiences about both of them, through your other videos and this one ❤👍🏻
I'm from Dhaka, Bangladesh but I grew up in Manchester and I remember going back to visit relatives in BD over 9 years after we had moved and reverse culture shock hit me. My nanu (maternal granny) had rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner and she cut her veggies, fish and meat on this strange knife that you have to sit on the floor to use. I remember the rickshaws and praying I wouldn't fall off and being scared of the madness on the roads. Seeing people walking with baskets on their heads that had fish or veggies and they would go up to people's cars and ask if they wanted to buy them, kids selling water bottles and peanuts for snacks, every shopkeeper calling us to see the bright fabrics or jewellery, sitting in a small shop with no AC and the young assistant got another fan to put behind us and got us iced bottles of coke and Fanta. These were things I had never experienced before and so going back to a culture that I had been born into but not experienced 100% was very eye opening for me because I realised I wasn't Bangladeshi enough but I also am not 100% British either. Even now, being married to my husband who DID grow up in that typical Bangladeshi way of life, I feel that difference between our upbringing. Both eye opening and strange
Everything you highlighted about daily challenges living abroad rings true! All my life in Asia and now I'm in Canada. Going through these right now lol, your videos are such a comfort 🤗
Talking about food being different reminded me that one time i was at the store and someone asked me for help in the condiment aile and she told me she was from Africa and her son loves mac n cheese but she has never had it and didnt know fully what it was and she was asking me which ketchup was best for it and i told her ketchup doesnt go with mac n cheese and she said she knew he liked ketchup on a lot of stuff so she assumed it also went in mac n cheese so i told her i dont eat it but the best way i knew what ingredients to use and she thanked me multiple times for helping her and it made me think more about diffrent cultures being familiar with different foods
Been following you for so long, this video feels nostalgic and I looked back at the years I’ve been following King Kogi and EYK. I’m visiting Japan next year and can’t wait! Thanks for the video. ❤
The thing about the flow is so true! I started to get how it works after a couple of days in the Konbini and I was confused in the beginning. At the restaurants, they made me pay the meal first then ask me questions and chat a bit
For anyone who hasn't watched his videos, try Ryotaro's Japan. He really knows how to get in with locals, because he is one, sorta. He also grew up out of country. He knows how to make his own flow with Japanese people that they seem to respond really well with. I didn't expect his channel to be what it became when it was new. He genuinely gets a good perspective in, and a lot of it has to do with his outrageousness that somehow still clicks with other natives.
You don't even have to be "overseas" to experience culture shock. I grew up in mid Atlantic USA, but I moved to the four corners of the USA over the years - all with different cultures, and I spent a few years in The Virgin Islands, and while there was only a tiny language barrier in the virgin islands, there was a drastically different culture. So, in my opinion, simply traveling a few hundred or thousand miles can result in a serious change of culture. And while it can be all the things you said, stressful, depressing, exciting, and so forth, it ultimately helps one to understand more of where people are coming from and world views. "Broadens ones horizons" as it were, makes one think a little different' about everything. I believe that kind of personal growth is important.
I think you’re absolutely correct! The USA is a huge place with many different cultures and rules state per state. It absolutely has to be learned each time you arrive at a new state. Glad you can relate despite not being overseas!
Martina! So happy to see you doing well and looking good ! It might not be related to the topic in this video, but watching this makes me remember in 2013. It was hard to find original content for Kpop International fans at TH-cam (yeah we need to download our faves content in 4 parts in 144p resolution), yet I found your channel giving reviews for kpop comebacks every Friday. It's also in English while English subbed contents only based on fan projects. Just want to give you a big appreciation to be part of my youth days of youtube-ing ❤ Thank you !
This reminded me so much of my Dad and great aunt. They were from Germany and my dad had such an accent he would have me or my brother order food even though we thought he spoke perfectly good English. And going to the German market I can see now they were buying comfort food and speaking to other German speakers. They all sounded the same to me but Dad said he could tell what part of the country they were from based on their accent 😊❤
I seriously hope Martina did independant reaserch into BetterHelp. There was a lot bad that came out about them this year. I do agree thst Asia should be more open to these kind of discussions.
I haven't had the chance to travel internationally very much. However, in 2005, I was a junior in high school and was in my 5th year of French class. My older brother spent a semester abroad in Paris that year when he was in college, so my father, stepmother, and I went to France for 2.5 weeks over my spring break. I was very shy back then, and until adulthood I had an issue with speaking to older adults and authority figures by myself. However, because my stepmom hadn't spoken French in 40 years by the time we traveled, and because my father knew maybe 3 words, I ended up being the one to speak French for them. My anxiety does this weird thing where I can sometimes override it if it means helping someone else. So, at stores and restaurants, and street vendors, I would speak for my parents. But by the time I got to myself, it's like I had fatigue from needing to speak for them that I would revert to English for myself sometimes. I also felt like everyone was speaking a mile a minute, so I had a hard time following them in conversation because I was better at reading French. Obviously it seemed so fast because they're native, just like I speak English quickly because it's my own native language. Because of that, I found myself often saying, "Lentement, s'il vous plaît," which roughly translates to, "Slowly, please" 😂 It was very different being in the city the entire time. It was a lot, at times overwhelming. I grew up in NJ, not far from NYC by ferry or train. You *could* drive in, but that was a nightmare 😂 Where I grew up was a true suburb, which meant I was occasionally visiting the city but that's it. I visited end of March into the beginning of April. Compared to NJ, they had so much more daylight! Parisians got their days started often around 10am. 9-10 would be a small breakfast, 3-4 would be lunch, which was their largest meal. Between 9 and 10pm would be dinner, which was an in between size. But 9:30pm was sunset there! I actually loved eating in their pattern, but it wasn't sustainable back home. I remember eating so much rich and decadent foods. Lots of bread, because even the most basic café would put out a basket of baguettes. Lots of cheese, cream sauces, butter, and rich desserts. I had plenty of vegetables, of course, but it leaned very carb and dairy heavy. My stepmom and I were concerned we'd put on a lot of weight during our trip, but we both had LOST 10lbs by the time we got home! We would go to the superfrâiche (supermarket, which was slightly larger than a convenience store. Another culture shock for us) for our breakfast and my dad's coffee ingredients, but the rest of our meals were out. We also did an incredible amount of walking between using the metro and just walking long distances. Gasoline in France is purchased by the liter, and it also cost around 9 euros a liter, which was INSANE for us so we didn't rent a vehicle. In NJ in 2005, gas was roughly between $1.49-$1.69 a gallon, at times creeping up to close to $2 a gallon. For context, the exchange rate back then was about $1.31 to one Euro. Also, there are about 3.5 liters to one gallon. So you can do the basic math and see just how expensive gas in Paris was to the Mid-Atlantic USA. We took many trips outside Paris to visit various châteaus, Versailles, Giverny to visit Claude Monet's home, etc, but we stayed each night in Paris. My favorite part of experiencing Paris was very mundane. In NYC, you'll find a hot dog cart on pretty much every block, and a warm nut vendor on every few. In Paris, instead of hot dog carts, you'd find crèpe carts! I loved purchasing Nutella banana crèpes for 2 Euros to have as my dessert. They were SO dang good.
Yes, I am a third culture kid. I have lived over 10 years outside my passport country. I realize that successful coping when moving to a new place included food, community, rest and relaxation for me. This video is very helpful since I plan to be in Japan next year.
I love this video. I lived and taught English in Korea for 4 years, and one of the mindset hurdles I needed to overcome was spam as an acceptable food. I'd never had spam before in my life and just had the idea that it wasn't real food. But when I saw Koreans using it in so many ways, I thought, "Maybe the mentality I have about spam is wrong." Living in Korea was such a great experience for me. I'm much more open to everything now, not just spam, and living there broadened my horizons and mentality in so many ways.
Watching this made me realize how fast time went, mah gawd. When you said its been like over 7 years since you moved to Japan I had a lil bit of a shock as I remember when you moved around the end of my middle school. Wow! I love this video, very educational for people who might want to move overseas or help friends that moved to or back! I did do a University exchange in Japan a few years back and definitely experienced reverse culture shock when I came back to the Netherlands. It could be small things like standing on the wrong side on an excalator, lining up for trains or eating alone hehe
I have had a similar experience. It's still in Canada, but moving from Ontario to Quebec was like moving to another country! Language, culture, foods etc are different here, and all "official" documents etc are done in French. I feel for my classmates who have come from other countries, the challenge is immense for them. One is just 19 and came from Iran by herself. Some have said I am like their" Canada mom" since I am older and closer to their parents age. 🙂 Interesting video Martina, I enjoyed it. I think your videos make people struggling feel less alone, knowing that you have struggled too as social media traditionally often only shows the "good" stuff and rarely shows the struggles.
My parents and I lived overseas in the UK from when I was about 1 to about 2. Super short period and I do not remember a thing but it has always given me the goal of returning abroad one day. It is so interesting hearing their stories and it really does help you broaden your mindset/understanding of the world and what you can talk about. I am so jealous of my sister who gets to say she was born there but we left right after she was born so at least I get to say I lived there haha. I found you when I was in high school with the absolute dream of going abroad and doing the JET Program. Unfortunately, I graduated during COVID-19 so no study abroad and then after college I did not get in. Before I knew it I was starting a career and now I am a bit scared to take a pause. I am now really into Europe and would love to work over there maybe for an American company in my current field.
The perfect video to have while drinking my morning coffee~ I'm heading to Japan in January (first solo holiday ever aaaaa) and this is all great to know! Your videos have helped me a lot and I'm excited to learn more. as always, love your editing, sending love from Aus~ thank you for sharing with us
I’ve experienced the culture shock similar to your Korean friends who grew up in America and went to Korea . I am fluent in Vietnamese and spoke it with my parents however when I go back to vietname to visit cousins and extended family it is always the culture shock . For example, it’s normal when eating street food to have bags of garbage underneath the table and that’s where you put your bones , it’s rude to leave bones on the table or in your dish. This was 5 years ago , so this might have changed too lol
I live in Germany and visited the US for a couple of weeks during my teenage years. I was very confused about the way of conversation in the shops I went to. Because in Germany, the only place you ever have smalltalk is with your hairdresser. That’s the only shop where you do that. If you do smalltalk in any other situation, either you or a family member have to know the shop owner in order to talk about something different that business or your order. But when I went to the US, some random people startet to tell me about their grate-grandfather, who also was from Germany or asked about my plans for traveling and what not. It felt really annoying to me.
I love your insights into cultures and the amazing tips you have. tl:drs were always my favourite. Please keep making content about the cultural “differences” or “insights” you are amazing and thank youuu
Yep, I relate to so much of this. I'm originally from the US, but I've been living in SE Asia for 3 years now with my husband. I haven't been back to the US yet, but I'm sure I'll feel some level of culture shock whenever I go back to visit.
Its great to hear your experience on living overseas from the good the bad and everything in between. I have been following your journey for many years now and its great to hear your thoughts on living overseas as a born Canadian. I myself have never lived overseas but I have worked in immigration as a paralegal for many years here in America, So when you were talking about that you can empathize with other when moving and living in a new country I understand completely. Because of my many years of working in immigration law I can 100% understand what people are going through when moving to a new country by choice or out of necessity. On top of that I come from immigrant parents myself. My family moved over to America in the 80s from Vietnam.
Wait WHAT??? are you Martina from Eat Your Kimchi? I used to watch you like 10 years agoooo!!! Girl, I do K-pop content for a living now and you were a big part of it!! I'm working with the Korean Embassy of my country and we have done a lot of K-pop events and we have brought so many K-pop artists!!! You have inspired me A LOT!! I'm sooo happy the algorithm brought me back to you again after 10 years.💗✨
Whenever this topic is brought up it always hits me how big of a deal it was for Faker to openly share his mental health issues and even post videos of himself going to see his therapist and talking about depression and anxiety and how seeing a professional really helps him. To us in the west it seems totally normal and not a huge deal, but in context it's huge step to try and use his platform to normalise talking about mental health and remove the stigma about seeing a professional for mental health issues. In Korean society the idea of a famous person just outright being like, "yeah I just saw my therapist and it was really helpful, 10/10 would recommend, I see her every Tuesday even when I'm not feeling really bad cause it's good for me" is pretty wild, but he doesn't make a big deal out of it because it SHOULDN'T be a big deal to get help when you need it. Absolutely respect the shit out of him for that.
I’ve lived in 2 Asian countries (albeit for much less time than you) but your advice is spot on! Finding new comfort foods is a must, for me that was gyudon and Japanese pizza 😆
As a neurodivergent person, I've always been outside of the flow without ever leaving my country of origin (US). Neurotypes are their own culture, and they often don't translate well between Neurotypical, which is the default, and Neurodiverse, which is heavily stigmatized. #ableism Years ago, I knew a late-diagnosed Autistic man who deliberately lived abroad and taught ESL all over Asia. He said that it was a lot easier to be Autistic in another country where you weren't expected to understand the flow than in your country of origin where you were. As a foreigner, people are more likely to make allowances for your social faux pas and coach you. I love your content, and I'm grateful for this video. Language and culture aren't synonymous. Awareness of and willingness to learn this is paramount to a better understanding of all the different ways people connect and communicate. 🥰🐷👥
I spent a year each in Japan and Korea. I definitely experienced culture shock, but it was also really interesting to see the differences between cultures. I currently live in Los Angeles, but I’m from New York City. In a lot of ways, it was actually easier to move to a different country because I expected things to be different. If anything, there were a lot of aspects of living in East Asia that were more familiar to me than living in Los Angeles. There might not be a language barrier now, but it’s still a shock when strangers in LA talk to me or the struggle that is public transit in a place where most people don’t use it.
Omg Martina! Can’t believe it’s been 15 years, and over 7 years since you moved to Japan! It feels like it happend yesterday! ❤ I’ve been following your journey since 2012, and I can’t even begin to explain what your content has meant to me over the years! I’m a Korean adoptee who grew up in Norway, and watching you in Korea was one of the first steps for me to learn more about Korean culture. You are the reason I started learning how to make Korean food! Thank you, Martina for making so much wholesome content, and help bridging cultures and explore other food cultures!
That's so amazing to hear
I lived in Japan for the last 5-ish years of the Showa era. I have not really been back in 30+ years. I was irrevocably changed by my experience there, during a period where we didn't even have cell phones and I was still renting videos on VHS. Directions to find a place were very involved, even for the Japanese, using only landmarks (get on the last car of the train, leave via the 2nd east exit, left at the Departo, 2 blocks, enter small alley with green noren over sushi shop on left, etc...addresses didn't mean boo to finding a place, especially in the city) to find small theatres or coffee shops or vintage clothes shops (long live Shimo-kitazawa in my dreams). GPS wasn't a thing. Social media wasn't a thing. I have learned so much more about Japan since I left, via TH-cam and the internet, despite having become quite fluent in the language while I was there. It boggles my mind how EASY it has all become for the new generation of travelers.
And yet, you have nailed it so accurately, what it is like to live overseas in Asia, that I feel nothing has changed at all. Thank you for this video, you made me smile and laugh and nod my head vigourously throughout.
Oh man, you just gave me flashbacks with MAPS and directions! I remember writing out directions and then eventually, printing out maps of things like MapQuest. Crumpled paper in your pockets and bags, scribbling down notes from people. Sometimes I can't believe we ever made it anywhere without the internet, but we did! You must have had quite the adventure in Japan, Shimo is still awesome, I hope you can make it back some day.
I still have my portable Tokyo map book. I carried it everywhere, along with a Jap-Eng dictionary, a planner daybook, a notebook for handwritten maps, my journal, etc. And believe it or not, I was there in a world in which ramen had not yet really hit it big, like now. If I went to a noodle shop, it was a standing only soba stall outside the train stn, where I leaned to slurp like a native. The only woman ever in there, let alone the only gaijin. Eventually they got used to me, but it used to get quite ridiculous how BUSY the place would get after I appeared. Everyone wanted to see the gaijin navigate chopsticks and slurping. LOL
For me is the contrary
I am forever amazed at people like you who navigated this country when technology wasn't a thing
I get lost even with GPS, so really, how on earth?! It blows my mind 🤯
The flow and the change within one self and ones "home" is REAL. Having lived in the US and the UK altogether for a decade coming back to Germany (where I was born) during the pandemic was a true shock (my German still sounds like I fell down the stairs) and THEN going back to Croatia to see family was a welcome relief, almost a buffer of sorts, because it is so different yet again from all the previous experiences.
I've been following your journey since since 2012 now and this was such a great insight on how all this moving and simmering in different cultures can effect you. Thank you!
You sound like you've been THROUGH the culture shock ringer, my friend. And where is your family in Croatia! Mine live in Zagreb now. I also, would like to say, you're such a big part of the community for me You post such lovely stuff on King Kogi discord, and always leave encouraging and thought provoking comments on my posts.
@@KingKogi Thank you kindly it's my pleasure!! ☺ Mine's down South by Makarska which is where I posted the crystal blue sea from on the King Kogi discord!
I just got cheap tickets to go there for the holidays again and can't wait for the ensuing food coma with home made meats, cheeses, wine and more! Wish I could share those things for everyone to taste, too!
@@KingKogiNo way! A silent long time follower from Croatia over here. If you ever decide to visit Zagreb do let us know. 🥰
Um, I really love your description of your German 😂😂
So I'm going to say, my Chinese sound like I fell down the stairs and got serious brain damage 🤣
I'm not Chinese though (or any other mandarin speaking nationality) I just apparently love torturing myself 😅
@@katyb2793 Let's get back UP the stairs (carefully!) 🤣
I never comment on anything, but I just *had* to comment on this one! You're basically describing my entire life in this video, even though I havent been to Japan yet - I do live in South Korea now, though, and started watching you when I first started thinking about coming here, about 13 years ago! I started hopping around the world when I was 6 years old, and I'm turning 47 this month. I lived in Mozambique as a child and then South Africa as a teenager, and then went back to South Africa in my early thirties, going from there to England in my late thirties and now coming to Korea in my mid-forties. I loved how you described all of this delicious and excruciating chaos we live in when we are "displaced": the culture shock in the new place and then back home, figuring out the flow before figuring out the language (thank you so much for giving a name to what I've been experiencing all my life!), the isolation and how it hits different when you meet people who "get" you culturally and linguistically, the chunks of knowledge missing from back "home" - and how it somehow isn't quite home anymore... amazingly put. And yet, I don't think I could live any other way!
Thank you for encouraging and inspiring me, not only with this particular video, but for sharing your impressions and experiences over the years. So many of the hard things here in Korea were easier right away because I had seen an EYK video on it a few years ago! I'm so glad an EYK video was one of the top videos to pop up when I started searching for "Life in South Korea" in 2012 (and that video had a Peppertones song in it, and I have been obsessed with them ever since!).
TL;DR: This video is amazing! I'm glad you exist and that you are a big part of my life as an expat! ❤
I can totally understand 100% what you mean. I live in Australia and there so many things that are so different from Vietnam and it’s a great feeling knowing that I am not alone in my struggles and that’s it’s normal to feel this way 😊
Honest question. Why do you identify as an expat and not as an immigrant?
@@SavannahVu1985 I guess that's the best part of a video like this - you see you are not alone, right?
@@flacaloca That's a really good question, actually. I suppose I make a distinction between the experience of an immigrant and that of an expat, and identify more with the latter.
An immigrant is usually someone who moves to another country to create a new life in a new place, be it for emotional, cultural, political or economical reasons, and has the experience of transplanting themselves to that country; an expatriate is someone who is in a country where they are not originally from, be it because they chose or were forced to go. Because of that, I see it as a broader term.
I feel expat is a better description for how I live my life, where I end up in different locations every 3 to 5 years because of work and experience opportunities, in places I either choose happily or feel compelled to go for some reason, and then the only uniting factor in these experiences is that I'm away from where I'm originally from. An immigrant has a hope for belonging, whereas I embrace my otherness because I usually stay in a place long enough to learn the ways of the place and sort of "blend in", but not quite long enough to become part of it and feel like I belong. Also, I don't fully belong where I'm originally from, either, because of my experiences elsewhere... I guess a way, I'm also an expatriate in my country of origin, too, and so I feel that term is a better fit for how I feel everywhere.
Thanks for asking this question and giving me the chance to think this through! I've been calling myself an expat as opposed to am immigrant for years but had never thought deeply about why! 😊
@@priki I have the same sort of thought, having lived abroad a long time and now planning to move to yet another country; haven't felt like an "immigrant" because we've just lived in different countries for career reasons and experiencing new things, not to necessarily plant permanent roots. We have yet to decide on where the "final" place will be, be it "back home" or somewhere else.
Flow is something I totally struggled with when I first moved to Japan. I found myself getting so frustrated because although I was taking Japanese lessons I felt like communication still came off as awkward and disjointed. That’s when I asked my Japanese tutor to teach me how to say things as if I was a Japanese person, not a foreigner learning Japanese. He was surprised that I wanted to learn all the nuances of communication that weren’t specifically grammar and vocab. Fast forward 4 years and although my Japanese still isn’t great I can get by with a lot of context and understanding “the flow” 😅
I had always wanted to live in Japan but never had any luck with JET or other ASL jobs due to how competitive it was. Then, one year the opportunity to teach in S. Korea fell into my lap and I took it (even though I knew very little about S. Korea) and it was one of the best decisions of my life. I got to live there for 2 years (then the pandemic happened and my school shut down and I was out of a job). But it was an amazing two years. A very stressful two years, but amazing nonetheless.
I'm so thankful I had other foreign teachers to help settle me in and my Korean coteachers were very helpful for the more complicated bits (bank and phone plans, etc). They all really helped make my experience so much better.
One major change I saw in myself is before I moved I was a very picky eater. But living in Korea (and visiting Japan) completely opened up my palate. I tried things I never thought i would, loved things I would have sworn I hated. I love food now and appreciate it in a way I hadn't before.
Living abroad was an amazing experience and imo the postives far outweighed the negative. If you have the opportunity, take it.
Great video Martina, I just wanted to mention how sweet i find the fact that you call your grandma "baka". Along with "deka" for grandpa, it's like a sweeter, softer way of addressing grandparents than the standard "baba/deda". It's heartwarming to see that your parents taught you that way and that you continue to use it.
My grandma was from Lithuania and you made me realize she was also making comfort food (and I thought was just "grandma's cooking") and how happy she was when she took me to visit her Lithuanian friend and they could talk in their own language (and carry on like teenagers, lol).
I lived in several countries, and I must say nowadays the amount of expat communities online that help and support each other are fantastic and can definitely help on many levels when everyday life in a new country becomes a bit overwhelming
I moved to Korea in February this year... so it's been 10 months. Not quite as long as 15 years... but it's crazy how quickly you adjust to living abroad even with all the things you have to learn and struggle through. I can't believe it's been 15 years, that's absolutely insane
That flow you’re talking about is called pragmatics/sociopragmatics and I love the way you explain in a very approachable manner. But, as a linguist and teacher, I have to add that, for example, the restaurant situation you are talking about belongs to more advanced level of language learning and, unfortunately, it is being left out due to its complexity. I used to learn Korean in a group and our manuals worked only with -입니다 -입니까 forms during the whole book number one and was really suprised when I visited a Korean restaurant and tried to flex with my superformal vocabulary haha. I guess that “the flow” is something every each of us has to deal with. At least it created more funny stories for me to share with my friends and family. :))
I lived and worked at a Korean company in college as an intern and I had such a culture shock around what it means to work there! I remember the "hours" we were supposed to work was 9-6 pm, so I would get up and leave around 6pm. It took me FOREVER to notice that no one else left when I did and that a lot of people gave me a side eye when I did leave😅it only later occurred to me to ask my coworker what time she normally left and she was like "oh, 8 or 9 pm". Mind. Blown.
It’s a stupidity beyond any measure. Not only productivity is very low but reproductivity follows. Play silly games win stupid prizes. I despise Korean work “culture”.
The work culture is absolutely something I would never be able to participate in. I'm from Germany and staying within the hours we actually get paid for is encouraged and not doing free or more labor is expected. We are also encouraged to actually take the vacation days we get every year and not come in sick either even though that means the company has to pay for sick leave.
That honestly sounds horrible. Having a 9 to 5 job but having to stay a few extra hours for it to be acceptable? I've heard about the crazy work culture in Asia and a huge reason I never want to live there. Visit sure...but no way am I living in a place that expects me to always stay hours after my supposed shift ends. Big yikes!
@@DieAlteistwiederda
In Japan, you can of course get extra pay for overtime. What's more, overtime pay is higher than regular pay. In Japan, failure to overtime pay is a violation of the Labor Standards Act and will result in arrest. Occasionally there are company that cause problems, but that is not normal case. Because it is not common, they sometimes report on arrests of employer on News programs.
In Japan, 9am to 5pm is generally the most common working time. There is always one or two holidays a week. You can have a more relaxing job outside of the city. Japan ranks 30th in the world in terms of average working hours, which is shorter than the United States and Canada. Foreigners blindly believe too much in bias videos produced by the West. They exaggerate and report things that are not common as if they were common. What you're saying is like saying all Americans have experienced mass shooting. It's like saying all South American live in slums. In Japan, only a few elite office workers or company run by yakuza are overworked. I have been working various jobs for 40 years in Japan, but I have never overworked. I have never seen such overwork even in my friend's job. Western bias media always exaggerates reports about Asia.
Once again, 9 to 5 is the most common working time in Japan. Overworked people are only a small minority and are not the norm. Foreigners often talk about Japan and Korea in the same way, but they are completely different. There are big differences between Japan and Korea, and working hours are really long in Korea.
@@_Eisley
typical lol
Japan's laid-back countryside definitely has a more relaxed lifestyle than the West. In the first place, you can choose your own job. If you choose a job that always ends at 5 o'clock, you won't have to work any more. People who work long hours choose to do so in order to earn more. There are not many jobs that require long working hours, and most jobs end at 5pm. In Japan, night shifts have higher wages and some people choose to work at night like Izakaya.
average working hour ranking(source by OECD data)
1. Colombia 2,405
2. Mexico 2,226
3. Costa rica 2,149
4. Chile 1,963
5. Korea 1,901
↓
12. USA 1,811
↓
19. Australia 1,707
22. Canada 1,686
↓
30. Japan 1,607
The rate of working 48 hours a week is 15% in Japan. US is 14.8％. thailand is 17％. Korea is 19.5％.
Thank you for this, Martina. It's been a blessing to watch you and hear your experiences after all these years.
I’ve been watching you since 2012, and you’ve introduced me to so much! Kpop (especially T.O.P) , amazing Asian food, etc. so excited to watch this 🥹
This channel is my comfort food :)) Even helped me when I got diagnosed with hEDS myself, and I rock the same Hello Kitty walking cane too (it's so cool though)!
Even though I only moved within Europe (from Germany, to UK, to France currently), I totally get the feelings, of being different persons expressing myself in different languages, and feeling like a puzzle of everything. While I won't ever give up my german side, I did notice subtle changes now living a total of 20 years abroad, and feel myself weird going back to Germany. And it also changed my outlook on life in general, having seen places and communicating in 3 languages that opened me up. And I kinda want to embrace it more in the future, being the globe trotter I grew up to be and making even more experiences. Not gonna pack my bags for Asia asap.... but I am thinking a lot in my 30s now :)
Hi fellow hEDSer I'm in UK wondering how is medical care for hEDS & co is in France wonder if awareness is spreading there, as in UK it's getting difficult again as losing consultants either from retiring or leaving & rheumatologists stopped also seeing us. ps my grt grandfather was German (he travelled) & a French 6x grt grandfather (my dads from SE Asia). I did travel a little, definitely travel bug in my DNA (when finances allowed) before health took down turn. I had thoughts of moving abroad but health/family/Brexit made near impossible unless get a windfall 💰💰 🫶
@@SolarVibeEnergy Hey hey :)
I can't compare directly, it's a recent diagnosis, but it's pretty hard in southern France as well. I am being seen by a pain doctor, but rhumato also refuses to treat it (heck, even the fibro diagnosis they gave me they don't treat, and neither the osteoarthritis since it's not inflammatory), and the EDS centers in the country have waiting lists for years... Plus a lack of knowledge within the medical community. My GP is learning about EDS and aknowledges my pain clinic diagnosis, and my PT is a sweetheart and fixes all my subluxations, and I can see him anytime as an emergency for him to fix my foot or other subluxations/dislocations I can't fix myself.... But pretty hard journey so far as well. Plus the incredible fatigue that makes day-to-day life and keeping up with things hard... Taking it one step at a time, building a ladder every morning to get my workday done, and a lot of rest, to manage symptoms better in the longterm even if I do a winter sleep currently :) Totally feel ye, it put a hold on my projects, and I'm still recovering and learning how to manage. But still keeping the mind busy and focusing on new hobbies and maybe future projects I'm realistically able to do. I don't want to fight and deny these handicaps, but I do want to push for a balance, living a life that also accomodates my abilities 😊
I've abroad a decade, 7 in Korea, I connected to everything mentioned here. Happy Holidays Martina!
I am an exchange student currently in Kyoto - thank you for the video - it's the one I didn't even know I needed! I feel so seen
As a third culture kid who's gone back and forth between different continents, I relate to this so much! After a point both your native and current cultures are "home" and you're not really sure which one you belong to most. It can cause a bit of identity crisis because you don't always fit in the same way culturally native people do.
So many excellent examples in this video! The "reverse" culture shock has a nerdy theory name called Thrice Born. I have lived overseas before and am planning to do so again this year. I know there will be struggles (visas, ID, health care, grocery shopping, dating) but it's also so fun. I'm sure I will be combing through all your videos as we navigate living in Asia for the first time.
As someone with autism this video was super helpful. I normally struggle to understand the flow of conversation so I really appreciate the breakdown and examples.✨
So much love to you. You are a beautiful person and I'm so thankful for you and your content!
I've watched you for years Martina since Korea and I lived in Japan for 6 years came back to America, my country in 2022 but it's hard being back and I'm planning on trying to move back to Japan, maybe for good.
I never moved out of my birth country, but living on my own I started shifting my food norms hahahaha, like I'm Dutch with a bit of a French touch now, I don't mind if my lunch is a cooked dinner portion. Kills two birds with one stones cause I usually have dinner left over anyway, so I can have the yummy for lunch :P
Also, Martina, I just wanna thank you for existing, for being you. If you're feeling down in the gutter, build a ladder by reading appreciative comments, cause I can't imagine I'm the only person feeling thankful and you deserve every thankful comment there is. Your life is difficult and painful by default with your condition, but you've made it so worth it to pull through and share yourself with the world. You being yourself is worth so much that I can't even find the words.
We visited Bordeaux few weeks ago & was genuinely surprise how friendly the locals were when we see them … for example when you meet people in the lift they will greet you with Bonjour/ Bonsoir… simple gestures but end of the day feels nice… we are asians & they were very patient when we tried to communicate with them & teaching us some basic French words along the way… different vibe from Paris 👀
Such a brilliant video Martina, thanks for always being so thoughtful and well considered!
Love that you're talling about this! It's so much harder than a lot of people realise and youre right, many content creators don't touch on any issue that it's normal to come across when youre living abroad.
And YES omg Town Halls are the worst! I still have flashbacks trying to just declare that I was living in Spain. Step 1!
Town hall.... *cries* I have to go soon and update one of my ID cards. Last time they weren't sure if my photo would be accepted because my hairstyle was a braid on my head, and the pink looked like a headband. You can't wear accessories, but it was my real hair. In the end it was okay, but it was a lot of unnecessary drama haha
Martina!!!! you taught me how to spruce up Shin ramen like a decade ago ❤ I owe you so so so much joy and memories. Ive been to Korea for the first time last year and cannot wait to use your recommendations and learnings for my Japan trip❤
Yes, all of this! I’ve been living in Japan for 13 years and it still has its challenges. Especially during the shut down and not being able to travel home for a few years. It definitely intensified some struggles, like the reality of not being able to be with family often and missing out on the little things. But my husband and I are happy where we are, and enjoying life near Tokyo.
Comfort food is another big one for me, the older you get, the more you crave it!
Love your content, thank you for sharing your journey with us. ❤
As someone living abroad for 7+ years now (I moved to the UK similar time to you moving to Japan, I've been following for the longest time ❤) I relate with a lot in this video.
I went to Uni in Australia, and expected it to just be a sunnier UK, but how wrong I was!
Culture shock hit pretty hard, pretty quickly and although I remember those years a some of the happiest of my life (now 50... how did that happen?!), I also remember feeling very unhappy at time as well, probably because of the unfamiliar things around me.
I found Australia to be much more like my expectations of the US than Britain. But I adjusted, and - possibly because I was a student and didn't have that many responsibilities at the time - grew to love living there. Like you Martina, it was the food that hooked me in. I never understood coffee culture until I was in Oz, and the range of fresh foods was fantastic.
I think living there helped me to take things as they are and appreciate them much more readily, and it certainly helped me understand and cope with unfamiliar or strange circumstances better.
I have always been fascinated with Japan and watching your videos has certainly not cured me of that! I finally (after years of waiting) took the leap and visited Tokyo in the summer and loved it - despite the heat! I have to thank you in part for that because your videos showed me some cool things to do and how to cope too. I also managed a CROD sighting in the wild too : ) Already planning my next visit to Japan!
Thank you Martina, you are marvellous. Your positivity and viewpoint help me a lot, and I look forward to every single video you put out.
I love your journey Martina. You’re a golden chick on TH-cam, your energy and happiness speaks volumes to us viewed who’s been here on TH-cam with you for so long. I wish you the best on this continued journey in 2024. Stay blessed Chick. Much love, a viewer.
I've only been here for 2.5 years, and it's the lack of comfort food that really hit me the hardest! Nobody actually talks about that. Thank you for continuing to call out the challenges that nobody else wants to.
It's weird because you are totally excited to have new food, but things like holidays and birthdays can hit hard. You don't realize how much you need or want something from your home country, and you don't want to pay triple the price for it, or to go to a restaurant that kindof makes it right. It's like a deep missing of something that was so easy to find or make, but now, is not. I have deep appreciation for a lot of things like that now. What comfort food(s) are you currently missing?
@@KingKogi Oh, goodness! I don't even know. I guess southern style biscuits and sausage gravy. Fried okra. Lemonade that doesn't taste like battery acid? Honestly it's my sisters and I being in the kitchen together that I truly miss. Cooking together doesn't seem to be a part of Japanese culture.
I grew up in Spain then lived in the UK for 9 years and now live in the Netherlands for nearly 5. One thing I notice that is inherently built into culture is timing. How far in advance are you expected to reach out to a friend to meet up? How far in advance do you book a doctors appointment? How far in advance do you book a restaurant or a venue for a party? UK and Netherlands tend to prepare well in advance so now when I go back to Spain and try to call up a place to book something weeks in advance they look at me like I am completely crazy 😂 yet somehow I am still too late by dutch standards??
Love your hair in this! I'm hoping to watch again later so I can comment on the actual video.
30:34 Ahh yes the 4 horsemen of balkan food: cevapi, bread, coffee and sausage. All jokes aside Martina posting a new video always makes my day!!!
I have watched your content since around 2011 I think? Your videos while living in Korea inspired me so much. Today i have been living in Korea for almost two years. It hasnt been perfect and there has been struggles. Your video put into words a lot of thoughts i have had. I am so proud of you Martina and all you have accomplished. Thank you for being so great!
I didn't move to a different country but I moved to a completely different state. I am from Alaska (born and raised) and I moved to Florida and it's been hard but I am managing. One thing I miss the most is arctic blue berries and pilot bread. Can't get those here but hopefully I can get it soon!
It’s really been so long? 😭
I haven’t been in the comment section much lately, but I’ve been here for very nearly the entire 15 years. For context, I’m 25, so you’ve been a significant part of my life for a very long time, Martina.
I lovingly refer to you as my parasocial auntie, and you’ve had such an impact on my life and who I am- from my interest in exploring different cultures and their foods, to realizing as I got older that I have chronic pain, to helping me learn how to deal with my mental illness. Thank you for being here, Martina. Here’s to another 15 years :) (assuming you still enjoy making content by then lol!)
Honestly I’m baffled that it’s already been so long since you left Korea. Time flies; holy crap. I’m proud of how far you’ve come ❤
I'm an American expat who has lived in Korea and Japan. The whole time I was in Korea, I had living in Japan as my ultimate goal. The thing that shocked me the most when I finally did get to Japan is how homesick I was for Korea. Don't get me wrong. I love both Korea and Japan but Korea feels like home and Japan feels like a country I've adopted. The whole time I was living in Korea, I thought Japan was the place I wanted to be. In reality, I was already there. If I knew then, what I know now, I think I would have just stayed in Korea. I had underestimated just how much I fell in love with the country.
Which part did you like the most? Having no time or no life after work?
@@10secondsrule I sympathize with you. That must have really sucked and my heart goes out to you for having a such a bad experience. I guess I should be thankful that most days I was off work by 5:00 p.m. and usually had weekends off. I'm sure that contributed greatly to loving life there.
I have never lived outside of Canada but I did move from Vancouver to a rural village 10 years ago. There are still “culture shock” things or some things that I still just can’t adjust to. Then when I go back to Vancouver to visit, it’s actually not home anymore. My friends don’t want to go eat things that I’m so excited to eat again, etc.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I think even for visitors, it’s helpful to hear first-hand stories. Maybe help set some realistic expectations and also help ease any fears.
I can only speak from experience as a tourist, even if my last visit to Japan was almost two months. Though I was so happy to return there earlier this year, I found out quickly that it wasn’t going to let me escape the mental health challenges I have. For myself, since I was traveling alone, part of it was just kind of missing having someone around at times to share experiences with. Another part was being worried about things I knew I’d have to handle once I got back home. It was frustrating, since the immediate thoughts I had were “Why now, while I’m here? I’m not supposed to feel like this.” But, it’s also the best time to be kind to yourself. Acknowledge those feelings, work through them, and find ways to boost your spirits.
Also, finding the flow of language really does help out a lot. Even with something simple like konbini. There’s only so many interactions there, so once you learn those, it’s a big confidence booster. My Japanese skills are pretty poor, but as time went on, I got more confident that I could be understood. Just took a bit to pick up on some things. Though, if a place had a way to automate ordering or paying, I was very happy to have those options. 😅
This video is exactly on point! I have been watching your videos since 2012 when I first knew that I intended to move to Korea. I made many trips here and there but in 2017 officially made the big move all on my own to Jeju where I lived for the next 3 years before meeting my now Khusband. I have been in Korea ever since and learned Korean purely through friendships while still back in America and then through immersion after moving. The flow in language and culture is so true. We have foreign friends who speak great Korean but learned it through university classes or the KIIP annnnnnnd they sound like a walking dictionary which is awkward to say the least. They know more formal language than I do for sure but take a long time to answer and in perfect... too perfect of sentences. My own Korean on the other hand is very natural sounding in that I have street/life slang and style. So I answer really quickly and naturally buuuut I also make more mistakes when trying to be formal. There is good and bad for both though our Korean friends have told me that they would prefer a foreigner speak like I do than how most do when they study formally.
My husband didn't speak English when we first met so everything was in Korean. Later on once we were married he learned a little but it wasn't until we got pregnant and his family told him he had to that he hit the books hard. Now only 4 years later he is amazing at English but it's the same thing, he is toooooo perfect and I am constantly trying to make him loosen up in English. He also speaks Japanese very well and we want to teach our 3 year old son starting this next year so I am working on my Japanese these days. I have been trying to watch a lot of documentaries and news in Japanese, any other suggestions that you might have for getting the street/life Japanese flow while not being immersed?
Thanks for sharing this, and I know exactly what you mean! I’m afraid I don’t have any natural sounding media suggestions, anime to dramas, they always sound pumped up. And Japanese TH-camrs (not foreigners making videos in Japan) have a very TV voice with over the top big reactions. 😅 Anyone else have a suggestion ?
I visited Japan twice, I never had issues ordering food and stuff. The very friendly and in a way the staff always guide you. Super easy
I went to Bakawarai Junsui and mentioned you! Of course they remembered and they made me feel very welcome. They even let me go behind the counter and cook Tonpeiyaki with them.
Lunchtime was my favorite part of the day when teaching in Korea 😂
Martina, I’m SO proud of you and this channel you made. I enjoyed watching while doing Sunday cleaning.
I taught in the UK for two years at the age of 25 and the cultural shock was wild. I think it’s interesting how we naturally reduce countries into what we’ve seen in our own pop culture. For example, I thought the UK was very Doctor Who London… but I actually lived in West Yorkshire, so it was so different. Communication and conversations were tricky at first too. You really do need to adapt… especially when teaching children.
I am also going to be in Japan next December around the holidays and I cannot wait to purchase your guides. ❤
Thank you so very much for your wise words, Martina. You truly are an inspiration in my life. Warm hugs from Mexico
Thank you for sharing your insights on the subject Martina, cant wait to dive in!
You explained this so well. It’s a shared experience for expats- I found myself thinking “yes! That’s exactly what happened to me too”
Last time my family visited Korea, I was getting a drink at the convenience store and didn't understand what the cashier wanted from me, and she got instantly angry with me. haha my friend saw and came over to help. (And over all have had amazing visits ) but I thinks it's really good to have these experiences. I live in America and see how foreigners can be treated. I moved from the Midwest (Minnesota)to the southwest and there is a total different flow here.
❤❤❤ My long time you tube bestie. As always thank you for sharing some of the best stuff out there. You habe sparked so much interest and peace for me. ❤❤❤
I partially got into your channel back in 2014/2015 due to being a fellow Canadian whose always dreamed of visiting Korea and Japan. I've learned a lot about the cultures through your hard work and I thank you for sharing your experiences about both of them, through your other videos and this one ❤👍🏻
I'm from Dhaka, Bangladesh but I grew up in Manchester and I remember going back to visit relatives in BD over 9 years after we had moved and reverse culture shock hit me. My nanu (maternal granny) had rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner and she cut her veggies, fish and meat on this strange knife that you have to sit on the floor to use. I remember the rickshaws and praying I wouldn't fall off and being scared of the madness on the roads. Seeing people walking with baskets on their heads that had fish or veggies and they would go up to people's cars and ask if they wanted to buy them, kids selling water bottles and peanuts for snacks, every shopkeeper calling us to see the bright fabrics or jewellery, sitting in a small shop with no AC and the young assistant got another fan to put behind us and got us iced bottles of coke and Fanta. These were things I had never experienced before and so going back to a culture that I had been born into but not experienced 100% was very eye opening for me because I realised I wasn't Bangladeshi enough but I also am not 100% British either. Even now, being married to my husband who DID grow up in that typical Bangladeshi way of life, I feel that difference between our upbringing. Both eye opening and strange
Everything you highlighted about daily challenges living abroad rings true! All my life in Asia and now I'm in Canada. Going through these right now lol, your videos are such a comfort 🤗
Talking about food being different reminded me that one time i was at the store and someone asked me for help in the condiment aile and she told me she was from Africa and her son loves mac n cheese but she has never had it and didnt know fully what it was and she was asking me which ketchup was best for it and i told her ketchup doesnt go with mac n cheese and she said she knew he liked ketchup on a lot of stuff so she assumed it also went in mac n cheese so i told her i dont eat it but the best way i knew what ingredients to use and she thanked me multiple times for helping her and it made me think more about diffrent cultures being familiar with different foods
Been following you for so long, this video feels nostalgic and I looked back at the years I’ve been following King Kogi and EYK. I’m visiting Japan next year and can’t wait! Thanks for the video. ❤
The thing about the flow is so true! I started to get how it works after a couple of days in the Konbini and I was confused in the beginning. At the restaurants, they made me pay the meal first then ask me questions and chat a bit
Love your videos, because they are so informative and calm, the editing is awesome!🎉❤
I love when people I respect share wisdom they have gained. Thank you!
Wow it’s been 15yr! I’ve been watching you for 13 of those
For anyone who hasn't watched his videos, try Ryotaro's Japan. He really knows how to get in with locals, because he is one, sorta. He also grew up out of country. He knows how to make his own flow with Japanese people that they seem to respond really well with. I didn't expect his channel to be what it became when it was new. He genuinely gets a good perspective in, and a lot of it has to do with his outrageousness that somehow still clicks with other natives.
The Canadian flow is the same as Australian flow hahah I've had like 30min+ conversations with people I dont even know haha
You don't even have to be "overseas" to experience culture shock. I grew up in mid Atlantic USA, but I moved to the four corners of the USA over the years - all with different cultures, and I spent a few years in The Virgin Islands, and while there was only a tiny language barrier in the virgin islands, there was a drastically different culture. So, in my opinion, simply traveling a few hundred or thousand miles can result in a serious change of culture. And while it can be all the things you said, stressful, depressing, exciting, and so forth, it ultimately helps one to understand more of where people are coming from and world views. "Broadens ones horizons" as it were, makes one think a little different' about everything. I believe that kind of personal growth is important.
I think you’re absolutely correct! The USA is a huge place with many different cultures and rules state per state. It absolutely has to be learned each time you arrive at a new state. Glad you can relate despite not being overseas!
Martina! So happy to see you doing well and looking good !
It might not be related to the topic in this video, but watching this makes me remember in 2013. It was hard to find original content for Kpop International fans at TH-cam (yeah we need to download our faves content in 4 parts in 144p resolution), yet I found your channel giving reviews for kpop comebacks every Friday. It's also in English while English subbed contents only based on fan projects.
Just want to give you a big appreciation to be part of my youth days of youtube-ing ❤ Thank you !
This reminded me so much of my Dad and great aunt. They were from Germany and my dad had such an accent he would have me or my brother order food even though we thought he spoke perfectly good English. And going to the German market I can see now they were buying comfort food and speaking to other German speakers. They all sounded the same to me but Dad said he could tell what part of the country they were from based on their accent 😊❤
I seriously hope Martina did independant reaserch into BetterHelp. There was a lot bad that came out about them this year.
I do agree thst Asia should be more open to these kind of discussions.
Being following you religiously since your teaching days in Busan. ❤
I haven't had the chance to travel internationally very much. However, in 2005, I was a junior in high school and was in my 5th year of French class. My older brother spent a semester abroad in Paris that year when he was in college, so my father, stepmother, and I went to France for 2.5 weeks over my spring break. I was very shy back then, and until adulthood I had an issue with speaking to older adults and authority figures by myself. However, because my stepmom hadn't spoken French in 40 years by the time we traveled, and because my father knew maybe 3 words, I ended up being the one to speak French for them. My anxiety does this weird thing where I can sometimes override it if it means helping someone else. So, at stores and restaurants, and street vendors, I would speak for my parents. But by the time I got to myself, it's like I had fatigue from needing to speak for them that I would revert to English for myself sometimes. I also felt like everyone was speaking a mile a minute, so I had a hard time following them in conversation because I was better at reading French. Obviously it seemed so fast because they're native, just like I speak English quickly because it's my own native language. Because of that, I found myself often saying, "Lentement, s'il vous plaît," which roughly translates to, "Slowly, please" 😂
It was very different being in the city the entire time. It was a lot, at times overwhelming. I grew up in NJ, not far from NYC by ferry or train. You *could* drive in, but that was a nightmare 😂 Where I grew up was a true suburb, which meant I was occasionally visiting the city but that's it. I visited end of March into the beginning of April.
Compared to NJ, they had so much more daylight! Parisians got their days started often around 10am. 9-10 would be a small breakfast, 3-4 would be lunch, which was their largest meal. Between 9 and 10pm would be dinner, which was an in between size. But 9:30pm was sunset there!
I actually loved eating in their pattern, but it wasn't sustainable back home. I remember eating so much rich and decadent foods. Lots of bread, because even the most basic café would put out a basket of baguettes. Lots of cheese, cream sauces, butter, and rich desserts. I had plenty of vegetables, of course, but it leaned very carb and dairy heavy. My stepmom and I were concerned we'd put on a lot of weight during our trip, but we both had LOST 10lbs by the time we got home!
We would go to the superfrâiche (supermarket, which was slightly larger than a convenience store. Another culture shock for us) for our breakfast and my dad's coffee ingredients, but the rest of our meals were out. We also did an incredible amount of walking between using the metro and just walking long distances.
Gasoline in France is purchased by the liter, and it also cost around 9 euros a liter, which was INSANE for us so we didn't rent a vehicle. In NJ in 2005, gas was roughly between $1.49-$1.69 a gallon, at times creeping up to close to $2 a gallon. For context, the exchange rate back then was about $1.31 to one Euro. Also, there are about 3.5 liters to one gallon. So you can do the basic math and see just how expensive gas in Paris was to the Mid-Atlantic USA.
We took many trips outside Paris to visit various châteaus, Versailles, Giverny to visit Claude Monet's home, etc, but we stayed each night in Paris. My favorite part of experiencing Paris was very mundane. In NYC, you'll find a hot dog cart on pretty much every block, and a warm nut vendor on every few. In Paris, instead of hot dog carts, you'd find crèpe carts! I loved purchasing Nutella banana crèpes for 2 Euros to have as my dessert. They were SO dang good.
Would have loved this six years ago when I first arrived in Seoul! Thank you for all this precious insight
Yes, I am a third culture kid. I have lived over 10 years outside my passport country. I realize that successful coping when moving to a new place included food, community, rest and relaxation for me. This video is very helpful since I plan to be in Japan next year.
I love this video. I lived and taught English in Korea for 4 years, and one of the mindset hurdles I needed to overcome was spam as an acceptable food. I'd never had spam before in my life and just had the idea that it wasn't real food. But when I saw Koreans using it in so many ways, I thought, "Maybe the mentality I have about spam is wrong." Living in Korea was such a great experience for me. I'm much more open to everything now, not just spam, and living there broadened my horizons and mentality in so many ways.
Watching this made me realize how fast time went, mah gawd. When you said its been like over 7 years since you moved to Japan I had a lil bit of a shock as I remember when you moved around the end of my middle school. Wow! I love this video, very educational for people who might want to move overseas or help friends that moved to or back!
I did do a University exchange in Japan a few years back and definitely experienced reverse culture shock when I came back to the Netherlands. It could be small things like standing on the wrong side on an excalator, lining up for trains or eating alone hehe
I have had a similar experience. It's still in Canada, but moving from Ontario to Quebec was like moving to another country! Language, culture, foods etc are different here, and all "official" documents etc are done in French. I feel for my classmates who have come from other countries, the challenge is immense for them. One is just 19 and came from Iran by herself. Some have said I am like their" Canada mom" since I am older and closer to their parents age. 🙂 Interesting video Martina, I enjoyed it. I think your videos make people struggling feel less alone, knowing that you have struggled too as social media traditionally often only shows the "good" stuff and rarely shows the struggles.
My heart always warms up after watching your vids. Feel good & positive vibes.
I could listen to you for days. Much love!
My parents and I lived overseas in the UK from when I was about 1 to about 2. Super short period and I do not remember a thing but it has always given me the goal of returning abroad one day. It is so interesting hearing their stories and it really does help you broaden your mindset/understanding of the world and what you can talk about. I am so jealous of my sister who gets to say she was born there but we left right after she was born so at least I get to say I lived there haha.
I found you when I was in high school with the absolute dream of going abroad and doing the JET Program. Unfortunately, I graduated during COVID-19 so no study abroad and then after college I did not get in. Before I knew it I was starting a career and now I am a bit scared to take a pause. I am now really into Europe and would love to work over there maybe for an American company in my current field.
I love this sit down videos! I hope you make more ❤❤
The perfect video to have while drinking my morning coffee~
I'm heading to Japan in January (first solo holiday ever aaaaa) and this is all great to know! Your videos have helped me a lot and I'm excited to learn more.
as always, love your editing, sending love from Aus~ thank you for sharing with us
I studied abroad in Akita and now I’m back in my home country very much experiencing reverse culture shock 😅
I’ve experienced the culture shock similar to your Korean friends who grew up in America and went to Korea . I am fluent in Vietnamese and spoke it with my parents however when I go back to vietname to visit cousins and extended family it is always the culture shock . For example, it’s normal when eating street food to have bags of garbage underneath the table and that’s where you put your bones , it’s rude to leave bones on the table or in your dish. This was 5 years ago , so this might have changed too lol
I live in Germany and visited the US for a couple of weeks during my teenage years. I was very confused about the way of conversation in the shops I went to. Because in Germany, the only place you ever have smalltalk is with your hairdresser. That’s the only shop where you do that. If you do smalltalk in any other situation, either you or a family member have to know the shop owner in order to talk about something different that business or your order.
But when I went to the US, some random people startet to tell me about their grate-grandfather, who also was from Germany or asked about my plans for traveling and what not. It felt really annoying to me.
I'm only about 7 minutes in and I've already learned so much! Thank you for this Martina!
I love your insights into cultures and the amazing tips you have. tl:drs were always my favourite. Please keep making content about the cultural “differences” or “insights” you are amazing and thank youuu
this video came out at a perfect time since i just booked my ticket to japan for an extended stay!! thank you martina!!
Yep, I relate to so much of this. I'm originally from the US, but I've been living in SE Asia for 3 years now with my husband. I haven't been back to the US yet, but I'm sure I'll feel some level of culture shock whenever I go back to visit.
Its great to hear your experience on living overseas from the good the bad and everything in between. I have been following your journey for many years now and its great to hear your thoughts on living overseas as a born Canadian. I myself have never lived overseas but I have worked in immigration as a paralegal for many years here in America, So when you were talking about that you can empathize with other when moving and living in a new country I understand completely. Because of my many years of working in immigration law I can 100% understand what people are going through when moving to a new country by choice or out of necessity. On top of that I come from immigrant parents myself. My family moved over to America in the 80s from Vietnam.
Very interesting topic, I particularly love the section about "the Flow"!
Wait WHAT??? are you Martina from Eat Your Kimchi? I used to watch you like 10 years agoooo!!! Girl, I do K-pop content for a living now and you were a big part of it!! I'm working with the Korean Embassy of my country and we have done a lot of K-pop events and we have brought so many K-pop artists!!! You have inspired me A LOT!! I'm sooo happy the algorithm brought me back to you again after 10 years.💗✨
Haha yes that’s me! I’m glad to see my days in Korea have impacted you in a positive way!
Awesome and super helpful video!! I’ve been watching since before you moved into the EYK studio, over 10 years at this point!
Whenever this topic is brought up it always hits me how big of a deal it was for Faker to openly share his mental health issues and even post videos of himself going to see his therapist and talking about depression and anxiety and how seeing a professional really helps him. To us in the west it seems totally normal and not a huge deal, but in context it's huge step to try and use his platform to normalise talking about mental health and remove the stigma about seeing a professional for mental health issues. In Korean society the idea of a famous person just outright being like, "yeah I just saw my therapist and it was really helpful, 10/10 would recommend, I see her every Tuesday even when I'm not feeling really bad cause it's good for me" is pretty wild, but he doesn't make a big deal out of it because it SHOULDN'T be a big deal to get help when you need it. Absolutely respect the shit out of him for that.
understanding tbe flow breaks the language barrier and let's you see how the language is used in a social setting
This is now my all-time favorite thing to listen to it was so calming and relaxing and got to learn new things keep up the amazing work ❤
I’ve lived in 2 Asian countries (albeit for much less time than you) but your advice is spot on! Finding new comfort foods is a must, for me that was gyudon and Japanese pizza 😆
Absolutely brilliant! I am inspired by this definition of community, and I love this idea of understanding flow,
As a neurodivergent person, I've always been outside of the flow without ever leaving my country of origin (US). Neurotypes are their own culture, and they often don't translate well between Neurotypical, which is the default, and Neurodiverse, which is heavily stigmatized. #ableism
Years ago, I knew a late-diagnosed Autistic man who deliberately lived abroad and taught ESL all over Asia. He said that it was a lot easier to be Autistic in another country where you weren't expected to understand the flow than in your country of origin where you were. As a foreigner, people are more likely to make allowances for your social faux pas and coach you. I love your content, and I'm grateful for this video. Language and culture aren't synonymous. Awareness of and willingness to learn this is paramount to a better understanding of all the different ways people connect and communicate. 🥰🐷👥
Can't believe how long you've been in Japan now. Lots of love to you ❤️
Wow, it feels like just a couple of days ago you moved from Korea to Japan… time flies!
I spent a year each in Japan and Korea. I definitely experienced culture shock, but it was also really interesting to see the differences between cultures. I currently live in Los Angeles, but I’m from New York City. In a lot of ways, it was actually easier to move to a different country because I expected things to be different. If anything, there were a lot of aspects of living in East Asia that were more familiar to me than living in Los Angeles. There might not be a language barrier now, but it’s still a shock when strangers in LA talk to me or the struggle that is public transit in a place where most people don’t use it.
Happy holidays from Vancouver Island. Love your content and your sense of humor.😅