As opposed to many other foreigners who choose to live in areas where many other foreigners live (such as Itaewon, Hannam-dong or for the more well-heeled, UN Village) we made the choice to live in a rather local place. Of course, we do not have amenities like English speaking personnel in shops and restaurants, but in this way we get authentic exposure to Korean life. We became aware of how local our place effectively is when we got our clothes back from the dry cleaner. They didn't bother to take down our names. Instead, our clothes were just tagged with "외국인" - foreigner.
Picture: Sunset over Seongsan Bridge (view from our apartment)
1st August was a special day for us in two respects. Firstly, it's been exactly one year since we touched ground in Korea for the first time when we got the chance last year to check out the country before we definitely moved here. Secondly, it's the Swiss National Day. You'd probably had to pay me to wear a Swiss T-Shirt like this when I still lived in Switzerland. But once you become an expat, your national identity becomes more important, and some even become kind of patriotic. Even with my out-of-the-ordinary background and now living in an exotic country - the Swiss part in me still dominates my thinking and acting. Being only a small Swiss community in a country of almost 50 million, the connection is probably felt somewhat stronger than in other countries where the share of Swiss people is higher.
For the first time in my life, I actually looked forward to the Swiss National Day - well, apart from the fact that this was always a public holiday in Switzerland (but of course not in Korea). I guess it was more the fact that we would have the chance to mingle in the Swiss community again. The Swiss Ambassador in Seoul hosted a dinner on the evening of 1st August, and the next day, a huge party was hosted by the Swiss NNSC in Panmunjom, DMZ (who invited loads of people of other nationalities, too).
Although I am still mistaken for a Korean even when I wear the cow shirt and wave the Swiss national flag, as one of the Swedish officers asked ("You are not really Swiss, are you?"), being in the Swiss community gives us a sense of home in a far away country. I guess once in a while it is necessary to have a good Bratwurst, Cheese Fondue, Züri Gschnätzlets with Röschti, and have a fun chat in Schwiizerdüütsch. And imagine - we even don't mind if we hear French from the Romands.
One of the most hilarious things about the Swiss gatherings are the Korean musicians who play Swiss folk music and sing authentic yodels. As one of the Swiss officers said: "Ils sont plus Suisses que les Suisses - vous ne trouverez pas ça à Genève!" (They are more Swiss than the Swiss - you wouldn't find this in Geneva!) If you are Swiss and want to have a good laugh - you should definitely have a look at the video below.
As opposed to many other foreigners who choose to live in areas where many other foreigners live (such as Itaewon, Hannam-dong or for the more well-heeled, UN Village) we made the choice to live in a rather local place. Of course, we do not have amenities like English speaking personnel in shops and restaurants, but in this way we get authentic exposure to Korean life.
