June 2018 Summer Camp is a blast for the Kids!

Author: Christi Cline
Editor: Jessica Lister

In case you haven't heard, Pyeongtaek Youth Rock!

Earlier this year I had heard about a couple different camps being offered. As a mother of four, who is deeply invested in their children’s well-being, I was worried about what kind of experience was offered. I also worried if my kids would be safe. I talked to the parents of the kids who attended last year’s camps and found that the Pyeongtaek Youth Center group received consistently high praise. One parent said it was one of the most memorable moments of their time in Korea. In my heart, I believe kids need good opportunities and challenges to develop and grow, and this camp sounded like the right kind of opportunity. I signed them up and crossed my fingers that I was doing the right thing. After all, it does no good to live life as a worry rat. But for good measure, I volunteered to attend as a camp counselor. You know, so I could see for myself what really goes on at camp. 

Let's go to camp!

The day came to pack our bags and get on the bus. My twin daughters were excited to attend their first camp. I was anxious because I wanted to do my part to help make camp an enjoyable experience for everyone. I would soon learn I had nothing to worry about. Our first event was the rope course. I don’t know what I was thinking when I agreed to join the difficult level course. I kind of consider myself out of shape. I seriously started to rethink my choices and wonder if the kid I saw who stayed on the ground was the smart one. But then I was hooked in and it was time to start. It was too late to run away. I may or may not have screamed a time or two, but I did the course and found myself enjoying it! 

Our adventure continued with no thought of slowing down! 

Take a look at this video to see some of the fun stuff we were up to!

I have no clue how some of the kids still had the energy to stay up until midnight giggling and playing games. I consider myself a night owl and I was ready to hit the sack. When it was time to say goodbye I thought it was pretty cool that the kids could take home pictures of their camp experience!

I admit that I am a little sad that our fun has come to an end! 

It was a memorable experience but more importantly, I discovered the truth about the Pyeongtaek Youth Center. As a parent, I can say confidently that your kids are in good hands. I was able to see first hand the counselors treating the kids fairly and with kindness. As a volunteer, I was able to see the leaders and counselors in action working hard to make this a good experience for the kids. Their efforts showed they truly care about the community. The theme of this camp is "Better Life in Harmony" and I think that sums it up nicely. Because of this, I look forward to helping out at the next camp! If you have kids that are interested in this kind of experience, then you don't want your kids missing out on the next one!

Mark your calendars! The next one is in August and you can sign up HERE!

Pyeongtaek Local News reports https://blog.naver.com/seo8587/221306224836

News & News reports https://blog.naver.com/newsnnewsn/221296269601

Kilhoilbo reports http://www.kihoilbo.co.kr/?mod=news&act=articleView&idxno=757126

How to get Better Service in Korea

Written by: Chrisi Cline

I have a question for you:

Do you deserve the service you are getting?

The other day I walked into a shop to find a present for a friend’s upcoming birthday. I was going a mile a minute when I realized that I wasn’t making sense to them. That quick pause helped me to see I was acting like they should stop everything they were doing and serve me immediately. My behavior was rude and entitled. On top of that, I was forcing them to read my mind. If I didn’t change my approach I was going to leave without a solution for a birthday present. I took a deep breath and willed myself to start over. This time focusing on being aware that they did not know all the details I know. And what do you know? Their expression and attitudes towards me changed.

The funny thing is, this happened in Texas. The “other day” was several years ago and the language barrier was over our different accents. When I look back, I think what saved me that day was that I was willing to think about what I was doing and adapt so we both got what we wanted.

That experience stayed with me and taught me a couple of things that is currently helping me in Korea. I recently had a conversation with a friend about a restaurant we both visited. We had two different experiences with the same waiter. She decided the poor service she received there was because the waitress was racist and was discriminating against her. We decided to go to lunch together and test out our theory about what was happening.

At lunch, I noticed there were other people of similar background as my friend. The waitress didn’t seem to have an issue with any of them. Was it because we were women and there was a male-female cultural difference at play? No. There were other women in the restaurant being served by the same waitress. It turns out the problem was simple. My friend had the habit of speaking too quickly and not letting the waitress digest what she said. When the waitress didn’t respond immediately my friend rolled her eyes and it created tension between her and the waitress. Once we figured what the real deal was my friend reported that her experience at that restaurant improved.

Of course, my friend was quick to point out that she was not the only one to annoy the waitress that day. My fault nowadays as a customer is being indecisive. I own that, and I know it is something I need to work on. I haven’t figured out a fail-safe solution for that, but here is what I do know will work to improve your customer experience while in Korea;

• Slow down because not everyone can understand what you are saying at the speed you are saying it.
• Your English is not everyone else’s English. Try more specific words or change your phrases a little. For example, "That's fine" could be said as "Yes." Use straight forward words that an ESL speaker would find clear and easy to understand.
• Help people understand what you want by introducing a basic idea and then build on that by asking them to help you with the specific detail or service you want. Since servers here have often never lived in other countries, they are doing their best but might need help fully understanding what you are asking for or what you are expecting from them.
• Get better service by researching what you want. Avoid impulsively buying something that you don’t know much about. Avoid putting strangers on the spot by making them guess what is "perfect" for you.  

Fast forward to Living in Korea. The problem and the solution I experienced in Texas seems to work here as well. At first look, I can tell that we all come from diverse backgrounds and cultures. We each have different ideas of what service is supposed to look like. What we seem to forget is that we expect to be served a certain way without understanding the impact of our own behavior as customers and how it relates to the local culture. Looking a little more closely we can see there is a lot more going on than a simple confusion over accents. They are as stressed and confused as we are.

Let’s imagine for a moment that you want to buy a car. You have done your research and you know the make and model you want to buy. Or actually, maybe you are buying on a whim and wander into the nearest dealership. Regardless you are ready to buy. You end up buying a car, convinced it is perfect for your needs. A week later you take a corner too fast and the wheels spin out uncontrollably, leading you to crash into a pole. You angrily take yourself back to the dealership demanding a refund. But they refuse. You are not happy with their response. You get in their face. You yell at them and tell them if they don’t make it right you are going to leave bad reviews for them.

Do you think this business is going to refund the car you destroyed through your own mishandling?

In short, if the customer is the reason a product is damaged, it is not the business’s responsibility to replace or refund it. It seems obvious when talking about cars but it can be less clear when using new products you've never used. You might think you used it correctly, but to those who know how to use it - you clearly didn't. This is a common part of culture shock for all of us.

Granted some places have a policy that out of goodwill they will replace or refund something with no questions ask. Sometimes a membership or an insurance fee is required to guarantee that kind of service for their customer. However, it should not be expected across the board. When we don't get think we get the response we came for, we need to stop and realize sometimes things just aren't how we were used to. In this case, it means acknowledging what we did to cause a product to fail and eating our humble pie. And living away from our hometowns has given me plenty of opportunities to have a piece of that pie!

On the other hand, we all have had a time when a product or service has disappointed us. If you are not happy with an item and it is in good condition-you might have some options. Generally, it is always best to check before buying to see what the policy is. However, if the business misconstrued what the product can do or sold you a faulty product knowingly, you have every right to ask for a refund or exchange. All things considered, if you are shopping with a reputable and legitimate business here is what you should say for the best results; Useful Phrases for Getting an Exchange or Refund.

Keep this in mind

• Observe the type of customers that frequent the type of establishment you are visiting. You can tell a lot about what is normal or not normal service by taking the time to note this detail.
• Understand you are not always the type of customer a Korean business builds their customer culture around. Many businesses in Pyeongtaek are not prepared to provide customer service for foreigners. At this businesses, you will have to follow local customs.
• Do your best to negotiate politely. You will not always get what you came for. Know when it is time to walk away. Remember that pointing out people's failures usually gets you less and not more here. Approach things from the standpoint that you need help and not that you are blaming them. This gives them more ways to provide a quality experience.
• It is okay to be firm in your request but also respect the place of business’s established policy. It is unreasonable to ask for things beyond the scope of a person's responsibilities. A store manager may be unable to give you what you want because it must answer to the policy of a Corporation.
• Korea4Expats wrote an article about locating your local Korea Consumer Agency or other consumer organizations for consumer counseling. You will need receipts and contracts to help your case go smoothly.  
• If you are unhappy with your service, make sure the establishment is aware of the problem. Be prepared to offer helpful suggestions in a non-aggressive manner. Sometimes the back end of the operation is not aware of what the front end service looks like.

Remember you are a representative of the country and the communities you came from. Every time you explode, you are in essence ‘losing face’ for everything you represent. I have watched customers who felt entitled to act like a bully get the deal they wanted. It leaves the impression that the fastest way to get what you want is to act aggressively. Over time it changes the attitudes and atmosphere towards the next bewildered customer. The reality is if I expect a quality business to give me good products and services, then they should get a high-quality customer who knows how to behave.

How you conduct yourself affects us all.

PIEF: Traditional School Celebration

Finding a sense of community is one of the most important parts of feeling at home. In our home countries we know how to do that based on habits and cultural rules. We have the usual places we go and the usual things we do. As we move around from town to town we can usually recreate these experiences since we all share a culture and a language. However, when we move abroad all this changes. It becomes harder to find those centralized experiences that bring us together with others. This is why PIEF and their events are such an important part of our community here in Pyeongtaek. They give us a place to gather and build community.

Two weeks ago they launched their latest gathering called the "Traditional School Celebration" and we went to check it out. We don't have kids and we've seen just about all the cultural things there are in Korea so we weren't exactly sure what we would get out of it, but doing all the things is what we signed up to do when we started this blog and then the app. So exhausted from our busy schedules and, honestly - less than enthusiastic - we set off.

As usually, we enjoyed ourselves far more than we thought we would. Was it the coolest thing we have ever done in Korea? Nope. Was it packed full of experiences that changed our lives? Absolutely not. "So why did you love it?", you might find yourself asking. We loved it because it was beautiful and community focused. We loved hanging out with our friends and watching kids play. We loved seeing local martial arts folks demonstrate their skills. We enjoyed making things in the tents and talking even more with our friends. We loved being outside. We loved slowing down and taking time to just be present in our community. We loved the fact it wasn't too much, it was just enough and we didn't have to run all over damnation to do it. We loved that this was just a super chill Saturday event that didn't leave us exhausted. Parking was easy, the events are in a confined space, you can bring a picnic, and you can just relax and be entertained. If we had kids we would totally bring them here on Saturdays to run amok while we chat with our friends. This is what we need more of in our lives.

Those Spiderman socks.

It's also just a very cool opportunity to have an up-close and personal look at how people in our area used to live. In Pyeongtaek there are only two traditional Korean schools that still exist. One is in a rural area kind of near Songtan, and the other just happens to be in the middle of Paengseong near Camp Humphreys (where this event is held). These schools are no longer used for regular classes, but instead host Confusion rituals throughout the year. So this is a pretty unique chance to be close the history. It's a very unique opportunity PIEF has opened up for our community and I, personally, am very grateful for the experience.

This event isn't about hype, it's about a wonderful healthy way to get out of the house and go meet people. Please, grab your kids, your friends, your date and just go spend a few hours here hanging out. Meet people. Start conversations. Make some friends. It's the perfect place for it.

WAZE PIN/ID: Buyong Elementary School

You can download the South of Seoul App from:

First Annual Earth Day Pyeongtaek

Our stretch of road.

We are excited to announce that we are supporting the wonderful blogger Sig Flips the Table in presenting Pyeongtaek's First Annual Earth Day on Saturday April 22nd. The City of Pyeongtaek has been fabulously supportive of this event and will be providing free trash bags to all participants. They can be collected at Pyeongtaek International Exchange Foundation in Paengseong or Songtan. Read Sig's the full article HERE: http://sigflipsthetable.com/2017/04/10/earth-day-pyeongtaek/ to learn the details and then join a local Earth Day team or sponsor a team of your own.

Team SOS will spend the afternoon cleaning a section of country road that runs between Songtan and Paengseong. This stretch of road is rural but also heavily trafficked by US military personnel and local fisherman. It's a beautiful area with excellent pick-nick locations so it should be a lovely day. If you would like to join us we would love to have you. We will start from the public parking lot located across from the large power plant. Just send us a message at southofseoul(at)gmail.com so we know how much stuff to bring.

Video blogger On Your Mark World will also be there to document this very cool event and make sure everyone knows that they missed. Looking forward to seeing all the photos and hashtags on the 22nd. Let's get out there and clean!!

When: 10am
Where: 평택시 오성면 안화리 47-3 

Lunch Plan: Let's have a picnic together. Everyone bring something to share.

What you need to bring:

• Work gloves
• Water
• Clothes that can get dirty
• Comfortable walking shoes
• A snack to share
• A food item to share for lunch

What SOS will bring:

• We will pickup the bags from PIEF for the group
• We will bring extra water
• Items need for setting up the picnic (eating utensils, cups, plates, etc)

Please share the posters below and the Sig Flips the Table's Blog with as many people as you can. This is our chance to show Pyeongtaek residents "Thank you" for their warm and understanding hospitality by pitching in and helping make the area shine.

Be The Light

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the fact most foreigners in this area come for a hot minute, feel overwhelmed with culture shock for 12 months, get angry about how everything isn't like home, and then are off too the thing.  Living here isn't life for most people, it's a marathon of experiences that leave them spinning right round, right round baby... and they don't realize that- despite their short stay- they leave a path of either destruction or grown in their wake.

Which brings me to this point where I want to share a few facts about living in the countryside in a foreign country:

1- It will NOT taste like home, Italy, Mexico, New York, etc.  It will not taste like these places because we are, in fact, in South Korea.  A country where the mass import of foreign goods is a new and developing thing, barely 3 years old.  I still remember when the only cheese you could by was knock off craft singles and the only bears were Cass or Hite.  I've only been here a little over 5 years.

2- We are in the countryside. Although many items are easy to access in Seoul, supply and demand still isn't in balance and distribution outside the city is unpredictable and costly.  It's been barely a year since authentic western restaurants have moved to the area and they are fighting to find the supplies they need to keep food consistent and quality high. They do an amazing job.

3- It's going to be expensive. If you want to save money, eat locally sourced Korean food. If you want foreign food you are going to have to pay out the nose (refer back to my comments on supply, demand, distribution.)  Things like guacamole are GOING to cost you. For me, I have no problem with this. I'm not military. I have no access to subsidized foreign food prices. Just the fact that it's possible to buy it here is like a miracle to me. They can take all my money.

4- Service is different here. It's not part of the culture to customize your order. It's not part of the culture to hover at your table trying to guess what you need next. Instead (in Korean restaurants), when you need something you call or wave the waitstaff over to your table. This means that all waitstaff new US Bases are having to learn an entirely new system of services while dealing with a language barrier. They are doing all of this for minimum wage.  So be kind, don't ask a ton of complicated questions, or rattle off long lists. Keep your order short, focused, and on message.

If you are not kind they will simply quite and find a less stressful job that doesn't include foreigners, who speak one language, being angry at them for not being perfect human beings who can read minds across cultures. Remember, if you are talking to someone and you speak no Korean and they speak some English - YOU are the person not putting in enough effort and not them.

5- Because people are not kind, finding staff for foreign restaurants is nearly impossible.  This means businesses are often short staffed or their hours will change based on this. Take a moment to understand that all the kitchen staff, waitstaff, owners, and customers are dealing with language barriers and cultural differences all day everyday. Instead of being angry at them for not providing the service YOU expect based on your cultural understanding of service, just sit back and think about all they have to deal with in a day and consider that they may be providing excellent service based on their cultural understanding, you just don't know how to interact within the new system.

6- Although you may live on a US military base, many of us do not. We have no access to base. We've never scene on base. We aren't even interested in being on base. We do not strive to be like base. Once you exit it's Korea. Sure, it's a unique place in Korea where a large percentage of the businesses are trying desperately to cater to a foreign clientele, but it's still South Korea. Understand that not everyone will speak perfect English, not everyone will have the time to deal with the fact you don't speak Korean. Be humble and know that you are a visitor in someone another's home.

7- The community needs your support and healthy participation in order to be the best that it can be, so don't just take - give. Since I'm not made of money, I can't afford to eat out all the time. This is why I blog and share information. It's so that I can make sure that when I'm not able to eat out, another person will be in that chair at that table instead of me so that next time I want to eat at a restaurant it's still there. I review them online, I blog about them, I tell my friends, I add them to websites so others can review them, share them, and blog about them. So PLEASE do the same for the ones you love, and leave the ones you hate out of it. Other people might love them and we want to give them that space.

This is not Seoul. This is not the US. This is the countryside where doing business is complicated, stressful, and an act of love. Owners are pushing themselves to their absolute limits to provide you with the very best the area has to give. Even I push myself to the limit making sure all the information is getting out there. I don't get paid.  This is a volunteer service for newbies and for businesses.  It's something I can do because my day job gives me some free time throughout the day, but I can't do it all alone.  So, please, for all of us that live here year in and year out. Be patient. Be kind. Be understanding. Be supportive. Review. Share. Be a light for all the other folks struggling to survive their year here and the businesses working their butts off to make it awesome here.

Pyeongtaek FB Groups to Join

Nothing fancy, just a few links to some of our favorite FB Groups in Pyeongtaek. The expat community uses FB to connect, meet new friends, share information, and build relationships.