On air from Korea

As previously anticipated, my period of stay in Korea got a 2 months extension thanks to a timely opportunity interning and working for KBS World Radio’s Spanish Service. Serendipity!

It was simply the best experience I could have hoped for to end -what I increasingly believe- have been the best 7 months of my life, to date. Every day spent at the station was like ingesting a cocktail of Korean current affairs knowledge tablets. Powerful, easy to digest and with lasting effects. Forget about books and exchange courses. This was the real thing and it acted quickly.

Having a front row seat to Dokdo’s (Takeshima’s?) dispute or the Samsung-Apple patent battles wasn’t the only fascinating part, being part of an international team amid one of Korea’s biggest and most trusted corporations was… a very good organisational insight that will frame things differently for me from now on.

But beyond all learned and enjoyed working for a broadcaster of such caliber, it also helped me unfold a different way to live The Land of Morning Calm (also known as the land of eternal sultriness during this time of the year…); this time from the position of an expat worker. Which differs greatly from the livings of an overprotected exchange pupil. Also, Korea’s capital polarises seasonally: flavours, people’s mood, smells… radical transformation. I can’t recognise the country that welcomed me back in freezing February.

My pending wishes are two: improving my Korean proficiency, and effectively listening to my senior producers every time they begged “천천히” through the studio’s interphone, to leash my overly paced narrations.

I lied, three pending wishes: not leaving Korea yet.

What makes this post-industrial concrete ugly megalopolis so special? Well, brace for a corny answer… but yes… the people. Some of which have been very special to me.

I’m excited to go, but sad to leave.

PS: I’d like to thank the Spanish Service team for trusting me and letting their rich content pass through my finger tips and vocal cords. It’s not often your voice gets short waved around the globe either. 감사합니다.