Ten Years in Pusan by Craig Lee

(Written for a City of Pusan APEC publication)

Ten Years! Wow! Have you lived in Pusan all that time? Why have you stayed here so long? Don't you miss Canada ? These are the usual reactions I get from both Koreans and foreigners upon learning that Pusan has been my home for over a decade.

It's a fair question since Canada is a great place to live and I do miss my family often, especially my Mother. She and my late father raised nine sons through hard work, love and prayer. I tell fond stories of my family so often that friends have even nicknamed me "Mr. Newfoundland ." As one of our traditional songs goes "I'm proud to be an islander and I'll be one till I die." So, why do I stay? After all, it's sometimes quite challenging to be an outsider in a society that is as fast paced and mono-cultural as Korea . As I continued to reflect however, I realized there are many great reasons to be here in "the Land of the Morning Calm."

The first and foremost of these reasons are the people of Pusan . Through my work as an English instructor at Dong Eui University , I have been impressed time and time again by the kindness of my students. I always feel great when I meet students on the street that are happy to see me and eager to chat, even if they didn't get an A+.

It's not just my students that are warm hearted but also the general public of Pusan . Foreigners often joke that we are treated like celebrities because we are different. Although we don't really deserve extra attention, it sure feels nice. It seems to me, Koreans have great empathy for a stranger because they are such group orientated people.

I would need the space of a novel to site the many times a Pusan citizen has helped me out of a problem. This could be anything from finding my way around Pusan to helping me communicate at the local hospital. Recently, I lost my wallet and was amazed to have it returned by a middle school student the very next day with money in tact. It's ironic that Pusan citizens sometimes look so serious out on the street. You simply need to approach one of them to realize their warmth and honesty.

If that weren't enough, there's the beauty of Pusan itself. I've heard Koreans and foreigners alike complain about urban congestion throughout the city. For me, there's a certain charm and mystery about the older streets and neighborhoods of Pusan that is missing in the other countries I've travelled to. My friends from Pusan often remind me that the city has developed exponentially over the past three decades. Pusan citizens have worked hard and sacrificed much to make their city thrive. It's honesty, dignity, and hard work I see in the buildings and streets that surround me daily.

If these reasons weren't enough, there's the beautiful and temperate weather of Pusan . Anyone reading this from California may be scratching their head right now but all you need to do is visit Newfoundland in the middle of winter to see my point. After growing up amidst seven month winters with snow up to 500cm in a single year; Pusan 's coldest moments are a joke. As I write this, Pusan 's gentle autumn breezes are blowing outside my window and the sky is dark blue. It's a fantastic environment to live and work in.

Another reason I've stayed in Pusan is the safety and comfort I feel on the streets of the city. It's nice to live in a place where teenagers worry about academics rather than the state of their latest relationship or the speed of their current car. I know the pressure of the Korean testing system can be hard on young people but there are benefits. In the past ten years, I have never seen an act of vandalism by a teenager. For a city of over four million people,  Pusan has a very low rate of serious crime. I was especially impressed during the World Cup as I saw millions of fans having a great time without getting out of control. They were great in moments of victory and even defeat.

Well, I guess I've got my reasons for being in Pusan . I'm a little sad that APEC is coming because I will have to share my second home with so many new foreign visitors. I'm sure they'll agree that Pusan and its people are fantastic.

 

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