Expats Are Sharing The Most Challenging Parts Of Moving Abroad, And It’s Incredibly Eye-Opening

18. “I’m from Toronto and I moved to Seoul. I had a way more positive experience than negative — I stayed for six years and even married a Korean man. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t serious challenges. For those who don’t know, Toronto is an incredibly multicultural city and I had literally never had an experience of being surrounded by just one ethnic group before: not in my family, friends, or public spaces. The transition to Korea’s monoculture shook me way more than expected!”

“Alongside that, I was naively unprepared to be fetishized by a subset of local men just for being white. The stares, the comments, the catcalls…I wish I could unlearn terms like “white gold” or “riding the white horse.” I was propositioned for sex by men on the street at 4:30 p.m. while walking home dressed in business casual work clothes. My Korean coworkers and female friends were always surprised, but my international friends all had similar stories. 

Luckily, there are so many more good people than bad — every country has its share of jerks! I moved back to Canada in 2017 but still go back as often as possible to visit my in-laws and friends. Korea truly became my second home.”

—Anonymous