Latin American students in Korea discuss cultural differences

As great as the geographical distance between Latin America and Korea, so are the cultural differences. Yoselin Gutierrez, 20, a Peruvian studying international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, noticed that Koreans don't enjoy making eye contact. [SHUTTERSTOCK]

A flight from a Latin American country to Korea can easily take over 30 hours, likely two days if one's hometown is in an inner province. When it comes to time differences, it is easier to say that when Koreans are awake, Latin Americans are asleep.
 
As great as the geographical distance, so are the cultural differences.
 
Laura Aparicio, 24, a Colombian master's student in development cooperation at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said one of the biggest culture shocks she experienced in Korea was how reserved people here were.
 
After 10 months of living in Korea, Aparicio now finds herself walking and styling herself more "Korean."
 
"When my brother came to Korea last winter, he told me I was walking differently," she said. "He told me my body seemed rigid as I walked. Before [coming to Korea], I moved my hips more."
 
Much has changed with fashion, too. While it is common in Latin America to wear clothes that reveal one's shoulders, cleavage and legs, Aparicio soon realized such was not the case in Korea.
 
"Even the way you dress changes," Aparicio said. "I brought tops and shirts from Colombia, but looking at them, I ask myself how I could wear them."
 
Maria Jose Muñoz, a 20-year-old from Costa Rica who studies food science at Ewha, said the hierarchical culture in university labs was most shocking to her.
 
"The labs here have a very strong culture of sunbae [senior] and hubae [junior]," said Muñoz, who arrived in Korea when she was 16 years old.
 
"I had conflicts because I would propose something to be done in a certain way, but my labmates wouldn't consider it right."
 
This type of hierarchy is hard to find in Latin America. In the Spanish language, there are only two levels of speech when speaking directly to someone, and age is not an impediment to making friends. For instance, a person that is one, two, five or even 10 years older can be treated as an equal in speech. In Korea, all the levels of speech and the implications of age can be difficult to get used to for Latin students.
 
In the lab, such culture can be problematic because people often don't question the work of their seniors, said Muñoz.
 
Yoselin Gutierrez, 20, a Peruvian now studying international studies at Ewha, noticed that Koreans don't look into each other's eyes when speaking. While making eye contact is considered polite and a sign of fully paying attention back home, Gutierrez realized it could make Koreans feel uncomfortable.
 
"I try not to stand out too much or look at people directly in their eyes," Gutierrez said. "I pretend I am on my phone because if I don't look up, I will not know if I'm being judged. It is isolating and a bit dehumanizing not to look people in their eyes." 

BY STUDENT REPORTER CLAUDIA PATINO PICHAUD [kjd.kcampus@joongang.co.kr]