Thinking about life in Korea these days as we are under siege from COVID and COVID related restrictions I started to reflect on the past and a different time, different world.
As I release further extracts from my series of letters from nearly 10 years ago. I recall writing about daily life in Korea.
Here are my thoughts from 2012-2013
Growing up with the NZ dollar all of my life, one of the major things you notice here in Korea is the currency and how it affects you daily. This can come in many forms such as buying daily products like milk, bread and coffee, to other normal things like going to the movies and trying to work out the price of a bus or subway ticket. In South Korea, the form of currency is the Won (pronounced in similar fashion to swan but without the s). Upon my arrival NZ$1 could be exchanged for about 440 won. At the time this was fantastic if you were sending money back home, however, at this present time NZ$1 can be exchanged for about 900 won and is beneficial to the huge number of tourists that visit the Korean peninsula.
When I arrived in the year 2000, the highest denomination was a 10,000 won note. That’s right a 10,000 won note. It sounds even more surreal paying 2,000 won for a can of beer ($2.20) or 5,000 won for a loaf of bread ($5.50) or 2,500 won ($2.50) for a carton of milk. This makes for further awkward scenes when you’re not sure of the currency conversion when purchasing something simple like a coffee which costs anything from 4,500-6,500 won ($5-$7.30). This price is generally for any kind of coffee including straight black, Latte, Mocha or Cappuccino.
These days I enjoy when friends and family members stay in Korea and go through the same confusion and comedy I once enjoyed.
Initially it’s the amount of zeros that have an effect on your viewpoint. The currency works in the following way, 10, 50, 100, and finally, 500 won coins. Note form comes in 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and recently 50,000 won notes. It makes for an experience when you do your grocery shopping and you might be paying 245,350 won ($275). Maybe you hear that someone is getting paid 2,000,000 won per month ($2,248). To hear that you get paid millions and it costs millions to buy a computer is quite the culture shock and an eye opener to someone not familiar with the currency.
One interesting memory I have involved my first year being paid monthly in cash. For some reason it took awhile for new teachers to organize necessary items such as bank accounts and so forth. It was not an uncommon site to see people racing to the bank with massive stacks of millions of won for their monthly pay. I can only think that it looked like scenes reminiscent of a gangster movie as groups of foreign teachers nervously holding large amounts of cash in a non English speaking country made their way to the bank with their entire existence in their hands.
Even shopping for daily items is an experience. Walking through shops and markets where everything is written in Korean and looking at prices that have so many zeros originally can be challenging. However, due to the size of population and sheer number of stores and competition you can get bargains. For instance it is common to go to all you can eat or drink restaurants for 30,000 won or ($34). That’s correct you can eat and drink till you drop. Dental and eye wear are more than 2-3 times cheaper than back in New Zealand. I recall getting some gold and ceramic fillings with six gum cleanings for about $1,000NZ. This would cost over $2,500 back home. My mother on a trip here a few years ago bought a pair of prescription glasses for about $150. The same pair retailed in New Zealand for about $900.
However, there is a downside to Korean prices. According to recent studies related to world price increases, the biggest increase in prices over a ten year period were unfortunately Korea and New Zealand which leaves me and other kiwis in a predicament as regards saving and paying off bills. These two countries were ranked numbers one and two. In recent times price fluctuations for products especially food related such as fruit and vegetables have been wild. There could be a number of factors including a combination of world economic recession, yearly typhoons that strike the Korean peninsula thus reducing harvests, or even rising inflation. A combination such as the aforementioned has seen devastating effects towards the low wage earners of the population who see their spending power greatly decreased and their options for purchasing greatly limited. For example Nov 2011 saw the prices of Cabbage, 1.3kg of apples and 1 spring onion in $NZ at $2.22, $6.74 and $1.57. Now they are priced at $3.91, $8.77 and $3.91.
Hopefully, you have a little insight into the daily life of Korea and shopping for things. Keep your eye on your money and remember to count your zeros when you hit the market next time.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
Patience is the best remedy for every trouble
Plautus
We live in a hyper speed world of immediate access to knowledge, instant choices of food and shopping. A fingertip away from communicating with friends and family. Everything is demanded right now. Failure to get ones needs results in disapointment, frustration, and sadness. With the advantages of this world it appears as though we lost the virtue of patience.
Today I would like to look at an amazing battle and what it can tell us about patience and its relevance in modern life.
From 58 BC - 50 BC the Romans were engaged in a number of millitary campaigns in France and Belgium known as the Gallic wars. What started as an attempt to stop a migration of the Helvetii tribe to more fertile areas set off a full scale war that engulfed the entire region and destruction across the land. There were many famous aspects of this war. However, I would like to focus on the battle that effectively ended resistance and demonstrate how Ceaser used patience to eventually overcome unbelievable odds.
Located in central France this area is famous for this battle that some estimates believe lasted two months. In 52 BC the Gaillic tribes led by Vercingetorix, King of the Averni decided to camp on a hill in what would be central France. The Gauls had suffered greatly in previous battles by engaging the Roman legions so decided that rather than engage the Romans in direct combat they would this time try to encourage Ceaser to put them under siege and lay a trap for him. Estimates of the numbers involved in this siege could be 80,000 inside the fortress and 60-75,000 Roman soldiers trying to get inside and end the Germanic uprising. Vercingetorix had an ace up his sleeve as he requested another force of 50,000 - 250,000 to trap the Romans from behind.
Thereby blocking the Romans from two sides with no escape.
Ceaser decided to starve the inhabitants into submission by building a series of fortifications around the hill. Expecting another army to come to the rescue he also built a series of trenches and walls facing outwards. Some estimates put the Roman siege lines at 25 miles long with towers, trenches, and spike pits. The 3 trenches were six meters deep and the third one was filled with water. Ceaser planned to starve them out and defeat any force that might come to relieve them. He believed Roman precision and patience would win this battle.
Vercingetorix must have felt relief when an arriving force of 50,000 - 250,000 appeared and attacked the Romans from behind at the sametime as their compatriots in the fortress attacked. Absolute carnage ensued as the Romans fought on two fronts at the sametime. Over a two month period daily battles continued as each force attempted to prevail.
The conditions inside the fort were dire. Along with his 80,000 men Vercingetorix also had the local inhabitants numbering about 10,000. With supplies low and limited food due to the Romans raiding the nearby areas a meeting was held. Some of the leaders pushed for cannibalism but it was decided to send the old, sick, women, and children out of the city and let the Romans take care of them. Ceaser also low on supplies refused to allow them through his lines. This large group of people were trapped in the middle. Left in between the Romans and the closed gates this group were killed during battle or simply starved to death without access to food or water.
Any normal person under such circumstances would likely panic and flee. However, the Romans under Ceaser maintained discipline and patience. For two months they fended off attacks from the front and rear. Vercingetorix realizing the situation was hopeless and with no chance of supplies or victory finally offered his surrender.
Its depicted in this famous picture.
The tribes under Vercingetorix were defeated and he spent years as a prisoner in Rome before his strangulation and beheading in 49BC. Ceaser would go onto further campaigns and victories but Alesia would go down as an example of patience and discipline.
How can we use this example in daily life?
Many times we face moments and pressure and we want to make a move or make a choice. Sometimes all we need is to take a deep breath. Analyze the situation and make a focussed and evidence based decision. Rather than make an emotional choice that little bit of time will prove more beneficial in the long run. It is crucial to make a decision but surveying all areas and information at hand will work out better. You might be lucky once in awhile with an impulsive choice but consistency is key. Ceaser proved this in 52BC. Without patience his army would of been destroyed and possibly a reshaping of history. It seems the virtue of patience is absent these days but its important to remember it is possible.
