Sometimes we can’t control our emotions, especially us Koreans. Most Korean people are hot-headed and we often wear our hearts on our sleeves. Last year I came to New Zealand to find what I really wanted to do. No wonder this country was like a heaven for me at first but I gradually found out how different Koreans and New Zealanders are.
I’ve been staying in New Zealand (NZ) more than 10 months. “Hurry up” is the typical Korean slogan and “Slow down” I think it must be NZ one. In NZ, when people take a bus, bus drivers usually give change and bus tickets. At first, I felt a little bit annoyed to wait in a queue. To be perfectly honest I hated the NZ bus system. However, I got used to it. Now I feel they are very friendly and relaxed.
“Got used to” reminds me of losing my bank card. One day I drank too much and lost a piece of my memory during drinking. I was scared about losing my memory and I realised that I had lost my wallet. By this time my behaviour was different from my former self. I kept staying cool and didn’t hurry too much. Even though I had to wait for 7days to get a new card, I didn’t feel annoyed.
So you can see that I’ve changed. I’ve learnt to be relaxed and if I have some problems, I should take a step back. If you are just like my previous self and you want to change your hot-tempered personality, just think one think. If you get angry or hurried, it doesn’t mean everything goes fast and solve your problems quickly. Instead you will get another wrinkle near your eyes. Choose either to relax or to get a wrinkle, it’s absolutely up to you.
Text by Eunkyung Park, a student at Languages International
Photo by daveelmore
