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Advice on Taking a Baby to Korea
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The following helpful hints were written by a young couple that World English Service Ltd placed into to a small Korean city. They went to Korea with their 9-month old child. This advice was written after they had completed one year in Korea. During this time the husband was working as an English teacher, and the wife was looking after the baby at home (not working).
- Your baby will be a passport to popularity. Koreans absolutely love babies, they especially get a real kick out of foreign (white) babies, I guess because its such a monoculture over here they don't get to see much variation. We've found that people are a lot more open and friendlier when they know you've got a baby.
- Be prepared to have your baby touched by adoring strangers, and the words 'igor, ipuda!!!!' which means what a beautiful baby. It doesn't bother us and never has really, though at the start I used to worry about David catching colds etc. But I've settled down on that one, and am enjoying the way Koreans are a lot more physically affectionate than westerners, and life without the politically correct police is good. If you don't want people to touch your baby though, they will stop.
- Probably the thing that bothered me most however was if our baby got deliberately bitten, hit or pushed by other wee ones, their parents would smile and halfheartedly tell their child off, then give them a hug and the adults would laugh as if it was a great joke!! The things they discipline their children for are quite different; it seems to me however that not much discipline goes on at all. That took a bit of getting used to and a bit of fuming went on over that one!! I've learnt to kind of accept that now though, and I don't get so bothered as I used to.
- Get insurance!!! Our child goes to the doctor on average about once a month what with colds, vaccinations, you know, baby stuff. He even got hand foot mouth disease! When he got sick, it was very worrying at first, (I'm a first time mum) I live in a rural area, and the doctors over here are about 20 years behind in their bedside manners. They all looked at me very surprised when I wanted to know all about my son?s sickness, what they were prescribing, etc, things that in NZ are taken for granted. (I'm a nurse as well, so I'm probably more interested in that sort of thing than the average kiwi) The experiences I've had are pretty much diagnoses prescribe and thank you very much, out the door you go! Thankfully doctors have training in English over here, so they have basic English skills, and you can get across what the matter is pretty easily. The doctor I go to regularly is pretty good, he's got used to all my questions now!! The way they prescribe antibiotics is weird, they only prescribe three days at a time, you have to go back for more, (sometimes its not given either) in NZ the minimum for taking antibiotics is five days, otherwise you're likely to only half treat the infection and promote antibiotic resistant bugs. I've talked to my insurance doctor about this, and he confirmed it. More information about health care in Korea and health care links are available.
- With regards to babysitting, childcare etc, it may be different in a city, but with me not working I haven't had that problem. That will soon change, as I can get my working visa now, but I've had time to make some good friends who have offered to take care of him, and absolutely adore him, and he loves them to, so its a bonus. Sorry not much I can really say on that matter.
Design & development by Karere. |
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Cuddly toy salesman
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