There are so many differences in the treatment I receive in Cairo and in Korea. I've only been in Korea for a few weeks, and I can already tell that it's going to be a long four months. In Cairo, I could blend in and no one really paid me much attention, but in Korea, it's the exact opposite.

Listed below are real-life conversations and experiences that I've had in both places.

Getting Around

Cairo: Walk, turn, taxi, Arabic, frustrated, go, stop, finally!

Korea: Walk, look, turn, stare, subway, whisper, club, picture, Korean?, laugh

Conversing with locals

Cairo: "Where are you from?" California. "Do you know the song, 'Hotel California?'" I do.

Korea: "High five." Laugh. "Do you know 50 Cent? Eminem?" No, do you know Korean popstars?

Cairo: In Arabic, "I want two tickets to Alexandria, leaving on Saturday night." What class. "Huh?" WHAT CLASS? "I don't know what that means." UGH (turning to my Canadian friend) in English: Hello. Where would you like to go today...

Korea: In Korean, "Water and rice please." Two seconds later it's on my table.

We'll see how the rest of my experiences shape up as I learn more Korean and am able to converse with the locals who don't speak English.

Image Credit: Justin Hinton