How Korean dramas sparked a cultural transformation in my Dubai office

Dubai: When I first moved to Dubai for work, I expected the usual office routine - meetings, deadlines, and the occasional team lunch. What I didn't expect was that my colleagues would become my gateway to Korean culture, transforming not just my evenings but also my perspective on life in some ways.

Here is how it started. A few of us at the office had developed an obsession with Korean dramas post Covid.

What began as casual discussions about plot twists soon evolved into something much deeper; a genuine curiosity about Korean culture, food, and eventually, the language itself.

My wanderlust mind, always eager for new experiences, was immediately captivated. The love for Korean food that had been brewing among our group became the catalyst for what would become one of the best decisions I've ever made.

"Why don't we actually learn Korean?" suggested a colleague during one of our post-work conversations. The idea seemed both ambitious and exciting. Here we were, a group of expatriates working in Dubai, with no Korean colleagues among us. Yet, we felt this inexplicable pull toward understanding this fascinating culture more deeply.

We decided to take the plunge and enrolled in an online Korean class together.

Our office, which I had always seen as just a place to work, suddenly became so much more. I realised that when you have good colleagues around you, they don't just make work fun, they help widen the way you see the world.

Our routine became beautifully structured. After our official work hours ended, we would rush to join our online Korean study sessions. For one hour, we would practice together, stumbling through pronunciation, laughing at our mistakes, and celebrating small victories when we finally mastered a particularly tricky phrase. These sessions became the highlight of my day.

What struck me most was how learning Korean opened doors I never knew existed. We started exploring Korean restaurants in Dubai with newfound confidence, actually understanding menu items, and being able to communicate basic preferences to the staff. The joy of ordering bibimbap or kimchi jjigae while knowing exactly what we were asking for was indescribable. Food became our cultural bridge, and each meal felt like a small adventure.

But it wasn't just about the language or the food. Learning Korean introduced us to an entirely different way of thinking, a new cultural lens through which to view respect, relationships, and community. The concept of jeong; that untranslatable feeling of affection and loyalty, began to make sense as we experienced it firsthand in our little study group.

Our colleague dynamics changed, too. We weren't just coworkers anymore; we had become study partners, cultural explorers, and friends bound by a shared passion. The office felt more like a community hub where learning happened beyond professional development.

We would share Korean music recommendations, discuss cultural nuances we'd discovered, and plan weekend visits to Korean cultural events happening around Dubai.

The beauty of our journey was how we had to support each other, research together, and find creative ways to practice. We could relate to each other's struggles with pronunciation and grammar while motivating one another to push through challenges.

Looking back, I realise that learning Korean wasn't just about acquiring a new language skill. It was about discovering that offices aren't just supposed to be about work. They can be launching pads for personal growth and cultural exploration. It taught me that the best experiences often come from unexpected places and that having good colleagues around you can literally transform how you see the world.

If you're reading this and have colleagues who share your curiosity about the world, I encourage you to take that leap together. You might just make a best friend for life and discover a whole new part of yourself in the process.