UAE national gets taste of expat life in South Korea

Since moving to South Korea, UAE national Ayman Eldawi (left) has been getting a taste of what it's like to be in a faraway land with strange customs.

Born and bred in Dubai, Eldawi is no stranger to living among expatriates. But he says the experience of living in Busan City, a port town in a remote corner of South Korea, has taught him to appreciate the challenges faced by the expats living back in Dubai.

"It has really helped me understand how strange life can be for all the expats back home," he says. "I think I will look at them in a different way from now on, because I know it?s not an easy thing to move to a far away foreign country."

Eldawi is a project engineer with DP World, the UAE ports operator, which has a 25 per cent stake in Korea's Pusan New Port Company.

Opened

The port was opened last week in a lavish ceremony attended by South Korea?s President, Roh Moo-Hyun, and Eldawi's boss, DP World chairman Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem, led a sizeable delegation from Dubai.

Eldawi, who was relocated to Pusan to help set up the port's engineering department and maintenance system, says communication is not always easy.

"The language barrier can be a little difficult. Not many people speak English here, and that has been the most unusual thing for me. Whereas in Dubai at least pretty much everyone speaks English."

Friends

Despite this, he has managed to form some good friendships with his Korean workmates.

"The guys I?m working with over here either speak good English or try to, so they've been very helpful."

By far the most challenging aspect of life among the Koreans though, is the huge difference in culture, says Eldawi.

"Getting used to the culture has been quite difficult, especially where food is concerned. In fact the food has been the most difficult part, mainly because, of course it is not halal, which is very important to a Muslim and also the way they cook seafood is very different from what we are used to in the Gulf."

He's not complaining, though, and adds that, after a bit of time, he started to get used to the way things work.

"Of course, I realise that one needs to learn the customs and heritage of the country you are living in and you try and get used to how it all works."

The upside of living in a new environment is that it has enabled him to learn from his Korean colleagues.

"It's been very good, because the people are very friendly and that has made the experience not only more pleasurable but also quite educational. I've been able to learn a lot about different work practices and new ways of approaching work related issues."

Just one word

Unfortunately, Ayman has not yet been able to master the intricacies of the Korean language. He sheepishly confesses to only having learned one word of the Korean language - Annyonghi, which is Korean for hello and goodbye.

"I like this phrase because it allowed me to know two expressions by only having to remember one word," he jokes.

He then remembers another word - Kamsahamnida - Korean for thank you.

Cost of living

The cost of living in Korea is, he says, on a par with Dubai, so it's not the cheapest place in the world. However, he is fortunate in that DP World looks after the accommodation costs, leaving him more of his own money for recreational purposes.

He's currently preparing for an MBA, so most of his spare time is spent studying at home, he says. But it's not all work.

Korea's four-season climate and landscape means it gets snow and there are mountains to ski on, but this was not the first time Ayman had been on the slopes.

"I had my first taste of skiing and snow at Ski Dubai. My second time was here in South Korea trying to ski on the real stuff. It was much more difficult on the real stuff, I spent a lot of time on my behind."

Like Dubai, South Korea also has a number of golf courses to keep the corporate graduate active. "There are a lot of golf driving ranges over here and I usually go there with the guys I work with. Otherwise, we just do the usual, like go to the cinema and visit the local places around Pusan. Sometimes we even head up to Seoul for the weekend."

Missing warmth

Though Ayman seems to have settled into life in Korea, he certainly misses a few things from back home.

With temperatures in January regularly below freezing point, Dubai?s relative warmth is up near the top of the list.

"I really miss my friends and family, and I do miss the culture. There is a big difference between here and there. Having said that I am getting accustomed to the life over here and it is a fun experience, whatever way you look at it," says Ayman.