Korean Job Discussion Forums

[English Matt]

Has anybody done this?

The situation: I have been with my Korean girlfriend for 6 months now and will only be in Korea for another 11 months. I will be moving to Europe next summer (Berlin, Germany to be precise) and am worried that if she comes with me she will find it too tough to adapt to.

Unlike North America, Europe does not have any Korean community as such, and there are only something like 30000 Koreans in the whole of Europe compared to like 2000000 in NA. Visa-wise it shouldn't be too difficult for my gf to accompany me....she is an artist and can therefore apply for a K�nstler Visa (Artist Visa) which, luckily, does not require her to know German, and means that her visa status would not be reliant upon being married to me (for example).

Although many people speak English in Berlin, to really become integrated she would need to learn German (and whilst there are a lot of similarities with English, the grammar in particular can be tricky even for an English speaker to master).

So basically has anybody lived with their Korean girl/boyfriend, wife/husband in a non-English speaking country? Did they adapt well or not, did they / do they enjoy living there or do you get the feeling they feel like they have made a big mistake?

I really don't want to cause my gf to make a big life-changing decision that she will regret so would appreciate any feedback from you guys.

Cheers

[retrogress]

While I'll be the first to argue that Koreans lack for individual personalities (generally speaking, of course--hehe), I think what differences they do possess is going to make this query of yours void.

While Jack and Joe's gals might have fared quite well after being taken to a non-speaking country, Bill and Dave's might not have fared too well. It's going to be like that.

I would talk to your gal more and determine whether or not it's going to go well. And have a backup plan.

If she's an artist type, then she should be fairly open. If she's a Korean artist type, then who's to say.

This reply is full of errors.

[Xuanzang]

It`s a big step. I hope she has really thought it over and isnt doing it out of obligation or anything like that. Good luck.

[PigeonFart]

Don't worry. You're moving to Berlin. I've never been there myself, but i'd imagine it's considerably more open and cosmopolitan than Seoul will ever be.

So i'm sure she'll find a nice little korean community there too (even with the lower hanguk population).

Vive l'Europe.