Interview with Vuillaume Remi(France)

1. What initiated you to come to Korea as a working holiday maker?

My girlfriend-I met her in Sweden when I was a exchange student. Before then, I wanted to go Australia or just any other Asia countries for a Working Holiday and give myself a break time because I knew that I have to work for the rest of my life after graduation. Then I met my Korean girlfriend so I decided to come to Korea.

2. How did you prepare for your Korea Working Holiday in France?

I just did some web search and submitted a few documents. There was not much difficulty but one thing; I had to have at least 300 euro in my bank account. I already was aware of low minimum wages in Korea so I saved money for some initial budget by selling my car and doing some part time jobs in France.

3. What countries are most preferred by French nationals for Working Holiday?

The most popular country is Australia. I think it is because they can enjoy parties often and benefit from high minimum wages. Korea is not preferred because of low minimum wages.

4. How did you manage to settle down in Korea?

My girlfriend helped me a lot. Especially when I was looking for accommodation, she searched for me several houses where I can live in so I chose one among them.

5. How did you learn Korean?

I went to a Korean language institution for 3 months. For the first month I thought it was easy to learn Korean but it got hard at last one month. I learned grammar and listening using textbooks. Now I can understand some basic sentences. Also, I took on a short trip once in a month; I went to DMZ in my first month. Then I went to countryside to eat strawberries and make jams. In my last month, I visited Korean Folk Village in Yong-In.

6. What do you do on your free time?

Mostly, I play soccer every week. I am the first French player to be joined in An-yang Seasons team. Although there are problems due to language barrier I can play without difficulty. Also, I do jogging along An-yang Stream. As I jog, I bump into some middle-aged ladies saying hi to me waving their hands(laugh).

7. How did you make friends?

At school, I met 2 friends who were already on their working holiday. However, now they all returned to France and I made new foreign friends at the class and soccer team. A few friends from my soccer team can speak English so we were able to chat and hang out after the play.

8. What are the most convenient and inconvenient parts of residing in Korea?

The most convenient part is that living cost is low compared to France. I can dine out on a low budget, sometimes it is even cheaper than to buy groceries and cook home. Also I like delivery foods. My favorite one is seasoned chicken. Alcoholic beverages are cheap as well. I like “Somak(mix of Soju, Korean distilled spirits and beer)the most ”.

The most inconvenient part is that due to low minimum wage, it is hard to make a living with only part time jobs. Also, I hardly make friends because of language barrier.

The one thing I got really impressed is that people are respectful.

9. How do you like Korean foods?

In France, we usually eat bread and cheese but here diet is much different. I do not mind the difference because I enjoy almost every kind of foods. My favorites are Bulgogi, Seasoned Chicken and Dak Gal bi(Spicy Stir-fried Chicken).

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