Before landing in Seoul, I had an idea of what Korean culture and living would be like, but I wasn’t completely prepared for actually living inside a culture that’s so different from my own. Now, being a month into the program, I can honestly say the hardest parts of adjusting haven’t been the big, obvious things like the language or the food. They’ve been the small, everyday habits that shape how people work, talk to each other, and move through their day.

The first thing that hit me at my internship was just how fast-paced everything is. Tasks get assigned and expected back by the end of the day. Messages get answered almost instantly. Meetings happen quickly, and decisions get made on the spot, with little time spent going back and forth. Back home, I was used to a work rhythm that gave me time to sit with a task, plan it out, and take my time getting it right.

Here, that kind of slow, careful pace just doesn’t fit. I’ve had to learn to think on my feet and produce work much quicker than I’m used to, even when I don’t feel fully ready. It’s been hard to adjust to because I used to associate speed with sloppiness. Now I’m realizing that fast doesn’t always mean careless; it just means a different standard of efficiency that I’m still catching up to.

I grew up in an environment that was a lot more self-paced and independent. I was used to managing my own time, working through problems on my own, and not needing much oversight to get things done. Quiet, focused, individual work was normal, and even expected.

Here, the culture feels much more collective and interconnected. People check in with each other constantly, work is often reviewed and touched by multiple people before it’s finished, and there’s less of an expectation that you’ll just handle things solo. This has been a strange adjustment because independence used to feel like a strength to me. Here, it can come across as distant if I don’t loop people in enough. I’ve had to unlearn some of that self-reliance and get more comfortable working in a way that’s constantly connected to the people around me.

One of the more surprising things I’ve noticed is how much communication happens through messaging apps, even inside the office. Coworkers will send messages back and forth on KakaoTalk or WhatsApp while sitting just a few feet from each other, sometimes right next to one another at the same desk. At first, this felt strange to me, because you would think that if someone had something to say, they would just turn around and say it out loud.

Here, a lot of communication is intentionally kept quiet and indirect, even when it doesn’t need to be. I think it has to do with not wanting to disrupt the room or draw attention, and keeping things low-key and polite. It’s taken some getting used to, checking my phone for a message from someone sitting right next to me instead of just talking. It’s made me realize how much communication style is shaped by culture, not just language.

The other big adjustment has been learning to ask fewer questions, or at least be a lot more careful about when and how I ask them. Where I’m from, asking questions is seen as a sign that you’re engaged and want to do things right. Here, because of how much hierarchy shapes the workplace, asking too many questions, especially to someone more senior, can come across as questioning their judgment or wasting their time.

This has been one of the hardest habits for me to break. I like to understand exactly what’s expected of me before I start something, and my instinct is to ask until I’m sure. But I’ve learned that here, it’s often better to observe first, try something on my own, and only ask when I’ve genuinely hit a wall. It’s forced me to rely more on watching how others do things instead of just asking outright, which is a skill I’m still building.

Looking back, I think what’s made all of this so difficult is that none of it is really about learning new information. It’s about adjusting instincts I’ve had for my whole life. I grew up valuing independence, directness, and a slower, more careful pace of work. Here, I’m learning to move faster, stay more connected to the people around me, and communicate in quieter, more indirect ways.

It hasn’t been easy, and I still catch myself falling back into old habits more often than I’d like. But I’m starting to see this discomfort as one of the most valuable parts of the whole experience. Struggling to keep up and adapt is teaching me to be more flexible, more observant, and a lot more humble about how differently people can work and still get things done.