[LETTERS to the editor]Happy to be living here

I entered South Korea on Aug. 25, 2007, a day I had eagerly awaited. My husband was already here. Coming to South Korea was a conscious decision. Both of us were comfortable back in Mumbai, India; we had our own house, a new car, good jobs with decent salaries. But we wanted to come out of our cocoon and to establish a life together on our own.
We are glad that we took this step, fighting all odds to come here. I am really very happy that we chose this country. South Korea is a very small country, much smaller than my home state, Maharashtra. But this country is unique, beautiful. For people who want to have a good experience living abroad, I would recommend this country. It is also a quiet and peace-loving country. Unlike in other countries, people roam freely everywhere. It is a very safe country for foreigners, too. You hardly hear of a foreigner being mugged.
Another unique quality is that Korea as a country is very discipline oriented. One will quickly notice the structured life here. For example: Working men will be complete workaholics during the workweek and family-oriented on weekends. A manager during the week would be playing football with his toddler on the weekend.
Unfortunately there are lot of unfounded rumors about this country, beginning with the food people eat to ways of life here.
When we announced our decision to come here, some people back in India got worried about what would we eat daily. They started searching for Korea on our globe and questioned us about the language and other worries about this country. Actually, Korea needs to market itself too, apart from its latest high-tech products. Koreans should make their presence felt on the globe. Some of their values can be really shared by all. My only request to Koreans is, do welcome change in any form, learn new things, broaden your experience of the world through globalization, but retain the rich values and culture which are the strengths of this country.
For any foreigner here, language is the first barrier. But when you start living in this country, language becomes hardly an obstacle.
This country has given us what we came here for. We are not only earning money, but also enjoying quality time with each other. This country has taught us to live each day to the fullest. I am glad that a South Korean visa is the first stamp on my passport.

Nishigandha S. Gadkari, Goyang, Gyeonggi