Tareq Muhmood, ANZ Korea
1. When did first come to Korea? I came to Korea to live only five months ago, but I’ve been coming here for three years. Also, I’ve been following Korean music for many, many years.
I like Miss A and Big Bang in particular.
2. That’s very cool. What was the initial impression when you first visited here? From outside before you come here, it feels like a very tough country to get to know because it’s not
like Hong Kong or Singapore. But when you come here,
it’s a very welcoming city, extremely different from what I expected. People are very warm and welcoming, and the culture is quite dynamic. I think it’s underestimated how wonderful it
is. But when you come here, you can really feel it
straight away.
3. I think you have some cultural difference that demands your adjustment. Do you have any situation, or episode, that stays in your mind? Korea is my 13th country that I’ve lived in,
and each country has its own cultural dynamics. One
thing that really resonates with Korea is that I go running a lot particularly in Namsan Park, and I find that if I smile when I run, everyone smiles back. But if I don’t smile, then people
don’t smile back as well. I find that it’s important
culturally here. Thus, if you’re a foreigner, it’s important to engage. Then people will engage back. Also, the food is wonderful and the people are very proud of their country as well.
4. As you said, there are huge number of places to see, eat, and enjoy in Seoul. So, do you have any particular favorite place? So much choice and I haven’t begun in only five months
to really discover everything. But I’ve been
everywhere, from the south the river in Gangnam area, to Itaewon, to this area near the palace, it’s beautiful. One thing that I love doing is walking and jogging, and so I can see the
city is very easy to get around. You can go by taxi,
metro, or walk, or bicycle as well. So, there’s a lot of choices.