So I've been in South Korea for over four months now. During these four months I've had to make a lot of adjustments to things that one might call 'unusual' in the USA but are just part of normal every day life in S. Korea. The longer I'm here the more I begin to reevaluate the expectations of my culture. I mean is it really wrong for guys to wear cutesy socks? Do we really know about good customer service? Korea makes you feel so much more special as a customer when they bow and greet you every time you enter and leave the store? Why don't Americans have a fervor to know and learn another language? At the same time, I am truly an American at heart so some things in Korea just don't make sense to me and I really have to fight hard to not judge and condemn them for being...different. With these and numerous other thoughts running through my head I want to share with you some things that have become 'normal' for me here in S. Korea but may seem somewhat odd to my USA friends.
Drive-by ‘Hello’ – Walking down the street on any given day
it’s not unusual to hear ‘Hello’ shouted to you in English….by a Korean. Usually a child but sometimes an adult. I
have to admit, this is something that I consider extremely funny. Why? Because
of the response if you say ‘Hello’ back. If it’s a child they get really
excited! If it’s an adult they get…really excited! Hahaha! The best is when a
child yells ‘Hello!’ and then runs behind their parent’s legs. I just smile,
wave, and respond with a greeting back at them. These ‘Hellos’ happen when you
least expect it. Once, I was walking down a crowded street in Busan when a group
of guys walked by and at the last minute, right before we passed each other, a
guy said ‘Hello!’ ^^ I don’t mind these drive-by ‘Hellos’ because it’s a chance
for them to practice their English in a country where they get SO LITTLE
exposure to native English, and I think it’s just nice to say ‘Hello’ to people
who are strangers. My goal recently has
been to get these drive-bys to say more. Maybe if I respond with “Hello. How are you
today?” they’ll answer my question. What do you think?
Plastic Food Displays – If you’re hungry, want to eat at a restaurant,
and can’t read Korean (or just don’t know what the dish is even if you can) have
no fear! There are many restaurants that will display many of their delicious
dishes in the window. Sure the display
is a poor plastic imitation of the food, but any help is appreciated. :)
Sitting on the Floor – I know what you’re thinking: “How is
this unusual? We sometimes sit on the floor in the USA too!” Yes, but do you
sit on the floor when you go out to eat? Here in S. Korea many restaurants are
floor seating only. I have to admit, I kind of enjoy sitting on the floor to
eat. The floors are heated so it’s pretty warm AND you get the added challenge
of trying to eat with chopsticks and not spill the food in your lap. It’s kind
of funny.
Take Off Your Shoes! – Here in S. Korea you don’t wear shoes
in the house…or at some schools…or at some restaurants…or at some churches…or
at….you get the point. Usually if the place involves sitting on the floor at
some point you take your shoes off and either walk around in your socks or in
slippers provided by the place or yourself. ^^ My apartment actually has a
built in area at the entrance where you leave your shoes when you first enter
the apartment.
Spitting – Yuck! People spit ALL THE TIME here in South
Korea. And not just a light dribble. They do a Big Lugee. You can hear the
person from down the street revving up to make their biggest spit wad – Aaachk
Phttuuw! Are you grossed out yet?! Yeah, that’s how I feel every time I hear
it. And if you walk with your headphones on and don’t hear the spit you will
definitely see it on the ground. I’m constantly looking at the ground to make
sure I don’t step in the numerous wads of spittle. No wonder people take off
their shoes in the house here. I would too if there was the constant risk of
walking in someone’s spit and then dragging that onto the floor of my house. So
far I’ve only seen guys do this so maybe it’s just a guy thing. Who knows!
Either way, it’s gross.
Speedster Buses – Entering the Bus is like entering a race
car. You better be ready for the bus to speed off the moment the last person gets
on. Any wise or experienced bus rider will upon entering the bus immediately grab
a stable thing to hold onto. And I don’t mean one of those dangling grab
straps. Those things are only useful if you don’t want to fall flat on your
face. You can still be swung forwards
and backwards, crashing into people, as the bus steps on the gas after every
red light and slams on the breaks at every bus stop. It’s quite a ride!
Nevermind that the bus is going way above the speed limit and weaving in and
out of traffic too. Yeah, this type of driving would definitely produce many
lawsuits in the USA. ^^
Bus Wait Time Indicator – Speaking of Buses, many large
cities in South Korea have this cool device:
It tells you how many minutes until the next bus comes. It’s
great! The wait doesn’t feel as long when you see the minutes going down. Some
of the fancier devices (like this one) even tell you how many stops away the bus is. Maybe they
have these somewhere in the USA, but not in Cleveland, so yeah,
pretty unusual.
Battery Disposal – So two months into my time here in South
Korea I found myself with some dead AAA batteries. Thankfully I was smart
enough to realize that a country that has an extensive garbage and recycling
system probably doesn’t want you to just throw the batteries into the garbage.
Upon asking some Korean friends about the proper way to dispose of batteries
they informed me that there should be a container in my neighborhood for batteries.
Hmm, I never really paid attention to the random containers that I passed on my
walk to and from work, but ‘lo and behold’ there was indeed a battery
container. And it looks like this:
Good thing they put a picture on the front. Haha! Oh yeah,
and right next to it was the container for old light bulbs. :)
Pencil Sharpeners – South Korea has some really cute and fun
pencil sharpeners. Just look and see!
Crayons? – Crayons are also different here. They work kind of like mechanical pencils.
You just twist the bottom and the crayon comes up. Different.
Winter Dress (or lack there of) – It has been a cold
Winter in Changwon. Some days it’s been so cold that your hands would begin to
feel numb after a few minutes of being outside.
I’m from Cleveland, Ohio so I know how to dress for cold weather. Like
this:
But many Korean women I’ve seen in this cold weather
dress like this:
Yeah. Cold legs. No gloves. Thin jacket for fashion. Not so fun. Maybe shorts shouldn't be worn in the winter?
Texting on Ice – Um, some people here in S. Korea have amazing
balance! I have seen people walk across a sheet of ice, ice that would normally
cause a person to slip and slide, and not only stay upright but also accomplish
this amazing feat while texting. This is not just a one time occurrence. I have
seen many people do this. These people walk as though there’s no ice on the
ground at all. Amazing!
Lockers…Everywhere – Say you want to go grocery shopping but
you have a bulky bag with you that you don’t want to carry around. Well, no worries! There are convenient
lockers at the entrance to many large grocery stores as well as museums and
other public places. So for just 10 cents you can put your items in a locker,
and the best part is you get the money back when you return your locker key! In
fact, many large grocery/department stores require you to put your bags in a
locker before you enter the store. Of course this would never fly in the USA
(the threat of bombs in unattended backpacks and such is too big a scare), but
it’s very convenient in South Korea. ^^
Mirrors…Everywhere – And people fixing their hair, make-up,
or clothing at every mirror.
When I see men and women looking in the mirror to put ONE strand of hair back in place
I think “Why? It’s just going to move the moment you walk away!!” I’ve watch
girls at a concert fixing their hair using the camera on their phones, I’ve seen
guys dancing in front of the mirrors at a club - I guess to see how great they
dance(?), and I’ve watched numerous people fix the way they look using the
convenient mirrors in the elevator. There are even some public bathrooms that
have mirrors on the back of the toilet stall doors (and they’re placed at
sitting level). Seriously!? So here’s my song for S. Korea:
Mirror by BarlowGirl
Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Have I got it?
'Cause Mirror you've always told me who I am
I'm finding it's not easy to be perfect
So sorry you won't define me
Sorry you don't own me
Who are you to tell me
That I'm less than what I should be?
Who are you? Who are you?,
I don't need to listen
To the list of things I should do
I won't try, no, I won't try
So that’s a little taste of the things that you might see
in S. Korea that might be unusual to Americans but normal to Koreans. As I
mentioned earlier, they’re not necessarily bad just not what we’re used to in
the States. It’s good to know that the Lord made such a creative world filled
with different people, different cultures, and different customs! ^^
