Hey ya'll! It's time for more Korean quirks! These are just a few things I see daily and laugh about while I'm walking alone..leaving me to look like the crazy American girl who laughs all alone, when really, they're the crazy ones. (just kidding...cultural differences, I know..) But please, see for your self.
1. There is no tipping at restaurants in Korea. Instead, often times, the restaurant (or store) will give you something for free just because. This is called 'service' here in Korea. The first time we went out for Korean BBQ the lady brought us two Pepsi's at the end of our meal and said, 'Service'. I was confused at first, but later learned about this awesome phenomenon! Then, when I was buying laundry detergent the other day, the lady gave me a free bucket with my detergent. Not really sure what the bucket is for, but she said service and handed it to me. haha I also frequent the 7 Eleven down the street far too often. How do I know it's too often, you ask? Well, the same Korean man is working every single time I go, and gives me that kind smile that says, 'Wow, you sure do like water and Doritos a lot, white girl.', so the other day I paid for my usual items and he handed me a Chupa Chups sucker and said, 'Sucker for you.' Awe, so sweet! Koreans are the best. This also happens to some of my friends on the other side of town who frequent a convenient store near their apartment. It's an awesome way to say thank you for your business.
2. Koreans are very keen on certain hygiene practices, while others are just thrown out the window. My first example is shoes. They take shoes off inside homes, schools and a lot of restaurants. They do this so they keep the floors clean. After seeing these Korean sidewalks, I understood a little better. Koreans spit all the time. Watch your step! It's like dodging land mines out there! If Koreans are sick, they wear face masks similar to what your dental hygienist wears when she's cleaning your teeth, except in good Korean fashion, they have little bears or some cute design sewed on and the mask is made out of cloth. They wear these to keep from spreading germs, yet when they cough or sneeze, they don't cover or even try to direct it in the opposite direction of the crowd. I guess no one ever taught them to cover. They also share all of the food on the table. Your soup and rice will be the only individual plate of food you get. The rest will be shared between all of the people eating. Double dipping is the thing to do here. This country is not for the faint hearted when it comes to germs. It's also common to only have 1 or 2 shot glasses at a table of 10 or more people. Take a shot, pass on the shot glass.
3. I've already talked a little bit about driving the habits here in Korea, but I'm going to talk about it again and with some new things I've noticed. The streets by my house are a little narrow, so when a taxi drops me off, he pulls ON to the sidewalk to let me out. Thank you kind sir, you just saved me a step and a half. If he doesn't do this, in the .3 seconds it takes me to get out of the cab he will get honked at. As a walker (not a Walking Dead reference unfortunately), you have basically no rights and have to be on the lookout at all times. These people drive on the sidewalks, squeeze their cars and mopeds by people and buildings, and run red lights like there's no tomorrow. Mopeds/motorcycles follow even less laws (if you can even call them driving laws here...not sure they exist) than cars do. If there is a line of cars at a stop light, the moped will drive to the side of the cars, often causing him to drive on the sidewalk, to get to the front of the line. He then waits for a somewhat clearing and goes. No need to wait for a green light, that would just be silly.
4. Speaking of driving...More often than not, my taxi driver drives me home and watches TV...simultaneously. Yeah, their GPS turns into a TV I guess?
5. Koreans believe there needs to be air flow at all time. What does that mean, you ask? Well, that means that when it's -6 degrees outside, and the heater is blasting, there will be windows and doors open everywhere so you can still get fresh air. This holds true everywhere. The bus, my school, restaurants, stores, you name it, they have 'good' air flow. Same goes for summer apparently. I haven't experienced this one first hand yet, but when it's hot and the AC is going full speed, there will be windows and doors open everywhere.
6. Koreans believe in a little thing called fan death. This is one of those silly superstitions that is passed down from generation to generation and people just keep believing. Sleeping with your fan on will result in your death. If you leave your fan on while you sleep, the fan will suck out all of the oxygen in your room and you will suffocate. Hum..luckily, my apartment doesn't have a fan. Also, fans in Korea are made with timers, so if you want to fall asleep with your fan on, rest assured that your fan will shut off before it gets the chance to suffocate you.
7. Korean girls are dressed to the nines at all times. Heels in any and all weather is 100% expected. I've heard they even wear heels to the beach, in the sand. Talk about a challenge. I'll confirm that for sure when I make my first beach getaway, but at this rate, I wouldn't expect anything less. I've also witnessed a girl on crutches rocking one super tall heel. So crazy! Guess you've always gotta be on your A game if you ever expect to find the love of your life.
8. Koreans have no clue what personal space means. I guess it's only to be expected when you're from a country as small as Korea with this big of a population, but can't they at least learn how to say excuse me!? Nope, they just bump right into each other and both parties act like nothing happened. I guess when it's as common as it is, you probably don't notice it, but I sure as heck do! I still apologize every time, only turning around to find the person i bumped into is already 20 people away and probably bumped into them too. haha
9. Drinking in public is completely legal here. Walking around with alcohol, or buying it from 7 Eleven and then standing inside the store drinking your beverage is a-ok. Just picture Bourbon St. times an entire country. Drink on, friends.
10. Koreans are very modest about some things. This list includes PDA between opposite sex and showing any skin from the waste up. They're very un-modest in other ares. This list includes PDA between girls and showing skin from the waste down, as well as peeing on the side of the street in broad daylight. Girls of almost all ages can be seen wrapped arm in arm or even hand in hand. Totally normal for friends to do that here. It's pretty cute when they're small, but a little odd when they're my age. To each their own though. haha You know the saying, "Skin's a sin, tuck it in."? Well that holds true for Korea, except when it comes to the legs. Woo wee...showing shoulders/cleavage is a big ole no, no, but the worlds tiniest skirts and shorts can be found in good ole Korea and are completely acceptable and expected. And the last one, men pee any where they want. It is not uncommon for me to be walking home and see a man with his back facing me, peeing on the side of the street. I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go? I should just be thankful they at least have the decency to turn around.
11. People hardly drove cars until just recently, so that means the car to parking spot ratio is way off. Luckily, Korea is the land of all things genius. Prepare yourself for this one.. To conquer this dilemma, Koreans park where ever they can find a spot and have a sticker or lit sign in the front window saying their phone number in case they block someone in. If you're blocked and need to get out, just check the window, call the person and they'll move. Problem solved. Genius! Oh, Korea!
Okay, I hope you enjoyed your Korean lesson for the day and learned something new. If this list of things inspired you to come visit me, I'll be here until July 31st, so head on over and I'll show you all of these things within the same day, probably. haha
-Kyla
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