At lunch the other day fish was served. It's really difficult to eat fish w/ chop sticks, if you have ever done it. Anyway, one of my teachers was staring at me intently, finally she says, "I've always wanted to know but how is one supposed to eat fish with a fork?" It made me chuckle, because I was thinking the exact same thing with chop sticks. She went on to say, "it just doesn't make any sense to me."
A huge portion of the male population smokes here. I am uncertain of the percentage, but I don't think it would be too far off to say my best guess is 60-70%. I find it somewhat surprising that there are still places that smoking is so ingrained in the culture. You very rarely see Korean women smoke though. Since I have been here I have seen 3 Korean women smoking (2 of them were in bars with western men). I have only noticed it, because it is such a rarity. I guess they view smoking as something that men do, and is really frowned upon for women to smoke in public. Ironically enough when someone is smoking on television they blurr it out. But not always. I don't know why they do it sometimes, and not others yet.
What I really like about Korea is this vivaciousness and silliness. I can't quite explain it. Maybe goofiness, but in a organized controlled environment? I don't know, let me give a couple of examples: At this grocery store i go to, out of the blue the workers there break into a little hand jive when certain songs come on. They all do it in unison and they seem happy about it. There is a certain seriousness to the hand jive too. Another example is that elections are coming up, so on the streets you have these large groups of supporters dancing in unison, to a somewhat elaborately choreographed dance, holding signs and wearing their shirts. The music they have is this little kid sounding music, but with a techno mix. It is just funny driving down the street and seeing all these people doing these elaborate performances for their candidate. Today it was raining, so they were all out there wearing bright yellow, rain slickers dancing their dance. Another example is when there are store openings, they hire these girls to do little go-go dances on platforms...and they will literally be out there dancing from morning till night. Or, even the Karaoke here, where everyone from business men to high school girls participate in this activity, and it is just a given that you will do karaoke. It is just a part of a normal work related business meeting. Just so very different from what I am used to.
Parking here is hard to come by, so a lot of Koreans block each other in, because there is a major lack of space. Anyway, every car here has their phone number on the dash, so that when you block someone in, they simply call you, and you go move your car. It is expected that you will block someone at some point. Someone told me about one they saw that read, "Sorry" next to their phone number. There is a business for these phone number templates too. Someone of them are just scratched on paper, but most of them are stitched and rather fancy.
I never thought I would get used to being elbowed and pushed and bumped into. I was initially quite appalled, and for the life of me could not wrap my western brain around the idea that people are bumping & pushing you like you don't even exist. Now, I have become the master pusher. :) If you can't beat them, join them, eh? I am no longer timid going on buses, where people bottle neck up to the doors, I am now right in the middle of it, like I was born to do this :). When I am on the bus, and people try to get past me, I don't try to move out of the way (because there is no where to go to), you simply just stand there and pretend like the person trying to get past you doesn't exist. Sounds awful, doesn't it? But once you get used to the idea that during your time in Korea, you will have absolutely no personal space in public, it just works. I do find the western in me getting irritated though, when someone is bumping my heels with their grociery buggys.
When I see my students in public, they get really excited and they run up to you in an expectant sort of way and say, "Hi Christine Teacher". I say hello, and then ask "how are you". They pause for a second, in an 'oh crap' kind of way, like it is a test, and then they say in their best robotic voice, "I am fine" and I know they are thinking, "please teacher, don't ask me any more questions". Then they say, "Okay, bye teacher" and run away really fast, probably making mental notes not to engage me in conversation in public again. I love my students at the school that is in my neighborhood. There are over 120 5th & 6th graders so I run into them often, and each time it is like the first time they have seen in me years. It is pretty neat. These kids say to me A LOT, "It's nice to meet you". :) I hear this several times a day, from the same students I have been teaching for almost 2 months.
A huge portion of the male population smokes here. I am uncertain of the percentage, but I don't think it would be too far off to say my best guess is 60-70%. I find it somewhat surprising that there are still places that smoking is so ingrained in the culture. You very rarely see Korean women smoke though. Since I have been here I have seen 3 Korean women smoking (2 of them were in bars with western men). I have only noticed it, because it is such a rarity. I guess they view smoking as something that men do, and is really frowned upon for women to smoke in public. Ironically enough when someone is smoking on television they blurr it out. But not always. I don't know why they do it sometimes, and not others yet.
What I really like about Korea is this vivaciousness and silliness. I can't quite explain it. Maybe goofiness, but in a organized controlled environment? I don't know, let me give a couple of examples: At this grocery store i go to, out of the blue the workers there break into a little hand jive when certain songs come on. They all do it in unison and they seem happy about it. There is a certain seriousness to the hand jive too. Another example is that elections are coming up, so on the streets you have these large groups of supporters dancing in unison, to a somewhat elaborately choreographed dance, holding signs and wearing their shirts. The music they have is this little kid sounding music, but with a techno mix. It is just funny driving down the street and seeing all these people doing these elaborate performances for their candidate. Today it was raining, so they were all out there wearing bright yellow, rain slickers dancing their dance. Another example is when there are store openings, they hire these girls to do little go-go dances on platforms...and they will literally be out there dancing from morning till night. Or, even the Karaoke here, where everyone from business men to high school girls participate in this activity, and it is just a given that you will do karaoke. It is just a part of a normal work related business meeting. Just so very different from what I am used to.
Parking here is hard to come by, so a lot of Koreans block each other in, because there is a major lack of space. Anyway, every car here has their phone number on the dash, so that when you block someone in, they simply call you, and you go move your car. It is expected that you will block someone at some point. Someone told me about one they saw that read, "Sorry" next to their phone number. There is a business for these phone number templates too. Someone of them are just scratched on paper, but most of them are stitched and rather fancy.
I never thought I would get used to being elbowed and pushed and bumped into. I was initially quite appalled, and for the life of me could not wrap my western brain around the idea that people are bumping & pushing you like you don't even exist. Now, I have become the master pusher. :) If you can't beat them, join them, eh? I am no longer timid going on buses, where people bottle neck up to the doors, I am now right in the middle of it, like I was born to do this :). When I am on the bus, and people try to get past me, I don't try to move out of the way (because there is no where to go to), you simply just stand there and pretend like the person trying to get past you doesn't exist. Sounds awful, doesn't it? But once you get used to the idea that during your time in Korea, you will have absolutely no personal space in public, it just works. I do find the western in me getting irritated though, when someone is bumping my heels with their grociery buggys.
When I see my students in public, they get really excited and they run up to you in an expectant sort of way and say, "Hi Christine Teacher". I say hello, and then ask "how are you". They pause for a second, in an 'oh crap' kind of way, like it is a test, and then they say in their best robotic voice, "I am fine" and I know they are thinking, "please teacher, don't ask me any more questions". Then they say, "Okay, bye teacher" and run away really fast, probably making mental notes not to engage me in conversation in public again. I love my students at the school that is in my neighborhood. There are over 120 5th & 6th graders so I run into them often, and each time it is like the first time they have seen in me years. It is pretty neat. These kids say to me A LOT, "It's nice to meet you". :) I hear this several times a day, from the same students I have been teaching for almost 2 months.
