Pedestrians Do Not Have the Right of Way!
Be careful when walking on the street and sidewalks. Even if you are at a crosswalk and the little green walking man appears and the light is definitely red, there is still a chance you might get hit. I've been in taxis and buses that run red lights all the time and it's a little un-nerving. However, this doesn't stop the fearless Koreans for they will start walking across a huge intersection just before the walking sign appears. And the sidewalks aren't safe either. People on motor bikes and scooters, especially those who are delivering food, will constantly be riding down a crowded sidewalk and you just have to move out of the way. And in Korea, everyone delivers; not just Pizza and Chinese places. Watch where you're going and you'll be fine.
Loogeys.
And speaking of watching your step...keep a lookout for huge, hocked up loogeys all over the place. It's considered very rude to blow your nose in public or mess with your hair too much while dining, however, it it perfectly acceptable at any given time outside to hock up a huge loogey and make the loudest, most disgusting sound possible and then spitting it out anywhere on the street or sidewalk. I find this to be gross! I can hardly stand it; I might flip out on somebody one day. And supposedly, it gets worse in the winter. EW!
Never trust a picture.
It's really helpful that most Korean restaruants have pictures of most of the items on their menu or even fake food displays of what it really looks like. However, that doesn't mean it is what it looks like. Pretty much every time Erin and I say, "oh, let's get that breaded chicken looking thing with the cheesey stuff and those mashed potatos with gravy," the result is nothing close to what we thought. Solution: forget everything you know about food and don't try to compare Korean food to anything remotelyWestern (except for the fried chicken, which is delicious!)
Take Cover.
You can show your legs, but not your collar bones. Girls rarely wear tank tops here, even in the hot summer. It's just one of those things. The fashion is weird here. They will wear these long baggy shirts that cover their chest and shoulders, but often wear short shorts or skirts with high heels...or they will wear jeans, but always with heels. Coming from Florida, I'm all about some tank tops and bearing my shoulders. This causes people to stare; but they stare anyway since I'm one of the few white girls around this area, so what's the difference. Anywho, if you are a girl with big boobs you better stay covered up because they are not used to that here and they might even ask if you are Russian implying that you are a prostitute. Luckily, I don't have heaving bosoms for anyone to gawk at.
No shoes, service.
In the traditional Korean restaurants, you eat on the floor and you have to take your shoes off when you come in the restaurant. I also have to take my shoes off at school and put them in a locker at the teachers' door and I wear some cheap Korean slipper/flip flop type shoes that are pretty comfy. (Oh, and the word "service" means "free" in Korea. If I buy some nail polish, I might get some free beauty samples and they will say "service." This also goes for food and pretty much anything you buy. It's awesome! I love getting free stuff!)
Unsuspecting Compliments.
Here are some of the sentences I hear from my students, co-workers, and Koreans in general that are supposed to be compliments:
*Teacher, you have a perfect S-shape ~or~ You have a cola bottle shape.
Translation:You have great curves.
*Your skin is very pale/white.
Translation: The paler, the better in Korea. Most Koreans, especially women, strive to be as pale as possible and they even buy make-up with skin whiteners in it and carry around parasols to shield the sun from their skin. This is probably one of the reasons they all look so young...and never get skin cancer.
*You have a small head/face. ~or/and~ You have big eyes.
Translation: I'm sure you've seen Japanime before and noticed that they all have big eyes and small faces...another desired trait amongst Koreans. Some women even get surgery on their eyelids to make their eyes appear bigger.
Most of these compliments are just statements in general about the way you look and it's hard to tell when they are meant to be a good comment or just a comment. A lot of my students are fascinated by my arm hair and will randomly rub my arms if I am close enough to them.
Also, a lot of people will try to talk to me and they always ask, "Where are you prum?" This is probably one of the few countries I actually admit to being an American in because they LOVE Americans here. Especially teachers. They look at me and see their childs ticket to Harvard or something. I like to reply in Korean: Me-guk aesuh whasayou (I came from America). But it gets a little ridiculous at times and sometimes I'm just tempted to say I'm from France (Koreans also love the French style and there are lots of French cafes here) so that no one will try to speak the 5 words they know in English to me or ask me if I can hang out with them and help them improve their English.
Other things people will ask you:
*How old are you?
This might seem rude or like a faux pas in our society, but in Korea the way you speak to a person largely depends on their age. You must speak polite to everyone, but there are different levels of this and they are much higher and different when you are talking to someone older than you. Korea is definitely all about the fillial piety, if you will.
*Are you married?
This is a big deal as well. Most men will ask me if I'm married before they proceed to talk to me, I don't know the details on this one. But I've noticed that not a lot of women wear wedding rings that are married. The younger married couples definitely do though. Traditionally, the woman keeps her name in Korea as well, but the kids always take their father's last name.
Erin and I have become friends and language exchange partners with this cute Korean girl named Soo. So we try to help her with her English and she helps us with learning Korean. We will probably try to take an actual Korean class in the fall because we can't expect her to teach us everything, but she is trying.
I'm sure there will be more things to add to this blog, but this is a good start, for now.
Be careful when walking on the street and sidewalks. Even if you are at a crosswalk and the little green walking man appears and the light is definitely red, there is still a chance you might get hit. I've been in taxis and buses that run red lights all the time and it's a little un-nerving. However, this doesn't stop the fearless Koreans for they will start walking across a huge intersection just before the walking sign appears. And the sidewalks aren't safe either. People on motor bikes and scooters, especially those who are delivering food, will constantly be riding down a crowded sidewalk and you just have to move out of the way. And in Korea, everyone delivers; not just Pizza and Chinese places. Watch where you're going and you'll be fine.
Loogeys.
And speaking of watching your step...keep a lookout for huge, hocked up loogeys all over the place. It's considered very rude to blow your nose in public or mess with your hair too much while dining, however, it it perfectly acceptable at any given time outside to hock up a huge loogey and make the loudest, most disgusting sound possible and then spitting it out anywhere on the street or sidewalk. I find this to be gross! I can hardly stand it; I might flip out on somebody one day. And supposedly, it gets worse in the winter. EW!
Never trust a picture.
It's really helpful that most Korean restaruants have pictures of most of the items on their menu or even fake food displays of what it really looks like. However, that doesn't mean it is what it looks like. Pretty much every time Erin and I say, "oh, let's get that breaded chicken looking thing with the cheesey stuff and those mashed potatos with gravy," the result is nothing close to what we thought. Solution: forget everything you know about food and don't try to compare Korean food to anything remotelyWestern (except for the fried chicken, which is delicious!)
Take Cover.
You can show your legs, but not your collar bones. Girls rarely wear tank tops here, even in the hot summer. It's just one of those things. The fashion is weird here. They will wear these long baggy shirts that cover their chest and shoulders, but often wear short shorts or skirts with high heels...or they will wear jeans, but always with heels. Coming from Florida, I'm all about some tank tops and bearing my shoulders. This causes people to stare; but they stare anyway since I'm one of the few white girls around this area, so what's the difference. Anywho, if you are a girl with big boobs you better stay covered up because they are not used to that here and they might even ask if you are Russian implying that you are a prostitute. Luckily, I don't have heaving bosoms for anyone to gawk at.
No shoes, service.
In the traditional Korean restaurants, you eat on the floor and you have to take your shoes off when you come in the restaurant. I also have to take my shoes off at school and put them in a locker at the teachers' door and I wear some cheap Korean slipper/flip flop type shoes that are pretty comfy. (Oh, and the word "service" means "free" in Korea. If I buy some nail polish, I might get some free beauty samples and they will say "service." This also goes for food and pretty much anything you buy. It's awesome! I love getting free stuff!)
Unsuspecting Compliments.
Here are some of the sentences I hear from my students, co-workers, and Koreans in general that are supposed to be compliments:
*Teacher, you have a perfect S-shape ~or~ You have a cola bottle shape.
Translation:You have great curves.
*Your skin is very pale/white.
Translation: The paler, the better in Korea. Most Koreans, especially women, strive to be as pale as possible and they even buy make-up with skin whiteners in it and carry around parasols to shield the sun from their skin. This is probably one of the reasons they all look so young...and never get skin cancer.
*You have a small head/face. ~or/and~ You have big eyes.
Translation: I'm sure you've seen Japanime before and noticed that they all have big eyes and small faces...another desired trait amongst Koreans. Some women even get surgery on their eyelids to make their eyes appear bigger.
Most of these compliments are just statements in general about the way you look and it's hard to tell when they are meant to be a good comment or just a comment. A lot of my students are fascinated by my arm hair and will randomly rub my arms if I am close enough to them.
Also, a lot of people will try to talk to me and they always ask, "Where are you prum?" This is probably one of the few countries I actually admit to being an American in because they LOVE Americans here. Especially teachers. They look at me and see their childs ticket to Harvard or something. I like to reply in Korean: Me-guk aesuh whasayou (I came from America). But it gets a little ridiculous at times and sometimes I'm just tempted to say I'm from France (Koreans also love the French style and there are lots of French cafes here) so that no one will try to speak the 5 words they know in English to me or ask me if I can hang out with them and help them improve their English.
Other things people will ask you:
*How old are you?
This might seem rude or like a faux pas in our society, but in Korea the way you speak to a person largely depends on their age. You must speak polite to everyone, but there are different levels of this and they are much higher and different when you are talking to someone older than you. Korea is definitely all about the fillial piety, if you will.
*Are you married?
This is a big deal as well. Most men will ask me if I'm married before they proceed to talk to me, I don't know the details on this one. But I've noticed that not a lot of women wear wedding rings that are married. The younger married couples definitely do though. Traditionally, the woman keeps her name in Korea as well, but the kids always take their father's last name.
Erin and I have become friends and language exchange partners with this cute Korean girl named Soo. So we try to help her with her English and she helps us with learning Korean. We will probably try to take an actual Korean class in the fall because we can't expect her to teach us everything, but she is trying.I'm sure there will be more things to add to this blog, but this is a good start, for now.
![Pool Fish...Shark to Come](http://<a href="http://s680.photobucket.com/albums/vv162/southkorea/Atlanta/?action=view¤t=Beforeileave034.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/vv162/southkorea/Atlanta/Beforeileave034.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>)
Very cool. I am so jealous I wish I was traveling. Oliver and I have the kids this week for the entire week.....Yeah!!!!! Take care and have fun keep us up to date with the blog. I love reading it.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm trying to keep it up to speed, but I'm already so far behind and have so many things to write about. Ah! I've been trying to keep up with your blog as well, so make sure you're writing about all the stuff I'm missing in Jax ;)
ReplyDelete