Four more working days...

Living here for seven months has exposed us to a lot of Korean culture. We have been very comfortable living here but there are some things that still seem very different to us.

Opposites

• Grading papers -- Check marks mean wrong, circles mean correct.
• Food prices -- Restaurants are CHEAP (and no tipping... ever! It's considered rude. Makes sense.); grocery stores are expensive. On the plus side, taxes are included in the price.
• Passing while walking -- People pass each other on the left, yet still drive your car on the right.
• Eating -- Slurping and making other eating noises is considered more polite than being quiet. It shows you are enjoying the food.
• Thriftiness -- Koreans seem to be just as thrifty as Canadians. But with certain things, such as hiking equipment and cellphones, people will brag about how expensive it was, rather than how cheap.
• School -- Middle school and high school are hard (Anyone besides Angela remember studying 2-3 hours a day in grade 8?), while university is quite easy.
• Skin colour -- Whitening cream is a big seller here, compared to the tanning cream used in Canada.
• Beckoning to someone -- Always done with the palm facing down, with the palm facing up is very rude as it is how they call their dogs. Most of my students just say "Teacher, come on!"
• Public transport -- There is actually a functioning, convenient, and cheap country-wide public transport system in place.
• Birthday presents -- On your birthday you are supposed to bring small gifts for your friends.
• Spam -- Spam is some kind of delicacy here. Seriously.
• Engagement rings -- Typically, both the guy and the girl get a ring when you get engaged. The jewelry stores all sell "couple rings."
  

Strange Konglish

• Housing -- Apartments "Aparta" are large, clean, and expensive condo like places. "Villa"s are small, apartment like places.
• Free stuff -- "Service" means for free. We hear this one a lot at stores and restaurants when we are given free stuff.
• Exit signs -- Exit signs in the subways are labeled "Way Out".
• Various advertisements/slogans -- Example below.

Culture

• Sitting/eating/sleeping on the floor is quite common here.
• Restaurants pretty much always deliver for free. Not only that, but they bring everything (by scooter) on dishes. When you are done with the dishes you put them outside your door. They pick them up later.
• Restaurants also tend to focus on one type of dish. Definitely not like Saskatoon where you can order chicken or a hamburger pretty much anywhere.
• Crosswalks pretty much mean nothing.
• People seem to be a lot more blunt about looks... I got a lot of "Teacher ugly" after I got a short hair cut.
• You are ranked according to age and gender. The older and more male you are, the higher you rank. You 'cannot' be friends with someone of a different rank, or so the kids tell me (though this doesn't seem to really apply to foreigners). I think Korean has a different meaning for friend though, because I think people of different ages are still friends, just not usually close friends. This has been carried on from the days when Koreans practiced Confucianism.
• When you are born your age is one. On January first, your age increases by one. I'm pretty sure this is due to the age ranking/respect/Confucianism culture, but if you are born December 31st you are two when you are only one day old.
• You can put your recyclable garbage out on the street in a bag and people will come and take it. Unfortunately for us, they take it across the street to a sorting lot which makes the view kind of ugly.
• Not really culture, but my students are taught there are only five continents. I can understand Asia/Europe, but America as one continent?
• After graduating high school males must go for 2-3 years of military service. Makes sense.
• There are some rules regarding drinking: you should pour other's drinks first, with hands positioned in different ways according to your ranking compared to the other person; you also are supposed to turn away from those higher ranked than you when you drink.
• Sales, which never seem to end at some stores, are advertised with the highest discount first (i.e. 40%~20% off!)
• Homosexuality and AIDS are considered by many to be a 'Western problem'. This has a lot of strange side effects. Guys are more inclined to wear 'girl colours' (sometimes matching their girlfriends clothes), hold their girlfriend's purse or stuffed animal, and hold hands with other men. It is common to see guys walking and holding hands (especially after a night of drinking). Also the no-clothes-spas.

Have a good Easter weekend!