Korean Traditions and Superstitions

After hearing that a coworker who dreamed about one of her students pooping his pants needed to buy a lottery ticket, I became intrigued. I love learning about superstitions. I guess it comes from being raised in Louisiana, which is FULL of local superstitions of its own.

Here are few traditions and superstitions that seem to be unique to Korea. If you have any to add, or if any of these are incorrect, please comment!!!!

Don’t throw your toenail clippings in the fireplace or else you’ll have retarded grandchildren. (It’s best to throw nail clippings over water, in the toilet.)

When you lose a baby tooth, have your mother throw it on the roof. We even do this at school when kids loose their teeth (I don’t know why.)

Girls and women should not sit on a cold stone surface because it will make them infertile.

Don’t wear white ribbons in your hair because it is bad luck. White is the color associated with funerals and death.

OF COURSE, don't sleep in a closed room with a fan on, or you will die.

Don't touch a butterfly then rub your eyes. It will cause you to go blind.

Don't give shoes to your girlfriend/boyfriend. They will run away.

Don't wash your hair on an important day.

Shave the babies head because it'll grow in thicker.

If you shake your leg, your good luck will fall off.

If you jump over your baby, they won't grow.

Pull on your babies legs so they'll grow up to be tall.

If you are born with big huge ears, you are to be rich.

Don't tickle a newborn because it will cause him/her to stutter.

When sewing, if you use a long piece of thread, it means you'll marry a man far away.

Twirling a pen/ pencil makes you stupid.

If you have thick earlobes that are attached, you'll be rich.

If you have thick ear lobed that aren't attached, you will make money but not be able to keep it.

If your ears stick out, you hear good luck calling better.

Never sign your name in red ink because someone will die. We are NOT allowed to write our students' names on the board with a red dry-erase marker.

After giving birth drink lots of soy milk and eat lots of seaweed soup to produce breast milk.

After giving birth do not leave the house for 40 days.

Laundry detergent is the best housewarming gift because the bubbles represent money/fortune.

If your partner can place a grain of rice on the bottom of the outer ear lobe, and it stays, they will have great fortune.

After someone passes you are to mourn for 40 days.

Laying down shortly after eating/eating reclined means that you will be reincarnated as a cow.

If you kill an insect while eating, you will murder someone in the future.

If leave your shoe on the side, your soul will drain out.

When serving, always give two scoops of rice/two servings of a food, or the bond between you will drop.

Eating from the center of the rice bowl signifies that you wish your mother ill.

Resting your chin on your palm wishes your parents dead.

Having big gaps between your fingers means that you can't hold onto money.

Dreaming of a big turd is good luck.

Sleep with the head north or east, dead people are buried with their heads to the west (sunset).

Don't cross your chopsticks while eating. It is very bad luck. I always cross my chopsticks. I don't know how to use them any other way.

If you dream about a pig, that means money and/or good fortune is coming your way.

Take a Rest

I'm not sick, but with all the swine flu craze going on in Korea at the moment, I felt a blog was in order.

"Take a rest" is the "Get well soon" of Korea. "Don't be sick" is another popular phrase. I hate hearing "Don't be sick" when I am sick.

"Don't be sick??? Wow. What a novel idea! Hold on a sec...(snaps fingers)...Yay! I'm not sick anymore!!!!"

It seems that one teacher is always sick at my school, and since we share one office, we share lovely germs as well. Plus, teachers tend to get sick more than anyone in any other profession, due to stress and germy kids, so it's to be expected. Not to mention the fact that we are in a new country with new germs. Also, there is that pesky yellow dust from China that tends to blow about.

My point being, I have been sick a few times here, and I'd like to share a few things that I have learned about being sick in Korea thus far...

• Foreigners get sick more than Koreans because we were not raised on kimchi nor do we eat it on a regular basis. (insert eye roll here)
• National health care is cheap and convenient. I'm a fan.
• Doctors and pharmacists do NOT like to tell you about the medicine they give you. They just expect you to take it, no questions asked. And they NEVER ask you if you are taking any medication in order to avoid fatal interactions. But I always ask as many questions as possible. Doctors love me here:)
• Every time I go to the doctor, I get a shot in my bum. I have no idea what it is. It's probably kimchi.
• My air conditioner is making me "catch a cold."
• I'm usually a complete baby when I am sick, but living here has really toughened me up. At work, we have two sick days per year, but we are expected to spend those days at work, working when we can and sleeping on a bed in the attic when we can't. One day I had a stomach flu or something and my principal sent me to hospital, and I was put on an IV for dehydration. Once the IV bag was empty, I had to return to work and teach two classes.
• I rarely see Koreans wash their hands in public restrooms...just an observation. Maybe I'm missing it. I watch my students like a hawk and make them wash their hands a million times per day. It's nice having a bathroom and sinks in the classroom.
• Spicy ginger tea rocks when you are sick!!! It helps with everything. It gets rid of nausea, makes you sweat out toxins, soothes your sore throat, suppresses a cough, and it even speeds up your metabolism.

Now, I'm not going to get on my swine flu soap box, but the paranoia has gotten out of hand. At my school, we now have an electric hand sanitizer, which is actually pretty cool, but while I encourage my students to thoroughly wash their hands for one minute with good ole soap and water, the Korean teachers completely cover the kids' hands with hand sanitizer (I'm talking dripping up to their elbows) and follow it up with an antibacterial hand lotion. It's madness!

Oh well. Who am I to judge? When in Lome, do as the Lomans.

Here's to staying healthy!!! Eat your kimchi!!!!