Being totally immersed in a completely new and different culture has been a remarkable experience, and I cannot believe how much I have learned and become accustomed to in my short time here.
For example...
Officially, I don't live in South Korea. I live in the Republic of Korea (ROK), or just Korea. If you meet a Korean, do not ask "North or South Korea?" because they will probably look at you like you are an idiot. North Koreans cannot travel outside of their country. It's all part of having a stupid communist dictatorship...Oh I mean "socialist state."
There are no Korean "breakfast" foods. Breakfast is just a lighter meal of rice, soup, or any other food that would be eaten at any other time of the day.
This is my favorite...A flasher is referred to as a Burberry Man. It comes from the Burberry trenchcoat. It should not be confused with a Bad Burberry Man, someone who is covered in mismatched burberry patterns.
One cannot be a germaphobe here because at most meals you will share bowls and plates with your dinner companions. I have also had many people give me food to sample with his or her fork or chopsticks. My grandmother (Budgie) would die! haha! It is also not rude for someone to take food from your plate. I'm glad my mom taught me to share!!!
Kimchi is served at every meal. Seriously, every meal. It is basically spicy, fermented cabbage. It sounds repulsive, but it is delicious!
If someone asks if you are Russian, they want to know if you are a prostitute. Some friends and I traveled to a very rural part of Korea, and some of the restaurants refused to serve us because they thought we were Russian. It was such a strange feeling. I have a whole new respect for African-Americans and other repressed minorities.
It is illegal for me to charge for private tutoring lessons. NO ONE I know does it, and they most certainly DO NOT make 50 dollars an hour.
I do not have a car or bike, so I walk everywhere (at least three miles a day! yay!), and I am slowly learning the bus system. The subway is very easy to use, but the buses are much faster.
As of today, I have finally learned the entire Korean alphabet, which means I can now read but not understand signs!
Koreans are obsessed with skin care and literally run away from the sun. The nearest tanning bed is an hour from my apartment. I have decided to embrace and love my paleness:)
I am planning my first trip to a Jimjilbang on Monday, which should interesting. A Jimjilbang is a Korean bathhouse. I have found one online that looks really nice.
Check it out: www.dragonhillspa.co.kr
The entrace fee to use all facilities is 10,000 won, which is less than 8 dollars!
Koreans believe that eating a burnt of charred piece of meat can cause cancer. I googled this, and aparently scientific research does support their theory. So much for Cajun-style:(
Now, this is really good:
Fan death is a South Korean urban legend which states that an electric fan, if left running overnight in a closed room, can cause the death (by suffocation, poisoning, or hypothermia) of those inside. Fans manufactured and sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on. (Wikipedia)
The dongchim is the wedgie of the Korean culture. I'll let you google the literal translation yourself. It basically entails poking someone in the butt. All of the male teachers at my school have been a victim of the all mighty dongchim.
Scissors, rock, paper, NOT rock, paper, scissors, is a very common decision-making strategy. It was probably used in my hiring process.
