So, there's been a lot of stuff going on recently, and I've been to some pretty interesting spots that I'll be blogging about soon enough. As for now, I wanted to list some of the quirks I find interesting about Korean culture. I know I can't really sum-up an entire culture by what I've seen on one island, but that's basically what I'm going to do because that's been my experience so far.
So, here we go:
- Korean women love high heels. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a Korean woman out in public without heels on. And stripper-heels are no exception. 1inch, 3inch, 4inch, teal, mustard yellow, black, pink, clear, you name it, they wear them here. The women not only wear them on the streets, but while hiking, walking on the beach or going fishing. Seriously. The women also love black boots up to and past their knees, and skirts that come down about 2cm past their special places.
-Koreans are afraid of a lot of things. There is a warning on the oscillating fan that I just purchased telling me to not use it indoors with the windows closed/when I'm sleeping because it can kill me. This is no joke. I told my coworker Sara that I'd be sleeping with my fan on that night (with the windows closed) and she asked if she'd see me tomorrow. As in I might die.
Koreans are also afraid of the water. Every time I go surfing, there are people telling me how dangerous Jungmun beach is and how there are crazy currents. And about how somebody has died there every year. They can never tell me who, or even what nationality the person was, but they know it's happened. This is even stranger because when Koreans go to the beach, they don't go out more than 20ft deep or so, (about 4 feet deep) and always have inflated tubes around them. While often wearing business suits or dresses and heels. Seriously. Pretty tough to drown in 4 feet of calm water (due to currents) when you have a big raft keeping 3/4 of your body above water. And I'd say only 5% of Koreans can swim. And by swim, I mean swim better than a doggy-paddle with your head above water.
-Many Koreans have never had an original thought. Every time I stop to look at a flower, tree, or to scratch my foot, a Korean has to peer over my shoulder to see what's going on. If I cross a river to get a good picture of something, Koreans will blindly follow me, but they will never be the first to go.
-If they aren't wearing dress clothes (suits, dresses, etc) they have to wear the most sport-specific clothing ever. K-2 is a huge brand here and if you're going to hike anything from a staircase to a mountain, you have to wear it. K-2 everything from hats, to jackets, visors, glasses, bandanas, moisture-wicking clothing, pants, socks, shoes and titanium hiking poles. We'll be out climbing some stairs in a t-shirt and jeans while the couple next to us has matching K-2 track suits and what appear to be ski poles and are struggling.
-Koreans have gross breath. It smells like seaweed, rotten cabbage and old fish. (At least the kids) I'm sure we smell funny to them, but this is just my observation. And it's really bad.
-It's not abnormal for some older Korean woman to ram into your shoulder as you walk by her. Be it an accident or malicious, it happens a lot. And they never apologize or give it a second thought.
-Koreans have a lot of phlegm. They are always coughing it up and spitting it on the streets, sometimes near you. It is typically just the men, but I've heard plenty of (older) women hawking up a nice jellyfish as well. I'm convinced my old neighbor had TB. And a lot of them don't cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough.
-If you are a couple in Korea, you probably own matching shirts. Polo shirts, t-shirts, track suits, you name it. They will be identical and both man and woman will wear them together, at the same time. There are even matching underwear.
-Younger men here can be pretty flamboyant. They love purple and pink, and carry around man bags. And no, they're not European. Men are often seen arm in arm and are very affectionate in school.
-Koreans love English writing. It doesn't matter what it says, as long as it's in English they'll wear it. I've seen shirts describing the wearer as a stupid slut, or fu*king angry, and nobody notices. Sometimes there are just English letters that don't even form words. It's really weird to see.
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MuggsJust a little journal about my life. Click 'Comments' or the Titles if you'd like to add anything. The words printed here are concepts. You must go through the experiences.
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