Culture Shock!

People say that going to a country to visit and living in a country are very different experiences. I have always agreed. But it wasn't until now that I fully understand what they mean, and perhaps I won't really until I have lived here longer. These observations are just from my short time here and may or may not be representative of the country as a whole! Let me know if you have experienced something different here! In my short 2 weeks, here are some things that I have noticed. I suppose that when these small differences all come together, the result is what we call culture shock. 

1. Everybody bows here. It is a sign of respect. I have always known this about Koreans but it is still surreal to see it in action. When you step into a department store, there is often an employee standing at the front bowing to greet you. It is a full 90 degree bow from the waist (not just a nod) and is done very slowly. I wonder if they get tired. Perhaps they have really nice abs. Either way, I am still learning the art of bowing. A full bow is more respectful than a nod. Do not look into their eyes. You do it when you say hi, and bye, and thank you? Who do I have to bow to? How close do we have to be before I stop bowing? How low do I bow? How slow do I bow? Who knew this could be so complicated?!

2. The Korean language is everywhere! This one seems obvious (obviously) but it really is a strange feeling to walk around and understand nothing in your world. 

3. The roads are SO wide and there are so many people! It's thrilling to me everytime I cross a road. Here's a picture.

4. At a Westernized bar, you can order a few drinks and just sit and talk. At a Korean bar, they expect you to order food along with your drinks. The waiter will patiently stand there and wait for you to choose food. They won't leave. Seriously!

5. Along the same lines, you cannot order 1 order of food (i.e. you cannot eat alone). You have to order at least 2 orders. If you have 4 people, you have to order 4. We tried ordering 2 portions for 4 people a few nights ago and the guy was confused and kept on adjusting the numbers of our orders to make it 4.

6. We went to have a burger today at "Burger Hunter". It satisfied my cravings and made me and my stomach extremely happy. Burger Hunter is a diner style type restaurant. After we finished devouring our burgers like barbarians, we started chatting and looking around. Everybody used a knife and fork to eat their burgers. One woman was even eating her burger section by section. First the bun (cut into pieces), then the lettuce, then the tomato, etc. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a burger? Why did everyone eat their burger with a knife and fork there? It wasn't a nice restaurant. They don't do that at Micky Dees, do they?

7. Air conditioning is  not centralized like it is back home, it comes out of this machine. You turn it on and off with a remote control like a TV. You will need one in every room. It's not a problem for me though, my entire apartment is 1 room. 

8. Showers. Because of the size of this place, it is super common to have a bathroom like mine. The shower is your entire bathroom. This is my sink faucet. You turn that knob left and right to direct the water. One way is my faucet, the other is my shower head. If you forget to turn this knob in the morning before you brush your teeth, you will be pissed. Trust me. 

9. These are my garbage bags. The yellow is for compost and the white one is for regular garbage. Koreans take their garbage disposal super seriously. You have to separate your metal, plastic, paper, regular trash, and compost. I hear you can get fined if you don't do this properly. These bags have to be purchased at your local convenient store. Every district has different bags, so you have to make sure that you are buying them at a convenient store that is in your own district. 

10. Short shorts are called hot pants.

11. Alcohol is allowed on the streets. Many convenient stores (Family mart, GS 25, 711, etc.) have plastic lawn chairs outside of their store. It is very common to sit outside convenient stores to hang out with a few drinks. I have done this a few times myself! (Soju costs only about a dollar!)

12. In Western culture, Mr. or Mrs. is a polite way to address somebody. Here in Korea, it is only used with somebody with low social status. I hope I understood this correctly. My co-teacher tried to explain this to me. 

I'm sure I will notice a million other things. Stay tuned!