Changes in Korea

It is to be expected that, while in Korea, things about me will change, both because I am in Korea and the culture is affecting me, and because I am a person and like everyone else I change over time.  At the three month mark, these are the ones that I could think of:

I love socks.  Since you take your shoes off in many place (including school) in Korea, socks are a big deal.  Socks are sold everywhere, and they range from boring regular socks to super cute socks.  I have bought many socks in Korea.  I think my favorites would either be my MBLAQ socks (five pairs of socks that each have a cartoon version of one of the members of a popular boyband here) or my penguin socks (socks that have a picture of a penguin)

Guys holding hands no longer surprises me.  It is just Korea.  I’ve never had a problem with guys holding hands, but I never realized how little I saw it until I came to Korea.  But in Korea, it has no homosexual connotation.  Holding hands is just a way to show friendship.

I am shocked whenever I hear English (from someone that I do not know).  Pretty self explanatory, everyone speaks Korean here, so to hear another foreigner speak English always make me do a double take.  I will have to readjust to understanding everyone when I go back to the States.

I have gained an affinity for Coke.  The soda kind anyway.  Back home I didn’t really drink dark sodas.  At all.  But since then it’s changed.  I’m still not really sure why.  Maybe cuz there are really only 2 sodas available everywhere, Coke and Cider (like sprite) and I want variety every once in a while.

I like buying CDs.  Though it would be more cost efficient to just download the songs illegally, I have come to a point where, if it’s an artist that I like, I don’t have a problem spending $10 to support them and make their number go up.  Though one extra CD sale won’t really make a difference, I feel like I should do my part (like voting)

Let’s go out generally translates to drinking.  We do other stuff too like bowling, playing pool, karaoke, etc., but at some point in the night we will drink if we are hanging out.  that is just the way Korean culture is.  Drinking is a large part of the lifestyle here.  A Korean recently told me that most important decisions in the business world are made over dinner and soju.  In the US, if you do business you need to golf.  In Korea, if you do business you need to drink.  But that doesn’t mean we always drink a lot.  Many times we will only have one drink.  But nearly inevitably we will drink at some point during the night

I now have a (ESL) teacher voice.  Since my students wouldn’t understand me if I talk at full speed, I have developed my teacher voice.  I speak quite slow, use simpler words than my usual diction, and change the beat of usual speaking so that they understand more fully.  I also use this voice when I talk to locals.  The problem is when I accidentally turn it on when talking to friends ^.^

I don’t hesitate to buy stuff for people younger than me.  In Korean culture, it is the responsibility of the older person in a friendship, even if they are only acquaintances, to care for the younger person as an older brother or sister.   So if I feel that this relationship actually exists between a friend and myself, and that person is younger than me, I will pay for stuff of that person.  Nothing big, but maybe a drink when we go out, or coffee, or dinner or something.

There are also some things that haven’t changed.

I still don’t like Chocolate or coffee.  Which is weird, cuz those two things are really big in Korea, for both kids and adults, so many times my kids will give me chocolate, or my teachers will ask me if I want coffee after lunch (everyday), and I always have to say no.

I am still not comfortable in a car without a seatbelt.  In Korea, the law says that only the two people in the front seat must wear a seatbelt.  So normally, people in the backseat do not.  However, I still always put my seatbelt on just as a safety measure.  Not that I don’t trust the driver, it just makes me feel more comfortable.

I don’t smack my lips when I eat.  That’s acceptable in Korea.  But I can’t stand it.  I guess my parents have rubbed off on me.