| After only one month in South Korea as a
| |
| | cleanliness and this always seemed like a
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| Westerner , things already seemed a
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| | good idea. Some fast food restaurants
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| mismatch of the ingenuous and the
| |
| | such as in the Subway station in Kangnam,
|
| illogical. One minute you will be blown
| |
| | have automatic wet towelette dispensers
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| away and pleasantly surprised by
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| | so that you can wipe your hands before
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| something and then, an hour later you
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| | eating: This also seemed to be standard
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| will see or experience something which to
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| | in most Kalbi/Samkyaetang and other
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| a Western mind, is peculiar or plain odd.
| |
| | restaurants.
|
| It is probably true to say that as a
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| | Let us not be under any pretensions.
|
| Westerner, there is no reason to suggest
| |
| | Foreigners in Korea can also be a crazy
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| that the Western style of doing things or
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| | and weird bunch of people as well. I am
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| thinking is the correct way. The
| |
| | sure Koreans struggle to understand some
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| observations below are simply my
| |
| | of the things that foreigners do in
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| observations according to what I have
| |
| | Korea. I can also only begin to imagine
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| become used to in the Western world and
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| | what Koreans think when they travel to
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| from my travels.
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| | countries such as the U.S. or the UK and
|
| You walk into an apartment and the first
| |
| | see the strange things that Westerners
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| thing you have to do is take your shoes
| |
| | do. Seeing Western men for example,
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| off and after two years in Seoul, I still
| |
| | walking around topless with their beer
|
| have this habit wherever I live these
| |
| | bellies hanging out, the sun turning
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| days. Tramping around outside with your
| |
| | their skin bright red in the summer-time.
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| boots or shoes on and then spreading the
| |
| | Why would Western men and women place
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| dirt inside one's house surely is not a
| |
| | their skin directly in front of the sun
|
| hygienic way to live, like us Westerns
| |
| | for long periods of time and why do the
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| do. The Korean idea of no shoes indoors
| |
| | men sometimes walk around with no t-shirt
|
| definitely seems to make a lot of sense
| |
| | on? Something you would never see in
|
| to me. Once you get into an apartment,
| |
| | Seoul. Alternatively, why do Westerners
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| you are quite likely to then also be
| |
| | walk into their own homes with their
|
| pleasantly surprised by the delightful
| |
| | shoes on? Surely carrying the dirt and
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| way in which the heating works. Under
| |
| | waste from the bottom of your shoes and
|
| floor heating in Korean apartments seems
| |
| | distributing the dirt throughout the
|
| like a very sensible thing and I missed
| |
| | house is not wise.
|
| it a lot when I left Korea. Thirty
| |
| | I was also impressed quite early on, with
|
| minutes after putting the heating on, you
| |
| | the ingenuity of Korean people. One young
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| can usually turn it off and the room will
| |
| | student told me the story of her quest to
|
| stay warm for hours. Just like the
| |
| | learn English. She was lucky enough to be
|
| under-soil heating which some English
| |
| | able to travel to Virginia Beach, USA and
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| Premier League football clubs use for
| |
| | backpack around for a few months.
|
| their football pitches, the heating
| |
| | Travelling alone, aged 23 and not really
|
| involves hot water pipes under the floor
| |
| | knowing anyone, she started attending the
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| soil, which have hot water pumped through
| |
| | local church on Sundays despite having no
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| them and the heat created rises. In
| |
| | real interest in religion. Knowing that
|
| England, central heating with vertical
| |
| | people in church are usually quite
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| units against one wall now seems so
| |
| | friendly and open to conversation, she
|
| impractical. Heat rises. Surely the
| |
| | used this opportunity to get free English
|
| Korean style floor heating is a better
| |
| | conversation. Morally it may or may not
|
| idea.
| |
| | be right, but it is a creative idea.
|
| The best ideas in Korea are sometimes the
| |
| | Another one of my Korean students told me
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| simplest. A trip to McDonald's and you
| |
| | of how whilst travelling the U.S., she
|
| will notice the difference from a Western
| |
| | naturally said that she was Korean when
|
| McDonald's. If you want take-away food,
| |
| | the subject of nationality came up. But,
|
| the staff (server) will tape the top
| |
| | if she accidentally upset someone or got
|
| cover of the drink to secure it. It is
| |
| | into an embarrassing situation due to her
|
| very simple but effective. In the
| |
| | lack of understanding of Western culture,
|
| convenience stores in Korea (often a
| |
| | she would say she was Japanese.
|
| 'Seven Eleven' store as in the United
| |
| | I found Koreans to be very open from the
|
| States), unlike in the USA and many other
| |
| | very start. Some Koreans told me you
|
| countries, there is a hot water tap and a
| |
| | should not talk about certain things i.e.
|
| counter-top in the middle of the store
| |
| | politics, but it was my own personal
|
| for people who wish to eat the noodles
| |
| | experience from the start that students
|
| there and then. You can buy a plastic
| |
| | often enjoyed and wanted as much as
|
| container of noodles and you can eat it
| |
| | possible, to know the views from a
|
| there - Plastic fork and spoon also
| |
| | Western perspective. The same students
|
| provided - What a great idea. You can
| |
| | were also often more than willing to
|
| even get hot coffee in a can; the coffee
| |
| | share their own thoughts, thoughts that
|
| kept hot in a small oven type display.
| |
| | were always interesting and often
|
| The coffee does not taste very much like
| |
| | different to my own. Once people get to
|
| coffee but it is a good idea. Why these
| |
| | know you they are keen to know your
|
| simple ideas are not available in Europe
| |
| | opinion on almost anything, including
|
| is baffling. I noticed that Koreans
| |
| | taboo topics such as sex, politics and
|
| also hold their burgers with their
| |
| | religion.
|
| wrappers, seemingly as a matter of
| |
| |
|
