Since coming to Korea, I have experienced many strange and different customs from my own. As I've said before, many foreigners get frustrated living in Korea and dealing with the cultural differences. Some people look at American or western culture as right and other cultures as wrong, but I think that that attitude is the only thing thats wrong. With culture there is no right and wrong, it just depends on your perspective. Having this mindset has helped me to better understand Korean people and it has saved me from stressing out about things I cannot control.
Though I know that Korean culture is not any better or worse from my own, I have certainly come to see how different it is. There are things about Korea that I think are great and there are things that to me are out right bizarre. Now that I've been here for over 3 months, I wanted to do a Top 10 blog about Korean culture. Once again, this is not a judgement on the culture, it's just a fun way of pointing out the differences I've seen.
Top 10 Strangest Customs & Beliefs
10. You should not go to a restaurant by yourself...ever.
9. Pregnant woman should not eat red beans. No explaination provided.
8. You cannot wear gloves until December 1st.
7. You should eat soup in the summer because it will make your body feel hot and the air feel cooler...eat soup in the winter because it will make your body feel hot and the air around feel warmer...??!
6. Drinking water during a meal slows digestion...hence, I'm always thirsty at meals.
5. You can only eat ice cream during summertime. :(
4. Rice for breakfast, rice for lunch, rice for dinner.
3. You cannot go to the beach after August 15...even though its hot through October! (seriously, no one goes!)
2. A dog can be your pet...or your dinner. :(
and the strangest belief I've encountered thus far in Korea...
1. Fan Death! This one is my favorite...Korean's believe that you can die if you have a fan on in a room with all the doors and windows closed. You can actually list it as the cause of death on the death certificate.
Top 10 Best Things About Korea
10. Koreans love fashion. They have great style and cheap clothes!
9. No urban sprawl. Koreans build up not out, so even though its a tiny country, there is so much natural beauty.
8. Chivalry is alive and well...need to find myself a Korean boy ;)
7. Heated floors! Koreans have used this efficient system for centuries and it really works...ever wonder why Asians sleep on the floor?
6. Koreans are so active. Their favorite activity is hiking and they are always on the move, hence one of the lowest obesity rates in the world.
5. Tokens of appreciation. Koreans always give random small tokens of appreciation to their friends, usually a bag of fruit or a pair of socks. It's great!
4. Hangul is easy! Hangul is the korean writing system. It was invented by a king who wanted a writing system for the commoner. There are only 24 characters so its easy to learn to read.
3. Konglish...Korean and English mixed together- its great for foreigners because there are so many words. ex: com-pu-ta, re-mon, chang-ee, hand-pone, note-a-book, lunch-ee, tak-shi...and on and on.
2. Norebang! This means singing room aka Karaoke. It's pretty much the national pasttime.
and the best thing about Korea...
1. Korean Food! It is delicious and so healthy (blog on food coming soon)!
Though I know that Korean culture is not any better or worse from my own, I have certainly come to see how different it is. There are things about Korea that I think are great and there are things that to me are out right bizarre. Now that I've been here for over 3 months, I wanted to do a Top 10 blog about Korean culture. Once again, this is not a judgement on the culture, it's just a fun way of pointing out the differences I've seen.
Top 10 Strangest Customs & Beliefs
10. You should not go to a restaurant by yourself...ever.
9. Pregnant woman should not eat red beans. No explaination provided.
8. You cannot wear gloves until December 1st.
7. You should eat soup in the summer because it will make your body feel hot and the air feel cooler...eat soup in the winter because it will make your body feel hot and the air around feel warmer...??!
6. Drinking water during a meal slows digestion...hence, I'm always thirsty at meals.
5. You can only eat ice cream during summertime. :(
4. Rice for breakfast, rice for lunch, rice for dinner.
3. You cannot go to the beach after August 15...even though its hot through October! (seriously, no one goes!)
2. A dog can be your pet...or your dinner. :(
and the strangest belief I've encountered thus far in Korea...
1. Fan Death! This one is my favorite...Korean's believe that you can die if you have a fan on in a room with all the doors and windows closed. You can actually list it as the cause of death on the death certificate.
Top 10 Best Things About Korea
10. Koreans love fashion. They have great style and cheap clothes!
9. No urban sprawl. Koreans build up not out, so even though its a tiny country, there is so much natural beauty.
8. Chivalry is alive and well...need to find myself a Korean boy ;)
7. Heated floors! Koreans have used this efficient system for centuries and it really works...ever wonder why Asians sleep on the floor?
6. Koreans are so active. Their favorite activity is hiking and they are always on the move, hence one of the lowest obesity rates in the world.
5. Tokens of appreciation. Koreans always give random small tokens of appreciation to their friends, usually a bag of fruit or a pair of socks. It's great!
4. Hangul is easy! Hangul is the korean writing system. It was invented by a king who wanted a writing system for the commoner. There are only 24 characters so its easy to learn to read.
3. Konglish...Korean and English mixed together- its great for foreigners because there are so many words. ex: com-pu-ta, re-mon, chang-ee, hand-pone, note-a-book, lunch-ee, tak-shi...and on and on.
2. Norebang! This means singing room aka Karaoke. It's pretty much the national pasttime.
and the best thing about Korea...
1. Korean Food! It is delicious and so healthy (blog on food coming soon)!
Goofing around with my favorite 5th graders
Korean friends, and Gretchen on the right!
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