A few things you may not know about Korea!

After making the decision to move to Korea, Ian and I were both a little nervous on how we would handle the culture shock.  Canada and Korea are very different in many ways, but we have been living in Korea for three months now, and I think we have adjusted pretty well. In the months leading up to our big move, we received a lot of information from our recruiter on what life in Korea would be like, but nothing can fully prepare you for such a change. So we wanted to include a blog entry that addressed a few things that you may not know about living in Korea.

·    You may not know that everyone here owns a smartphone. It doesn’t matter the time or location, everywhere you look people are using their phones to play games, read, email, play music, etc. Even some of my elementary students have cell phones and I sometimes hear “Gangnam Style” ringtones being played. 

·    You may not know that the size of an average smart phone is also bigger than an average Western style smart phone. I guess because people use their phones for everything, they want a larger screen size.

·    You may not know that Korea is such a connected country. I can pick up free wifi anywhere. There is also full reception in the subways. It is important to note that the subway system is a lot further underground than Toronto’s subway system.

·    You may not know that the subway system is amazing in Korea! You have to buy this “T-money card” and load money onto it. When you get on a bus or subway you just have to swipe your card and a base fee is deducted (80 cents for bus and 1 dollar for subway). You have to swipe your card as you leave and then you are charged depending on how far you went.

·    You may not know that Ian and I eat kimchi and rice everyday with our school lunch. Kimchi is the national dish of fermented and spiced cabbage, that Koreans take great pride in. My co teachers informed me that every household has at least one or two fridges devoted entirely to storing kimchi. We have also been told that Koreans don’t consider food a meal unless there is rice involved.

·   You may not know that the concept of tipping at restaurants or bars does not exist.

·    You may not know that Ian and I often eat out at restaurants for dinner because it is so cheap and our kitchen is so small. One of the first things we learned was that a waiter/waitress will not come to take your order unless you press a button on the table. Cutlery consists of chopsticks and a spoon, and they can always be found in a little box on or under the table.

·    You may not know that spam is considered gourmet food. We have seen spam given as a present…

·    You may not know there is a problem ordering coffee with milk. We both are big coffee drinkers, and like going to cafes to read our kindles. The only problem is when it comes to ordering coffee… It is always a struggle to order coffee with milk. I have attached a video link that I feel really helps to illustrate the scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4axUX_M670

·    You may not know that toilet paper is not always found in public bathrooms, but if it is you can find it near the door. You need to grab some toilet paper before you enter the stall.  Another note on bathrooms, many are squatting style. In our apartment, we have a Western toilet but we don’t have a shower room or bath tub. There is a nozzle attached to the wall and a drain on the floor.

·         You may not know that traffic lights are considered guidelines. Even at large intersections, cars simply slow down on reds, (hopefully) look both ways and continue. Consequently, there are a lot of car accidents. A few of our friends were in a taxi when it had a minor car accident, everyone was alright. Ian and I have also seen several accidents while walking around.

·         You may not know that schools don't necessarily have their heating turned on. To try and save money, at our schools the heating is not turned on in the hallways or in the bathrooms. At my school, there still isn’t any heating in my office or in some classrooms. I wear my jacket inside and have a big blanket for my desk. Ian is lucky that he shares his office with the vice principal and several other teachers, as they turned on the heating weeks ago. We turn the heating on in our apartment when it gets cold. You may not know that apartments are heated through the floors. 

·     You may not know that students work extremely hard in Korea. After regular school, all of our students attend hagwons (private schools).  There are different types of hagwons that specialize in specific areas, ranging from piano to math, science, and English hagwons. I was told that English hagwons are the most expensive and highly sought after.  Families pay a lot of money for their children to learn English. An average day for a Korean student can end around 10-11 pm, and even later for older students. On weekends, students also attend more schooling! During the holidays, the schools offer “English Camps” run by foreign teachers where students can keep learning English. They work so hard and are under a lot of pressure especially in high school when it comes time to write the standardized national test that determines their future.  

·     You may not know that there are designated vans to pick up students from school and drop them off at h(private schools). These yellow vans line the streets when the bell rings at my school.

·    You may not know that students clean the classrooms and offices at our school.

·     You may not know about “skinship.” Students are very close with same-sex friends. Boys are always holding hands and girls are always linked arms. It is very normal to see three boys riding one bicycle to school and then hitting and play fighting.

·     You may not know what a mouple is. A mouple is a matching couple, and you can spot them everywhere. They wear matching outfits head to toe. We have seen some great mouple outfits and they were our inspiration for Halloween.

This list can definitely keep going, but that’s it for now :)