Lessons Learnt from the First Month & Halloween in Korea

I will start this off by saying that sadly, Halloween is not a celebrated holiday in Korea. Little brown snack stick day is highly recognized by the various stores here, but rarely can you find the little Halloween accessories you need to create a costume, let alone an actual costume anywhere. I managed to put together a Zombie Ballerina costume after much thought and investigation (*cough, interrogation) at the malls and of Koreans on the street. My English school decided this year we would have our first Halloween party though! So director Steve not only spend a great deal of time and effort decorating the whole school, buying loads of candy for the kids, and creating a spooky haunted house in one room, but he dressed up in some dress with makeup, green hair, giant ball boobs and lots of lipstick. The kids loved it. He led us all in a costume parade around the neighbourhood, where to the kids delight, parents stood at each corner to load up the kids bags with trick or treat candy. The kindergardeners were horribly traumatized by the dark, spooky haunted house they were thrown into by the teachers - crying, screaming, turning over desks in their haste to escape; but in the end they have now experienced Halloween.

My friends and I went out that night to a great Halloween party, then worked all Saturday with parents and their kindergardeners for Sandwich Day. Although weekend working is the worst, the kindergarden director then invited a bunch of us out for a fancy sushi dinner because our director told her we liked sushi. Although we had plans to bus to Seoul (hostel already booked), saying no would have been beyond rude. So that is how I had my most fantastic sushi, sashimi, blowfish, jellyfish, tempura, multiple soups and side dishes dinner that stuffed me to the brim! After the long meal, we finally made out way to Seoul - face decorating myself in the dark on the bus to save time. Unfortunately, we missed out check in time for the hostel by the time we made it there at after 11. But what did the Korean employee I talked to arrange? He apologized and took us around the corner to their sister hostel, giving us the large apartment family area downstairs. 100,000 won a night (100$), but he slid me 60,000 and told us we just had to pay the 40,000 the original hostel was supposed to cost the three of us in total!

The bars highly populated by foreigners, which for us is Dolce and Banana Bar in Cheonan, both decorate and celebrate with a costume party, but only because we celebrate the holiday. Seoul on the other hand was full of costumes in the downtown! Hongik University Park is an area downtown that is always packed to the brim with foreigners and Koreans alike, all extremely friendly and socializing to just make friends and have a good time. Never once have I seen a fight or real argument break out, there or anywhere else in Korea for that matter. We're happy to just drink some cheap soju and save money at the bars.

Tidbits of Learning
Swastika's: not the hail Hitler kind. I was taken aback when I hiked to the giant Buddha and Gakswona temple to find the large swastika on the outer wall. I learnt that the symbol is actually pointed backwards, and that in Buddhism, the symbol means peace.

Eating dog: it's actually quite rare to find a restaurant that serves dog in Cheonan, and I've never seen it. But I learnt something gruesomely interesting about the way it's prepared. Traditional Koreans believe that dog meat tastes better when the blood is full of adrenaline, so some shiktang's (restaurants) hang the dog and beat it to death before quickly cooking and serving the meat as a form of delicacy. Enough to make you go vegetarian??

Garbage: why are there no garbage bins in Korean streets? Where does it all go? Something my foreigner friends and I have consistently wondered about. Mini piles seem to build up outside convenience stores, but other than that there's not a whole lot of garbage, yet no public cans to put it or recycling in. A mysetery...

Drinking in Korea: always something new I learn on this subject. One thing I've really noticed is the common number of drunk Korean adults passing out on streets and around subways in the city. They just lie there laughing or passed out. In North America that may be worrisome for passerby's, and they'll likely get thrown in the drunk tank. Not so much here, because heavy drinking is part of the culture. It turns out, a common question in job interviews is whether you drink or not. According to a teacher I talked to, she wouldn't hire someone if they didn't drink because it means they can't let loose. In addition, work conflicts and business deals are usually settled over supper and drinks. It's a common form of conflict resolution!

The Homeless: in any North American big city I'd say it's impossible to walk down the main roads and not be saddened by the homeless and beggars you see on the streets, trying to put together a bit of money. But one thing I've noticed in Korea is their absence. I have seen one homeless person in downtown Seoul, sleeping outside a subway station and that's it. No others, and none in Cheonan (my city) as of yet. I'm not sure why but it's definitely something to ponder.