What I'll miss
Kimchi & Seaweed: I could go on and on for an entire blog about Korean food. Kimchi is the
uniquely Korean pickled cabbage. It comes in so many different flavors,
textures and sizes that there's an entire museum devoted to it. It also has
it's own festival. Dried seaweed's popularity has given it pretty much it's own
section in the grocery store, and over my year I slowly taste-tested my way
through these delicious snacks. They were my healthy chip replacement, and had
the slight salty goodness to make it seem like a treat.
Community Dinners: eating out in Korea is a community event. At Korean bbq or one of the
many meat buffets, the only real food chosen for the table is the meat and how
many portions. Beef or pork are most common, spicy or not, and then immediately
the table is flooded with a sides combo of dried seaweed, soups, kimchi,
garlic, peppers, egg, beans, and lettuce leaves for the wraps. Your group often
cooks it themselves at the table and shares it all :) Sides unlimited! Soju and
beer cheap and optional (but really yes).
Jimjabong: a couple hours in a Korean spa treats you to a relaxing naked lounge in
the many cool and hot baths with your fellow ladies. If you're into some close
bonding you can take turns with your friends scrubbing each other's dead skin
cells off 'till you're shiny and red. Then it's into moisturizers and
hairdryers, comfy PJ-type track suits, and the unisex floor. Here you can go
through bamboo rooms, Turkish rooms, Dream rooms, and others of all different
scents and temperatures. There's a TV room, computer room, and healthy snack
bars to renew your energy. All this for about 6-10$. A MUST-BRING TO CANADA!
Beauty abounds: the Korean emphasis on beauty and beauty products is both mesmerizing and
scary. So many funky products from nail stick-on designs to LED earrings, hair
masks to snail mucus masks, and hundreds of adorably designed socks! It's hard
to decide what to try first. Buuut this leads to an unhealthy emphasis on
beauty and appearance that makes high schoolers #1 graduation gift plastic
surgery :(
'24 hour': I can barely ever remember walking more than 10 minutes any direction to
find a 24 hour convenience store. This
is great for water, snacks, alcoholic drinks, or any hygeine products in an
emergency. 24 hour restaurants, noraebongs, coffee shops, study rooms, DVD
rooms, and many more make for a lively nightlife culture.
Quick & easy transportation: For about $6.00 in Korea I can get a taxi to the different downtowns and
friends houses (pretty cheap), or even a bus up to the great city of Seoul!
Noraebong: finishing a solid night out at bars by belting out some karaoke and
dancing in your own private room is both embarrassing and a blast.
Baseball games: Korean patriotism is witnessed frequently in the forms of marches,
protests, and community events. But my favorite is a baseball game. The skill
level may be low compared to North American, but it's made up for in
enthusiasm. The stadium is full of Koreans in their teams colors and shirts,
screaming and singing, dancing and chanting to the many cheers they all seem to
know by heart. There's a man whose sole job is to stand on a stage with his
beautiful Korean baseball ladies and dance and pump up the crowd!
Soju: available 24hrs in convenience stores, which means pretty much a 10 minute
walk from anywhere, makes this liquor dangerous enough. Add in that the price
for a full bottle (enough for a gooood buzz)
is about $2.00 and we've got a winner. It mixes well with anything from
beer to coffee to orange juice, so people rarely get tired of it's endless
combo's.
Couple Culture: pro or con is up to the person, but all the Koreans I know are barely
single for long. Dating in Korea means couple shirts, couple hats, couple
rings, couple sunglasses...hilarious and took some getting used to.
Affection among friends: from young to old, Koreans sure do like to show their affection for their
friends. Girls as well as older ladies are often seen holding hands or linking
arms while they walk, and conversations involve lots of smiling and touching.
Boys can be seen linking arms, sitting on each others laps, and touching a lot
as teasing as well. I've got to say seeing the old men after a few soju's stumbling down the streets arm in arm,
laughing together, is something else. Personal favorite was 3 couples all
holding hands, and waltzing down the center of the road together.
What I'll be happily saying au revoir to
Trash: in an effort to lesson waste a couple years ago, the government decided
what better way to get rid of garbage than to get rid of the garbage cans! Then
garbage will follow suit right? That or trash will grossly build up in piles on
every street corner. It's the latter.
Lack of decent coffee: Korean coffee and dessert shops have popped up like crazy, and are very
popular. But it's difficult to find a good cup of strong coffee, even more so
at a low price. Tim Hortons, my heart still lies with you.
Sweet, sweet, sweet: salty is not a real flavor in Korea. It is, but sweet just takes over.
Much to expat chagrin, pizza usually comes in the form of sweet dough with corn
sprinkled on top.
Empty Gyms: gyms exist in Korea, but very few are equipped with classes and good,
clean equipment. They're nearly empty, and the only people I know that go to
gyms are expats.
Bathroom/ Shower combo: unfortunately, there is no distinction between bathroom and shower. The
shower head just sprays right into the center of your bathroom. With no floor
decline, it means a wet bathroom floor for a solid 30 minutes afterward.
Overworked kids: these Korean kids are seriously exhausted by the time they come to English
school. Most go to normal school, then follow with English school, piano or
violin school, tae kwon doe school, and then a combo of math and Korean tutors
as well! They get home to do homework for all those classes, sleep late at night, and do
it all over again.
Korea: it's been a whirlwind romance of fun and excitement, lying private
schools, and hard working days... but it was a grand adventure I'll always look
back on fondly. So many unforgettable people. Sarang hae (<3)
