I'm not one of those people who willingly comes out to Korea and then spends all their free time moaning about it. In fact, I'd go as far to say that I LOVE this country. As a short-term soujorn, it ticks my boxes. Could I live here permanently? Hmmm... Next question.
That said, however, there are more than a few things that endlessly confuse me about this place. I wanted to jot a few of these conundrums down. More for my own ends than anyone else's, but if you can empathise with something and/or get a laugh from it, then it's another good reason for me to write it down.
There is no particular order for these. I just write them as they come into my head, so don't read anything into their sequence...
1. Popping in and out of convenience stores for beer, bottles of water, and the odd packet of dried squid, you quickly become aware of the hundred or so differently labelled little glass bottles in the fridge at the back of the shop. Peering closer, you see promises of 'Well-Being', 'Stamina & Vitamin D', and my personal favourite 'Confidence'. Korea is a health-addicted nation with every drinks company making their own little fortune with their own brand of 'health drink'. They are absolutely everywhere and everyone drinks them. What's in them? Who cares. They're obviously good for you, right? And this brings me on to another drink which is also absolutely everywhere and equally enjoyed by everyone (well, apart from young kids. I hope...) Soju. And this is certainly not good for you. Although traditionally made from rice, wheat, potato, or even sweet potato, Soju is now made from labratory grade ethanol mixed with water and flavourings. It's strength varies from 20% to 45%, but this really doesn't matter. The end effect is exactly the same. A hangover that would give George Best nightmares. And yet you will find the green bottles of this rocket-fuel right beside the 'health' drinks in the fridge at the back of the shop. And how much does the pain cost? About 2,000 won. $2. £1. Cheaper by volume than Stamina, Vitamin D or Confidence.
2. At 99%, Korea has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. They have a lot of pride in their education system, and they are at the cutting edge of electronics, stem cell research and car manufacturing. The majority of students study for the majority of the day. These people ain't dumb. And yet, a shocking number of Koreans believe that if they fall asleep in the same room as their electric fan, it will kill them. I shit you not. It's a recognised phenomenon known simply as 'Fan Death'. Type it into answers.com if you think I'm pissing in your pocket. Not only is it supported by a large proportion of the intelligent populace, but the Korean health authorities also regard it as fact. Brilliant. So drinking chemical alcohol won't kill you Mr. Kim, but your fan certainly will. Keep an eye on your TV too. It's making eyes at your wife...
3. Walking round the city, you can't fail to notice the sheer volume of underwear shops. Shops that sell nothing apart from underwear. Now, some of these are catering for the 'Couple-Wear' market (more on that later), but a lot are just offering a selection of sexy lingerie for the ladies. Nothing wrong with that so far. In fact, for a foreigner bloke in his first week living in Korea it leads you to believe that this could be a very enjoyable year. You think that Korean ladies must be a confident bunch, not the types to be afraid of their sexuality. And then you go to the beach. On the hottest day of the year. Finding a chick in a bikini is like finding a teenager with a Kenny G track on their MP3. Nearly impossible.
4. Couple-Wear. What is it all about? Now, I will admit here and now that I have engaged in a bit of this. What can I say, I'm gay for relationships, and it seemed like a bit of harmless fun. But nothing I wore was obvious or instantly visible. Couples walking around town wearing identical t-shirts, hoodies, coats, shoes, bags, glasses, hats, jeans... I've seen it all. Is the fact that you're holding hands and blatantly in a relationship not enough? And what happens if you wear all the gear and your boyfriend rocks up having forgotten everything? Or if you meet each other by accident and you're wearing an item or several items of the aforementioned matching clothing? Is it awkward? Will it cause more arguments than it fixes? Now, I totally understand and to a certain extent respect the idea behind this. You think you're in love and you want the whole of Daegu to know. But sometimes it's just a little too much. And if you break up, you're never going to wear this stuff again. You'll just start from scratch with your new bit of scruff. Now where is the sense in that? Wait, this is Korea. If it made sense you wouldn't be here.
I have a few more of these puzzles in my mind, but if I write too many then I'll give some people the idea that I don't like this country, but I do. And ironically, these are some of the reasons why. Because I don't always understand it and it continually challenges me with new and increasingly confusing scenarios. If you knew what was going to happen every day would you bother getting out of bed in the morning? I wouldn't.
That said, however, there are more than a few things that endlessly confuse me about this place. I wanted to jot a few of these conundrums down. More for my own ends than anyone else's, but if you can empathise with something and/or get a laugh from it, then it's another good reason for me to write it down.
There is no particular order for these. I just write them as they come into my head, so don't read anything into their sequence...
1. Popping in and out of convenience stores for beer, bottles of water, and the odd packet of dried squid, you quickly become aware of the hundred or so differently labelled little glass bottles in the fridge at the back of the shop. Peering closer, you see promises of 'Well-Being', 'Stamina & Vitamin D', and my personal favourite 'Confidence'. Korea is a health-addicted nation with every drinks company making their own little fortune with their own brand of 'health drink'. They are absolutely everywhere and everyone drinks them. What's in them? Who cares. They're obviously good for you, right? And this brings me on to another drink which is also absolutely everywhere and equally enjoyed by everyone (well, apart from young kids. I hope...) Soju. And this is certainly not good for you. Although traditionally made from rice, wheat, potato, or even sweet potato, Soju is now made from labratory grade ethanol mixed with water and flavourings. It's strength varies from 20% to 45%, but this really doesn't matter. The end effect is exactly the same. A hangover that would give George Best nightmares. And yet you will find the green bottles of this rocket-fuel right beside the 'health' drinks in the fridge at the back of the shop. And how much does the pain cost? About 2,000 won. $2. £1. Cheaper by volume than Stamina, Vitamin D or Confidence.
2. At 99%, Korea has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. They have a lot of pride in their education system, and they are at the cutting edge of electronics, stem cell research and car manufacturing. The majority of students study for the majority of the day. These people ain't dumb. And yet, a shocking number of Koreans believe that if they fall asleep in the same room as their electric fan, it will kill them. I shit you not. It's a recognised phenomenon known simply as 'Fan Death'. Type it into answers.com if you think I'm pissing in your pocket. Not only is it supported by a large proportion of the intelligent populace, but the Korean health authorities also regard it as fact. Brilliant. So drinking chemical alcohol won't kill you Mr. Kim, but your fan certainly will. Keep an eye on your TV too. It's making eyes at your wife...
3. Walking round the city, you can't fail to notice the sheer volume of underwear shops. Shops that sell nothing apart from underwear. Now, some of these are catering for the 'Couple-Wear' market (more on that later), but a lot are just offering a selection of sexy lingerie for the ladies. Nothing wrong with that so far. In fact, for a foreigner bloke in his first week living in Korea it leads you to believe that this could be a very enjoyable year. You think that Korean ladies must be a confident bunch, not the types to be afraid of their sexuality. And then you go to the beach. On the hottest day of the year. Finding a chick in a bikini is like finding a teenager with a Kenny G track on their MP3. Nearly impossible.
4. Couple-Wear. What is it all about? Now, I will admit here and now that I have engaged in a bit of this. What can I say, I'm gay for relationships, and it seemed like a bit of harmless fun. But nothing I wore was obvious or instantly visible. Couples walking around town wearing identical t-shirts, hoodies, coats, shoes, bags, glasses, hats, jeans... I've seen it all. Is the fact that you're holding hands and blatantly in a relationship not enough? And what happens if you wear all the gear and your boyfriend rocks up having forgotten everything? Or if you meet each other by accident and you're wearing an item or several items of the aforementioned matching clothing? Is it awkward? Will it cause more arguments than it fixes? Now, I totally understand and to a certain extent respect the idea behind this. You think you're in love and you want the whole of Daegu to know. But sometimes it's just a little too much. And if you break up, you're never going to wear this stuff again. You'll just start from scratch with your new bit of scruff. Now where is the sense in that? Wait, this is Korea. If it made sense you wouldn't be here.
I have a few more of these puzzles in my mind, but if I write too many then I'll give some people the idea that I don't like this country, but I do. And ironically, these are some of the reasons why. Because I don't always understand it and it continually challenges me with new and increasingly confusing scenarios. If you knew what was going to happen every day would you bother getting out of bed in the morning? I wouldn't.
Love it. Korea in a nutshell.
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