Korean couple culture

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now and as tomorrow marks the day of luuuuurv  I thought it would fit  in rather well with this topic. 

So I have almost been here a year and if there is one thing I have learnt it's that Korea is really great at making you feel worthless if you are single. As if I don't already feel the pressure at age 26 I have a whole society that is telling me that you are doomed if you are single. For anyone who hates the mushy , cute and  couple name type of love I suggest you stop reading now . For those of you that what some insight into this totally bizarre concept of couple culture   , keep reading.

Where does one begin when trying to explain and illustrate the extent of  this bizarre concept of couple culture in Korea. In South Africa  the  cutest or most romantic  thing between a couple is probably  buying a pet together but such an act  In Korea would not  suffice nor is it a big  enough gesture expressing ones love and commitment . In  Korea it is of the up most importance that EVERYTHING  you own says that you are a   a couple .Let me start with the basics .

 Couple Clothes and shoes

The clothing industry in Korea really must make a small fortune with all the couples.  As I mentioned it is important that the world knows you are a couple and what better way to do that than to brand your lover . It is a bit like having a pet I suppose. Name tag and all except you are branding your lover in matching attire .
The biggest trend with couples is matching takkies ( shoes) and hoodys ( tops).From matching pink lumo shoes to t shirts with giant bunnies and flowers , yip Korean men will wear that shiz for their flower face girlfriends. Could you just imagine a South African dude  walking down the road with his girlfriend sporting  matching pink lumo takkies and t shirts with cute cartoons on it .... hells noooo  ,  but Korean guys , they do it just fine and pull it off really well. But it doesn't end there! Don't forget bed time. It is also very important that you have matching pajamas. Just in case someone of the opposite sex accidentally comes into your room  and thinks that your boyfriend or girlfriend is single they will immediately realise   from the cutesie matching onsies and pajamas that you are very much taken. Now let's get right down to basics , like underwear basics ...... I kid you not. In my small shopping district male and female mannequin  dolls are sporting matching kelvin Klein leopard  printed underwear. Tarzan and jane...... grrrr. I have yet to witness an actual couple sporting such attire and it is unlikely that I ever will witness such a sight , I hope to God  That I don't,  but judging from how many underwear shops offer this matching under wear deal I'm going to assume that is is a very popular trend amongst the couples.

 Social media couples apps

Just in case your relationship status on facebook  and all the selfie  couple pictures on kakao story don't illustrate it enough that you are a couple  , never fear because their is now  an app just for couples." Between" is the hottest new thing for couples who wish to add just another social platform to their ever increasing list. The beauty of this is that it is private and only between the couples. Slightly awkward however if your  partner has a few in between stories with others  as well . The affair rate in Korea is pretty high. That aside it is a pretty cutie idea for all the love sick puppies out there.


Couple Holidays 

 Koreans love any excuse to be romantic and cutesie and what better way to do that than to hijack a few holidays and turn them into couple holidays. The term " single" in Korea is not a word used very often , instead they have coined their own word for someone who is lover less ." Solo" The first time I heard this I had a pretty good laugh but now I find myself using it as well . " Are you going solo"  or " are you solo "are  probably the most common questions that you will be asked by the opposite sex in Korea.

 Christmas 

A time to reflect on the birth of Christ and celebrate with family. This  is how I have celebrated my Christmas for the past 25 years.  However , Koreans believe that this is a time for lovers and elaborate romantic gestures. It was hard enough being away from my family  at Christmas last year but the fact that Korea has turned this religious family  celebration into a romantic over the top holiday really did not help the situation. " are you excited for Christmas " is what I asked my students . " No la teacher me solo , me so sad" Sadly,  this is what   Korean society is telling my poor students. If you are alone at Christmas you going to have a shitty day .Trying to get them to understand that Christmas is not about having a boyfriend was like talking to a brick wall. 

Valentines day

Chocolate hearts , heart shaped cakes , romantic adverts on TV  and even Valentines day K pop chart music , yip Korea goes all out for V day and one can always rely on Paris Baguette and Baskin Robins to create elaborate and  ridiculous cakes and ice cream to celebrate this day.In Korea Valentines day is celebrated by the women giving gifts to the men . Total role reversal but don't worry  because one month later the girls are showered with flowers and love by their men on a day known as White Day .

White Day

Celebrated on the 14 March , this is a day where the men have to shower their girls with gifts, but not just any gifts , expensive over the top priced gifts. Western boys if you want to date a Korean girl it's gonna cost you dudes, these girls know what they want and are not afraid to ask for it either.

Couple coupons and discounts

It really has occurred to me that being a couple in Korea is far more economical than being single. The amount of times I have attempted to latch myself onto a random Korean purely for the sake of getting a discounted ticket  at a cinema or  a free ice cream from  Baskin Robins is endless. In Korea being a student or pensioner won't get you too many discounts but being a couple will certainly help you save some won.  Couple cell phone contracts, couple discounts at theme parks and food stores the list is endless. Perhaps this is why being a couple is so important in Korea , it really is convenient and will save you some financial stress.

All jokes aside  as depressing as it is living in a country where your life goal should be finding  a partner , I must admit that I find this couple culture thing truly adorable . I'm a sucker for romance and anything cutie and If I had the chance I would totes walk around in matching leopard printed underwear , stupid matching t shirts and go to bed in matching animal onesies.

I have no doubt that the streets  tomorrow will be filled with couples in matching outfits , holding hands  ,feeding each other cake and taking far too many cutie selfie pictures covered in hearts . I ,for the first time in many years will actually be taking part in some form of valentines day celebration . Although I won't be in matching couple attire or taking couple selfies , I am looking forward to a dinner , wine and hopefully good conversation.

 So here is to  Korea for being the most nauseatingly cutest country in the world !

The never ending snowfall

Welcomed by a winter wonderland 

After an incredible two week winter vacation in Vietnam and Cambodia  I arrived back on Korean soil and was welcomed by a white winter wonderland. I felt like I had experienced two seasons in  1 day as winter is Vietnam is anything but cold with temperatures averaging from 25 degrees - 30 degrees on most days. However 
Korean winters are anything but warm. As I arrived back in my beautiful city I was overwhelmed by the snowy magical sight. Roads covered in endless snow , lakes and rivers covered in  a thick icy sheet  and trees  dusted with snow . As  I stood at the KTX station taking in this beautiful sight I didn't really consider the implications of this beautiful winter wonderland. It had been an incredibly long day of traveling and I just wanted to get home. I waited a few minutes for the bus that I usually take from the train station only to be informed by some locals that in fact the buses were not running due to the severe snowfall .... great. 11 pm at night and i'm stuck at the station with my giant suitcase in the snow. I was left with no choice but to take a taxi. As we started driving towards the city centre I realised just how severe this snowfall was. Cars buried under mountains of snow , roads blocked up by snow , people shoveling snow out of their drive ways  and  people walking everywhere. The roads were so severe due to the snow that the usual 20 minute ride to my house took one 1 hour . I think an obese child   could probably  move faster than the taxi.I arrived at my road only to discover that it was buried under large amounts of snow. The taxi man refused to drive down my road so I was forced to lug my suitcase through the snow to my apartment which  proved to be a challenge in itself as the entrance to the apartment was pretty blocked up by snow as well. 20 000 won and 1 hour later I was back in my warm little abode .



Snow at school
The next morning the snowfall  was even more severe  and there were no taxis or buses in sight. I had no choice but to walk. As I made my way to school  the snowy white sight was beyond spectacular . The icy cold chill that  I  had suddenly disappeared as I focused on the beautiful surroundings  and magical sight   Little children with giant umbrellas walking in the snow , the sunlight falling onto the snowy ground  , green trees dusted with snow  and the snow falling down on my face. I couldn't help but think of the song " walking in a winter wonderland"
But the most spectacular part of my walk was undoubtedly arriving at school. My school is already a very beautiful school set against the backdrop of the mountains . So try imagine the sight that I was welcomed by when I arrived to find my school covered in snow.  The long steep avenue now covered in a blanket of white , the trees on each side of the avenue looked like vanilla ice creams and hundreds of girls with their colourful umbrellas.
Our lovely lush green field had been transformed into one giant bed of snow. My inner child took over and I dived into the snow and attempted to make a snow angel... I'm pretty sure that  the entire school saw 'La teacher" acting like a complete nutter  in the snow. Lunch time was spent making snowmen , having snow ball fights and making snow angels with my students . It was the best first day back ever !

We are all very surprised with the large and unexpected amount of snowfall as this is very unsual for Gyeongju city. Although the snowfall is causing many challenges for most people such as getting to work , transporting things and  getting into their houses , as a South African who rarely gets to experience such magic I am truly loving it. Many schools close during the heavy snowfall . They call it " snow day". My school  however , being as academic as it is does not believe in snow days but that is fine by me because I get to spend my  last days at this amazing school with my students making snow angels and snowmen.