For those of you who are thinking this post is about
narcotics and sexual endeavours I’m afraid you are reading the wrong
blog .Although the title suggests such indulgences , this
post will be far more fascinating especially for those who have yet to
leave the western shores. In the short two months that I have been here I have
come across some weird and wonderful Korean customs . Despite all the
research that I did before embarking on this new adventure , google failed
to mention some vital points and as a result I have found myself in numerous
uncomfortable situations.
"Spit and don't
swallow rule"
In western societies we
have been taught that when one needs to cough or get rid of an irritation in
one's mouth we simply take out a tissue , subtly cough up what we need to
and politely throw it away in a bin or alternatively swallow if a tissue is not
in reach. It seems that Korea never received memo about
this one. Instead you will find yourself in a situation where you
may be enjoying a lovely delicious Paris Baguette pastry on the
streets of Korea , only to have your experienced ruined
by a pig like snorting sound , then a sound
that resembles a thunderstorm . What is the result of all this noise you
may be asking? A lovely fresh warm pool of saliva which usually ends up within
a 1 meter radius of where you were walking or even worse on your
shoes. Personal space is not a concept that is widely understood here in Korea.
I finally understand
this concept of " inside shoes " and” outside shoes ". I
would have a house infested with Korean saliva if I were to wear my
outside shoes inside.
God forbid you put your
bag down on the street , you will either need to toss that out
and invest in a new one or soak your bag in detol or any other
detergent you can get your hands on.
So yes snorting and
spitting your bodily fluids on the streets is totally acceptable. However
, blowing your nose in public or not brushing your teeth after
lunch , these my friends are crimes you don’t want to be caught doing.
Brush ,
brush brush
I’ve always viewed
myself as someone who looks after my pearly whites. Brush after breakfast ,
brush after dinner is the standard general procedure for most people , although
I do know a few people who find it too difficult to commit to this twice a day.
For those of you who fall under that category, perhaps you should move to
Korea. They will very quickly help you change your poor teeth brushing habits.
Toothbrushes stuck onto the classroom wall. Toothpaste on the edge of the sink
in the staff room. I kid you not. 12 :50 comes and you stand no chance getting
into the bathroom as you have a couple of hundred students frantically brushing
their pearly whites. You stand no chance of getting a cup of tea in the staff
room either because the sink and the general kitchen area are being dominated
by tooth brushes and toothpaste. It really is quite a bizarre sight.
" Sniff ,
dribble but don't blow"
Coming from a Western
society blowing your nose in public is regarded as a totally
socially acceptable thing to do as long as the nose blowing doesn’t
lead to you shoving your finger up your nose. Here in Korea however I
do not encourage anyone to pull the same move. I made the idiotic
mistake of attempting to blow my nose on the train .From Korean death stares to
people actually moving a seat away from me , I have never felt so belittled in
my life. Moral of the story sniff , get off the train or let your snot
dribble down your nose.
For all the weirdness
and wackiness that Korea has to offer I really do love this place
and embrace their cray cray culture. Life is never dull here and I hope
it never gets to a level where I am too comfortable .
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