Korean Customs

It has been a bright and early adventure so far.  When I say early, I mean ass crack of dawn early- 6am, 3:30am, 4:30am.  My clock is thrown off to say the least.  I left nearly 5 days ago from Baltimore and have quickly been thrown into the mix of things here in Korea.  Getting here was a breeze.  Flight numero uno was quite uneventful and spacious.  The hardest part was keeping myself awake to be able to adapt to the 13 hour time difference, but with a few sudoku puzzles and Stieg Larsson's second book of his Lisbeth Salander thrilling trilogy, it was quite simple.  In the airports I ran into a gamut of personalities- an old man on his way to his granddaughter’s wedding, a nurse who told a stimulating story of  saving a child’s life and getting 1^st degree burns in the process, and a guy who should definitely try out for next year’s Jersey Shore (he was practically screaming G.T.L.).  LAX was a real drag- their security was awful and come to find out, it was actually just ranked as the second worst airport to travel through in the U.S., so beware and steer clear of that hell hole!

However, after boarding my Boeing 747 to Incheon Airport I settled right on in.  As I sat down in my emergency exit aisle seat (yes, one of those one’s where you can stretch your legs completely without being able to touch the wall in front of you), I noticed a cute little Asian baby next to me.  Oh was I in 22-year-old-leaving-my-nephew-for-a-year heaven.  After speaking Konglish with her mother (more of the –nglish and less of the Ko-) I noticed the flight attendants preparing quite a new experience- BABY FIRST CLASS.  They set in a red plush crib that hung from the wall in front of us.  Mom put the little cutie in there, bundled her up, and zipped the crib closed.  All I could think is “I WANT ONE!!”  But instead I settled for 2 bright pink Benadryl pills.  10 minutes later- sayonara.  Who needs a fluffy bed when you’ve got drugs?  I got in the typical 8 hours that the box promises, only waking up twice because I was drooling.  I was knocked out!

As I landed in Incheon Airport, I quickly scooted through Korean customs and was greeted by Brandon, Mr. Kim, and another English teacher.  We arrived at my new apartment and met the English teacher who I would be replacing.  The apartment is actually quite large for Korean standards, but it has just a little bit of stank to it.  So yesterday, we put on our gloves, got down and dirty, and scrubbed the apartment clean!  Let’s all take a moment to say a quick little prayer that it stays fresh…  Amen.  But as the days go on and I experience Korea little by little, I am continually surprised by their culture and their customs.   

Now don’t get turned off by Asia when I talk about their customs, because in reality their culture is very similar to ours, but they do have their own little quirks.  In Korea, personal space just does NOT exist.  Bumping and grinding is their style.  Ajoshi (old men) love their soju for breakfast, red lights do not necessarily mean stop (in fact most buses just go by the rule that they are bigger, which obviously means they are better) and, all you male readers take a lesson, the men carry the women’s purses around!  They are indeed VERY polite and respect their elders.  During meals you pour other’s drinks first, the children in schools replace the job of a janitor, typically taking out the trash, sweeping the floors, and serving lunch, and when first greeting someone, always make sure to have a supported hand shake.  Airport customs was a breeze- let’s just hope that adapting to their culture is just as easy!

The Replacements

Ok…so here goes nothing. Now I must preface that no, I was not a creative writing major in college, in fact I was a biology major- yes the kind of major where you write boring facts and only the professor wants to read what you wrote, and even then it’s just because he’s forced to give you a grade, so I can’t promise anything mystical. But here I am, T-minus 1 day until I leave for South Korea (and 3 days until I arrive). You almost calculated that right- 20 hours of traveling, but I also lose 13 hours on the trip there, so needless to say, August 26th just doesn’t exist this year (sorry Scurran- happy early birthday). It has taken me awhile to actually collect myself and realize that I am moving halfway across the world to teach a language that I could teach back home, but what’s the fun in that? I am ____. There are a million words you could fit into that blank- excited, sad, ready, independent, apprehensive, the list goes on.


But really I’m just apprehensive about leaving my friends and family for a full year. By the time I come back, the “littlest man in the entire world” will be speaking! SPEAKING! I love his “ohs” and “ahs” now, but as long as he learns how to say “Auntie Alex” by the time I come home, then we’re ok. As for my friends, they’re all over the place- LA is getting blown away in Chicago, MK is still in the boonies, PI and KQ are learning how to save the world one Band-Aid at a time, and Twin, well you’re still living at home, so I’m really not missing much, right? So maybe my anxiety just subsided a little.


And those million and one words could explain my feelings for change. Now as most of you know, I like things to be orderly, but I’m sure that for at least the first month my world is going to feel like a flipped ship. But I’m ok with that. As Gloria Gaynor once said, “I will survive!” I’ve come to the realization that things are going to be different, things are going to change. Instead of my cozy 6 bedroom home in Baltimore, I’ll be living in a studio-sized apartment; the gamut of beers on tap in the U.S. will be consumed by some other beer-loving chick, while I am force fed soju (a Korean rice liquor) as I try to keep up with a culture that thrives on social drinking; Monti will be swapped with metros and buses; I don’t believe the Korean government will accept “yall” so I guess I’ll have to teach the kids “you all” (sounds so boring); and my wardrobe will be cut down to 2 suitcases. Yes, I’ll say it again- 2 suitcases. Now in most cases, 2 suitcases aren’t too bad, but when you combine that with a full year and 4 seasons, it’s a struggle to say the least.


Although my world is becoming full of replacements, there’s one thing that’s for sure- nothing will ever replace my friends or family- whether at home, in NC, or scattered throughout the U.S., I will miss yall and I can’t wait to see you in a year!