12 Things I've Found Only in Korea

Every day is an opportunity to learn. Even in the most monotonous moments of my life, I challenged myself to learn one new thing every day. I slacked off a lot. But I don't want tooooo, I'd whine to myself some days. It was so easy to let go, to spin back into the cycle of routine, like getting stuck in a whirlpool between the safe shore and the unknown expanse of eternal ocean. Keeping an active mind got me through boring days, sucky days, and happy days. "What did this teach me?" "Am I learning anything from this?"

Some days, this is an easy task. Maybe there was a work training session or a particularly good day of reddit lurking. Maybe I'd gone down a YouTube rabbit hole and emerged on the other side of a video proving that the Star Wars "Cantina Theme" can be performed on pencil. (Still counts, and look! Now you've learned something new today, too!)

Some days, this was a hard task. After my pets passed away, the part of me that knew I needed to deal, heal, and keep going was overshadowed by the angry, hurt, and depressed side. Some days, it was hard to find a point in learning something new. Looking back on those days, my learnings were that grief sucks, failure can be OK, and ultimately, that I can get through the hard times. Sometimes powerful lessons come at the worst cost.

I still keep this personal challenge going, though it's so easy now because 1) I'm in a new place where every little, everyday thing is actually a noticeably glaring, in-your-face change, and 2) I'm writing things down to share with you guys, anyway, so I've got a nice, tidy list of new learnings!

So, with all that said, here are some bits from my list:

Things I've Learned About Restaurants

1) Whenever you go to a sit-down restaurant, you'll get a large moist towelette. Hygiene is important!

2) There's a little call button that sits on the end of the table. Restaurant staff members don't typically disturb you while you eat, so this is how you can call someone over to order more food or ask for the check.

3) Shoes are dirty and Koreans often sit on the ground to eat or relax. (There are even special, comfy floor pillows so your butt doesn't get sore.) So, shoes must come off before entering someone's house, and often before entering a restaurant. (I may have a bit of a fascination with this practice.)

(If you'd like to learn more about food I've tried in Korea, check this out.)

Things I've Learned About Language

4) I've made a few friends while hiking recently, but noted that I hadn't met many Koreans who are my age, yet. One of my coworkers recommended Tinder to me. What?! "Yeah, people use Tinder to learn languages," he said. Well, this is news to me! And with some research, I learned that Tinder is absolutely used for dating here, but they had a "Find a Friend on Tinder" campaign recently that positioned the app for not just dating, but networking and, well, finding friends. Huh!

5) Speaking of love language, did you know that adultery was against the law for 60 years in Korea? Yes, people went to jail for cheating on their spouses! But I bring this up to talk about something I found even more interesting: many middle-aged married folks hike "solo" in the mountains specifically to find romance -- AKA to have an affair! Hiking is often called the "unofficial sport" of Korea, so you'll see plenty of Koreans (young, old, families) out and about during the weekends. The scandalous, adulterous reasons for hiking have been mentioned to me a couple times now. Y'know, I've always been impressed by these older folks who keep so active, what with their hiking poles and passion for climbing mountains. I guess I now know why some folks are so excited for it!

6) Before coming here, I understood there is a negative stigma against mental illness. (This Wikipedia page expands more upon the "why.") In the States, we may say things like, "Are you crazy?!" or straight up call someone crazy, with nary an eye blink. Here, the English and Korean version of the word is associated with being clinically insane, meaning that asking, "Are you crazy?!" would mean, "I'm legitimately questioning your sanity right now. DISHONOR TO YOUR FAMILY." We just don't use that word here.

7) Scissors rock paper! We play this game a lot in my classes. Sometimes there are as many as 10 kids going against each other at once! I always confuse the word order because childhood has forever ingrained "rock paper scissors" into my head, but the kids get what I mean. (In Korean, they'll say, "Kai bai bo!" or "Gawi bawi bo!")

Things I've Learned About Technology

8) Unfortunately, my little Samsung Galaxy S7 didn't launch celebratory fireworks or anything for returning to its Motherland. (I was really hoping.) But I have learned that phones are essentially your identity here! Your Korean phone number is a form of ID and is used for everything: for proving to YouTube that you're old enough to view a video, registering for online deliveries (everything from restaurants to groceries to whatever else you buy online), registering for an account at PC bangs, and even signing up for a bank account, etc. Before I get my Korean phone number, I need to first receive my ARC (Alien Resident Card), which allows me to stay in this country for more than 90 days. It's like playing a video game: You've got to complete some basic tasks during the tutorial first before you can unlock the rest of the game and roam freely. Except the game map is Korea and the game itself is life!

9) Most homes (and even public transportation vehicles) have air purifiers that clean any outdoor air that seeps indoors. These machines are separate from A/C (also called air-con). They let you air out your home without worrying about the fine dust that makes you feel not so fine.

10) Let me introduce you to one of my favorite where-have-you-been-all-my-life type of technologies: underfloor heating systems. <3 It makes your feet and your butt (remember: floor pillows) very happy. Known in Korean as "ondol," these systems have existed since at least 108 BC. It's one of the technologies that's always been available to everyone, people wealthy or poor alike.

11) On a modern note, something new I've learned is that Koreans value hygiene so much that they'll brush their teeth several times a day. I'll often see my Korean co-teachers flocked in the ladies' room after lunch, armed with toothbrushes and shiny smiles!

12) On another modern note, I need my snow-experienced friends to help me out here...This being my first time living in a snowy place, I don't know if it's the norm to use umbrellas in the snow. Is this a thing? It was a great idea because that snow turned to water pretty quickly!

So, there you have it: everyday things I've learned. If this inspires you to pick up the challenge yourself, feel free to let us know in the comments what you've learned recently!