As I exited my airplane and ventured into the Korean airport I mentally prepped myself for a bombardment of salesmen. I visualized how I would reject the sales pitches of time share offers and taxi drivers, which I have encountered in places from the Bahamas to Florida and Mexico. To my pleasant surprise I was met by some of the most polite people I have ever encountered. The taxi drivers offered their services but once I refused they didn't push harder, they simply said something along the lines of enjoy Korea, and I surely have.
One part of life here in Korea that I found interesting is the tipping your waiter or waitress. At home I usually groan at the idea of tipping a bad server, and I loath the debate of “should I leave 15 or 20% for good service?” Here in Korea there is no tipping. Ironically I now find myself, since I am not obligated to tip, wanting to leave a tip for the excellent service by these individuals. It may be that I am grateful of their tolerance of my inability to speak in Korean, or that I appreciate the menu having pictures so I can point to what I want to eat, but I think it is actually the entire experience of an excellent meal and a pleasant experience without the expectation of a tip. And so I find myself thinking a tip is the only way I can communicate that I have enjoyed myself more than I expected to. Yet it is considered offensive to leave a tip so I do not, instead I can only slightly bow and say “kamsahamnida” (thank you).
The transportation in Korea is also much different. As I prepared for traveling and sight seeing at home I never thought much to how I would get around. The streets are very narrow and parking a car would be ridiculous. Now that I actually think about it, I haven't seen a parking lot since I have been here. The subway is actually a great way to travel. It is well mapped and easy to navigate. I also learned something about Korea culture in the subway. They are very quiet people. I have been on the subway in Washington D.C. and the noise level is much higher there than in Korea. Conversation volume is kept to a minimum on the subway in Korea, that is if people are talking at all. However, there are times when Korean's are loud. For example, one night at a quiet restaurant we sat on the floor eating our dinner (traditional Korean seating), I nearly jumped off of the floor as a group of six or seven Koreans erupted in unison and shouted what I can only presume to be a traditional toast. And once the toast was over the people resumed a low volume of communication.
Although these things I have discussed (sales pressure, tipping and noise level) may not seem significant, combined with other aspects of Korean culture, they truly creates a unique lifestyle as a whole. I have only been here a few days and already have learned more than a guidebook could ever describe and I look forward to what I will discover tomorrow.
1 comment:
Hey Clark,
Glad you're enjoying it. Keep it up and don't let the "nay-sayers" get you down. I fully agree, this place has a tonne to offer. I've been here almost six years myself, and will probably be here for at least a few more to come.
In your article you mentioned not being able to speak Korean. I do gotta say that I do recommend you get into it. It will give you so much more insight into the culture that you already seem very interested in learning about.
I actually have a site going - www.learnkoreanonline.net - and if you haven't learned how to read yet, there is a page set up with vids taken from my actual class (I've been teaching Korean for 3 years now) that teach exactly that.
(The link to that exact page is http://www.learnkoreanonline.net/learn-to-read-and-write-korean-now if you want to check it out)
There are also some other vids on there, but they may be a bit beyond you at this point - although the site is very new, so there will be more very soon.
Anyways, glad to hear you're enjoying it. Look forward to more posts.
Rob...
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