Here is just a little sampling of the random bits of Korean culture – some of which surprised me initially, and some of which continues to amuse/delight/frustrate the hell out of me.
Dynamic Busan – where the motorcycles drive down the sidewalks and the motorized wheelchairs cruise down the busy boulevards ahead of buses and trucks. Makes sense, don’t it? Just like a lot of other weird and wonderful things about South Korea.
Trash cans: There are virtually no public trash bins in South Korea. Years ago, there were, but then the Korean government demanded all trash be bagged in government-issued trash bags. The revenue from these bags funded trash pickup. As the story goes, instead of buying these bags, many citizens threw their trash into the public bins, thus circumventing the system. So, the public bins were removed, and instead, there is trash everywhere.
I admit I’ve gotten more comfortable with littering in the last year, tough I’m still nervous when I do it, but the alternative is carrying around that coffee cup for the next three hours. And one does start to think, “Well, if no one else here gives a shit, why should I?”
Escalators: Maybe they’re doing this in other big cities around the world. I don’t know, but I do really appreciate the motion-detecting escalators. They’re dormant until you step on them. Such a good way to save power. So financially conservative. So environmentally friendly.
Norae bang: Although popularized by the Japanese, the Koreans have taken to karaoke is a big way. Norae bangs, or singing rooms, can be found in every neighborhood and the most remote corners of the country. Even trains have tiny singing rooms, and tour vans and buses are always equipped with a screen and few mikes. I’m stumped about how the population can support so many – I can count five in a three-minute walking radius of my apartment – and I live in a suburb.
PC bang: The popularity of the norae bang is trumped only by that of the PC bang, or personal computer room. The kids are the most fanatical about it, though men and women of all ages flock to PC bangs to play their favorite computer games. These rooms feature glossy, black computers, ergonomic chairs and ashtrays built into the computers, though smoke-free PC bangs are becoming more popular. In talking to my students, it seems like norae and PC bangs are where they spend time with their friends. Korean kids don’t see a whole lot of daylight. This is population of children that does not play outside. The little downtime they get is spent in front of the TV or computer. I feel for them.
Grass: That green stuff I’m accustomed to covering front lawns, hillsides and meadows is in short supply here. You know the stuff – that lovely plant that carpets the land making hospitable areas for picnics and games. I miss it like I miss Egg Benedicts and Bloody Marys on a Sunday morning.
Towels: Those big, fluffy towels that you can wrap all the way around yourself don’t exist here. Everyone uses the ones I call hand towels – the ones about 2 feet long and a foot wide. They only use them once, and then they’re thrown in the hamper. Koreans find our Western habit of using a bath towel for days on end, frankly, a little gross.
And that's all from Busan, folks! Next stop: Bangkok!
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