Just a few facts about the people and culture we are experiencing...more to come I'm sure.
Korean children often attend many schools, called Hogwans, which are like private academies where they sign up for certain things. They will go to normal school in the day time, but in the early morning they might go to a music hogwan for an hour, then after school they might do an English hogwan (such as our institute), a math hogwan, and another music hogwan, for example. Knowing this gives us an idea how extremely stressed these children can be at such a young age. We have heard it said that Koreans can be extremely intelligent and diligent, but something emotionally stunted. One of our instructors told us how one day in class one of his kids was crying quite hard about something, but when the teacher asked him a question he answered, the right answer, through his tears. They are very determined and always strive to save face.
That being said, Koreans are extremely friendly, though sometimes hesitant to speak to foreigners and make English mistakes. For instance, I went to the drug store looking for something, but they didn't speak English. I went to a store two doors down and asked if the clerk spoke English. She did, but didn't have what I was looking for. She then stated that the drug store two doors down did, and took me down there herself and translated for me and made sure I was happy with what I had.
It seems that Korean girls are the mission of the female foreign teachers. They are trained from a very young age to look good at all times and achieve an incredible amount. They will wear high heels while hiking, they will ostracize their friends or family if they are overweight- and overweight can mean as little as 3 pounds. As I mentioned, girls and guys will often date for 7 or 8 years before they become engaged. It is expected that weddings are done in massive wedding halls, and between the wedding hall , the dress, and the many other social expectations of the event, it can often take that long for the man to save up that much money.
You have often heard that Americans are very loud compared to some other cultures, and this is definitely the case in Korea. I have noticed it in Europe also, but it is much more dramatic here. While at the back of the bus with my fellow teachers, I could hear other American teachers at the front of the bus very well, while I could barely here the two Koreans speaking next to me.
Other interesting facts about their belief and culture:
Korean children often attend many schools, called Hogwans, which are like private academies where they sign up for certain things. They will go to normal school in the day time, but in the early morning they might go to a music hogwan for an hour, then after school they might do an English hogwan (such as our institute), a math hogwan, and another music hogwan, for example. Knowing this gives us an idea how extremely stressed these children can be at such a young age. We have heard it said that Koreans can be extremely intelligent and diligent, but something emotionally stunted. One of our instructors told us how one day in class one of his kids was crying quite hard about something, but when the teacher asked him a question he answered, the right answer, through his tears. They are very determined and always strive to save face.
That being said, Koreans are extremely friendly, though sometimes hesitant to speak to foreigners and make English mistakes. For instance, I went to the drug store looking for something, but they didn't speak English. I went to a store two doors down and asked if the clerk spoke English. She did, but didn't have what I was looking for. She then stated that the drug store two doors down did, and took me down there herself and translated for me and made sure I was happy with what I had.
It seems that Korean girls are the mission of the female foreign teachers. They are trained from a very young age to look good at all times and achieve an incredible amount. They will wear high heels while hiking, they will ostracize their friends or family if they are overweight- and overweight can mean as little as 3 pounds. As I mentioned, girls and guys will often date for 7 or 8 years before they become engaged. It is expected that weddings are done in massive wedding halls, and between the wedding hall , the dress, and the many other social expectations of the event, it can often take that long for the man to save up that much money.
You have often heard that Americans are very loud compared to some other cultures, and this is definitely the case in Korea. I have noticed it in Europe also, but it is much more dramatic here. While at the back of the bus with my fellow teachers, I could hear other American teachers at the front of the bus very well, while I could barely here the two Koreans speaking next to me.
Other interesting facts about their belief and culture:
- Guys can't wear black ties, as it is the equivalent of a woman wearing a black veil like they are going to a funeral
- You cannot write people's names in red, as that is only done when someone has died
- The Koreans are superstitious of the number four, as it sounds like the Chinese character for death
- Koreans never wear shoes inside the house, as the floor is often where they also sleep and eat
- Koreans have a different way of determining age. Your age begins from the moment of conception, so technically on the child's 100th day, it completes their first year. So if you've already celebrated your birthday that year you add one year to your Western age, if you haven't, you add two years. (ie, I was born October 8th, 1988, so by western standards I am 23. By Korean counting I am 24).
- It truly is unthinkable for Koreans to have a lunch or dinner without rice
- When speaking Korean, there are many different levels of respect you can employ, reflecting the culture's level of respect and honor that is traditionally held. As a result, strangers will often ask relatively personal questions in order to determine how to address and speak to the person properly. Incidentally, teachers are one of the most respected people in the Korean culture, so when the children or adults address you as 'teacher', it comes with a high level of respect
No comments:
Post a Comment