On May 3, Jubilee, Justus and I will be traveling to Korea for three weeks, in handcuffs. Ever since I broke the news, Justus has been proselytizing to his classmates about having fun in Korea -- theme parks, toy shopping, and the whole shebang. His enthusiasm has prompted his teacher to plan a farewell party for him, taking the opportunity to educate the class on the Korean culture and society. I am equally elated about the trip, especially the prospect of trying different types of deliriously tasty food. Exploring the cities I have not yet visited is also part of the plan, which includes a two-and-a-half hour flight to Taiwan, an island roughly the size of West Virginia where I had spent part of my childhood from age nine to twelve. …show more content…
It also feels both familiar and foreign. Part of the enjoyment comes from my familiarity with the Korean society and culture. I also enjoy Korea’s high-tech public transportation, which makes traveling in Korea super easy. I plan to take full advantage of their efficient transit system to take excursions to the places I’ve been meaning to visit.
Visiting Korea, however, can also be baffling at times, mainly because I’ve long forgotten some of the cultural nuances. Years ago, for instance, while saying “hello,” I made a gesture of a slight bow to an older family friend. The problem was that I forgot to take my hat off (this is acceptable among peers but not when bowing to elders). Thankfully, no one gave me an icy stare. On another occasion, my uncle tried to hold my hand in public. In that instant, I became nauseated. Before he tried to grab my hand I quickly escaped into a convenience store while mumbling something about how thirsty I
An example of this is that in the United States we find it alright to ask someone to come to us by pointing our finger and curling it toward us. In Japan they find it offensive to signal someone to come to them in this manner. Something as simple as a hug for which we do quite often in the US can be considered offensive in foreign countries. Weird right? Wow, I could get into a lot of trouble in countries like this because I am a hugger. When seeing friends out and about we tend to hug each other as a gesture of missing each other or love for one another. I never knew this because I have friends from these countries that would find it offensive, maybe they have become “Americanized”. Putting your hands in your pocket as many of us have done many, many, many times, this is found to be rude in several countries. I guess Alanis Morsette would be in trouble also (her song Hand in My Pocket HAHAHA). I can honestly say that I would also be considered rude because I have a bad habit of placing my hand or hands in my pocket. I have even been known to walk around with my hands in my pockets. So I guess I better stay away from places like Austria or the Netherlands. Next time you find yourself doing simple gestures such as these you may want to consider where you
A little more than three years ago, I was in Korea. I was a normal middle schooler, and a daughter of a middle class reporter father. Everyday was a competition for students, trying to get the best score to go to the best college possible. As a result, I spent every single minute of my free time in after school academies. I was seeking change in this frustrating life, perhaps a more enjoyable life where rather than just
The United States of America has earned a reputation of treating all individuals equal under the law. Over recent years, the media has taken an interest into cases of possible police brutality against the opposite race. More typically, it has been white police officers using misconduct against black citizens. This has been a trend seen throughout all of history. So, is the current criminal justice system working to prevent cases of unequal treatment under the law?
My biggest problem in getting used to this culture was the people. I was astounded when I first entered 4th grade. It was so different from what I was used to. I couldn¡¯t decide which system was better. In Korea, the school system is very rigid. From first grade, kids have to sit in chairs that they cannot move out of. There is no feedback from the students whatsoever. It¡¯s always the teacher teaching and students answering hardly ever. Also teachers would hit the students if they did something they weren¡¯t suppose to and even for bad grades. It was nothing like that here. Our class set on the carpeted floor to just talk and for the teacher to read us stories. The teacher always asked for our feedback. The teacher would not even yell at her students no matter what the situation was. Another strange this was, when a student found another way of doing a math problem, the teacher complimented him whereas in Korea, if a student did a math problem another way, the teacher would yell at him and tell him to do it the conventional ways. Both systems have
When Simmons first arrived in North Korea she stated that “things went North Korea immediately,” (139) giving the reader an improved understanding of Simmons views on the country. Simmons experiences from her trip proved these notions wrong, and this made Simmons aware that she needed to change her notions. Once she was aware of this, she showed personal growth, by how she was able to alter her notions to fit with these new experiences. Coming into North Korea she never gave the country a chance to change her views, until forced to. What she first saw didn’t help North Korea’s case, “children are assigned their activity or skill,” forced into an “extracurricular-activity jail,” (141) and have no power to change it.
Though I have Akitas and Shiba Inus galore, Korea became my little pet. Unlike my dogs which love me unconditionally, Korea had conflicting feelings, adoring me for building prosperous industries and better infrastructure, but at the same time, resenting me for trying to erase their identity and forcing them to benefit
Then I realized that there are still traditional holidays where most Koreans wear traditional clothing and follow the various traditional rules. I thought to myself, “how come these people, who are in constant rush
A terrible experience during the eighth grade has caused me to become prejudiced against Koreans, and believed that they were the most avaricious race of people. Since then this has prompted me to develop a negative notion towards them. During my middle school years, my parents would give my brother and I lunch money for school on a daily basis. Every day after class, we would have to walk to our house which was quite distant from our school. One day, we decided to stop by a store on our way home because we were dying of thirst. After we selected one drink that we agreed to share and went to the counter, we realized that we were short five cents. The store owner told us that we could not purchase the drink unless we had the exact amount of
I learned about the way they sit when I went on a trip to Korea and it was very weird to see, and very hard to sit there to the way they're accustomed too. When we went out for dinner in Korea we went to a well known restaurant with a table right in front of you there were no chairs. First, you
Although China’s influence over Korea has waned severely since the dynastic years we find the Confucian system of virtues and behaviors, China’s chief export from that time, still very much alive. Korea highly values the extended family, education, personal discipline and public order. In South Korea Confucian temples continue to be maintained throughout the country. The tenets of Confucianism are seen as antidotes to social ills and therefore education is thought of as a means of building character, not simply of intellectual formation. The values of Confucianism are promulgated throughout Korea in places as diverse as school, the office and the home. Television programs often portray Confucian merits such as filial piety and harmony. However
So, if I make the fried Kim-chi with the Kim-chi from a market, it is just not tasty as much as the one that my mom made. Yet, however the taste of it, every time I eat Kim-chi, it reminds me of my mom’s caring for me and the fact that I am Korean. Because when she tried to make me eat Kim-chi, she always used to say like ‘oh, Koreans should eat Kim-chi.’ By that time, however, what she said did not really come across my mind. Since all the people around me were Korean, I did not really know what being Korea means. But now I am in America, and being ‘Korean’ becomes one of the unique characteristics that represent me.
My return to Korea in the summer of 2001 was nothing short of a culture shock. I was in a country I thought I had learned by heart. It was the country I always rooted my identity and pride from. I wasn’t ready for the shock. I
South Koreans have certain etiquettes and manners that are highly esteemed in their culture. Like Japan and China, the bow is the main custom of greeting someone. It is not only a form of greeting, but it is also a sign of respect that an individual is showing to the other. Entitlement is important in South Korea, especially when you are
In North Korea the standard language is based on Seoul dialect; they use English and Japanese loanwords in order to communicate with one another (International North Korea). Koreans value how they communicate -- especially with people they have known for a long time. The North Korean culture employs an indirect communication used to politely criticize the other person. One way of indirect communication is exemplified by nodding one’s head
When I was my 15 years, I watched my first Korean dorama. Then I did not know how it would exert an impact on my fate and view of life. This was the world-famous “Boys over flowers”, which became an occasion of my acquaintance with the country of morning freshness. I strongly believe that my life transformed for better and blossomed after watching this Korean dorama was watched by everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. It drew me in this world – the world of Korean drama, Korean pop and Korean cinema. Knowledge about Korea was increasing more and more gradually and new sides of Korea were opened. I found out the country is famous not only of the Korean wave, Hallyu, but also of kimchi, various traditional food, colorful nature and combination of tradition and modernity. And some pieces of the Korean culture and language are quite similar