I've no been living in South Korea for 3months! The weeks here go by super fast it seems. My classes continue to do well for the most part and I make the most of my weekends.
Recently, I have attended a huge Halloween party in which my friend Jason won the costume contest. Many of us went to Monkey Beach which is simply a crazy party place as you've read in my prior blog postings. Jason made such a great mask all homemade! He won 1,000,000won!!!! Needless to say he bought our cab home for Jess and I and coffee in the morning. haha!
I have experienced a really weird drum concert that I can't really describe well at all. I'm just glad it was only an hour long and that I had a bottle of soju on me. haha!
I have also attended a food festival which was basically food trucks from very famous restaurants. I must admit I wasn't too impressed with these food trucks and the 25,000won cost but it was all a great experience. There was a cat on a leash at the food festival as well...not too sure what to say about that. haha!
The only theater production on the island appears to be The Nanta Cooking Show near city hall. Read more about it below:
http://nanta.i-pmc.co.kr/Nanta/en/About/AboutNanta.aspx
Tickets were 40,000won with the discount I found. I honestly wasn't too impressed with the show and wouldn't see it again however many people enjoy it and see it multiple times. The show had some funny parts but definitely no "wow" factor.
This past week I booked a flight to Seoul to bring in the New Year and booked my flight to Thailand to spend my winter vacation! So excited! I've started to research my next move in Fall 2016 as well!
I made a visit to a local clinic for a slight finger infection and boy it was a great experience! The doctor saw me immediately, cleaned and bandaged me up, wrote me a prescription and sent me downstairs. I picked up some antibiotics, paid 8,000won and was on my way within 15min. Let me repeat that....8,000won and 15min!!!!!! How awesome!
Winter is approaching and its getting much colder out! I have definitely began to become more familiar with my lifestyle here and enjoying Jeju Island life.
I played in a volleyball tournament as well and my team got 1st place! Was such a great time! My team consisted of 4 Koreans and another American. We got a pair of socks for winning! haha!
I made the most amazing carrot/pumpkin soup for the first time! It actually turned out really yummy. Okay....the soup below is carrot soup I had at an amazing cafe in Soggy! It inspired me to make my own carrot/pumpkin soup (no picture) that turned out even better!
Below is related to the differences I have observed while living in Jeju for three months as compared to the United States. As a side note, I've learned that Jeju is a bit different from the mainland in terms of having a more relaxed culture. Please enjoy and feel free to ask questions or comment.
Dental Care
- Koreans brush their teeth at school. I have seen these toothbrush sanitizing holder things at school too. Usually, they don't wet the toothbrush before brushing either. In the United States, I've likely only seen one person here or there brushing their teeth at school...and that student likely had braces. However, in the United States it seems dental care including braces and whitening are important in terms of looks and health. In Korea, I've only noticed a handful of children and adults with braces. I've also noticed some children with very painful looking teeth if you will. It's unfortunate but the best thing I've also noticed is their smiles. These children smile and are happy regardless.
Skincare
- Skincare seems to be very important in Korea. In Korea, everyone is well aware of the risks of sun exposure and take proactive measures against harming their skin/bodies. While at the beach on a sunny day, Koreans seem to be covered by clothes while swimming or walking around with umbrellas. In the states most people are half naked. Koreans also think its pretty to have white skin where as in the states its popular to be tan. In Korea there are so many different beauty/skin shops where you can get so many different types of what seems to be high end lotions, cleansers, and other skin/beauty products.
Lunches
- School lunches in Korea are for the most part healthy. The students all eat in the cafeteria and are served the same exact meal/portion size. Usually the meals include rice, soup, a meat, a vegetable/fruit, and another side dish. Sadly, some dishes are covered in nasty mustard that I quietly eat while chugging water. haha! In the states, unfortunately the meals students are served at lunch generally consist of either a greasy burger/fries, pizza, cookies, and spaghetti/sauce with a cookie or three. However, in the states the students do have the option to bring their own lunch which is great and can provide an option for a healthier alternative. Along a similar line, in the states there seems to be a big wave of ensuring there are gluten free, vegetarian/vegan options, and allergy sensitive options for meals. In Korea, I've seen a lack of the previous stated options and everyone seems to simply just eat whats in front of you and have no issues.
Respect
- Respect in Korea is far different from the states as well. Its normal to immediately figure out/ask someones age or social status upon meeting them. In the states, its usually rude to ask someones age right off the bat. The younger person also usually bows when greeting. At school, the children will stop in the hall to bow and say hello to me. While at dinner, the eldest person is to start eating first. The youngest person is to pour the drinks.
Handicap
- I've noticed the lack of injured people here. What an odd observation right? I haven't seen many people on crutches and I've only seen two people in wheel chairs (outside the hospital and they were elderly). Many buildings don't even seem to be handicap accessible. On the absolutely crazy bus rides, I've never seen anyone fall but myself. Koreans must have incredible balance or perhaps just used to the style of driving.
Driving
- Driving. Where do I even start. I hold on with both hands on every bus ride and usually have at least one hand on a handle while in a cab. While crossing the streets I say a little prayer. The Koreans drive like absolute maniacs and quite frankly its scary and rather alarming to me. However, interestingly, I've only seen three accidents while in Korea. In the states, I feel as though I see an accident just about every day. I'm not too sure what to take of this one but at the end of the day I will likely never drive in Korea.
Mcdonalds
- Mcdonalds delivers in Korea. For free. I haven't tried it yet. End of story.
Clothing
- Women in Korea usually always have their top half covered but its okay to show as much leg as you want in a casual setting. In the states, you can see just about anything and everything depending on where you go. :o In a professional setting, most women cover both top and bottom half in Korea and I would say the same applies in the states. On a side note, I've also only seen about a size A/B bra being sold here but I also haven't been searching.
Physical Appearance
- For the most part, the Koreans are skinny. However, I have noticed that the school aged children may have a bit more meat on them and eat plenty. The women around the ages of 20-40 don't seem to eat nearly as much and are typically on the skinnier side. The older ladies seem to have more meat on their bones. The men are all generally skinny and lack beer bellies. In the United states, once again I would say that you can see just about anything and everything depending on where you go. If I had to guess, the average pants size for a Korean woman is a 6 while the average pants size for a woman in the states is around 12.
Thanks for reading! I will try to be more organized with my blog next time and keep it more up to date. I apologize for the lack of pictures as well. Thanks Ginny&Ed and Ma&Pa for the very cute and kind cards! Send me letters, ask questions, email me, and stay in contact. I always enjoy messages or letters!
Thanks for reading! I will try to be more organized with my blog next time and keep it more up to date. I apologize for the lack of pictures as well. Thanks Ginny&Ed and Ma&Pa for the very cute and kind cards! Send me letters, ask questions, email me, and stay in contact. I always enjoy messages or letters!
