Post 1: The Little Things

It’s the little differences between Korea and America. The many little, small details that make being in Korea being Korea. Don’t get me wrong, every now and then I’ll ride my bike by the Buddhist temple near my house or walk up and down the flashing neons of downtown and think ‘oh wow, I’m in Asia’, but the thing that solidifies living in Korea are the tiny variations that I had always taken for granted.

When I visited my family over the summer that there are so many small differences between Korea and America that I could spend all of my time talking about it (so I didn’t lest I become too boring). When I told a couple of my friends here about my observation –that it’s the little things that solidify for me the fact that I currently live in East Asia- they asked me what those little things were.  I was lost for words.

I think if I were to make a pie chart of what I’ve done with my life so far, at least 25.8% or so of that chart would be times when I look like an idiot.

I composed a list in my head. And here it is, the little things (in no particular order):

-Using scissors to cut meat and noodles (why didn’t we think of that?)

-The Yo-gi yo button (a little button at most restaurants that sits on your table that you press for service)

-Lack of Kleenex, abundance of toilet paper

-Lack of public trashcans (but the streets are still relatively clean)

-All the trucks here are small cabovers.

-Cigarettes have way less nicotine (though I’ve more or less quit smoking)

-Almost no fat people

-Almost no scrubby looking people

-the weed-whackers don’t have plastic strings as their blades, but rather large metal propellers. They could easily double as outboard motors.

-having to put used toilet paper in the trash can instead of flushing it

-fruit as a side dish for drinking beer

-generally having to order food at every place that serves beer

-heated floors

-there’s more, I just can’t think of them right now.

That’s what makes living here different, really. It would be one thing if this was just Louisiana with mountains and multi-colored pagodas, but it’s very much not. These small alterations mean there will always be a good chance of Korea surprising me. That’s part of the charm.

So there you go: my first post. Many will follow. Weekly is the plan.