Culture Roundup

Here's another collection of observations on life in Korea:

Whenever there's construction, they have these huge rolls of pink & green striped blanket to cover everything. You walk over them rather than through mud in a torn up sidewalk or road. They encase the scaffolding that surrounds what used to be the other wing of my school. They're uniform, they're everywhere, and they're surprisingly resilient.

Usually, when I travel, I look for cats, and often photograph them. Many of my Lonely Planet & Rick Steves books have cat tallies in the back. Having been away from my own fellas for so long, I would expect to be particularly excited to see cats here, but most of the time, I hate it. They're almost always skinny and fearful, and more often than not, have oddly truncated tails. I know Koreans don't hold cats in high esteem, and it's heartbreaking to see the examples...I'd just as soon not be reminded. Even a kitten that an old lady was holding at her vegetable stand down the street made me sad. For one thing, it was much too young to be away from its mother. For another, I just don't have any confidence that the lady's interest in the kitten is long-term. That's just not the way Koreans roll.

People put their phone number in the corner of their windshield, where New Yorkers put their inspection & registration stickers. They sell suction-cup things at the dollar store that you can use; many people have embroidered pillows that look like tooth fairy pillows. My first thought was, it's so you can call someone if you need them to move their car from the skinny street. But I've also heard that Korean cell phones come with a contact category for strangers--it's common to trade phone numbers with someone you've chatted with on the subway, for instance. Maybe when I get a phone, I'll start calling... ;)

There are multiple chain bakeries on every block, most of which have French names--Paris Baguette and Tous les Jours are the most common. These are great places to pick up a quick snack, with many options under $1. Stuff is usually labeled in English, too, so you actually know what's inside. The peanut butter baguette is good if you want something desserty--it's similar peanut butter to what you get in a sundae at Friendly's. My favorite is strewed bread...you know, with crumbs on top.

I'm collecting pizza ribbons. Since people are quite often on foot, packaging is designed to be carried some distance, and pizzas always come with a red ribbon around the box, tied up like a Christmas package so you can comfortably walk with it. Look for them in mailboxes near you this December.

Copy paper here is longer, size A4. 8 1/2 x 11" is nonexistent. Of course, the margins on Word are the same as in the US, and envelopes are no bigger, so you do a lot of adjusting & rejiggering.

I saw a middle-aged lady with gray hair on the subway last week, and it took a few moments to realize why she looked odd...Koreans almost universally dye their hair. If I offered money to find 5 gray-haired Koreans, it'd take you all day to collect.

Sidewalks are all made of paving stones, and always have a ridged yellow stripe down the middle. In certain spots, this yellow stripe changes from ridges to bumps. My best guess is that this is for blind people, to help them follow the sidewalk and know where intersections & crosswalks are. This is pure speculation, however. I also figured out that the buttons at crosswalks are for blind people...the light eventually changes no matter what, but if you push the button, it chirps when it does. People must have thought I was a wanker for pushing the buttons my first week here.

Seoul is beginning a major campaign to get people to walk on the right side of staircases & passageways in the subway. Since I've been here, bilingual "Keep Right" signs & arrows have been appearing on floors and steps all over the Metro system. They're fighting an uphill battle...if anything, Koreans seem particularly inclined to walk on the left. Especially if someone is already walking there.

My first day here, Ramsey was kvetching about the way Koreans walk. I figured he was just on a rant; then, when I noticed it myself, figured it was just because I'd been primed to look for it. But it's really hard to ignore. If you're walking down one side of the sidewalk, people will cut in front of you to squeeze between you and a wall. Even if you move to one side when approaching a couple holding hands, they will try to walk on either side of you rather than the clear path straight ahead. I got bulldozed by an old lady on the subway last night who came from behind me and HAD to dart in front of me right then...to get to a seat that was 4 feet behind me. Walking in a straight line seems to be prohibited by law. Factor in the usual folks on cell phones and strolling groups, and it tries one's patience. It's possible that it's just because I'm used to having sidewalks to myself most of the time in the US, but it's just so consistent...

I tend to think of the ubiquitous high-rise apartment blocks in Korea as fairly undesirable...kind of like they are in the US & other western countries--the projects, mostly. It wasn't until I read it in a book that I realized they're highly prized. I thought it odd that nobody I know lives in one, but that's because they're the high-rent district. People consider them modern and attractive, and, after living closer to street level for a few weeks, I see the appeal of keeping your visual and auditory distance.

Have I mentioned this before? Korea doesn't really do street names (although they are sort of attempting to change this), so giving directions to one's home is a complicated process. At home, when I go to a party, I jot down the last few turns/landmarks that happen within the neighborhood. Here, I have to print out the page (and it usually is a page) of explanations. "Take subway line 1 to the Hoegi stop and go out exit 2. Walk straight ahead approx. 300 meters" And on and on. Usually a Dunkin' Donuts is involved. "Look for the stack of kimchi pots, walk up the hill, and turn right at the little road near the top". And, always, a phone number..."If you get lost, call, and I'll help you".