While
sitting at Incheon Airport waiting for my flight to Tokyo, I realize that it is
finally time to stop writing only about my travels here on the Korean peninsula
and surrounding countries, but to give also an insight on the Korean culture
and what it is like to live in Seoul and attend Seoul National University
(SNU).
To describe
my life here in Korea and Seoul in a bit funny way, I came up with a list of
things that were for sure not invented here in Korea – this should put the view
from a stranger on to Korean society… :)
Things that
were NOT invented in Korea:
1)
The
bin
You know the game
‘Where’s Wally’, don’t you? Replace Wally by a bin and you know what one feels
like in Seoul when holding some trash in his hand, haha. I’m not sure if they
forgot to plan them in the city council, if they try to cut costs in this way,
if it is really not an issue for Koreans to carry their trash with them for 30
minutes… I seriously don’t know the answer. But fact is, that there’s probably
one bin in an area of 10km2 – or at least it feels like that. And
thus, the best thing to do in the particular situation when you are looking to
get rid of your trash and desperately trying to spot a bin – just play the
game… “Where’s the bin?”
2)
The
shower curtain
If you ever wondered
where the word ‘bathroom’ comes from – Asia is the answer! The toilet is really
somehow an “area of water”. This means, that you shower, brush your tees, go to
the toilet on the same mater square – and you can do it actually all
simultaneously, if you want, haha. However, one has to say that this concept of
bathroom has the advantage of cleanliness, as you just clean your whole
bathroom including the sink and toilet every time you take a shower.
3)
The
beach chair, solarium and Hawaiian Oil
In case your entrepreneurial
skills let you come to the conclusion that a solarium business in Korea would
be a good idea – NO, it’s not! The reason is that for the majority of Koreans
(and Asians in general), the role model of beauty is not to have tanned skin,
but rather as white as possible. Thus, seats on the sun deck of a ferry and
beach chairs (without an umbrella) are mostly free and the use of Hawaiian
tanning oil is not very common, as people prefer rather a sun blocker with a
factor of 50+.
I will continue this
list if I encounter more “unusual” facts during my stay. But that’s it for the
moment…
The typical Korean…
1) has
black or dark brown hair and eyes… and looks thus somehow the a bit the same as
all the other guys
2)
Chances
are quite good (>50%) that his/her family name is Lee, Park or Kim
3)
He
can’t swim… or is just too lazy and thus, enjoys his tube at the beach
4)
loves
to drink, especially beer and soju… it’s just a fact – but I like it, haha
5)
is
very polite and helpful… it’s almost overwhelming how helpful you guys are
sometimes
6)
is
extremely honest… I guess I felt NEVER saver in a city. No one would steel
something
7)
might
be a world champion in queuing… (although Taiwanese are quite good too)
8)
is
highly addicted to his smartphone... and chances are good that it is the latest
Samsung device
9)
might
be soon deaf… the clubs in Seoul are just too loud! (to all Phonak managers,
this might be an interesting future growth market!)
10) Family and friends are very important… and
boyfriends/girlfriends even more! (Special messaging apps for couples, couple-shirts,
boys wearing cat ears in the amusement park…)
Next to
that, I can state that I really enjoy my time here in Seoul. The weather is
most of the time good or great (especially compared to St. Gallen), as we have
had only a couple of rainy days so far… as described, the people are really
friendly and helpful, and it’s just insane how safe it is in terms that no one
would ever steal something. People just leave their smartphones laying around… I guess these are things, one would not even
do in Switzerland!
