Here we go again. Since I mostly hang out with Koreans during my exchange here, I get to experience all their funny habits, thoughts and things they value. Here are some more fun reading of what's going on over here. Remember, these are also stereotypes, everybody doesn't think, behave, dress or value these things listed below.
Pale and blond is hot - As a european, this is a "fetish", which is strange to me. From North Europe, we travel and go abroad to get a nice suntan, while Korean people will cover their face from the sun with anything they can find, like their big smartphones or an umbrella. The pale europeans always receive lovely compliments from young teenagers and old grandmas, how beautiful skin they have. The more pale you are, the more good-looking you are in a koreans mind. This is probably why there is whitening products in every shop you step into.
Size matters - "The bigger, the better" is a saying about ... many things in this world. In South Korea, the size of your SMARTPHONE has a big impact. You are considered very cool and perhaps rich if you are walking around with your big smartphone.
Gangnam Style - A style the world is talking about, but what does this really mean? Fashion is a big thing here in Korea and also extremely important. Having a big interest for fashion myself, I must say that Koreans are very fashionable, except for their shoes. Can you just imagine, a pretty girl, nice haircut, a sophisticated long-sleeved shirt with a cute skirt, a trenchcoat, the newest LV bag and ... sneakers? I'm not talking about sneakers like converse or Nike air max, I mean running shoes. Same goes for boys. How can they do this?
"You look pretty today" - A comment I can hear girls telling each other everyday, which is sweet. How sweet is it, when this is the first thing that people tell you, instead of "Hi, how are you today, everything all right with you?". Yes, that's when it gets strange. Girls will also comment to each other if their friend is not looking good that day. From own experience, I have been told: "Meri, are you sick? Why didn't you wear make-up today? Did you change your hair, it's more nice when it's straight." Personally, I like when people tell their opinions straight, but life is so much more than looking good all the time.
You can't, you are a foreigner - This happens all the time, trust me. Foreigners or us non-koreans we can't speak korean, we can't use chopsticks, we can't eat spicy food, we can't use the subway, we can't basically do anything. So when we are out and about, we definitely surprise the locals probably everyday.
The restaurant is your second home - This is a funny sight. In Korea, we are all using these soft pajama pants and flipflops while walking around in our dorm or at home. The most amazing thing is to see people actually wearing this outfit in the middle of the winter, when they will have dinner in a local restaurant or do a quick visit to the seven11.
Wear white pants! - Boy or girl, doesn't matter. The pants should be tight and white. Asking many of my korean male friends, they all agreed that white pants on girls is sexy. I also get comments from my korean male friends telling me: "Meri, I need to go shopping. I need white pants." There is nothing wrong with white pants, not at all. In general, white pants and clothes tends to make you look bigger, and black clothes makes you look slimmer. That might be a reason why people won't wear these in Finland for example.
The colder, the shorter - In the winter, in Finland, it's so important to stay warm and what you wear won't matter that much. In Korea, looking good is the most important thing. The skirts just got shorter when it got colder. Just looking at the girls complaining how cold it is, realizing that they are wearing a skirt and a thin jacket, made me want to laugh. There are plenty of nice winterjackets so that's not the problem.
Happy 100 days! - Couples in South Korea celebrates many days a year. In Europe, we might celebrate 6 months being together or just every year. In Korea, the couples celebrate 100days 200 days, 1000 days etc. Funny right? And who counts the days? The smartphone of course!
Where did you go? - Koreans are experts when it comes to disappear. This happens when people are drinking together. Refusing drinks in Korea is seen as a bit rude, and this is why we can see so many drunk people, everyday of the week. There is a trick for this. Disappear, and send a message to someone apologizing that you left early, and add that there will be a next time. There will always be people forcing you to stay and drink more, and saying no in that situation is hard, especially if someone older than you offers you a drink.
You can't sing? - Many countries are associated with some sort of talent. Latin americans and south americans should know how to dance and finish people should be able to drink so much alcohol. So how about Korea? Norebang, or Karaoke rooms is a very popular leisure activity. If you can't sing, its honestly really embarrassing. Many of my friends refuse to even join, because they feel that they lack singing skills.
I want to play! - The words koreans use sometimes can make me laugh a lot. Now after soon 10 months I got used to this "play" word, but it was very weird to see or hear it at first. You might get messages where it says: "Meri, I really want to play with you" "Let's play someday" "It was nice to play with you today". Doesn't this sound weird? The thing is, in Hangeul or Korean, there is only one word for play, which can mean playing with toys or hanging out.
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