EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT YOU DID LAST NIGHT
Today, I am not gonna talk about horror story..0-0
I'd like to talk about
'Korean culture' which can be a terrified topic for some of us..(including me;;)...
(If you live in a world 'I don't care'.)
Koreans love taking care of other people. so what? so what? What's wrong with that?!
For example: If you move to new place, you will provide 'rice cake' to your neighbors.
If your mom cannot provide you a dinner for a certain night, your mom can ask
your neighbors to provide a meal for you.
If you know your exam results, your mom even does not have to ask you
what you get for your exam. Because she already heard about that from your
friend's mom.
Your mother knows what you have done at school even without asking a
question.
Your friends' mothers will be really appreciated if they know what kind of job
you get or which school you get the acceptance at.
If you are in danger, there will be many people who will take care of you.
Sometimes, it is good to have a strong connection with your neighbors but sometimes..
it gives you a hard pressure.. 0-0
There is a new Korean word 'Um-chin-ah'
'Um-Chin-ah' (엄친아) is one of your mother's friend's son (sometimes, can be a daughter..but literally a son) who is superior at doing anything. I think this new word has come out from the Korean culture. We know that everybody hates being compared to someone else, but old people love to do that...because they know what other people have done or accomplished so far....
Koreans share everything together... Food, concerns and so on...
I do not know whether that is really good or not... actually, I am the one who has been under the deep sorrow of the world 'I do care about everything'.
Especially, if you have a Korean girlfriend or boyfriend, just try to take a subway with them.
In a sudden, you will be able to realize that people keep looking at you and your friend and talking about you and your friend for entire trip :P Because Korean people are so interested in seeing something new :)
Please don't feel bad about them..... Just keep your own world 'I don't care.'
However, the thing is..
Once you visit Korea, there will be lots of people who are going to be really happy to help you
at anytime.
That's the reason
why many foreigners say
"Koreans are really friendly and nice!"
2010년 9월 8일 수요일
2010년 9월 7일 화요일
Hungry in the middle of night in Korea?! Go to the convenience store where is just next to your house.
"I had sushi today. It was only 1000 won. ($1)"
I told him "are you kidding me? How come the sushi can be only 1000won?"
He made a huge smile and said "GS 25 sells really cheap food! You can eat almost anything there."
=-=' I wanted to give him a punch.... but it was true... GS 25 sells really cheap food in S. Korea.
What is GS 25? It is one of convenience stores in S. Korea. Convenience store opens for 24 hours.
They never close. Therefore, if you are hungry in the middle of night, you can just wear pajamas to go. I mean... a ..sort of ..."T-shirts and Pajama pants.."
They sell not only food, but also first-aid products, office supplies and so on...
The price can be pretty expensive once you compare to the whole sale stores.
If you find any store which has a logo looks like this..or this kind of stores....
You can just enter and find some food! What kind of food do they have?
Almost everything. !!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAA.
This is a photo of Spicy rice cake and Mushroom pasta soup.
When I visited Korea this summer, I was surprised about the fact that they even sold a dish of
"Bulgogi 불고기( Korean traditional beef dish) + rice" at the store!!
If you just put into microwave for 3-5 min. you are ready to eat!
Usually the price is really cheap.
Sushi-samgakkimbab 삼각김밥(seaweed rice with differnt tastes) - 700 won to 800 won
Jeon-ju Bibimbab 전주 비빔밥- 2500 won to 3000 won
Hambuger 햄버거- 1000 won to 3000 won
Tastes? Pretty good :) If you have no time to have a "REAL FOOD", going to stores to get some quick microwaveable food is a GOOD IDEA :)
The store is everywhere. Every 3-5 min., you will see many many stores.
So.......if you try to save money in Korea, it is good to go to the store.
However, for your health, it is not that good enough to eat for every single meal.
Smart tip : You may see the promotion products (for example : 1 + 1 or 삼각김밥 + 음료수 (drink) )
In this case, you can save your money more even!
How diverse Korea is?!
Today, I'd like to talk about a Diversity of S.Korea.
Majority people in S.Korea are Koreans.
They use Korean as their first language.
However, there are also many people who speak English, Chinese, Vietnamese, or Japanese as their first languages. Really? Yes!
English Teachers in S. Korea
Many of people who speak English are English teachers.
After they finish their B.A. , English native speakers often decide to go to some of Asian countries to teach English. In Korea, being a teacher as a native speaker is pretty fun thing to do. Why? Because they can get much more benefits from being English teachers than just being first stepped employees.
For example, you can get a free flight ticket (round-trip! whenever you come and go back). Also, whenever you don't have any class for several days, you can trip to other provinces in Korea or you can visit other countries (maybe China and Japan will be the easiest countries to visit during a short break). Not only this, teachers get a free house while they stay in S.Korea as English teachers. Insurance can be covered too!
Major point is : You get quite decent amount of money!
Free flight ticket + Free house + Having a chance to trip to another place + Money
Isn't it quite lovely to be a teacher in Korea?
However, sometimes, it is really stressful job... Why?
Because many of English institutions push students so hard upon the parents' asks.
Students cannot finish their homework often... I heard that English teachers are required to give tremendous amount of homework to do.... 0-0 As a Canadian or American who has been educated in North America, giving tremendous amount of homework to students is totally unimaginable thing to do!!!!
Asians in S. Korea
Many Asians who currently live in Korea are from lower class in their home countries.
About 2-3 years ago, once the Chinese currency was not that high,
many Chinese people came to Korea in order to earn money.
Today, many people are from Pakistan, Bangladeshi and so on...
Usually, many of them are reported as illegal residents in S. Korea.
The Korean government has tried to find out who are illegal residents for several years.
Because it is not only the matter of staying in Korea as illegal residents, but also it can be a matter of 'Human rights.' Many of illegal residents have threatened by their employers.
Some of employers do not want to give them money or want to give them at least amount of money as much as possible, they often abuse it.
Also, since many of Korean men cannot get marriage because of over populated (men),
they try to find brides from other Asian countries. Moreover, there are many number of men who cannot get marriage because they live in farmlands. There are many Match companies in S.Korea. They arrange the marriage between Korean men and Asian women (not Korean women, I will talk about the match-company btw K.men and K.women later). Ususally,
Korean men pay lots of money to the match company and they go to other countries in order to pick wives. Brides from foreign country are kind of forced to get marriage because they need a "MONEY" in order to support their own family. The number of foreign wives has been increased. Still S.Korea is a men-circled society. According to Confucianism or Korea's traditional culture, so, in many cases, once Korean women marry to Korean men, it becomes a marry to "HUSBAND's FAMILY" not a husband. This kind of phenomenon can be often appeared in the countryside of S.Korea. Anyhow, let me come back to the marriage of Asian women and Korean men. Many of men try to be nice to their wives. Also, there are many programs which are for foreign wives in order to make their lives a lot easier in foreign country. But sometimes, unexpected accidents are going on. About two months ago, one foreign wife was killed by her husband in Korea. Her husband was very violent person and had some psychological disorders. It is absolutely against the "HUMAN RIGHTS".
I think this kind of happenings has been also occurred in many of Western countries.
It is really sad. How are we gonna figure out??
Foreign Students in S. Korea
Many of Korean universities try to gather foreign students from abroad in order to make their universities becoming more diverse. I think it is quite good opportunity to have as foreigners. Because it is a good chance to learn about another country's culture. The Program fees are quite cheap to afford. Most of courses for foreigners are provided in English, so once you feel comfortable at using English, there is no problem. Many of foreign students are encouraged to participate at Korean Language programs. There are many Korean students who are willing to help. Usually, you live in a dormitory with Korean students or you may live with your host family. Actually, I cannot guarantee the quality of classes which are held in English in Korea. Even though majority number of professors have received M.A. or Doctoral degrees in English speaking countries, you know, since they have lived in non-English speaking country, S. Korea, it is hard to keep up their English skills. Also...the quality of general classes?? I cannot guarantee that either.. I cannot say "100% of profs. are good." nor "100% of profs. are bad.". It really depends on your luck. So, try to be picky about choosing where you are going to study at in Korea :)
Others in S. Korea
Since the number of foreign companies has increased, there are many foreigners who work for their own companies in Korea for several years. Many tourists visit S. Korea every year.
This is the site of VISIT KOREA
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto
You can check general information about S. Korea :)
Majority people in S.Korea are Koreans.
They use Korean as their first language.
However, there are also many people who speak English, Chinese, Vietnamese, or Japanese as their first languages. Really? Yes!
English Teachers in S. Korea
Many of people who speak English are English teachers.
After they finish their B.A. , English native speakers often decide to go to some of Asian countries to teach English. In Korea, being a teacher as a native speaker is pretty fun thing to do. Why? Because they can get much more benefits from being English teachers than just being first stepped employees.
For example, you can get a free flight ticket (round-trip! whenever you come and go back). Also, whenever you don't have any class for several days, you can trip to other provinces in Korea or you can visit other countries (maybe China and Japan will be the easiest countries to visit during a short break). Not only this, teachers get a free house while they stay in S.Korea as English teachers. Insurance can be covered too!
Major point is : You get quite decent amount of money!
Free flight ticket + Free house + Having a chance to trip to another place + Money
Isn't it quite lovely to be a teacher in Korea?
However, sometimes, it is really stressful job... Why?
Because many of English institutions push students so hard upon the parents' asks.
Students cannot finish their homework often... I heard that English teachers are required to give tremendous amount of homework to do.... 0-0 As a Canadian or American who has been educated in North America, giving tremendous amount of homework to students is totally unimaginable thing to do!!!!
Asians in S. Korea
Many Asians who currently live in Korea are from lower class in their home countries.
About 2-3 years ago, once the Chinese currency was not that high,
many Chinese people came to Korea in order to earn money.
Today, many people are from Pakistan, Bangladeshi and so on...
Usually, many of them are reported as illegal residents in S. Korea.
The Korean government has tried to find out who are illegal residents for several years.
Because it is not only the matter of staying in Korea as illegal residents, but also it can be a matter of 'Human rights.' Many of illegal residents have threatened by their employers.
Some of employers do not want to give them money or want to give them at least amount of money as much as possible, they often abuse it.
Also, since many of Korean men cannot get marriage because of over populated (men),
they try to find brides from other Asian countries. Moreover, there are many number of men who cannot get marriage because they live in farmlands. There are many Match companies in S.Korea. They arrange the marriage between Korean men and Asian women (not Korean women, I will talk about the match-company btw K.men and K.women later). Ususally,
Korean men pay lots of money to the match company and they go to other countries in order to pick wives. Brides from foreign country are kind of forced to get marriage because they need a "MONEY" in order to support their own family. The number of foreign wives has been increased. Still S.Korea is a men-circled society. According to Confucianism or Korea's traditional culture, so, in many cases, once Korean women marry to Korean men, it becomes a marry to "HUSBAND's FAMILY" not a husband. This kind of phenomenon can be often appeared in the countryside of S.Korea. Anyhow, let me come back to the marriage of Asian women and Korean men. Many of men try to be nice to their wives. Also, there are many programs which are for foreign wives in order to make their lives a lot easier in foreign country. But sometimes, unexpected accidents are going on. About two months ago, one foreign wife was killed by her husband in Korea. Her husband was very violent person and had some psychological disorders. It is absolutely against the "HUMAN RIGHTS".
I think this kind of happenings has been also occurred in many of Western countries.
It is really sad. How are we gonna figure out??
Foreign Students in S. Korea
Many of Korean universities try to gather foreign students from abroad in order to make their universities becoming more diverse. I think it is quite good opportunity to have as foreigners. Because it is a good chance to learn about another country's culture. The Program fees are quite cheap to afford. Most of courses for foreigners are provided in English, so once you feel comfortable at using English, there is no problem. Many of foreign students are encouraged to participate at Korean Language programs. There are many Korean students who are willing to help. Usually, you live in a dormitory with Korean students or you may live with your host family. Actually, I cannot guarantee the quality of classes which are held in English in Korea. Even though majority number of professors have received M.A. or Doctoral degrees in English speaking countries, you know, since they have lived in non-English speaking country, S. Korea, it is hard to keep up their English skills. Also...the quality of general classes?? I cannot guarantee that either.. I cannot say "100% of profs. are good." nor "100% of profs. are bad.". It really depends on your luck. So, try to be picky about choosing where you are going to study at in Korea :)
Others in S. Korea
Since the number of foreign companies has increased, there are many foreigners who work for their own companies in Korea for several years. Many tourists visit S. Korea every year.
This is the site of VISIT KOREA
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto
You can check general information about S. Korea :)
Hi! How much do you know about South Korea?
Hi! Guys! welcome to my blog. My name is Gahyei Lee. I'm from South Korea.
I go to school in U.S.A. I lived in Canada for more than 2years, China for 1/2 an year.
This is my 3-4th year in U.S. I also visited several other countries, every year, i try to visit each different country.
I'd lke to introduce about Korea and the culture on this blog.
How much do u know about South Korea?
official name: REPUBLIC OF KOREA [but often named as South Korea]
the government was established: AUG.15. 1948.
capital city: Seoul
population: 48.61 million (2008) foreign residents-1.1 million
currency: won (KRW)
official language: Korean (BUT most of Koreans have learned English since they were young)
.............
this is boring.
do u care about them seriously? really? O.M.G.
I'd like to touch on the subject which can bring more interests to you.
tourism is good!
social problem is good!
language is good!
hot issue is good!
Everything about S.Korea is here, just for you!
If u have any question/suggestion about topic,
feel free to write e-mail : ghlee721@gmail.com
I go to school in U.S.A. I lived in Canada for more than 2years, China for 1/2 an year.
This is my 3-4th year in U.S. I also visited several other countries, every year, i try to visit each different country.
I'd lke to introduce about Korea and the culture on this blog.
How much do u know about South Korea?
official name: REPUBLIC OF KOREA [but often named as South Korea]
the government was established: AUG.15. 1948.
capital city: Seoul
population: 48.61 million (2008) foreign residents-1.1 million
currency: won (KRW)
official language: Korean (BUT most of Koreans have learned English since they were young)
.............
this is boring.
do u care about them seriously? really? O.M.G.
I'd like to touch on the subject which can bring more interests to you.
tourism is good!
social problem is good!
language is good!
hot issue is good!
Everything about S.Korea is here, just for you!
If u have any question/suggestion about topic,
feel free to write e-mail : ghlee721@gmail.com
피드 구독하기:
글 (Atom)