Home > TEFL we Blog > Teaching English in Asia > 10 things that are strange Won’t know About Southern Korea

Korea is really a country that is truly fascinating and I also defy you to spending some time right right here rather than fall in deep love with it. Nonetheless, there are a few small quirks and oddities that even with 15 months we nevertheless find it difficult to get my mind around. I’ve compiled a summary of 10 crazy reasons for having Southern Korea that you’ll definitely find strange!

1. The street rules

Or simply, the possible lack of road guidelines is better. Red lights, pedestrian crossings, and way that is giving to mean absolutely nothing here. Scooters, motorbikes or even vehicles, drive along the freely pavement beeping at you to be inside their means. In terms of parking, the overall guideline is apparently that anywhere is reasonable game whenever you can match your car there. And there’s this rule that is strange means you are able to turn appropriate at a crossing, regardless of light being green or red, which includes triggered significantly more than a few near misses.

2. The possible lack of queues

Yeah, yeah, I’m a Brit, and all sorts of Brits love queueing, I’ve heard all of it before, but really Korea, learn how to wait your change. Koreans seem to possess this strange and irritating proven fact that they just want to buy a packet of cigarettes, but you have several things to pay for, they can cut in front if they only have one thing in their basket or. Ajummas (see point 7) will be the worst because of this.

3. Koreans have an ability that is incredible get lesbiansingles.org online to sleep anywhere

With or with no assistance of a few containers of soju. Entrepreneurs kicking off their footwear and settling straight straight straight down for a park work bench for the cheeky energy nap, builders having a kip in the center of a building site, dropping off to sleep in the subway yet somehow always getting up over time because of their end, plus in course, ideally perhaps not really a representation on my training. Koreans have actually possibly the longest working hours in the whole world, and several of my pupils just get four to five hours sleep per night, therefore it’s not necessarily astonishing which they require some peace and quiet.

4. Koreans have actually superstitions

Every tradition has their very own superstitions, and Korea’s are no complete stranger than our anxiety about black colored cats, broken mirrors and walking under ladders. As an example, the quantity 4 is known as unlucky here because the terms for ‘death’ and ‘four’ have actually the exact same pronunciation in Korean. You should never give sets of 4 as a gift when you get in a lift the button for the fourth floor will often be F, instead of 4, or sometimes skipped altogether, and. Composing someone’s name in red can be reserved when it comes to dead, which includes on one or more event resulted in a sluggish motion design ‘nooooooo’ through the young ones while they dive to use the pen away from my hand. After which there’s fan death, the commonly held belief that sleeping in room with an admirer on instantly will kill you. There are lots of theories behind this 1, but the most typical one is the fact that blades regarding the fan will chop the air molecules up making them un-breatheable. No, actually.

5. What’s my age once more?

Along side some other eastern Asian nations, Korea makes use of an alternative method of age reckoning as compared to Western globe, which means that your ‘Korean age’ will likely to be just one or couple of years (according to exactly what thirty days you’re created in) over the age of your ‘Western age’. Infants begin life at one, when you are regarded as being one in your year that is first of, two in the second 12 months of life, three in your 3rd 12 months of life an such like. Nonetheless, in Korea everyone many years up on the Lunar brand brand New 12 months (Seollal) in February, rather than to their real birthday celebration. As an example, an infant created in January could be twelve months old if they had been created, and would then turn two on Seollal in February, despite the fact that they’d simply be several days old in line with the system that is western. This technique is employed in almost every time life in Korea, even though the legal system makes use of the Western reckoning. Confusing i understand.

6. Reading and writing the date

While United states English makes use of the month-day-year structure, and British English makes use of the day-month-year structure, Koreans frequently (according to their education) decide on year-month-day. So 10/9/12 could be October 9th 2012, September tenth 2012, or September 12th 2010. Honestly it is anyone’s guess also it makes sell-by dates a total nightmare.

7. Ajummas

This 1 term is sufficient to hit fear into the heart of perhaps the many expat that is seasoned. Kitted call at clashing animal images, more diamanté compared to the whole cast of TOWIE, and undoubtedly, the obligatory visors atop their standard problem perm, this military of elderly ladies that wander the roads of Korea is a force become reckoned with. They will push, jostle and elbow their option to the leading associated with queue or even to can get on the coach first. They pounce although they are painfully slow when walking down the street, don’t be fooled, as soon as that subway seat becomes free. The thing that is last want is always to invoke the wrath of an ajumma. Try not to mess using them.

8. DONGCHIP

This bizarre, and game that is slightly disturbing unfortuitously quite popular among Korean young ones at this time. It, and why no one stops them is completely beyond me where they learned. The ‘game’ involves the children putting their hands together just like a weapon, looking forward to the moment that is opportune jamming their hands up your bum yelling DONGCHIP! You have got been warned.

9. Magic structures

From the land of this eternal tea-break, the price that structures look and disappear in Korea is absolutely nothing in short supply of astonishing. One week you’ll walk past a hairdressers, and also the week that is next’s a completely refurbished restaurant. It is like located in some sort of time-warp.

10. Kimchi-a-rama

The nationwide obsession with kimchi. I am talking about seriously, it is fermented cabbage.