It's a Korean thing...

Here are some of the things I've noticed about Korea or Koreans...

1. Everything is fast and everyone is in a hurry. I experience this everyday when I take the bus to school. The bus would come and people would be running toward the bus. There's a reason for it though; if you are just a bit late, the bus is gone. I guess this is also a good thing because everything is on scheduled. I am almost always the last one on the bus because everyone else would be cuttin'. (There's actually no such thing as cutting in Korea... you snooze, you lose) Also, there's this unspoken rule that you don't speak English on the bus. People get super annoyed. 

2. Beef is extremely expensive. It's quite sad because I love beef especially steak. It's expensive because Korea has to import beef from another country. There aren't much cows around in this tiny country. 

I got already my North Face jackets from home; so I got get this to fit in with the crowd.

3. Conformity. As a sociology major, Korea to me is the best case study for conformity. Everyone wears the same brand shoes, clothes, backpacks, hairstyle...etc. Name brands like New Balance, Nike, Adidas  Converse, North Face are extremely popular in Korea. Almost all HS students own something from North Face (it's usually just one thing because it's really expensive) 

4. Lots of money goes into education. Even the schools in the countryside are equipped with great technologies..flat screen TV, computer rooms, nice libraries, books...you name it, if it's educational, the Korean govt will give it to you. (They needed English teachers..so that's how I got here). Even still, I think the students do not see what they have is a blessing. It's quite sad that they only see what's in front of them and not what other kids in the world have to go through for education. It's quite conflicting when later on, you see HS students stressing so much over exams...as if the world's going to end if they do not get good marks. Always so extreme.

This is "my" classroom. It's a science room. Most schools have an English room.

This is the front of my classroom. 

5. Even if you're sick, you still go to work. You feel bad for taking days off here. They make you feel bad...not sure who "they" are... but you just know, you feel bad.