observe and report
some uncategorized observations about korea:
- their subway system is phenomenal. little violin music plays to announce a train’s arrival, and i always know i’m at my station because the carts will start to fill with the sounds of seagulls that represent the beach.
not to mention these guys:
why aren’t platform barriers a universal standard? no more hovering by the wall for me.
koreans love love love wet naps. they’ll come with every meal you order, and are found at all establishments. my students call them ‘water tissues.’
in general, a ‘more is more is more’ attitude prevails. koreans don’t do anything halfway.
you’re not likely to ever lose your keys, because they seem to be obsolete here. this is the pad to enter my apartment building:
on the other hand, you might be at risk of walking into doors. most of them are clear glass, and slide open with motion sensors.
receipt paper is very thick.
there is a pre-coco chanel ideology re: pale skin. the only people with tans are those who do manual labor, or are foreign. even though it has been swelteringly hot, lots of people wear long sleeves. the rainless umbrella is king.
crocs are the national shoe. especially popular with the kids i teach, but look down and every other pair of feet will be encased in the holey plastic contraptions.