So I thought I would write about some of the things you might encounter when being a foreigner (Waygook) in Korea. A few things have happened to me in the last couple of days that have been really annoying, but that I've decided that it is because I'm "just a foreigner".
So here is a list of things that you will most likely see/experience if you come to Korea (esp. if you are a girl)
1.You will be stared at
2.Random people will say hi to you and might want to chat for a minute.
3.Old men will start talking to you and/or want to take a picture with you.
4.You will get called beautiful a lot (if you are a girl)
5.Two of the first questions someone your age will ask are your age and your relationship status (esp if they are of the opposite gender)
6.High school and middle school boys will ask you if you have a boyfriend and/or propose to you. (only if your a girl though.)
7.You will feel like an attraction at the zoo at least once.
8.People will avoid sitting next to you on the bus unless there just isn't any other seat available (and sometimes not even then) or unless they are an old lady or old man.
9.If you talk at all on the bus/subway/public transportation, even quietly, you will most likely experience an ajumma glare at least once (and 8 out of 10 times she will most likely have just been talking loudly enough that the entire bus can hear) (But its rude to speak anything but Korean in public?)
10.You will probably make at least one kid cry just by looking at them (most kids will smile though or just look at you like you're a space alien)
11.Moms and dads will try to make their little kids look at you and may or may not make them tell you that you are pretty.
12.You will be confused as to what the gender of the person next to/across from you on the bus or subway is at least once, but most likely more than once.
13.You will see Korean girls showing as much of their legs as they can, but never showing any cleavage
(probably partly cause they don't have any) and rarely showing shoulders.
14.Korean girls love to wear hideously big heels.
15.Make-up, hot pink, and sparkles aren't just for girls, and neither are short shorts.
16.Korean girls walk in pairs and groups of 4. Korean guys walk in groups of 4-10. (In Gunsan, it's no joke. It's so ridiculous trying to get around a group that big)
17.It's common to see girls holding their friend's hand or walking arm in arm, and not uncommon to see guys walking arm in arm as well, or sometimes holding hands briefly. (nope, they are not gay, its just the "Korean guy skinship" thing)
18.Koreans like to mosey. And they do it in a way that makes it almost impossible to bypass them without shoving past.
19.Koreans will shove past you, step on your toes, push you, etc, (all on accident of course) and never look back or apologize.
20.You can get free things (service) more often at restaurants/ coffee shops/ bakery's etc.
21.You become a regular much more quickly at places since your not hard to remember.
22.It's almost impossible to people watch (in peace)
23.You will be ignored at a restaurant or cafe, or any public place to order food or drinks if there are any Korean customers needing attention (regardless of you were there first or not) BUT if by any luck you get a server that knows English enough to want to practice it, they will be super polite and attentive to you.
24.You will see little kids (that look way too young not to be with a parent) walking around and getting on buses by themselves.
25.If you take any type of early morning subway or public transportation, (esp on a Saturday or Sunday) you will most likely see a stumbling drunk/puking person at least once.
26.Partying and getting so drunk you fall over in the bar/ you puke all the way home and your friends have to carry you home (or leave you lying drunk in the street) at 5am is not just a weekend thing. It can happen on any day of the week. (Especially if you live near a university..oddly enough, Tuesday seems to be a popular day here)
27.You can get away with looking silly (and you will look silly a lot) because everyone will just shake their head and write you off as a "silly waygook" (foreigner).
28. If you can speak Korean fluently, people won't make too big of a deal out of you (I've heard) but if you only speak a little, people will be surprised and congratulate you on how well you speak. (or you can say something in Korean 6 times and they won't get it, then it clicks and they say "oh!! BLAH blah blah..." and say whatever it was you told them 6 times EXACTLY like you said it.)
29. Koreans seem to think that foreigners don't want or care about personal space, and will touch you (like, pet your hair) or point out an obvious flaw (like you're fat) and touch your stomach.
30. Koreans are obsessed with looks, and not only are there mirrors everywhere in public places, you will see Koreans checking themselves out in the windows, on their mirror app on their phone, or on their personal hand mirror they carry around with them in their purse (or murse, if its a guy) There are even places (bars and clubs mostly) that won't let you in if you aren't good looking.
31.And, last but not least, you will hear a lot of American/foreign music in public places, but you will mostly hear music like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqxHy4G9FMI and this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AGaWVW5jz4 and this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-IJWqIHioA everywhere (and see these on TV and see people wearing similar styles too.)
Now, some of these things do not apply in certain places. Seoul is so culturally diverse that it is possible to live somewhat normally there as a foreigner. Busan is also pretty popular with tourists, but not as much as Seoul. But in the smaller cities, well...
I can honestly say, that every single one of these things has happened to me at least once. Some of them more than others. I have been stared at, taken pictures with strangers, proposed to by a high schooler, glared at for speaking English on the bus, confused about someones gender (a lot), seen ridiculously drunk people fall over in restaurants, puke everywhere on the street, shout loudly to their friends (the street that the only windows in my apt. overlook seems to be a very popular spot for drunk people to have conversations) on any given day of the week, my hair has been petted before too and one of my students actually tried rubbing...um...the larger attributes of my body. But he was only 5.
And I'm not joking about the bars that only let in good looking people. When I was in Deajon for my birthday, we were gonna go to this bar to get a drink, but the girls turned around right when we were about to get on the elevator because the guys that had just gotten off were talking about how they couldn't go in because they weren't good looking enough. The girls said that if those guys weren't able to get in, then we definitely wouldn't. I disagreed, but they didn't want to find out if we were considered good looking.
Anyway, so that is my list of things that have happened, and in some cases, frequently happen, to me here in Korea and will probably happen to you as well if you come. My advice, learn to read Korean and speak a little. It's rather amusing when you can understand a little bit and surprise the people in front of you that have just been talking about you by asking a simple question in Korean. Gives them a bit of a shock...haha. It's worth it.
Well, I think that's it for the day. Have a good day everyone! It's sunny today, despite it being monsoon season, so I'm gonna go outside and enjoy it while I can!
~TWGA
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