One of the things that caught me off guard the most when I first arrived to Korea was the culture. I'll just share a few things that I have noticed. I don't know for sure whether they are completely accurate but this is what I have noticed. Some of them are quite humorous.
Waving and pointing: For someone who is younger it is considered rude to wave or point
Bowing and shaking hands with two hands or the other hand touching your arm. When ever you greet someone it is always appropriate to bow and shake with two hands. This took some time for me to get used to.
Using the middle finger to point: The older Korean people always use their middle finger to point to things or at you. Safe to say the middle finger doesn't have the same meaning as it does in America. haha
Complimenting: No matter how bad or wrong I speak in Korean, the person always compliments me on how well I am speaking. When compliments are given the Korean person will always deny the compliment and say the opposite.
Sitting on the floor: Here in Korea we do almost everything on the floor concerning eating and sleeping. Me being two meters tall I have a long way to go down.
Kids English Vocabulary: We always enjoy saying "Hello! How are you?" to Korean kids because every Korean child is taught to reply EXACTLY with "Hello, I am fine. Thanks" and likewise if I were to ask, "Where are you going?" Without fail they would reply, "I am going to my house.". They also very much enjoy talking to us.
Doorways in Korea: I have yet to find a doorway of a house or classroom that I can walk through standing up completely straight. I have hit my head a total of 15 times and counting. A couple of those times knocked me to the floor because I was going a little to fast. Hopefully I can be a fast learner on this one :)
Seeing other white people is very rare: Where I am staying seeing other white people doesn't happen often. No wonder we get stared at so much. However I see people from Africa all the time! I love talking to them, for one, they speak English and are trying to learn Korean just like me and two they have the most interesting lives.
Korean food: Korean food is the most healthiest food I have ever eaten. I have had my fair share of digestion problems in America and all of them have gone away since I have been here. My body just feels so much better its great. The Kim-chi is really helping me out!
Expensive Items: Some things that are crazy expensive here is peanut butter. A small jar of peanut butter can cost around $8. As well as fruit, meat and nuttella. haha
I think it is safe to say that I am just having so much fun here in Korea. Yes it definitely gets hard...like really hard but I know if I stick to it, I can do things that I never thought was possible. I have such a love for the people
of Korea. Everyone has there story just like I do.
I love you all and thank you for all your support! I love seeing your pictures!
much love,
Elder Eads
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| This is called sticker boarding where ask random people why they learn English. |
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| This is what the nearby city looks like. It is so pretty at night! Its Jung Ahng |
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| The LDS Korean Temple |
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| This is my companion Elder Barton at LDS Seoul temple |
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| After the temple trip we went a restaurant and I ate snail...It was disgusting... |
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| I also ate Octopus. It was really chewy |
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| Before |
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| After |
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