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your culture shock stories
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Swiss James



Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai

PostPosted: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The food in Incheon Airport- my specialist subject.

There are: 2 BKs (one landside, one airside), 1 KFC, 1 McDonalds, 1 Subway, 1 Dunkin Donuts, 1 Lotteria, and loads of Korean stuff (including a 3,000 won kimbap shop in the landside basement where I have never seen another foreigner).

Anyway culture shock- I remember sitting on the subway opposite an old halmoni, she saw the two white guys and got a (dead) rabbit out of a plastic bag and started waving it's paw at us whilst babbling in Korean. I was terrified, the guy with me (who'd been here a while) just started laughing.
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Kim Jong Jordan



Joined: 13 Mar 2004
Location: The Internet

PostPosted: Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sometimes I get culture shock just from reading this forum, then I realize that all the things that give me this shock are the very reasons why I'm going to Korea. Change, newness, to create a need to dig down deep and suck it up. Then again, I may end up posting a horror story on here in a month. In the end, though, I'm sure it will only build character.










Peace in the Middle East.
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rapier



Joined: 16 Feb 2003

PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

the eye wrote:
my first month here. i was awakened at 5 am by terrible screaming, glass breaking, furniture smashing....

i cracked open my door to see what was goin on. it was coming from the apartment below. my immediate neighbors were standing at the top of the stairs watching the apparent commotion.

i put on my shoes and joined them. the looks on their faces said it all. the apartment below was DESTROYED. even the contents of the refridgerator was thrown in the mix. it was a disaster. the screaming was getting worse.

i walked down the stairs and peered in to see a young woman, face down on her bed. a skinny little *beep* was on top of her, with his knee between her shoulder blades, and a chunk of her hair in his hand.

i couldn't believe there were more people standing there at the door....watching. one man and some young women in a wide eyed gaze while this sod attacked her.

as i hadn't learned much korean by that date, i didn't know how to say 'police'.
but i remember seeing the cute little cartoon mascot on the sign outside my local police box... under the mascot, there was the romanized name "PODORI" and a phone number.

so, i deduced in this flashback that "PODORI" must mean 'police' in korean...

so i start making hand signals for a telephone in my ear, and yap "CALL PODORI!" a couple times.

why did they look at me like i was a nut???

...er, well, PODORI is just the name for the mascot.

it wasn't until days later that i was corrected through telling of my experience. i was also informed that most koreans know what 'police' means anyway.

in case anyone wants to know how it ended... i ventured in, almost fell flat on my ass trying to walk on the spilled food amd other crap...
i made it to the bed, grabbed the guy by the neck and threw him to the floor....he was wasted beyond reality.
as i checked on the girl,...he stumbled to the kitchen sink and came wobbled back to me with a dinner knife....
i couldn't believe it... i stepped out of myself and i grabbed his wrist and smashed it against the wall repeatedly, all hollywood style, until he dropped the knife. i felt like i was watching myself in a bad hollywood movie.
after he dropped the knife, i dunno, i just had the instinct not to take it any further... good thing, because the "PODORI' were at hte door.
It wasn't until i reached the door that the lone male spectator stepped in to help.

that was my SHOCKING initiation to korean CULTURE....


Great story eye...so, what happened next? or does it just get boring after that?
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