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rapier
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
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 Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 6:13 am Post subject: Any new Cultural observations for the day?... |
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So..what did you notice today in Korea that sheds light on cultural understanding?..anything new? Anything strange? Learn anything? What did you conclude..and can anyone shed better light on the situation?
Today..2 things come to mind:
1) Gangster fear
I was showering and chatting to my Korean friend when I realised that he'd gone quiet and left the showers..to be replaced by 3 tough looking dudes sporting tats..Gangsters? Anyway, they let off an agressive sort of presence. I kept chatting as normal, but my friend seemed very hushed until we got out of there. Later he asked me if I'd been scared, "I replied, No, of course not."
My conclusion: Koreans go quiet to show "respect" to gangsters, and even talking or looking people in the eye is seen as challenging or provocative.
2)Respectable ajosshi cheating?
My usual restaurant, run by friendly ajosshi and his wife. However today I notice something strange. While wifey is busy preparing my bokumbap, he is writing something on a piece of paper and signalling to a young woman. She silently smiles and writes back..they exchange a few such messages a few yards from his oblivious, busy wife, before she departs with a smile. The guy nearby seems to say something funny about "yeojachingu".
Is Ajosshi cheating on wifey? Hmm... |
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rapier
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:45 am Post subject: |
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| None? Ok. |
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rapier
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:46 am Post subject: |
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| Lets look at my avatar again then. |
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Saxiif
Joined: 15 May 2003
Location: Seongnam
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:49 am Post subject: |
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Its really funny when Americanized korean kids badmouth Korea 
Helps put things in perspective. |
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trevorcollins
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:49 am Post subject: |
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| The teachers at my elementary school who said last year they don't smoke have now started smoking because the new vice principal does. The sight of them huddling together, choking and butt kissing the old dinosaur is hilarious. |
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keithinkorea
Joined: 17 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 9:04 am Post subject: |
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Well my some of my advanced kids were studying one of the rotten CNN books with me the other day (good idea, but riddled with terrible grammar and mistakes) and the discussion was on terrorism.
They told me that OBL was a bad man but that Bush is worse. Now I'm not the biggest fan of Bush the imbecile but he's not that f+++ing bad. Where do they get these strange ideas from. |
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drgoo
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Location: Home, sweet home
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 12:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Let's have another look at that avatar again. |
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