Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Newbie]

No, not the normal "why don't they wait until everybody gets off before they go charging in...." Something new. (and yes, this sounds like a completely "noob" post)

Are "arrow up" and "arrow down" new concepts in this country?? I couldn't tell you how many times I've been waiting for an elevator, first floor, wanting to go up. The big arrow is very brightly lighten and then someone comes, hits the down button and looks completely shocked when the elevator comes and shows that it will be going down. Why did you hit the down button if you want to go up? Or, waiting on a higher floor to go down, elevator comes, person stares right at the "UP" arrow, gets on and goes up a few floors, then comes back down to where we were waiting.

Yes, some of the time it is just old, confused people, sometimes the person may have been day-dreaming, sometimes their head is buried in a book, etc. that's all cool. But, there has been an unsettling amount of times when they look directly at the up button, press the other one, and then look confused as hell. Doesn't bother or anger me, and I'm not trying to paint all Koreans with this or badmouth the people in any way. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this phenomenon. It almost always gets a chuckle out of me

[the eye]

[Woland]

Use the stairs. It's good exercise and you'll never be crowded.

[billybrobby]

[Corporal]

I love it when people think they're on the first floor and all get out, then they realize they're only on my floor, the 5th floor, and all have to rush back in like fools.

[dogbert]

[Drunken Monkey]

[Hanson]

Back in Canada, I worked in a hospital part/full-time while I was a student. One of my jobs there was 'Porter', which basically meant I transported patients, specimens, medical records, hospital equipment (etc...) from place to place within the hospital. Patient to x-ray by wheelchair, blood work to the labs, that kind of thing). I used elevators a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean a few hours a day waiting for or in an elevator.

Over the ten + years I worked there, I observed many strange phenomena regarding people's use of elevators.

People push wrong buttons all the time.

Why don't elevators back home have a 'cancel' option by pushing the button again, like they do in at least some here? I'd be in an elevator with a patient and someone else would come in and push two, and sometimes, three buttons (at times changing their mind after already having pushed a button), thus making the people in the elevator wait for the doors to open, wait, wait, wait, and close again without anyone getting on of off. Having the cancel button makes sense.

Up/Down confusions.

People just don't pay attention. It's like the car accidents that occasionally happen, where someone is at a red light, and is daydreaming, or preoccupied while waiting at the red light. Then, out of the corner of their eye, they'll see the car next to them move forward, in their periferral (sp) vision. So they, subconsciously, inch forward and bump into the car in front of them (which hadn't gone forward yet), causing a small/slight fender-bender. Elevators are the same. People wait for an elevator and start thinking a million different things, not one of them really 'focussed' on the elevator. When others go into the elevator, these people don't even look at the arrow and simply follow the herd into the elevator.

Up/Down usage.

I can tell you for a fact that some people need to have elevator usage explained to them. Someone mentioned that some people think that pushing the down button will make the elevators come down to them - this is very true. Other times, the confusion arrises when both up and down are pressed. The first elevator arrives, and people just assume it is their direction because they pressed whichever button they selected.

Other times, and I was guilty of this on many occasions, it is that when elevators are busy and overpacked, people get very selfish. After seeing two or three elevators go by completely full, people end up getting on the elevator in the wrong direction, purposely. This way, they garantee a spot on the elevator for its eventual ride back in the other (desired) direction. (here, people will often feign surprise at the wrong direction once in the elevator, to justify it to other passengers...

Now, because of my position as Porter, I was allowed to boot off people from elevators and tell them to use the next one if I had an urgent call. Say, I have an ICU patient on oxygen, with a CT scan to do, I would tell people to please get off the elevator and use the next one. You wouldn't believe what some people do to try and stay on that elevator.

In the elevator

People act like they were at a funeral in there. They avoid eye contact, they stare, feigning interest in the floor-number indicator, look at their feet, anything other than making eye contact with other elevator passengers. I would use this knowledge of elevator etiquette to conduct experiments; I would select a guinea pig on the elevator, and look at them intently. Sometimes, I would crowd the other person unnecessarily. I whistled, sang (softly and beautifully), and hummed. I would even strike up conversations with people, who more often than not, would look uncomfortable as hell. Usually, when I did these things, people will not say a word.

In the elevator (part 2)

People are very reluctant to give up their 'space' in an elevator. I would often get on elevators with stretchers or beds, transporting patients all over the hospital. I'd wait for an elevator, and it would come, and there'd be two people in it. I'd start pushing/pulling the stretcher/bed into the elevator, and very often, the two people on it wouldn't move! These were very large elevators, that can fit a bed plus 5-6 people, easy, but many just wouldn't give up their 'space' on the elevator.

Getting off.

People inside and outside an elevator, will stand literally half an inch away from the closed doors as their destination/elevator comes. They believe (I assume) that they are saving time by doing this. This invariably causes the jam-up in front of an elevator. Although I have to say, some (fewer than in Korea) would want to get on an elevator before allowing those on it to get off. Those people always got an "Excuse me!" from me, in my snazzy uniform.

Pushing the buttons repeatedly.
People love pushing buttons. In fact, they love it so much, they will push a button that is already lit. Repeatedly. Some people push the same button three times in a 30 second ride. Others (and these are perhaps my favourite) will push-push-push-push-push-push very quickly and look at the effect of their pushing on the elevator's progress panel. Yet others will simply keep their finger/thumb on the button, continuously applying pressure on their button. These people are also often known to look at the floor indicator to view the results of their continuous pressure application.

I had parents encourage their kids to push all the buttons in the elevator, because kids love buttons even more than adults do. These parents would be oblivious of other people's elevator needs, and let their little tots push every button, smiling them along, encouraging the practice of making others wait longer.

Now, about this (OP) looking and being surprised about it when they find out they are going in the wrong direction, I've seen it happen back home, but not that often.

My book on elevators will be published soon. What do you think so far?

[Newbie]

[billybrobby]

you ever do that thing where you're talking to a friend and you're talking away and then you get in the elevator and it's like you're in church and then you get off and you start talking again? i do that a lot in korea because if I say anything in an elevator, in english or korean, people turn to look at me like i just cut a fart.

[Lao Wai]

This reminds me of of one time I was on an elevator in Busan. My friend and I (both Waegookins) stepped onto a crowded elevator. Of course, it was deathly silent as others have mentioned. Anyway, I happened to look up and saw these two Korean women, obviously friends (I hope). Anyway, one of them was 'picking' through the other's hair, and seemed to be picking stuff out. Well, this reminded me of those National Geographic specials where you see monkeys picking the gnats out of the other monkey's fur and then eating them. I turned to glance at my friend and I knew she thought the same thing. Trying to keep from laughing, we almost pissed ourselves. I think it was made all the worse because the elevator was SO quiet. Anyway, as soon as we got off we burst out laughing. It was a long ride down! Kind of childish, I know, but we couldn't help it.

[charlieDD]

I recently envisioned this: I get myself one of those large plastic hammers they beat each other with on TV shows and in board game cafes. I'm in the elevator. As I reach my destination floor, the door opens, and I bring down the hammer. Whoevers there gets a knock on the noggin (spell?) for being a self-centered dimwit who can't imagine anyone else in the world might use the elevator and they'd have to get off first before he can get on !

BOING ! Right on the NOGGIN ! ( a variation of Jackie Gleason's "POW, right on the kisser!")

[charlieDD]

[cmr]

[daskalos]

I can't believe no one has mentioned my favorite thing about Korean elevators. That is, you can un-push a button you have inadvertently pushed. Why isn't this the standard all over the world?