A few days before I was to leave the country, I got sick with the flu. I called in to work (actually, I realized I didn’t even have the school’s number, but eventually I found it) saying I would be sick. The assistant answered my call, told me to feel better, and insisted I take medicine or go to the hospital. Medicine, hospital? That’s a bit strange.

My supervisor called me an hour later. She asked if I had taken medicine or had gone to hospital. What’s with this hospital business? She made it a point to say that they desperately needed me and expected me in later that day.

Reading online, I found that it’s quite uncommon for a Korean to miss a day of work or school on account of being ill. So be it. I’ll go into school and I’ll infect the entire classroom.


Why do all Korean women wear heels? And yes, even on planes or when they know they’re going to be walking on dirt all day?

Koreans have funny ways of walking across streets. You will see people calmly walking and then, suddenly, they spot that the crosswalk is green! They sprint! Kids old ladies, doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter that the crosswalk may have just turned green either. The run looks more like an incredibly fast paced shuffle, usually because they’re carrying bags. Anyways, it’s not weird that they run to/across crosswalks. There’s just something odd for me about the manner in which they do it.


Seoul’s subway is a fascinating aspect of the city. For one, it’s huge. Two, it’s so big, with 10 subway lines, it even covers other cities, like Suwon, with a population of 1 million. Many of the cars have lcd televisions built into them which display advertisements and the like. Most stations, as well, have some type of lcd technology whereby they accurately depict the location of previous trains. It’s pretty cool and efficient as hell.


Cereal and Beer

Cereal is a problem here in Seoul. Why does it cost $5 a box? And why is it all sugary and tasteless? If you like knock off frosted flakes, though, you might be in heaven.

Not to mention milk. It’s more than double the price of the U.S.

And beer. There’s nothing exciting on this front, with the possible exception that larger grocery chains are carrying more exotic foreign labels—especially in the foreigner districts! Generally, you’re likely to find Hite, Hite D (Dry Finish), Cass, Cass Red, OB Golden, OB Max, and Hite Stout. With the exception of Hite Stout, they’re all pretty much interchangable. None are particularly bad, it’s just that they’re all American lager type clones. Hite Stout, is a halfway decent stout, not offensive on the palate.

These will all cost about $1 a bottle.

In the average grocery store, for foreign beers, you’re almost guaranteed to find Hoegaarden and Budweiser. I’m not sure why, but these beers are universal. Foreign beers will usually cost at least double the local stuff.