Things I'm Not Used To:

 Hey everyone!
     
         I just checked my post readers, over 1,000 page views, and from more places than just the US! But Argentina isn't one of them... I'm looking at you, Becca Casebolt! This is a pretty cool deal for me. I didn't realize that my blog would go further than family and friends in the US, and maybe Germany and Switzerland. But, this post is all about things that I find difficult to comprehend being a foreigner.

         Language: The language is difficult, the structure is flipped. I can't give you much of an example, because I don't know the language well enough. I'm just slowly starting to pick up key words in sentences. I'm now able to get to my location on the subway without relying on the English translation. Just gotta wait for your location, and then "imnida". The language is difficult, the different words for politeness are hard for me to understand. Apparently the entire time I've been saying sorry to people, I've been saying sorry to them like I would a friend, which is really rude.

      The Public Transportation System:  Now some of you might not know, but I come from Central Oregon. Where our main modes of transportation are biking, walking, and car. We do have a bus, but no one really uses it, and I've only used the state transit for a 3 hour journey to Portland. Apparently 3 hours is a long time to travel for my European roommates. Here, you have a T-money card. This card is like a debit card for transportation, now I'm sure some of you are rolling your eyes and going "well of course those exist."... try to remember, I'm from a small town, go easy on me. It costs me about 3 dollars to do my round-trip transit to work. I walk to the subway station, scan my card, take the subway, scan my card as I exit, walk to my bus stop, get on my bus, scan my card, and then scan my card again when I get off. It's a lot of scanning, and I misplaced my card today ( in the garbage), so that was a big adrenaline rush of how I was going to get home with only about 15,000 won ( $15) in my pocket, if that.. Taxis like to overcharge foreigners, I don't really blame them, though... we must be boring conversationalists ( don't worry, I found my card).

          The Love Hate Relationship W/ America:  This actually grinds my gears, and makes me far more upset than reasonable. Older generations, around 50 and above, have been really nice and friendly towards me, the obvious American. Younger generations have been rather rude, and some of the in between floater people have been really mean as well. It might be that I'm mixing my roommates views with Korean views, they tell me things Koreans think... but I can never tell if my roommates are joking or not, so I just assume that they mean it unless they're calling me a fat cow (yes, my roommates are mean, but apparently that's how they show love... I guess I'll take it). Now, I have seen people react really negatively toward me for being an American, but at the same time they're sporting Nikes and shirt that have American flags on them. I can't help but feel some irony in everything they state. Also makes me want to tell them how rude they are being and how ashamed their mother would be of them.

          Shopping/Fashion: First off, WHY are there so many shopping malls? Every street corner there's a bunch of shops! The only place I haven't seen thousands upon thousands of stores is actually Gangnam. The subways are FILLED with shops. It's kinda cool, but also kind of obnoxiously gluttonous, in my opinion. I mean, do you REALLY need 5 different make up stores right next to each other?  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy shopping, but I don't find it necessary or sage to have so many darn shopping centers everywhere.                 Now, the fashion. Girls are wearing leggings ( I have no issue with that, leggings are a god send and totally pants), Calf high socks ( ehhh, interesting.), Nike running shoes ( no, I mean the running shoes you were to go get muddy in the middle of no where running shoes... but sometimes you see some really cool ones), and then generally a button up shirt and a puffy jacket. It's a weird combination for me to understand. And then you have the girls in heals, skirts, tights, p-coat, and cute shirt. AND THEN you have the girls that wear the outfits that in Oregon, you only wear if you're going out, and even then.. you would not wear those stilettos. These outfits are ones that you would not show your parents pictures of.
           Piercings are really popular here, so that's kinda nice, not having to worry about hiding my double cartilage. Also, one thing that's really popular here is wearing masks. Now, some of the reason is for Yellow Dust season ( I'll explain this later), if you're sick, trying to prevent sickness or allergies, but apparently a lot of girls just wear them to hide any blemishes on their faces. I probably won't ever buy one. Oh, and boys wear a lot of make up here. Also, they have make up to give yourself double eyelids. And Surgery is really common. There's one look of beauty here, and there are ads everywhere to attempt to make you feel self conscious, and then you see the plastic surgery add. Psychology. Luckily, I'm a confident person, those tricks don't work on me, and as all my close family and friends know, I really like looking at myself in reflective things.

          Food: Kimchi, Rice, fish cake. That's all I have to say about that.

         Night Life Culture:  this city never sleeps.

       Yellow dust is apparently a bunch of dust that gets picked up from China around this time each year (and other times during the year depending on the weather), but it increases mortality rates by 1.7%, and increases risk of asthma attacks and various other pulmonary malfunctions. I'm not really phased by it, but apparently with contamination to the soil in China, yellow dust season can be really deadly.
   
    There are various other things that are difficult for me to comprehend, like why is showing your shoulders so bad, but your entire rear end okay? Why is it that if you're not in a relationship or married, you feel rather judged? Why don't you go dutch ( split the bill) with Koreans when you go out to food? Why is it considered rude to offer to pay? WHY WON'T ANYONE SMILE AT ME? AND why is making eye contact so bad? Why is shaking hands so weird? Why is Oppa slang for lover but means brother, it grosses me out.

Again, I hope everyone is doing well, and I'm doing well as well.. Just waiting for work to pick up. ( hopefully it will, it's so slow). I've also decided I'm officially, without a doubt, a girl who belongs out in the middle of nowhere with pretty scenery and less people. These people walk too slow, they're too busy texting all the time (don't text and walk in a big city, you swerve and the people stuck behind you get mad). This city is too big for my comfort, and I cannot wait to get out into the Korean country, maybe that's where I'll fall in love with Korea. Cheers! && Until next time.