Land of the Not Quite Right...

There are days...well, every day I leave the house, that I wish I had a camera in my eyes. Seriously. The things we see here...are just so...different. I've drilled it in the girls' heads that it's not weird, but different. Just some of the things:

Koreans recycle just about everything...and I mean, EVERYTHING! We have to purchase our trash bags (not cheap), and recycling bags. We have to put our left over food in a certain bag, the plastic wrap that everything is wrapped in is recycled,and so is styrofoam, and cooking oil!

When we leave the house, I don't feel like I can wear yoga pants and/or t-shirts. Not that I felt comfortable doing that back home, but there is NO WAY I'm doing that here. I'd say 90% of the women here are consistently dressed up with heels on. Remember, we walk A LOT and these women are in HEELS...not pumps...heels! They're crazy.

They don't wear sunglasses here. They use umbrellas on sunny days.

Electricity is imported here, so it's super expensive. Granted, the Army gives us a generous (I pray) allowance for this, but I've been told to not use our A/C (it's on right now) because we'll end up with a $600 electricity bill.


They like to honk their horns here.

They don't point here. This is what they do instead...you put your fingers together and 'point' with your entire hand...Dan thinks it hilarious because I actually do this. He says he's an American and refuses, but I'll do it like Vanna White, when we're in public, just to crack him up. I've noticed the girls have picked up on this and are doing it.



When you greet someone Korean, even if it's passing on the street, it's polite to bow to them. I need to research this more, but have noticed it's expected for older people, but they do it back to us? The poor guy who delivered our pizza tonight, after I gave him a small tip (I'd been told it's rude TO tip them, but I can't NOT tip!), about bowed to his toes three times after I told him to keep the change. Bless his heart.

When you are giving someone older than you SOMETHING (I *thought* it was only drinks), you're supposed to use both hands. I haven't fully figured this one out either, but had vaguely remembered reading about it. However, last week, when we stopped for a slushie downstairs, Abby went to grab it, but the man told her, "NO! Both hands!". I was a little annoyed with that, but get that he was also trying to teach her a lesson. I am not happy when the little Korean cashiers hand me back my money with both hands (one is handing you the object, and the other is on your arm/wrist)...like I'm OLD or something!


They like to honk here...A LOT!

I saw a picture of a sundae at the generic McDonald's today and it said it was a bean sundae. I didn't think that was possible...possibly something lost in translation, but when I looked at the picture more closely...YUP...them's BEANS! eewwwwwwww

They put corn on their pizzas and it's good. But, not on the Pizza Hut pizza, and that's still good too.

I've been told Koreans don't use their dryers here because they're too expensive. You'll see them hanging the coats (that they've washed) and comforters from their balconies. The Daiso (think dollar tree) store here even sells clips for them! I've heard, and seen while snooping, that most new apartments have these clotheslines already installed. Our's is broken, but I think it's supposed to go up and down so it's out of the way when you're not using it.


The delivery drivers use scooters with their food on the back. They are the craziest of all drivers (with the buses a close 2nd). They will drive across playgrounds, on sidewalks, in between traffic, etc. Dan said they call them bulgogi bombers (bulgogi being a popular food here).

The kids here run around without a care in the world! We walk a lot and we see kids, as young as Ava or younger, walking and crossing the streets. It's so crazy!

Did I mention they like to HONK?

That's all I've got for now...If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to add it!