Koreanisms and Time That Flies

#163. In Korea it is very commonplace to see sculptures of a penis just about everywhere.  In a garden frequented by small children.  Casually included in traditional carvings.  On the trails to a hiking spot.  In the middle of a bustling market.  The Korean culture just doesn't see anything wrong with displaying phallic symbols...well...everywhere.

#164.  When businesses open or there is a big sale promoting a store there are always dancing girls.  The dancing girls are usually on tall boxes, wearing short skirts and almost always dancing and signing to a popular k-pop song.  I have seen them in the freezing cold, sweltering heat and everywhere in between.  Do they attract more customers?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

#165.  As I have previously discussed in one of my recent posts, Koreans believe that a persons blood type also denotes their personality. They believe in their blood type much as the way westerners view their zodiac signs.   Korean celebrities include their blood type on their biographies or resume so that their potential employer will know how they will perform.  A man may ask a woman what her blood type is in order to determine whether she may be a good potential partner in a relationship.  Broken down, here is what the Korean culture believes when it comes to the correlation between blood type and personality.

Type A
Best Traits
Earnest, creative, sensible
Worst Traits
Fastidious, over-earnest

Type B
Best Traits
Wild, active, doer
Worst Traits
Selfish, irresponsible

Type AB 
Best Traits
Cool, controlled, rational
Worst Traits
Critical, indecisiveness, small mind

Type O
Best Traits
Agreeable, sociable, optimistic
Worst Traits
Vain, rude


The heart of summer has finally hit Pohang and it is noticeable to everyone who steps outside.  The weather is blistering hot and as humid as can be.  Thankfully, due to the fact that we are so close to the beach, there is usually always a small breeze to make the heat bearable.  During the past few weeks, I have been all around Korea trying to squeeze in as much fun, culture and memories as I can.  My departure date is looming in front of me and getting closer and closer all the while.

After talking tonight at dinner with some friends, something came to my attention.  We refer to time in two separate ways.  There is "Korea time" and "our respective homeland time."  It may not seem different to the average person but it sure is to us.  Here, our weeks fly by.  Before we know it, it's the weekend.  Then Monday.  Then the weekend again.  At home, time seemed to crawl by at a snails pace.  While it's great that our weeks go by so quickly here, this also means that our time seems to be on fast forward constantly.  It seems like only yesterday I was talking about how I couldn't believe that it was April and I had less than 7 months left here.  Now we're on the heels of September and I have less than 3.

With time flying by, I have to start making plans for the rest of my time.  Go to the cities I have yet to visit.  Try the food I have been too chicken to try (live octopus for one).  Squeeze in as much time as humanly possible at the beach.  Spend time with my amazing friends.   Buy the souvenirs for myself and family members.  Clearly the next few months will be a great whirlwind but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

Get ready readers.  The next few months should prove to be quite interesting.