Korea (韓国)

I always have preconceptions about countries that I haven't been to before, and those stereotypes and assumptions get shattered within hours of landing in that country. I think I've been conditioned by what I read, watch, and hear from others to judge somewhere before I actually go somewhere, and it's really a "You have to be there to experience it" sort of situation. Before visiting Korea, I thought they were a mini version of China or Japan, the food mostly tasty and reddish like Kimchi, sounds a lot like "Gangnam Style, people look a certain way ( not sure what the prototypical Korean face would look like, but I've seen enough Korean men and women to have gotten an idea). Maybe like a little brother country to China and Japan, not quite there as a world leader and speaking a weird language. Boy have I learned so much from MJ over the last couple years about the country (the emphasis on being healthy, studying to get into good schools, etc., etc.) , but there's nothing like actually visiting and experiencing firsthand. 

Observations of Korea (mainly just Seoul and Busan): 

1.) Orange taxis is one way of distinguishing oneself from all the other cars, and a unique color for taxis. 
2) could be clear as day with no precipitation for days, but Asians will use umbrellas while walking under the sun- its more for sun than rain, and given the southern areas most Asian cities occupy, a necessary accessory.
3.) On the third day in Korea, dust blew in from China. Made the skies around Busan cloudy.... seems to be a big issue nowadays, inheriting pollution and waste from an unaccommodating neighbor. Negative externalities! I tried to explain to MJ that even though I was born in China, I had no hand in creating the pollution! It wasn't me! 
4.) Lots of western influences. Starbucks, McDonald's, I almost made the mistake of trying one of the American restaurants, which I've tried not to do in foreign countries anymore, instead to try the local cuisine, no matter how stingy I'm feeling. 
5.) Guy wearing a "Leon the Professional" movie shirt. Very obscure movie reference that I fully appreciated. Koreans get it. 

Surprisingly awesome stuff about Korea 

1.) Pharmacies carry a "yogurt" they give for free. Very accommodating! Yay for free stuff! 
2.) Very respectful at many establishments like hospitals/ clinics. MJ was called "Lee Min Jeong nim" which is the Korean equivalent of "Miss Lee Min Jeong!" Very respectful. 
3.) Lots of beautiful looking people! (including my beautiful wife MJ!) I don't know if there is a stereotype as to who the best-looking Asian country is, but Korea has a legitimate claim! Korea has a lot of very good-looking ladies and natural beauties (none as beautiful as MJ of course), so why does everyone insist on plastering so much makeup? Don't get me wrong, I like a lot or Korean culture and I think their men's haircuts are really well done, but the cosmetics just makes every woman... artificial, and makes me question every single face I see as "enhanced" or not. It seems like a race to put on makeup which everyone loses. 
4.) Korean bookstores care much more about studying foreign languages and studying in general than American bookstores, showing what people value in the society. Also lot more people still frequent bookstores as opposed to say, the movie theater(no official stats to back up this claim). 
5.) Very accommodating to foreign visitors! The train systems have English, Mandarin, and Japanese translations of all their instructions. 
6.) Spa World! Korea is known for spas, and in Busan there's something called Spa World which is like the Disney World of Spas. There a variety of spas like Roman candle room (really hot) or ice spa (really cold), an outdoor spring, and that's before mentioning the full bath experience (lots hot tubs to take a dip in before even going into the spa). And you can sleep in the spas! Just like Disney World, you can get lost in Spa World for a day without realizing it. 
7.) Hanbok is a traditional Korean dress for festivals, and we went to a temple where many Koreans were wearing hanbok (kind of like what a kimono is for Japanese, although I'm not sure if Koreans like that comparison). Looks elegant.......maybe MJ and I could try sometime? Even foreigners from other countries came to the temple wearing the hanbok to celebrate the rich tradition of Korean culture. And they're so colorful! An awesome way to express oneself but also be traditional. 
8.) MJ and I mistakenly got in a women-only car on the train one time, and I felt really embarrassed, but I wasn't thrown out or scolded or hissed at or anything, I calmly got out at the next stop and went to the next car. No drama!


There is something distinctly Asian about going to big Asian cities, a cultural difference  in the way people talk, dress, walk, look at you, that makes immersing yourself in one of those cities a vacation in itself. (And I imagine why Asian people come to the US too, to get a different slice of culture.) Now I've visited Korea, and I'm thoroughly impressed. 


Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan