You know you're in Korea when...

 Someone who is in my program wrote most of this list and I've added, clarified, or taken away some of the statements.  It's just a humorous glimpse into the quirks of living in South Korea - some may be generalizations but I've experienced most at one time or another! enjoy! warning: there are quite a few. if one doesn't make sense or you want an explanation or most likely a funny story of experience to accompany the sentence, let me know!

You know you're in Korea when...

- There are only 3 shower settings – boiling hot, luke warm, freezing cold…
- You will buy ANYTHING with English instructions…
- All food comes either in a single serving or a convenient 30-pack…
- No matter where you are standing, you are always in an old lady’s way…
- You wince every time you turn on your bathroom faucet because you forgot to look to make sure it wasn't on the shower…
- Your shoes’ safety is always at the back of your mind…
- Someone is always watching you… or staring more likely.
- All you watch on TV are Korean game shows, K-Pop music videos, and CSI Miami…
- You expect to be startled at least once a day by someone sneezing loudly…
- You are now always ready for anything to happen…Dynamic Korea! (their motto)
- You wish the country would import cows…
- You hit the switch language button on your keyboard more often than the space bar…
- All protests, stores, or announcements contain a song and dance…
- When the department store opens, the staff will kindly bow to you just before they are nearly trampled…
- Sometimes you feel that the whole city is just a giant school…
- Curiously, you are a little excited about the yellow dust season…when else can I wear a face mask and fit in?
- Facebook is the only thing keeping you sane…
- You actually prefer bowing to saying hello…
- You buy the product with the prettiest label because you can't read anything it says so you just hope it's what you want…
- If you had a wish, you would make every person taste a Western pizza…
- People only need to walk one block to reach a convenience store or PC room…
- People politely start public trash piles rather than littering everywhere…
- Students love to sharpen pencils…with razor blade things, not pencil sharpeners...
- You find yourself disappointed in the equipment offered at the free public park gyms when it's lower than normal...
- You still have no clue how the garbage/recycling system works here...
- You've given up on the rice cooker and now proudly own a microwave...
- Who needs a janitor when you have a school full of kids?
- Costco is your favorite holiday destination…and it's 2 stories!
- You actually convince yourself that you’re starting to blend in…
- You actually believe that you are really beautiful because they tell you so much…
- Everyone is very impressed with your chopstick skills and kimchi-eating ability…
- A single bar of soap can kill the bacteria on the hands of 1000 people…
- Pedestrians share the sidewalk with automobiles and motorcycles...
- Public restrooms don't have toilet paper or paper towels...
- Every child you pass on the street will say 'hello' to you and then promptly giggle and run away...
- Children love arm hair...
- People think you should board the train first before allowing people to get off...
- Cell phones are meant to always be turned on...
- People love to know your blood type...
- Kids and non-smokers are invincible to second-hand smoke apparently...
- Trash can fires are not just for the homeless anymore...
- You are at risk of being hit by a car the second you walk out of your apartment (so, so true)...
- You don't cringe when a car zooms past you on a street narrow enough for one car and misses you by inches...
- There are more oscillating-fan-related deaths than shootings...
- Other foreigners fascinate you...
- People think that it is really nice to meet you once again for the 300th time...
- Most laws are merely suggestions...
- All food is "delicious" with no exceptions...
- You only hear Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga's names twice a week now...
- The school bell makes you crave ice cream (it's a whole song like an ice cream truck...I tend to want to dance to it)...
- The apocalypse has not arrived... it's just some guy selling fish... (people drive trucks around with loudspeakers announcing what they are selling as they drive...but it sounds like the world is coming to an end)
- You carry your empty coffee cup for a long time after you finished it...
- Everyone is fascinated by their own face and like to take lots of pictures of themselves...
- If you have light colored eyes (like me) they will stare and then tell other people and then you have tons of people just staring at your eyes and still speaking Korean until one finally says "you have beautiful eyes!" and they all nod...
- You need to start making a schedule of your laundry waiting period so things have time to dry...
- Fish and rice belong at any breakfast table...
- Walking backwards in a circle is a great way to exercise...
- It makes sense to remove your face mask if you need to sneeze...
- There are only 2 languages ever spoken - Korean and English...
- Little kids traveling alone on public transit is nothing to be concerned about...
- Loud construction workers are Korea's answer to the alarm clock...
- Any decent men's tie should sparkle...
- Using a broom half your size instead of buying one that you don't have to bend in half seems logical...
- Animals love to advertise their own consumption....
- Everyone, including 7 year olds, has a nicer cell phone than you...
- Even if you are fast asleep on the subway or city bus, you won't miss your stop...

so, like I said, these are just a few that I thought were funny or thought "so true!" when I read them!

I'll do an update on teaching soon! :]

oh, and I'm finally a registered alien here! woohoo!!