Funny phenomena

Once you’ve stayed in country for more than just on vacation, you start to notice small details that you wouldn’t usually pay attention to.

Cars
Like Finnish people only use Nokia cell phones, Koreans only drive Korean cars. You will only see Hyundais, Kias, Daewoos and other Korean brands. And all cars look alike. They are either black or grey, large executive type cars. Many cars also have these small blue stickers on them. Because there are so many cars and so little space here, people have the habit of bumping into each other. Though it might take away from the aesthetic appeal, having those thick blue stickers on the side of your car ensures the paint stays intact while the car is waiting in the parking lot.

Like no other.

Those are the little blue thingies that I meant. Same car in the pic.

Bangs
Bang litereally means room. They are the Koreans’ favourite pastime. They are several different types of bangs, of course. Norebang’s are the most popular ones. You have this place that is filled with small rooms that fit from 5 to 15 people and you just go there and sing. Your own private karaoke. We’ve gone a few times, but most people (especially me) sing so badly that the experience is more excruciating than pleasant. In addition to Norebangs there are PC bangs, Playstation bangs, board game bangs and DVD bangs. Why would anyone want to watch a DVD in private room somewhere instead of watching it at home, you might ask. That’s right: they are extremely popular among young couples.

White skin
Korean women want to have white skin. Here having white skin means that you’re not poor and that you’re not (oh good heavens!) from South Asia. Here whiteness is associated with cleanliness. So women here do everything in their power to whiten their skin. They use as strong sun block as I do, they wear non-revealing clothes even though its hot, wear these sun caps that protect their face, and yes: whitening cream. It’s weird to familiar cosmetics brands such as L’Oreal, Elizabeth Arden, Givenchy and others advertising skin whitening products. We even had an article in the Korea Times on how and why women should whiten their skin. These products apparently destroy all the melanin in the face or something. 60% of Korean women use them. First I was bit disturbed by the whole white-craze (ok, I still am a little), but you have to remember that Westerners are equally obsessed with tanning. Fake tanning, self-tanning lotion, inside sun, sun powder, the list goes on.

Ajumas, or old ladies, sporting their sun visors.

Teri oonjon
Unfortunately, if you're a businessman in Korea, something you will inevitably have to partake in is big drinking sessions which are supposed to be bonding experiences for company people. During these drinking sessions, you'll probably be forced to down way more booze than you're accustomed to. If you drove your car to the drinking venue, don't worry! Certain factions of Koreans (like company men) are so used to drinking themselves into oblivion, that they came up with a convenient service whereby you can still come home in your own car! Instead of taking a taxi and leaving your car in a parking garage or on the street, you can hire a driver to drive your car home for you! These saviors are known as a teri oonjon in Korean. This clever service doesn't cost much and you can request for a teri oonjon at most bars and restaurants. It will save you overnight parking fees, taxi fare, a possible night at the police station with fines, or it may just save you from hurting yourself or someone else.
(Courtesy of www.seoulstyle.com)

This one is just for your enjoyment: a traditional Korean bathroom. No, we have normal one at home, the photo's from a subway station. Some of them have mirrors. Not kidding.