I’m currently in Japan wrapping up our Asia trip, but wanted to quickly tell you about some of my favorite things from Korea. What a fantastic country!
Quiet
When we arrived, it was later at night and our hotel was in a more business/financial district. We assumed it was so quiet because of that. Oddly enough, it was like that everywhere! It’s incredible how peaceful such a large city like Seoul can be. Oh, and it is delightfully clean!
Respect for nearly everything
Man, oh, man. If Americans could have 1/10th of the respect for each other that Koreans have, I’d venture to guess we’d be happier and healthier. There’s just this underlying respect that exists for nearly everything. It’s not just giving up your seat on a metro for an elderly lady, it’s bowing hello and goodbye, taking a quiet moment in front a temple to pay your respects, picking up trash as you see it and generally not thinking the world is against you.
Ajumma (My best guess at how it would be spelled.)
These ladies are everywhere. You can spot them gossiping together while wearing nearly identical outfits. My friend we were with said you can always pick them out because of similar hair styles (permed), walking sticks from hiking and giant brightly colored visors. I smiled each time I saw one and aspire to be that happy and healthy when I’m older.
Nori Bongs
Karaoke. I didn’t think I’d do it, but it was epic. EPIC.
Baseball Games
What an experience! I can only describe it as one giant show. Each player has a specific chant and song. They had cheerleaders on top of the dugout and a DJ who began all the cheers. You can buy liters of beer and eat chicken fingers from KFC until your heart’s content. I mean, what is not to love?!