Little Differences: November 30, 2010

Here is another post that has been floating in draft status since November! Opps! Enjoy!

November 30, 2010

I just got home from work and immediately had to take a shower as there was another breakout of lice! Gross! The shower situation made me think about the little differences here.

For those of you who saw the pictures before I left, the shower is a hose straight from the sink in the bathroom directly next to the toilet. Basically you shower where you pee. No joke. Thank goodness I got pictures before I came out here so I knew what I was getting into. The whole experience can be a challenge since you have to turn off the water to put the shampoo and conditioner in your hair. You also have to shut off the water to lather yourself up as well. Needless to say it can get a little chilly especially when it's so cold out. It's 25 degrees Fahrenheit outside ride now. I forgot to mention that you have to set the hot water thermostat at least 10 minutes before you want to shower so the water can warm up. Did I tell you that bath towels in Korea are actually hand towels? I'm not kidding. I guess they just like to air dry or maybe it is because hot water is so expensive that it is cheaper to wash hand towels. I'm not really sure of the reason. I know that on average they may be a little smaller but not the difference between a hand towel and bath towel. Luckily I send over some bath towels before I left because they don't even sell bath towels.

Another little difference is that all cars have the right of way, even during a walk sign! Crosswalks seem to be a suggestion or sometimes a target zone. Today on my way to work I was almost mowed down by a bus and a runaway delivery truck. On my way home, I just got out of the way of a car that whipped around the corner from my house. Once you step into crosswalk you better keep your eyes and ears on all angles of the road. Plus you are always dodging and weaving around food delivery scooters that run red lights, no matter what.

A funny little difference is that although there might not be many western restaurants near me, there are three pizza places within one block of my apartment. The strange thing is that they put corn on all the pizzas. I am just assuming that it is suppose to help digest the cheese, since it is used sparingly.

That is just a few to name today!