Category: Culture (Page 11 of 24)

Traditional and modern Korean culture.

Imagine

2014/06/04 / Nic / 22 Comments

Western furniture is something I really miss while in Korea. A lot of homes have barely any furniture, especially out in the countryside. My husband’s parents have a decent sized house for Korea but there is no sofa, no dining table. There are a limited amount of chairs and there is 1 single bed in the spare room. His parents sleep on the floor and we sleep on a mattress (I miss having a real bed too).

Meals are eaten on small tables (밥상) which are put away between meals. I understand why people don’t have much furniture because the space is used in a different way and traditionally Korean houses and furniture are very different to what we are used to in western countries. Furniture is also very expensive in Korea. There is not much range and it’s often quite bulky. While we now have space for a sofa technically, it would still have to be small one. Easy and cheap to get in Australia… not so easy or cheap in Korea.

My body really misses being able to relax on a sofa and I always take the opportunity to sit on them when we visit friends who have sofas. If you watch a lot of Korean dramas and Korean commercials it looks like Koreans have lots of western furniture, and houses and apartments are well furnished but that is not an accurate representation at all! It’s slightly more realistic when they are showing very wealthy families in dramas, but commercials that are supposed to be showing an average family but the average family lives in a huge apartment with lots of furniture?! Lies!

So I’m just stuck with my imagination now. Maybe if I wish really hard and believe… one will magically appear?

Dol Celebrations

2014/05/19 / Nic / 29 Comments

(Woolies is Woolworths, a major Australian supermarket).

Han and Sophie’s daughter Alice had her first birthday celebrations (돌) on the weekend. It’s a very big thing in Korea! They are a lot of fun but my husband realised how much work they are. They are more like a wedding than actual modern Korean weddings are (way more fun as well).

He was only joking about not doing them for our children, of course we have to. Sophie also pointed out that once we have a baby he is going to think his child is the best in the world and do everything for them! First birthdays are huge events but they are also well catered for. You book the package deal you want and it’s held at a special hall with a buffet and an MC and everything is provided.

I’m sure once we have a baby he is going to think we need to do much more than just buy a supermarket cake!

Here is a photo from the celebrations.

Swimming Longing

2014/05/08 / Nic / 41 Comments

Korea doesn’t have the same type of swimming culture that we have in Australian. Australians learn to swim as very young children and we also have lessons at school. It’s quite likely that you’ll have a pool in your backyard or at least your friend does. Many apartment buildings have pool facilities and there are many public pools. Most of the population lives around the edge of Australia so there is also the access to beaches. Even if you live out on a farm it’s likely that you will go swimming in a river or dam. Although Korea is a peninsula there is not anything like the swimming culture in Australia. There are not really beaches like in Australia or any easy access to swimming areas for everyone.

Although we are right near a river I’m not allowed to swim in it. My husband said that 20 years ago people used to swim there but dams have been built and now the currents are very fast and dangerous.

Although Koreans don’t swim much, and in fact a lot of the population can’t actually swim, there is a lot of water around. I feel a sadness and a longing when I see all this water but know that I can’t go swimming in it. I always declare that I want to go swimming when I see water but Koreans friends just look at me like I’m very odd when I say that. I don’t really have any desire to swim at public pools here (there are different rules like having to wear a swimming cap) but I’d love to swim in the ocean. Does anyone actually know somewhere good to swim in the ocean in Korea that is not the crowded Busan beaches?

For nonKoreans living in Korea, do you miss swimming? Is it part of your culture? Do you swim anywhere in Korea?

How many Aussies out there had a pool party for their birthday at least once when growing up? I hated that my birthday was in July and it was always too cold for swimming.

The mother from

2014/05/01 / Nic / 30 Comments

Ahjummacist? That doesn’t even make sense. (Ahjummas are technically women who are married but tends to mean women in their 40’s and 50’s).

I’ve heard a lot of Koreans who have visited or stayed in Australia comment on the look and style of Australian women who are in that ahjumma age range. They have noticed that there isn’t one type of style for them and looks and hairstyles range considerably. In Korea there is a definite ahjumma style and something called an ‘ahjumma perm’. So of course ahjummas can end up looking very similar (obviously I’m not racist haha). My sister-in-law’s boyfriend once asked his mother about the perms saying, “Did you all get made in the same factory?”

When I go shopping with my mother-in-law we have to spilt up because I go to the younger women section and she goes to the ahjumma section – which is very different! I’m sure there are older Korean women that wear the younger styles, and the wealthy always have more access to different styles, but to me the ahjumma style is so vastly different to the younger styles. While of course in Australia there are clothing stores dedicated to older women, I’ve always been able to borrow clothes from my mother or shop in the same stores as her without feeling that style is vastly different to my own.

There also seems to be that line that you some day have to cross into ahjumma fashion. One of my husband’s female friends recently got an ahjumma perm and her friends were horrified. She insisted it was nice and easy to manage now so she felt comfortable, but her friends (all in their 30’s) were not ready to cross that line yet.

I don’t think I will ever get an ahjumma perm though…

Also, there wasn’t a new Mr Gwon Time yesterday like there should have been, but there is a new video on our BONUS channel where we try some of the candy you guys sent us.

Inception

2014/04/27 / Nic / 17 Comments

I woke up in a dream, thinking that I was back in Australia with my family and I was so happy. Then I wake up and realise that was just a dream and that I’m in Korea and things are terrible. Then I wake up really this time and realise I’m in Korea and everything is fine. This happened the other day and I had to make a comic about it.

What I think my subconscious is working through is this: I have a wonderful family and it’s hard to leave them, not only in the sense of leaving home and leaving my country, but in the sense of leaving and starting my own family. It’s a natural part of life but it can be difficult. My mind was probably questioning whether I’d made the right choices, what if what I chose was really bad? How does it compare to my life with my family? The dream gave me the scenario of that alternative reality. Then I woke up really and was a bit disorientated by these dreams. I go downstairs and find my wonderful husband (who would never act badly like that really) simply sitting on the floor exercising. He greets me with a big smile and I realise how wrong that dream was.

What the bad version of my husband said was also an indicator of some things I do find difficult in Korea. I am the only white person around here and people do come to look at me. Older people touch my white skin. Most days it’s fine but some days I really dislike having to be introduced to many people. But now everyone around here knows who I am so that situation doesn’t really happen, or it’s actually something different. For example the other day my husband called me downstairs and I had a moment of feeling, “I hope it’s not more random people who want to see me,” but actually he just wanted me to see the huge fish a neighbour had caught. (Those that follow Facebook and Instagram would have seen the photo).

How to pick the sweetest strawberry

2014/04/18 / Nic / 7 Comments

There was supposed to be a Mr Gwon Time yesterday. It is finished and ready to go but we haven’t subtitled it yet. Subtitling can be a lot of work and we haven’t felt up it because of the ferry tragedy in Korea. The mood has been very subdued here and everyone is just constantly watching the news and hoping.

We do have a few videos that are ready to go though.

We tell you which strawberries are the sweetest ones in Korea.

There is also a new video on our bonus channel.

Sacheon Seafood Market

2014/04/16 / Nic / 7 Comments

I’ve mentioned before that I do feel sorry for all the fish and sea creatures just waiting to be eaten. However, it is fascinating to see this part of Korean culture. Since Korea is a peninsula they have always had a lot of seafood in their diets and it is an important part of Korean food.

Those that know me well know my thoughts on octopus…. that trip and seeing how many octopuses were trying to escape just confirmed my theory that they will one day take over the world and when they do, I’m gonna be like “I didn’t eat you!”