House Rules

My body always appreciates a good jog, but this morning it was a bit difficult to get out of my warm bed. It still looks like fall…but it feels more like winter. Night temperatures are dipping below freezing so it’s time to turn on the heat. And invest in an Eskimo parka. Our apartment has a traditional heating system called ondol in which heat radiates from hot water pipes underneath the floor. Figuring out how to turn it on took some assistance but now that we are enlightened I’m quite enjoying stepping on random warm patches.

With ondol heating I can now see why eating traditional Korean meals on the floor is rather appealing. It probably won’t come as a surprise to you that nearly every Korean meal is served with a bowl of rice and kimchi. Meals are eaten with heavy metal chopsticks, though it is actually more standard to eat the rice with the spoon. I’m still learning my Korean table manners but one thing I’ve gathered is that your chopsticks should not be left sticking out of your rice bowl; it is more proper to lay them across the bowl. I have also heard that blowing your nose at the table is impolite, which can be really difficult to avoid since Korean food can be a bit spicy.

Upon entering a Korean home one must always take their shoes off. Our apartment is not a shoe-free zone but in Korean homes and certain places this rule is strictly adhered to. Maybe this can help explain why there are so many street vendors selling extensive varieties of cute socks. Unlike in the States, here I need to be more conscious about sock-coordinating my outfits! It has happened more than once that I’ve forgotten I will have to take my boots off upon entering a home. Not only had my boots been hiding my frumpy gym socks, but also the awkwardly-lengthed cropped jeans I usually wear in summer but that I can pull off as jeans when I wear boots...completely undoing the effect of a cute outfit.

Our hot water is also provided by the ondol heating system. It took a month or two, but I’ve learned to remember to turn on the hot water BEFORE I get in the shower. I have not been so successful in remembering to turn it off afterwards since the thermostat is in Bethany’s bedroom. Many Korean bathrooms, our bathroom included, do not have a bathtub or even separate shower stall. There is a shower curtain and the shower head is positioned toward the sink, kind of cruise ship style. A lot of the water ends up draining through the sink. It’s just as well, although is having a shower stall that big of a deal? On the bright side, cleaning the bathroom has never been easier. Perhaps this is why light switches are outside the door. The only complaint is that it can be a bit annoying when the entire bathroom and floor is wet for the following few hours. For this and other cleanliness reasons there are also hideous communal flip-flop slippers you are supposed to slide on before entering the bathroom. 

And we do have a Western toilet. Not to say I haven't used the squatty potties here at times. Occasionally in public bathrooms there is a choice between seated and squat toilets. They may seem exotic if you've never used one, but I've decided they are actually more hygienic.  If squatting properly, you don't have to bare any weight and you never touch a thing! Something everyone should experience! When you finish, you might find a rod with a bar of soap sticking out of it.

Two things Korean homes typically don't have: dryers and dishwashers. Life goes on.

One last cultural norm I want to share is the Korean sense of space. Koreans just have a little less of it. A bit of bumping on the street or pushing in the subway station is not rude here, it’s life. Even though the English phrase ‘excuse me’ has two different translations depending on the situation, they are rarely employed in this scenario. When I bump into someone, which is frequently in a big city like Seoul, it is so instinctual to turn around and apologize. But here in Korea, by the time I turn around, my accidental bumping victim is practically on the other side of the subway station catching their transfer. I can see why it seems rude to us waygookins (foreigners)…but it’s really just cultural. Seoul never sits still and everyone has someplace to be.

Okay okay one more thing. Signaling someone to come over or hailing a cab is done palm down. So think of our ‘come here’ finger-curling hand motion but rotate your wrist 180 degrees. To waygooks it looks like more like a ‘shoo’ motion, but in fact the two are switched here. Always good brain exercise to be had in Korea! Learning new things everyday might be my favorite part of living here!