Really, Korea?!?! Really?!

There are some things about Korea that not only baffle me, but which sometimes offend my American sensibilities. As much as I love being here, the experience of waking to a different sun each morning, it's difficult sometimes to reconcile myself to the differences, difficult to remind myself that it's not rude in this culture, easy to become frustrated and need to vent. Here, in no particular order (except the first one) are some of the quirky things I've noticed about life in Korea.

• I have been told that Koreans are an impatient people. While they will stop and go out of their way to help you and show incredible patience in trying to make sure what you are saying, they are also men and women on a mission. It's a drive to succeed, to make sure that they and theirs succeed so that they can have in life security of home and hearth. It makes them incredibly hard-working people, even demanding, and I think that in some ways, it's to be admired. But it can seem extreme to me, with my laid-back Californian attitude. It's hard sometimes, not to feel clauterphobic at the many bodies pressing upon you, urging you to move faster up the stairs, pay faster at the checkout, walk faster to wherever you're going. The pushing and the shoving were unnerving at first until E explained it to me, but now it's just plain annoying. Nobody, in my opinion, really needs to walk anywhere that quickly. It's especially frustrating to feel sometimes, that the push is a little harder than it needs to be, or that I don't get service at the restaurant precisely because I'm miguk. It's the first time in my life, ironically, that I feel like any group of people feel prejudiced against me. Especially when that group of people are older. I feel like saying (in much the same way someone back home might say "but I love the gays!") "but I love older people!"
• There's a special smell to the dust here, I think: it's acrid, like sawdust, but more irritating on the nasal passages. It's also unexpected-- it comes at you in the most random places when you're walking along the street, or into a building or onto the bus.
• Even though Koreans are compusively orderly and neat people (or perhaps because of it), the Korean president initiated a no-trash-can policy. I'm sorry, but that's just a dog that don't hunt. People live and eat and change their babies diapers, and trash bins are an absolute necessity no matter where you live and enjoy life. Korea is a beautiful country, but random piles of trash and floating bits of garbage detract from one's daily commutes and jaunts.