So, I hurt my ankle... (발목을 다쳤다)

Geez, I haven't written here in almost 6 months.^^ Since starting grad school, I pretty much just study, or feel guilty about not studying, all day, every day.. even weekends. Especially this semester, with this class that's basically nothing but translating a poorly-written English textbook into Korean...

Anyway, the point of today's post is to talk about how I hurt my ankle. People ask a lot.. and I also wanted to write everything down before I forget the details, so here we go:




The Accident - April 21, 2015
The aforementioned class that's taking up ALL MY WAKING HOURS was canceled the following week, so I finally had some free time. I was on my way to meet my friend to go to the river. The transfer subway stations always have a ton of people, and even mid-afternoon on a Tuesday was no exception. I was on my way down the stairs when the train came. I was 4-5 steps from the bottom when some middle-aged lady ("ajumma") behind me decided she just had to make that train, and pushed me out of the way to go down the stairs faster. My hands were full (and I was kind of in the middle of the stairs, not near the railing), so I couldn't do much but fall forward. I skipped the remaining steps, and landed sideways on my ankle. I heard a pop and started seeing green and grey spots, and my ankle wouldn't support my weight. But, being in the middle of a subway station, about 4 levels under ground, I couldn't think of what else to do but get on the subway, pray for a seat, then try to get my friend to help when I got off at the other end. In hindsight (with it being 20/20 and all), I should've just sat down on the stairs (off to the side!) and better assessed the situation. I remember taking about 10 steps, then the next thing I know, two other ajummas are picking me up by my underarms, and a third is calling 119 (Korean 911). Some subway security dude showed up and started asking me questions. They laid me on my back with my head on some lady's purse, and people were starting to gather around, all talking to me in Korean, and making me dizzy. Half a dozen ladies all got out their wet tissue packs, and offered them to me. (Thank goodness for these nice ladies that picked me up, called 911, took care of me til the ambulance came...) My head above my left eyebrow hurt the worst, followed by my chin. I didn't even feel the cuts between my lip and nose, but people said it was bleeding pretty badly and judging by their reactions, I knew it wasn't pretty. (I also learned the Korean word for that area -- 인중/in-joong -- before I learned the English one -- philtrum... inasmuch as that's English, anyway, ha.)

Maybe 10-15 minutes later, 2 or 3 ambulance guys (can't remember..) showed up. This was by far the most frustrating part. They got me up and sat me in some chair on wheels. Then we sat there 2-3 minutes (or longer, I don't know) while they asked me "어떤 병원" (which type of hospital) I wanted to go to. I kept thinking, I dunno, one that can fix me??? There was another foreigner there, talking to me in English, asking me if I could speak Korean, and trying to translate, and I had to talk to her, thinking, like, I understand what they're saying, but I don't understand what they're asking. What do you mean what type of hospital??? I still don't know what that means. Finally they asked where I live. I said by SNU Station. They finally decided to take me to 중앙대학교병원 (Chung-Ang University Hospital). And, being Korea, even though there was some girl in a chair surrounded by ambulance people, no one wanted to get out of the way, or let us on the elevator first. So after the "what kind of hospital" incident, and waiting forever for an elevator, my face felt really warm, and I was starting to see black. I tried so hard on the elevator not to pass out, and I think it worked? I felt instantly better when we got out of the elevators and into the main area (right when you come down the stairs from outside). Anyway, the highlight of the trip was when they asked me for my transit card so they could beep it on the way out! What.the.heck. They charge the base fare on the way in. Guess they really need that extra 10-20 cents if I traveled further than 5km! (Though I had only gone 2 stations, so...) So I had to dig through my purse for my phone (I keep my transit card in a pocket in the phone case), and because I have a bunch of other cards, I had to use one hand to hold the tissue on my face, and the other to pull my transit card out of the phone case... and.. what the hell.

So we finally make it to the ambulance. My first ambulance ride! And they bent the chair back and just lifted the top part and slid it on the bed-thing. Pretty sweet. Unlike US ambulances, though, Korean ambulance people aren't medical people. I'm sure they have CPR training and stuff, but they can't do much but fill out your hospital forms and, in my case, with a broken and bleeding lip, make you laugh (to pass the time? I dunno). The dude was so damn relieved I spoke Korean (sort of. Definitely not my most eloquent of days... but given the head injury, we'll pretend it's cool). I remember him telling the ER nurse when we came in, and her making this face of relief. Anyway, they also don't get priority at red lights (they have to wait like other cars) and no one really moves out of the way. It's pretty shitty and ridiculous. Seriously. Shit like this is ridiculous. Someone's possibly dying... Ugh. Anyway. So the trip felt like it took forever. And the dude kept talking to me. Perhaps to make sure I wasn't unconscious? I dunno. I was a little disoriented. He also gave me some gauze with some liquid that burned to use on my face, instead of my ajumma-tissue.

Eventually we made it to the ER. Also a first! A nurse talked to me, asked my name, etc, etc. But luckily the ambulance dude had pretty much filled out my forms (from looking at my alien card, and asking me a few things). They gave me some wristband with my name on it. And then I waited a long time (again, it could've been 5 minutes but it felt like forever) for a doctor to come. I was the only one there, though. He asked me what happened. And he had a trainee in tow (it's a teaching hospital), so he moved my foot in every possible direction, most of which hurt, and was saying stuff like, "Well, the patient said it only hurts if you move it this way, but if you moved it this way and it hurt it could be (this) problem." Yep... So in total, my left ankle, my knees, my chin, front left tooth, lip and forehead hurt. So I had to see different doctors for all of it. Though the guy that not-so-gently inspected my foot also inspected my lip, and dumped a bunch of saline-like solution on it... by putting a plastic tarp thing under my head and dumping about a litre of liquid into it. It was almost up to my ears (and soaked into my jacket) by the time they were done. But it was after that that I finally assessed the damage:




I actually didn't take many photos, but I did get that one, because I had no other way to see myself, besides with my phone's camera.

So, they took a bunch of xrays of my foot, and my face, including some special dental xray (where I bit down on some plastic bar, and a thing spun around my head) for my tooth, which was numb (and pushed a little backwards, but thankfully still in my mouth). Once again, KNOWING THEY WERE TAKING PHOTOS OF A POSSIBLY BROKEN FOOT, the xray techs were totally not gentle, moving it whatever way they needed. I suppose they assumed it was faster than explaining shit in Korean to a foreigner? Who knows. But that didn't help things, haha. And finally, they dealt with my lip. And finally, someone spoke English! He told me all the xrays looked good. As in, no bones in my jaw, forehead, or foot were broken. And my tooth was also okay (no chips/cracks). He put some blue cloth thing (like in the movies!) over my mouth, but I could still see. He did the first couple stitches before the anesthetic cream kicked in.. so that hurt. But afterwards I didn't feel anything, but seeing the needle going up and down was still freaking me out. Anyway, I ended up with 7 stitches. And he told me (of course) there'd be a scar forever. :\




That's a photo I took about a week later, actually, because he bandaged it up nicely after he finished stitching. My lip was super puffy, and the very bottom stitch poked out from the bottom of the bandage (as the cut went a little bit into my lip), but.. it felt better already. (Probably the anesthetic, ha.)

Then the foot guy with his student in tow came back and told me it was probably just 인대(in-dae), or my ligament. Nothing showed up on the xray. He told me I could just go home. I'm like... "What? Just go home? I got in this mess because my foot wouldn't support my weight.. what do you mean just walk out of here?" Ugh. So I tried, thinking.. okay... maybe it magically got better in 3 hours? Nope. I took two steps (toward the nurses station, heh) and almost passed out again from spots. I said there was no way I could walk out of there. So a nurse (not the same lady as at first) went to get some dude to give me a cast (a splint, really) and crutches. Another nurse came and told me my appointment time with the foot doctor. (For my face, they actually asked me what time I wanted. But I guess there's only one foot/ankle specialist.) He came and said either he could cut my pants, or I could change into this hospital gown(pants). Who actually chooses to have their pants cut?? Anyway, so I changed into that, and he put the splint on my foot. It was actually pretty cool. He wrapped it in some puffy..gauze.. like stuff. Then two ACE bandages. Then he took out this long piece of cloth..something.. that got really hot and molded to my foot and became hard. It was just the back half of my foot, though. Then more ACE bandages. Some dude fit me for my crutches. Then I got two antibiotic shots in my ass (seriously, why, Korea, why??) from some embarrassed-looking male nurse.. got my meds and paid my bill at the main counter.. and was on my way home. There were a ton of taxis right outside, so I didn't have to hobble far on my crutches.

The whole thing, from fall to ER to arriving back home took about 3-3.5 hours. The bill for everything was $210. I have Korean National Insurance, but I'm not actually sure how much that paid for. Still, that's a fraction of an ambulance bill in the US, so... More on the follow-up checkups and recovery later. This post is long enough.^^




I'd say the left photo about sums the experience up: exhausting. But, as I've said many times, it could have been a lot worse, considering I basically blacked out and fell on my face. Anything could have happened. It's been a month since that day, as I write this. The scar's noticeable if you know I have it, but it's not too bad.. and it's suppose to get keep getting better in the next few months. My tooth is (thus far) okay, besides being pushed back a bit (and still feeling a little odd). My ankle still hurts, but I can walk on it. Etc. etc. But more on all this later. :)

감사 (Thanks)

It's a little late, but... I decided to roll my "Holy shit I've been in Korea for 2 years!" and "Hey, it's Thanksgiving back in America!" posts into one. Basically, I'm thankful for:

- the fact I can live in Korea, on my own, doing what I want, without really having to worry about money. I was lucky enough to get a couple well-paying jobs after college. I paid off all my student debt in a year, sold my old car & bought a new car, and still managed to save enough in 5 years that I can live comfortably here in Korea (not completely carefree, mind you, but...well enough). I know lots of people struggling to find a job, or to pay back student loans... so I'm glad I was able to do that.

- my new friends in Korea. I'd be lost without my roommates, in particular. We've been living together about 21 months, but it feels like so much longer. They're really like family. But, I'm also happy to have met my other friends as well, including my new ones from grad school. When I'm feeling down, they make me laugh or take me out for dinner or a drink (or both). I'm especially thankful for all the Koreans that either suffer speaking English with me, or suffer listening to my attempts at speaking Korean. (I'm really not sure which is worse for you guys.)

- did I mention the fact that I *can* live half a world away from my hometown? Honestly, I knew growing up that I didn't want to stay in Smalltown USA forever, but Korea? I didn't see that coming, but it's worked out well. Sometimes it sucks (mainly due to differences in cultural expectations), but it's starting to feel like home.. But, I'm glad my parents are supportive. I probably would've moved to Korea even if they hadn't approved, but I don't know that I could've stayed here so long without their support. It's nice to know I have a place to come back to, should things not work out here in Seoul.

- my boyfriend. Oh wait, I don't have one. Going to work on that this year, I think, finally. One thing I'm not thankful for: terrible, terrible eyesight. So... step one: contacts. They're really not as bad as I remember, though I suppose it has been 20 years since I last tried to wear them.^^ I think it gives me slightly more confidence, so we'll see how that goes.

But, basically, if you're reading this, and you know me in person... well, thanks for being my friend^^ Sadly, I only see most of you on Facebook these days, but it's still nice to see what people are up to. Keep in touch^^

한국에 온 지 거의 2년 되었다 (I've been in Korea almost 2 years.)

The title of this post still confuses me. How has it been 2 years??? (Almost. It's Nov 21, 2014, and I arrived Nov 26, 2012.) I really wanted to do a "things I've learned (about myself)" post, but I'm not sure I can put it into words. hah.

When I came here initially, I planned to learn Korean for a while, then go to grad school. Luckily, I've been able to do that. But I'm really disappointed with my Korean skills these days. I hardly speak Korean at all. I feel like I've reverted to level 1 or 2. There's another American in my 연구실 (research lab). We both have the same TOPIK level (5), but no one would ever believe it... because speaking skills are all that others really evaluate you on, and there's no speaking section on the test (thankfully). I don't know that he's better than me, but he's more confident. I get so nervous... nothing comes out. It's still interesting to me, though... when I do speak in Korean, my Korean classmates are like "You know Korean?!" ...What did you think I was doing during these many hours we've been in class (a class taught entirely in Korean!) together? I guess because I don't speak much, everyone assumes I don't know anything. The other day, one guy was actually talking about me in Korean to someone else, like I didn't understand. His conversation partner then pointed out that I understood Korean, and you could see his "oh shit" face forming. Sigh. It's my own fault for never having the confidence to speak in Korean... I really need to work on that. I really want to try only (mostly) speaking in Korean during the vacation, which is coming up soon.

Speaking of vacation... In the US, the "main" semester starts in September, but there are a few students that apply/enroll in the spring. In Korea, it's the opposite. The "main" semester is the spring semester. I started in the fall semester, so I was the backwards one. But maybe this was a good idea, because there was probably a lower application/competition rate. Most Koreans graduate HS/undergrad in Feb, and so many apply for Spring semester. Anyway -- in the US, we get 2-3 weeks off at Christmas, then early May-late Aug/early Sept for summer break. Here, we get mid Dec-early March and mid June-early Sept for breaks... so ~10 weeks each time. SNU offers shorter duration classes during these times... but nothing really worth taking this Winter session. Still, I have a huge list of things to do --- learn IPA, learn more linguistics terms in Korean, preview phonology (mainly the points of articulation), read a bunch of Comp Ling papers, practice Korean, learn to program in Python more "pythonically" (instead of my current Java-style code). I'd also like to GO somewhere... but where? I still want to go to Macau, Hong Kong, and Australia/New Zealand before I leave Asia. And Maldives^^ It's 16* Celsius right now in Seoul...and 26* in HK. That might not be a bad long weekend. And Macau is right there... but... money. Sigh. I'll probably be unable to decide on anything, and just stay at home (or worse, the lab!) for 2.5 months, heh.

Anyway, that self-reflection post may still be coming... but.. probably not.^^

Catching up

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted. My bad. heh. Let's see if I can (briefly) summarize what's happened..

I finished level 6 in May, and signed up for the Advanced Research class in the summer. I pretty much just did it for the visa extension, and I did the bare minimum (I didn't finish the thesis paper, or do the presentation, or even go to half of the Speaking classes). I really felt like my Speaking skills were far behind my classmates', so I didn't try very hard. Luckily, 2 of the 4 teachers had had me in previous semesters, so they knew I was quiet and didn't push it. Anyway, I managed to finish the class with a 59% grade (much higher than I was expecting) and 77% attendance.

However, this gave me trouble when changing visa status at the immigration office. Originally, I entered Korea on a D-4 Language visa, and I planned to change to a D-2 Student visa after I was accepted to grad school. Did I mention I was accepted to grad school?*** Anyway, I had another fun time at immigration. I initially went in early July, but the lady told me I needed my tuition payment receipt, housing contract, grades and attendance rate at language school, and a recent 3x4cm photo. The Immi website doesn't mention tuition receipt at all, but it does say that requirements vary by school. My friend that got accepted to KU undergrad didn't need proof of payment at all. So.... yea.

You can pay Yonsei and KU in early July, but you can't pay SNU til early August. So, I came back after paying at the bank (the SNU website says you can do a bank transfer, but I was afraid to not have proof. I never did see a tuition receipt online, but the bank teller gave me a stamped paper). And the immi lady told me I needed 80% attendance and 70% grade... which, as it was the last week of Language school, it was too late to obtain these (as I slacked off all semester). It was sort of funny.. because, for the previous 6 semesters, I got 100% attendance and 85%+ grades.. but the one semester that actually mattered to immigration was the one I didn't really try. :\

So, I ended up going back the next week and trying for a different lady. Pro tip: the ticket machine says to only take one ticket, but I took two (take one, wait til people take few numbers, take another). The first number called was for the unhelpful lady I got the previous week. I pretended like I didn't hear it. (This is why you have take a ticket, then wait til some other people take numbers... because if no one comes for a number, the same person tries the next one, and the next one.. til someone comes to the counter.) The second number was for a different lady. This one helped me out and processed my paperwork with no problems. I even gave her my level 6 transcript (as Research class hadn't technically ended yet and grades weren't posted) with my 77% Research class attendance. She didn't even ask for a new photo. I also told her I was leaving the country in a week on vacation, so I wouldn't have my ARC at the airport (Immi takes it while they process your change of visa status.. usually 14 days). She gave me a receipt saying my visa was being processed. I showed my passport and the 'processing' paper to immigration at the airport on the way in and out and had no problems whatsoever.

It's just really unbelievable... the difference in service you can get, just by going to different people. I asked the first lady (in early July, before I had my tuition receipt) for a list of required papers. I also asked the 2nd lady (in early August) for a list. They were entirely different lists. And the 3rd lady didn't even take half the papers on either of those lists. Moral of the story: keep trying til you get someone that will help you. My language school grades and attendance were below the (unwritten) threshold. So the lady took my previous semester's grades, and accepted my -3% attendance. She also gave me a paper to use at immigration, so I could leave and come back without my ARC, with no problems. The second lady, and even the immigration helpline number, said you couldn't do it... but I did. (Granted, I was nervous the whole time, but I figured I could probably talk my way back in. After all, my card was DONE, it was just chillin' at the Immi office, not on my physical person.)

I just finished my 3rd week in grad school. (Technically, though, my 2nd week was Chuseok/Thanksgiving, so I didn't have classes.) The people are all really nice, and my professors all speak English MUCH better than I speak Korean. The textbooks and articles/papers are all in English (probably just because of the major, though). Only my classes are actually in Korean. But the professors all said that I can take tests and do presentations and homework in English, so... aside from Listening skills (and Speaking, to converse with fellow classmates..though they mostly speak English, too), Korean isn't super necessary. Thankfully. Homework already takes me forever, because it's a topic completely unrelated to my undergrad. I can't imagine how long it would take if I had to read everything in Korean. Still, I give my classmates credit. They're reading academic English papers (seemingly) without much trouble. Maybe someday I'll be able to do that in Korean? (Unlikely.)

***It doesn't look like it. Basically, I applied to the SKY schools (Seoul National Univ, Korea Univ, and Yonsei Univ), for a Masters degree in Linguistics. They all had different application deadlines, with different days of announcing results. Luckily, I got into all 3. But, I didn't get a scholarship to SNU or Yonsei, but I did for KU. My original order of going to the schools was Yonsei, SNU, KU. But without a scholarship at Yonsei, tuition was double SNU (a public school, without a scholarship) and KU (a private school, with a scholarship).... so I ruled Yonsei out. However, I applied for a scholarship at SNU after admission (they have a few, for grad students at least). But, by the time the KU payment was due, I didn't know about SNU's scholarship status at all. Still, I decided that KU was really far from my house (two subway transfers!), whereas SNU is very close by. And even without a scholarship at SNU, its tuition is similar to KU (with a scholarship). So I decided to go for SNU anyway. I actually did get a scholarship for full tuition to SNU, but no one told me on time.. so they ended up reimbursing me about 1.5 months after I paid.

부산 (Busan)

After Level 6 ended in May, four friends and I went to Busan for a long weekend. We left Friday, 5/9 and returned Monday, 5/12. We stayed at the (arguably) most famous area of Busan, Haeundae Beach. We took the train from Seoul Station on Friday morning, and were there approximately 2.5 hours later. The train cost $50 one way for the economy seats, available at Korail.com or at a ticket booth at the station. The earlier trains sell out quick (especially the cheaper $30 tickets, which is what happened to us), so I recommend booking those early online. A credit card is required, though they take overseas cards. Just don't be fooled like me, and assume after you click "Submit" and it takes you back to the Search page that your transaction didn't work. I may have ended up with a few different sets of tickets before I realized it actually WAS taking my money and giving me tickets... it just wasn't giving me any feedback telling me so (returning to the Search page made it seem like there was a problem and I had to search again). Anyway. :) Thank goodness they give full refunds online within 24 hours of purchase (though, obviously not if your ticket is for a train that departs in less than 24 hours). We actually had one girl miss the train, and I was able to get a refund no problem, minus a 10% fee (because it was within one hour of departure). Pretty nice system.

Anyway, just going to post some photos. I know, I'm a terrible blogger.

Haeundae Beach (해운대해수욕장)

I do recommend if you want to go to the beach, that you go in (early) May or September. Check out these photos (from here) from high summer, and compare it to my photos:

(Compared to July/August: Noooooo thank you.)

We also visited this cool temple that's situated on cliffs overlooking the water. There were SO many people that we didn't even try to go in the main temple area. We just sat on rocks along the water.

Haedong Yonggung Temple (해동 용궁사)

And finally, a food picture.^^ Busan has a famous fish market (Jagalchi Market - 자갈치시장), incidentally right across from where (I think) they have the Busan International Film Festival. We went there one day, and while I didn't really get to sample raw fish like I wanted (Joana and I did eat fresh octopus though), we walked around and saw a bunch of fish in tanks (free aquarium!). My favorite are called gaebul (개불)... though, I suppose, it's technically a (spoon) worm.



hehehe.

A few days after I got back from Busan, my parents came to stay for two weeks. We went to most of the touristy spots in Seoul, and also spent 5 days in Jeju. Photos soon(ish). :)

문화 충격 (Korean Culture Shock)

I've been wanting to write about this for a while, but, as with writing posts in general, I kept putting it off.^^ (Let's just say that I originally wrote this in July 2013, and it's now May 2014...) I also don't think this needs to be said, but just in case.... this does NOT apply to every Korean/situation, but these are just some things I've noticed living here for 1.5 years (as of 5/14).

Merriam-Webster defines culture shock as, "a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation." I guess it's safe to say that by the time I arrived here from the US 7 months ago, I wasn't really "shocked" by many things. By that point, I'd seen 60+ Korean dramas (1000+ hours), listened to numerous songs, watched a bunch of YouTube videos, read some blogs. So, I guess this is really more a compilation of cultural differences (문화 차이) and things that surprised me. Regardless:

• Sharing food
  I'm talking sharing the same BOWL of food. In Korea, everyone at the table dips their spoons (yes, the ones that were just in their mouths) back into the stew on the table. In the US, unless you're really close with someone (or if it's a food you can just dip once, like nachos & cheese), no one really shares a bowl. My roommates and I usually have a separate/personal bowl of rice, then everything else (kimchi, omelettes, soup) is communal. It saves on dishes, but is a little worrisome when a dinnermate is alternating coughing and eating soup...
• Directions
  When asking for directions in Korea, chances are the person helping you will tell you how to get there via landmarks, which may or may not still be there. Everything starts from a certain exit at the nearest subway station and goes from there. (Usually, minimally, subway stations will be at a big 4-way intersection, and each side of each intersecting road will have its own exit.) I'll never forget this time we tried to find a place in Hongdae. The directions said go out Exit 2, make a left at the big intersection, turn right across from an eyeglass shop, then turn left at a certain coffee shop. No distances or anything. We weren't sure the first intersection we saw was a "big" one... and we walked all the way up the hill til we reached the university gates and never saw an eyeglass shop... and that coffee shop definitely went out of business since the last time the website was updated. Things are sort of starting to come around now. Every road has a name and every building has a sequential number.... it's just no one uses them. And the definition of a road is still open to interpretation. In the areas with older houses (and narrower streets), "1st Street" (for example) could cover the entire neighborhood, regardless of any twists or turns or the number of times it intersects with itself. But at least it gives you a general idea. The old building numbering system was actually done by neighborhoods, and each building had a block and building number, assigned chronologically by date of construction. So Block 2 was potentially no where near Block 1, and Building 2 was probably no where near Building 1. And multistory buildings are awesome. Find the Staircase to Go Up is one of my favorite Korean games. Anyway, supposedly people have to start using the new addresses for realz by the end of this year.... We'll see how that goes.
• Home "necessities" not included
  A lot of the things I took for granted in the US are really hard to come by here. My Korean apartment has no oven, bathtub, dryer, or microwave. Those just aren't used here, except by richer people. Korean food isn't baked, there are public bathhouses/saunas, everyone line dries their clothes, and even I have only found myself wishing for a microwave a few times (once I became used to boiling water in a kettle). The lack of clothes dryer is probably one of the few things I couldn't really prepare myself for. Never used fabric softener in the US. Here, I try (when I remember) to use it every time. And with high humidity in the summer, line drying is rough, but you just have to wash a few times a week, so there's less water to evaporate and you've got at least a few dry things to choose from.
• Public drinking and drunkenness
  Koreans view drinking a lot differently than Americans. Employees go out for drinks with their bosses after work. Prospective son-in-laws drink with their girlfriend's fathers, answering questions 'til someone passes out. College kids head to the river, order chicken for delivery and break out the beer and/or soju (similar to vodka). Alcohol is everywhere, which means drunk people are everywhere, even in public (parks, the subway, staggering down the street). In the US, public drunkenness is A Thing. Here, it's really not a thing. Koreans work hard ~ seriously. In 2008, they worked an average of 2357 hours.. the 2nd-highest country worked 2052.. and Americans worked 1797. In that spirit, they also play hard. Places that serve drinks are busy on weeknights as well as weekends.
• Traffic
  Drivers in Korea take traffic laws as more of "traffic suggestions" than do drivers in the US. There are so many delivery scooters here, and they're especially bad at following the rules. One way street? Big mistake if you assume traffic will only be coming from the indicated direction. Is the light red and you find you're too tired to move your foot to the brake pedal (or hand to the brake..handle..)? No problem. Just swerve around the pedestrians in the crossing! Motorcycles especially ignore red lights if they're only so people can cross the road. They also ignore those..what're they called..? Oh. Right. Lanes. Motorcycles drive on the lines to go between cars. People drive cars on the sidewalk. Sometimes there are actual parking spaces there, but oftentimes it's actually just a sidewalk. They also park in the right-most lane.. in the middle of rush hour.. forcing every car to swerve around them. It's seriously crazy. I'm amazed I've only seen one accident so far (where one taxi took off another taxi's mirror).
• House heating, cleaning
  Most Korean houses are equipped with floor heating. As in, water pipes under the floor circulate hot water to heat rooms in the winter. With this in mind, most people sit on the floor, especially when eating and sleeping. My roommates and I do for eating, but we've taken the Western approach to sleeping and actually have beds with mattresses. There is no carpeting (which is also strange). Our communal areas (kitchen, living room) have vinyl flooring, and my bedroom is.. linoleum? The bathroom is entirely tile, even the walls. And the bathroom itself IS the shower (no separate stall). All these things make cleaning super easy... just mop the floors, open the windows, and everything is dry within a few hours. Though, since Koreans take their shoes off at the door (and usually walk around in slippers... though I prefer to be barefoot), there really isn't much dirt. Which is always nice when you're eating (and potentially sleeping) on the floor.
• Personal space
  In America, I preferred people to be at least an arm's length away, unless it was a close friend or family, and even then... kind of weird. Here, there's no such thing as personal space. There are queues for many things (buses, subways, restaurants, tickets), and complete strangers will stand less than a foot (.3 meters) away. They've also occasionally sat and/or leaned against me on the subway. But the worst invasions of personal space are almost always committed by ajummas (middle-aged ladies). I've been elbowed out of the way countless times. Seriously, I don't know what happens to the polite young Korean women at age ~50. They go from "Excuse me" to just walking with elbows thrust outward, ready to jab anyone and everyone in the kidney. :(
• Strangers asking personal questions
  Questions I'd find weird coming from people I've known a while are fair game within five minutes of meeting someone in Korea... things like age, job, religion, marriage status. Age is understandable because Koreans have a fairly strict social hierarchy, of which the two main placement/determining factors are age and socioeconomic status (job). Based on your age and/or socioeconomic status compared to the other person, an entirely different form of the language must be used. I mean, you start out using a polite one anyway, but similar-aged people can talk more freely. The other things... well, I'll chalk it up to being curious about a foreigner, but they probably also ask other Koreans. (I've heard Koreans like to know as soon as possible if they can be friends with a person, and the quickest way to do that is to grill them on lots of things in quick succession...)
• Bathrooms
  In most places, toilets have gone from squatters (pull down your pants, squat, and let it go) to "Western style" (with seats) in a few decades. But subways still cater to the "old school," so you have to be careful when it's your turn in line. Make sure that you get a "Western style" seated toilet (if that's what you prefer) instead of a squatter. There have been a few times where squatters have been 3:1, and I've had to wait an additional 10 minutes to sit to pee, but I consider this time well spent. Also, Koreans have a thing I call "soap-on-a-stick", where they literally stick a bar of soap on a stick, and you use that to sanitize your hands at the sink. I figured it out the first time I went to wash my hands, but I guess it's not so obvious to some (to be fair, if it's worn down, it doesn't always look like a bar of soap).
• Restaurants
  One (of many) nice things about Korean restaurants is that they often have water dispensers, so you can refill your own cup of water as often as you like. Also, checks come when you're done ordering, and are updated if you order more things.... or, if it's a smaller restaurant, there is no "check" per se, you just walk up the cash register and the Magic Waiter tells you your total. Also, tables often have buzzers on them, to call the waiter over without having to shout, or wait impatiently for them to complete their next circuit of "checks." I actually found it somewhat frustrating in the US, waiting for the waiter to come back, then waiting for a check... Go Korea.. with your efficient Restaurant Etiquette.
• Cellphones
  I will admit it. Before I came to Korea, I had a dumbphone. I held out on my dumbphone for MANY years. Frankly, I didn't really need it in the US. But in Korea, EVERYONE is on their cellphone, practically all the time. If you're planning to come to Korea, familiarize yourself with an app called KakaoTalk. Sign up for an ID. Most people in Korea don't ask for your number (though some do), they ask for your "KaTalk" ID. KakaoTalk is THE way for Koreans to talk to each other, though Facebook may be a close second (for those Koreans that are somewhat Westernized... i.e. those Under 40). Within a month of moving to Korea, I had to purchase a smartphone (Galaxy S3 at the time), because it's just so essential. They have this app called DMB here, where you can watch TV on the subway with an antenna, like it's a Radio signal in the US. But people are always playing games or listening to music or talking on the phone (both with headphones)... Even employees at the local convenience stores are looking at their phones if someone isn't actually at the cash register. It's an entirely internet-based culture here. People are hyper-connected...or are they? (I may be old enough that I still generally prefer face-to-face interactions...)
• Phone call etiquette
  I don't have much to say about this, but this is still one of the strangest things to me. Koreans will end their phone conversations with just a "Yep." That's is. Phone call over. In the US, we're always like "Talk to you later" or at the very least, "Goodbye." But I've heard, on several occasions, entire phone conversations consisting of 3 minutes of "Yes," and "OK," and then ending like that. 네~ 네~ 알겠습니다~ 네. It's still disconcerting to have a conversation end the same way it started. ("Yes?" and "Yes.")
• Dress
  Korean fashion takes a bit of getting used to. Supposedly, revealing your shoulders is a big no-no, but shorts can be as short as you want (and I've seriously seen some things I wish I hadn't) without a problem. But a popular outfit includes shorts/miniskirts with tights in winter. This also goes (a bit less frequently) in summer. Short shorts + nylons is an acceptable outfit in summer. With the high temps and humidity, I sort of understand, but it still is a little weird to me, having grown up with "skirts must be longer than 2 inches below the fingertips." It is interesting to see a number of people covered head to toe in clothes (so as not to get any sun/a tan?) even in high summer. I've heard Koreans prize whiter skin above tanned/darker skin... in which case, this makes sense... but it does make life more difficult. Being so pale, I don't tan well, but I do burn well.. but still, with SPF 50 sunscreen, I'm just fine. I think if I wore long sleeves in summer, I might bake to death....
• Rejection
  To be polite, I've heard Koreans can reject something they actually want up to three times. As in, "Please, take this seat." "No thanks I'm good." "No, please take this seat." "No, I'm getting off soon." "I really don't want to sit down." "Well, if you insist..." type of things on the subway. It's all to 'save face' (which I understand), but can be a bit frustrating for all involved, especially foreigners. OK, you say you don't want that seat? I'll take it, I guess. When really they do, and they're now in the process of cursing three generations of your family for being so greedy. Generally, I offer once or twice, then walk away, obviously indicating I'm not interested, thus giving them the chance to take the seat without the need to 'save face'.
• Dating
  I wrote this topic in a long time ago... and man, I don't feel like writing about this now. But basically, once you're over 25 or so, dating becomes A Thing. You go on Serious Dates set up by your family. Both sides are interested in Marriage, and you basically go to see if you can stand each other for the rest of your lives (or at least, if you can pretend to). If so -- woo, successful matchmaking! Marriage follows soon after. There are also SO many couple days... like, in the US, we have Valentine's Day on 2/14. In Korea, every "14" (mostly) is Some Day. 2/14 girls give guys candy. On 3/14 aka "White Day," guys reciprocate (if appropriate). On 4/14, "Black Day," singles (who didn't get anything on 2/14 or 3/14) eat black-colored food together. 5/14 is Rose Day, where you give a rose to your Special Someone. 6/14 is Kiss Day, which is self explanatory. After that, I stopped keeping track. But basically, Koreans often see Dating as equivalent to Marriage (not always, but frequently), especially after 25, and ESPECIALLY after 30. Thus, if you're in a relationship, you are given many opportunities to flaunt it. (Did I mention "Couple Outfits," where couples dress alike for dates? Gag-inducing from an outsider's perspective, but probably pretty cute, if you're that couple.)

Housing options in Korea

Someone asked me a question about housing options while studying in Korea via email, but I thought I'd post my (slightly edited and reformatted) response here, too. This list is, of course, based on what I know, which may not be 100% accurate, but should at least give a rough idea...

Dorm rooms: I can't speak for other schools, but SNU has on-campus dorm rooms (where you live amongst the Korean students) and off-campus dorms available exclusively for international students. When I first came to Korea for SNU's language program, I applied for an SNU-managed dorm room. It's first come, first served, based on availability (you can live there up to 3 semesters, so someone has to move out before a room is available). The on-campus dorms were full, but they placed me in an off-campus dorm. I stayed there one semester before finding my own place. The on-campus dorm rooms are all double occupancy, but the price (last I looked) is ~USD$200/mo plus USD$100 refundable deposit. Off-campus dorms are single occupancy, but the monthly rent is ~USD$500/mo, also with USD$100 refundable deposit. I posted some pictures of my off-campus room here.

Guesthouses: These are dorm-like rooms that are good for shorter stays. They run about USD$20-30/night. In particular, the Hongdae/Sinchon area has quite a few, like http://hongdaeguesthouse.com or http://kpopstay.com, but there are probably some in every area. This might be an option for a few nights (depending on how much stuff you have) while looking for a more permanent place to stay.

Goshiwon/goshitel/one-room: Small, single-person rooms with a shared kitchen and laundry room. If you pay a bit more, you can get your own bathroom, otherwise it's usually a single-person washroom, but shared among everyone on the floor (there are separate floors for males and females). These are about USD$400-550 per month, depending on size, if there's a window, if there's a private bath, etc. They are all over the place, especially in college neighborhoods. The benefit of a goshitel is that there's no deposit up front and the contract length is variable. (More on that in a sec.) My friend found a goshiwon room after two days of intense searching.

Hasukjip/homestay: These are apparently becoming less and less common... but some are still around. This is basically where you pay to live with a Korean family and they feed you meals (and also maybe do your laundry, etc). This is the type I know least about...

Aside from these, there are also apartments (per Korea's definition, a tall 20+ story building in a cluster of similar buildings), officetels (rooms above businesses), villas (shorter 3-5 story standalone buildings), and houses (usually single family homes, but often divided like duplexes). I previously lived in a villa that I came across on craigslist. I *think* craigslist is a US-based website, but there's an entire section for Seoul, and it's used mainly by foreigners, so almost everything is in English. Most of the listed rooms are near Hongdae and Yonsei, but there are occasionally rooms posted in other areas.... http://seoul.craigslist.co.kr/roo

Also, every few blocks, you can find a 부동산 (real estate office). Housing owners list their rooms here, and you go in and tell them what you want and how much you can spend and they'll take you around to all the rooms that meet that criteria. These rooms usually have a refundable deposit, a monthly fee, and a 1- or 2-year contract, though. Most single person rooms are ~USD$5000 deposit, plus USD$500-700/mo rent. Usually, electricity, water, gas, internet, and a "maintenance" fee are not included, adding up to another USD$100/mo or so. Two- or three-room apartments are USD$10,000 deposit and USD$600-800/mo (plus USD$150+/mo in additional fees). (It should be noted you can find rooms for USD$2000 deposit and USD$400-500 rent, but the quality is questionable...) The real estate office also charges a fee for their service... usually ~3% of the deposit amount. (So an apartment with USD$10,000 deposit would require you to pay an additional USD$300 to the agent upon signing the contract.)

If you know some Korean, a website like http://oneroom.com can be useful. In the left column, under "Speed Search," it says 전세 and 월세. 전세 rooms have a huge deposit (USD$100,000+) but low or no rent. 월세 is what I described above, with a USD$5000+ deposit and rent. After that is "지역" (area), "보증금" (refundable deposit ~~ the omitted units are "만원" or 10,000 won/USD$10), "월세" (monthly rent) and optional info (for example, the neighborhood/동). (FYI, SNU's 지역 is 서울 관악구 and Yonsei's 지역 is 서울 서대문구.) For 보증금, the options are none (없음), less than 5백 (~USD$5000), USD$5000-USD$10,000, etc.. 월세's options are less than USD$200, $200-400, etc. Usually, as the deposit goes up, the rent goes down... but the standard is 5백/50만 (USD$5000 deposit/USD$500 monthly rent). You'll see this a lot in room listings.... "500/50" means 5,000,000 won deposit and 500,000 won/month rent.

It depends on the kind of housing you're looking for, but generally I'd bet you could find a goshiwon within a week of coming to Korea. Probably an apartment as well (from a 부동산), but that does have a year contract, and I'm not sure if this requires a resident card to apply for.

If anyone happens to stumble upon this and has more specific questions, I'll try to answer. My email's listed in my profile to the right.