I love Korea, but…

...Let’s face it, nothing is perfect. This whole blog is mostly about what I enjoy about Korea, but let’s be real here; there are a ton of things that I dislike about this country. And here you go in no particular order, haha.

1. Spitting. Koreans spit EVERYWHERE, even inside buildings! It’s so disgusting! I always have to watch where I’m stepping so I don’t walk into a big loogie. The other day, I was peeing somewhere (in a bathroom!) and there was spit right next to the toilet. C’mon now. Couldn’t you have spat in the toilet? I even saw a student spit in school once. Inside the school. It’s horrible! My friend even got spat on, but it was most likely intentional by an old Korean man.

2. Mosquitoes. I hate them but they sure do love me and my tasty blood. I bought a product to soothe the itch and I bought another product to prevent bites. I currently have about 20 bites on my legs! This is not the most bites I’ve had at one time, but it’s still annoying regardless.

3. Humidity. Boy do I hate the humidity. I hate the sticky heat with a burning passion. If you’ve ever experienced high humidity, you know what I’m talking about. I seriously cannot breathe when I’m not in an air conditioned room. I feel like I’m in a sauna even though I’m outside. Korea needs an air conditioner.

4. Pollution. All types of pollution, including littering and air. The air quality is really bad here. I’d say it’s even worse than in America! The floors are covered with garbage EVERYWHERE. This is because there is a serious lack of trash cans in this country. They don’t believe in them or something. It is very rare to find a trash can, so what do you do? You just toss it at the base of a telephone pole or wherever you see existing trash piles. If you know me, you know I don’t litter, so I just keep my trash in my bag or hold it until I find a trash can. Needless to say, I hold it for a long time.

5. Beating around the bush. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but Koreans definitely beat around the bush. They won’t tell you straight up what they want to say. They might just tell you the opposite! This is very annoying because I don’t like to beat around the bush, so I hate it when they beat around the bush with me. Just spit it out already!!! Ok, well, don’t spit…just say it!

6. Sick days. There is no such thing. Why? Because Koreans don’t get sick, duh. They’re immune to all illnesses. So that sick student or sick coteacher of yours won’t stay home to get better. Oh no. They’ll come to school and cough and sneeze all over the place. They don’t cover their mouths. Why would they? Koreans don’t get sick. (However, I do get sick days :)! )

7. Ovens. I don’t have one. Most other homes don’t either. Koreans (and Asians, in general) don’t use ovens to cook whereas in America, ovens come standard. If I wanted one, I’d have to buy a freestanding one, which would take up half of my miniscule kitchen. I would really like to bake some cupcakes and cookies!! My students would love that! My students in America did!

8. Showers. I don’t have one of these either. Ok, I do, but it’s definitely unlike the one at home. Bathrooms are just one room with a sink, mirror, cabinet, toilet, and maybe a counter if you’re lucky. No designated shower. Instead, you have a showerhead in the corner of the bathroom. No tub, no nothing. You just shower in that corner, and inevitably get everything wet, including the toilet. a few times, I have forgotten to put the lid down, and it ends up getting wet. I don’t wipe it and then I go to pee and end up with a wet butt. It’s not pleasant.

9. Education. First, I will start with the treatment of the intellectually challenged. I have a few of them in my classes. At first, I thought everyone was equally abled, no learning disabled students. However, I’ve come to realize that these students are present in my classes. Instead of putting them in a special class, they integrate them with the fully able students. I don’t particularly have a problem with this, but when I try to give these students attention or help, my co-teachers are quick to tell me to not even bother with them. Seriously? I believe that they are still capable of learning given the right environment and attention. They just don’t care. They believe they are hopeless causes. Additionally, failing students are still given passing grades and they move onto the next grade. This is not helping the students at all. This totally demotivates the students to even put any effort into their studies. They’re gonna pass anyway. Who cares? Another thing that I’ve mentioned before is the hours that these kids stay in school or academy. It’s just a ridiculous amount of time for such young people. Let them have a childhood!

10. Lunch at school. The food is FABULOUS! I just wish I had time to enjoy it. Koreans eat as fast as Taeyang can make any woman’s panties drop. I think I eat a full lunch in about 10 minutes, and that is slow. My co-teachers and the other teachers at the school always finish before I do, even if they begin after me or have more food than me. My co-teacher even told me that she doesn’t chew her food. You basically breathe in your food. I think I chew about 5 times or less. Maybe that’s why I finish less. I need to chew less or not at all.

Ok, I think there are more things, but I will leave it at 10. It’s a nice, even number. Hope you enjoyed this! haha