Things That Make Sense

Having been here eight months now, Emily and I have noticed some things in Korea that just make sense. Take a gander and see we can make anything catch on in Canada.

The bathrooms have tile on the floor, walls & ceiling. That way, it doesn't matter how wet the floor gets. There's also a drain in the floor, so you can just spray down the bathroom with the telephone shower when it's time to clean.

When you go to a restaurant, you get amazing service and they don't expect you to tip. They do a good job because they want to serve you and not for the money. As a sidenote: when they throw in something for free at a restaurant or a store (which they often do), it's called "Service." In Korea, service means free and is free.

You buy a card for the bus that you put a balance on and then use instead of money. There's an electronic sensor that beeps everytime you get on the bus. It can read through your purse or wallet, so you don't even have to take it out. You also get a discounted fare when you use the card.

When you drive, you go when you can and park where there's space. Everyone has their cell phone number on their dashboard, so if you have been blocked in, just phone the person and they'll come move their car.

If you do something stupid and get hurt, it's your fault. You can't sue someone else for your mistake. (Well, it feels like that, anyway.)

There seems to be more trust, integrity and common sense here. When you pay for a hotel room, you don't get a receipt. When you make a reservation, you don't give a credit card number. There are even some small towns that have convenience stores that run on the honor system.

You have a PIN number for your Credit Card.

You have assigned seating at movie theaters.

You take a number at the bank and then sit in nice chairs until your number is called - no line-ups!

A pair of reading glasses, including an eye exam and coated lenses, is about 50 bucks.

Income tax is 4%.

Everyone carries mounds of cash without the fear of being robbed.

You can walk around at any time of night and still feel safe.

Kids eat far less sugar, and you can tell. The twos don't have to be terrible. I (Jon) can pick out the students that eat the traditional rice & kimchi for breakfast and the kids that had chocolate frosted sugar bombs.

Most places don't open until 10:00 AM. Who wants to be up earlier than that, anyway?

Public transportation that is cheap and efficient. Your average taxi ride is $4. City buses cost 80 cents. You can get on the train, first class, and go across the country for about $45. You can take the bus across the country for $28.

Income tax is 4%. (That one is worth two. After income tax, pension and health care, Emily and I take home about 92% of our total income.)

Utilities cost $150. Total. For everything. Put together. Heat, water, electricity, garbage, cable, internet, and apartment fees.

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day, everyone!

Emily and I had a wonderful Valentines day celebration. I picked Emily up a dozen yellow roses at one of the flower stores that I pass on my way home from work, and they have turned out to be beautiful. She bought me some chocolates and some wonderful green tea. We then went out to TGI Fridays (an Maxwell Taylor's/Red Robin's type restaurant) where we had steak and ribs.

For those of you fellows that forgot and/or didn't do anything for Valentines Day and you need an excuse, simply come to Korea. The 14th of every month is a special "Love Day."

February 14th, girls are supposed to give guys chocolate. I had several of my students (male and female) give me chocolate. On March 14th, White Day, the guys reciprocate with flowers or chocolate. These days are both very special and are a lot of fun for couples.

"What if you are not a couple?" you may be asking right now. Well, the day for the singles comes next. April 14th is for everyone who didn't get chocolate from anyone in February or March. On this day, all the single people eat cold noodles and cry because they don't have anyone in their life.

Isn't that special?

They have arrived!

Just a quick note to say that Emily's folks have arrived safely in Korea. They had a safe and good trip, landing in Korea two days ago and arriving in Gwangju yesterday. Jet lag does not seem to be a problem so far, which is just one of God's many blessings.

We went out for supper last night (sam gyip sal, which is essentially fried pork, lettuce and side dishes) and they really enjoyed it. The ladies in the restaurant gently hovered over our table all through the meal, making sure our meat was cooking properly (you cook the meat on a burner at your table for this meal), plates were not empty for long and even bringing out forks when it seemed like the chopsticks were a bit of a losing battle.

Kudos to the Jacksons, though - they didn't give up and persevered with the chopsticks to the end of the meal.

It seems like Korea is going to work out just fine for them.