TMI ROK

One aspect of Korean culture that may surprise many Americans is how open they are about sharing personal information. The main reason for this is that it clashes with our image of Asian society, where people bow to each other, revere the elderly, and have politeness built into their language. 

Bowing seems like a greeting specially reserved for royalty, but it's how everybody is greeted in South Korea. Unlike western culture, in Korea, being older is like being of a higher rank. In the US, "yo" is urban slag for hello. In Korea, "yo" is added to the end of certain words to make them formal. For example, "Anyang" is a casual hello, but "Anyanghaseyo" is a formal hello. 

In America, we reserve "I love you" for only family, close friends, and spouses. In Korea, it is thrown around very loosely. My students said it to me. Random people passing me on the street said it to me. I never felt comfortable saying back to anyone due to its inherent romantic connotation. After saying goodbye to one of my classes on my last day, a boy stood up and said, "I love you," then to recover from an awkward pause, added "But not in a gay way."

Some Americans take astrology very seriously. In Korea, rather than believe your personality is determined by when you were born, they believe it is determined by your blood type. "What is your blood type" is a common question to ask when getting to know someone, whether it be a friend, co-worker, or date. 

One of the first things you must do in Korea is get a physical. After my examination, I was informed that I would get the results later. For some reason my co-teacher decided to return to the hospital without me and retrieve my medical reports. Instead of giving me an envelope that had been sealed for doctor-patient confidentiality, he simply walked into our classroom and said, "You have lung disease." It should also be noted that he had a habit of making things dramatic. 

Finally, in the US it would be rude to publicly announce your specific bathroom needs. We simply say, "I need to use the restroom." 

In my classroom a girl once asked to use the toilet. I told her to hurry, as class was about to begin. She then squatted, made grunting sounds, and drew a pile of poop on the white board. Another time a boy in my class asked me co-teacher if he could be excused in Korean. In English, my co-teacher asked him "How big?" The student held his hands two feet apart like he was describing the size of the fish he caught. Confused, I asked "How big is what?" I immediately regretted my question. He said, "Feces."