Your Questions Answered

Last week was a virtual vacation for me even though I went to work every day.  It was discussion week, meaning no lessons and no homework, just preparation of open-ended discussion questions to give the students practice speaking.  What’s more, our students were reassigned so that I led several small classes of high school students instead of my typical middle and , <shudder> elementary school kids.

The class periods are super-long for discussion; three two-hour classes for M/W/F and two three-hour classes for T/Th.  As a result, there was plenty of opportunity for filler among our planned writing and speaking and so I got a chance to ask students about some things I’ve seen in the city and still need to learn about.  These answers are edited, but come straight from them!!

Why are there no STOP signs in Korea?  Many intersections have traffic lights (robots) and painted lines, but Korean drivers and pedestrians generally rely on each others’ common sense to avoid accidents.

Why are there so few trash cans in Korea?  The lack of trash receptacles in Korea is intentional.  The idea is that people will be forced to carry their trash until they can locate or or even take it home with them.  The increased effort will urge people to ultimately create less waste.

Why do I see students in school uniforms walking the streets in the middle of the day?  Shouldn’t they be in school?  They SHOULD be in school.  Middle and high schools begin at 7:30a or 8:00a and the earliest ones let out at 3:00p.  There are lunch breaks, but none long enough to go downtown or to E-Mart where many students are seen.  Those kids are bad kids who are definitely cutting school.  Clearly, it’s not difficult to skip school although there are severe, yet undisclosed, penalties if one gets caught.

Why are there only a few kinds of cereal in the grocery store?  Most Koreans eat rice for breakfast along with other assorted foods like fish, ramen or even soup with just water or tea to drink with it.  Breakfast in Korea is identical to lunch; there really aren’t specific breakfast foods like in the United States and the rest of the Western world.  Furthermore, there has been a public campaign against cereal touting it as unhealthy given that it is loaded with carbohydrates…even the kinds that are not sugar-packed.

Why do young Koreans take mobile phone photos of themselves while sitting at the cafe?  No definite answer.

Where can I find size US 12 shoes?  Go to Seoul or order online.

Your uniforms are the coolest.  Would it be weird if I ordered one of those suits for myself?  <Peals of laughter>