I have a lot I really COULD say at this point, but a lot of it, of course, boils down to the fact that Korea's motto should be, "welcome to Korea, it's just business, really." As I mentioned, the three things that mean the most in Korea are the mind, the business and the show. Almost Vegas, as credos go, shameless aping and little real originality are the net effects, but I think that's probably all been said, if not by me, then by other people.
The other real oddity is one of the Korean teachers in the building, whose classroom monologue goes on at about 140 decibels all day long. She's relatively soft-spoken any other time, but get her in front of her kids, and permanent hearing damage is a distinct possibility. Geez, am I missing the low-flying planes overhead, or what? I can't figure it out. I also speculated what it might be like to be her upstairs neighbor at times, if she can get like that, but that's strictly a mental exercise on my part. The other thing that really amused me, and this should be enough to tell you how things go sometimes.......I bought a box of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes the other day, (you didn't figure I was eating Gimchi, didja?) and just for fun, I translated the Korean version of Tony the Tiger's "They're Grrrrrrrrreat!" on the box. It works out to something like, "Tiger power springs forth." What?! Springs forth, and is gonna eat me? NO WONDER Frosted Flakes don't sell, there's probably Korean kids now who are PHOBIC of the big cartoon tiger! Their little brains are goin, "well, if that's the case, the big, scary American cartoon tiger can KEEP his damn flakes, *I* ain't eatin 'em, even if it DOES mean Gimchi for breakfast again!" And with all that Gimchi going around, it shocks me that this country isn't trapped under a freakin METHANE bubble! I mean, I admit it, my body tends to be a bit too musical for its own good sometimes, but come on! I ain't eatin pickled cabbage every day, either. Which is probably for the best.