Seoul #15 prescan by Thomas Birke on Flickr.
ive came to realize that americans are more open about themselves than koreans; therefore it is more shocking to see an unexpected/different side of one thing or person for americans but for koreans an upfront and confident approach is seen to be more scandalize. In america, i feel that the mass majority acts the way they please- in fashion, smoking cigarettes, drugs, parties, personality- americans know how to speak their mind, and are not afraid nor is it looked down upon if one boasts their individuality (as much as koreans anyway). In korea everything is so “controlled” that people does a lot of “bad” deeds behind people’s backs; a lot of multiple faces.
for instance;
1. women smoking cigarettes is HIGHLY looked down upon
2. students are supposed to be students - no makeup, nail polish, controlled amount of play time etc. students in korea have no time to breath from all the after school program they are forced to take; such as, a foreign language (mostly english) classes, math classes, a hobby sport,music or art classes, how to braid hair classes, how to put on shoes classes, how to brush your teeth classes.. etc. almost everyday even the weekends.
3. drugs, gays and tattoos (to name a few) are something that is HIGHLY “shhhhh-ed” upon. “no such thing” they say. it is worth like a felony x 100000000000000000000
etc.
one may think this is a good idea but because of this image of “normal and abnormal,” a lot of behind the back action occurs. women hides in alleys and indoor smoking areas to smoke cigarettes. kids (as well as adults) look very VERY innocent, and kind, and like angels, but the inner demon that they carry is bigger and more explosive than americans - scary… that’s why a LOT of fraud and cheating occurs even among close friends to a much higher extent than america (i believe).
anyway, koreans, what odd creatures.
Cynthia in Seoul
