Game Update and Some Observations

Team Pirates is now in the lead as one of its members has provided proof of arriving in February! I'd say we should dress like pirates for the occasion but it will be bitterly cold (don't tell her!) and difficult to manage while waddling around under six inches of woolies and jumpers.

In order to keep this educational I wanted to share some observations about everyday interactions in Seoul. These are behaviors I have seen repeatedly and may only be relevant to the city because, as you know, many habits are geographical in nature.

First, you are supposed to get up for old people on the subway. This is common, even in the US. However, in DC I notice that a lot of people are not at all considerate of older riders on the Metro or pregnant women etc. It's actually really disappointing. In Seoul this is much more strictly followed, I think because revering elders is much more specific to the culture whereas in the US it's just about being considerate to those riders that need to sit because of their physical status.

What is hilarious about the elderly riders is that they are like vultures. The moment they step onto a crowded train they look left and right, scouring the train for a victim. They find their prey, usually an adolescent or overly comfortable looking young woman, and then stand right in front of them and give them a stare down. They are very serious about this and the person getting stared down is supposed to get up and move immediately upon eye contact. What is hilarious is that old ladies charge halfway down a train, passing other opportunities and ramming riders in order to reach their intended victim. Frankly, this is what old age is all about: punishing the young and taking advantage of your golden years. What you lose in strength and agility you gain in status and crotchetyness.

Second, lines are for the weak! I get cut in front of a lot here and have learned to accept it. The nice thing is that often cashiers will wave off the person who cuts in front of me and help so, while it is agitating, it isn't worth getting upset about. Apparently there is a way to say "Did you not see the line?" in Korean (slang) but I haven't learned it and it is a really bad idea to fire a warning shot in another language when the rest of your ammunition consists of 'no','yes','foreigner', and 'school'. At the post office the other day (where I nearly mailed pictures of my coworkers at a party to someone in Chicago and gave my coworkers a CD of music and documentation) a woman with a baby cut in front of me from the side only to have a Pizza Hut Delivery guy cut in front of her! Ballsy.