Work Hard

Everyday things

The things I will remember about Korean are not the hanboks or the traditional songs and dances, but the everyday things.

Here the old women in the fields put a towel over their heads to shield their necks. A sun visor protects their faces and holds the towel out on the sides in such a way that it looks like a Sun Bonnet Sue.

Churches have bright red neon crosses on top. As you drive through small towns and countryside at night, often this is the only light you will see.

They still spray for mosquitoes here. But it's not a jeep hauling a fogger on a trailer; it's just some guy on a scooter with a box on the back. There's a little pipe sticking out of the back of the box and the mosquito fog comes out behind the scooter.

Chopsticks are square and flat, not round and pointy. And at a party they bring out lots of different small dishes which are shared without separate plates. I mostly do ok with it until there is a salad and everybody is sticking their chopsticks into the same bowl, salad dressing and all.

Pizza has potatoes and ham is some sort of lunch meat. We foreigners call it Spaham. I think it is a hold over from days when they may have gotten Spam as a special treat during hard times. When I first came here they sold gift boxes of Spam during the Lunar New Year holidays, but that custom seems to be disappearing now.

Taxi drivers may not know your apartment building and they usually can't read a map.


Mountains are steep and hiking is usually straight up, no switch backs.

Small children will follow you repeating the only English sentences they know over and over. Sometimes this goes on for several blocks. "Hello, how are you, my name is Kim." and then it is repeated again.

"Sugoe hasayoe" "Work hard" has great meaning. They value hard work and respect those who never give up.