[tweakmonkey]

Some chick I know lived in Korea for a few months and posted this list of stuff she saw on her site (I think ! is her favorite character):

1. They have womens toilets that look like mens urinals that are laid on the floor... you have to sqwat to pee in them... gross!

2. They have a washing machine that washes and dryes... so you only have one machine that does both... you only have to put the clothes in once!

3. They sell this cooked bugs on the street that you can eat!

4. Nobody has carpet... I havent even seen it once!

5. You dont rent apartments here... you put a deposit down... (price differs depending on the location)... for example... you put a deposit of $60,000 (thats a good deal)... you stay for as long as you want... and when you move out... you get ALL of it back! The apartments make money off the intrest from the bank! Crazy!

6. They dont have heaters... they have floors that heat up.

7. No built-in air conditioners... you have to go buy one.

8. When you go shopping... like to the grocery store... or like a wal-mart type of store... you have to pay for the plastic bags... its about 5 cents a bag... but when you bring it back... you get your money back.

9. Everyone here has a super crazy lookin' cell phone... it takes pictures, makes movies, plays games, it has a MP3 player, it has a built in credit card type thing... so when you get on the bus or subway you can pay with your cell phone.

10. Minimam wage here is like $3.00!

11. No tiping!

12. You can get a bomb ass BBQ dinner for less then $4.00, and theres a shit load of food... enough to feed 2 people!

13. You can shop 24 hours... seriously... there are shopping centers here that open at 3 am.

14. The people here are very blunt... they will tell you every thing that is wrong with you... they judge everything on appearance.

15. Teens live with there parents till they get married... and most of them dont know how to drive.

16. School here is a nightmare... they go to school at 7am and come home at 11pm... they go to school 6 days a week... and only have 3 weeks off for summer! And everyone has to wear a school uniform... no if, ands, or buts!

The apartment thing is pretty cool, and so is the one machine washer/dryer - I always wondered why the hell we have to make a second trip to the laundry machines to finish the cleaning process instead of drying it in one machine. Maybe appliances here will catch up some day.

[rx]

1. They have womens toilets that look like mens urinals that are laid on the floor... you have to sqwat to pee in them... gross!

these are old style toilets where you have to squat to take a shit, not a goddamn urinal

2. They have a washing machine that washes and dryes... so you only have one machine that does both... you only have to put the clothes in once!

yep, they're badass! most of them are imported from Europe though so she's kinda behind i guess.

3. They sell this cooked bugs on the street that you can eat!

they're actually silk moth caterpillers in cocoons. i heard they're good, but i never tried any myself.

4. Nobody has carpet... I havent even seen it once!

my parent's place has no carpet either. our previous apartment had though, but he had to install them later

6. They dont have heaters... they have floors that heat up.

another technological ownage

7. No built-in air conditioners... you have to go buy one.

yeah and they're the kind that stand 6'5" tall or the ones that hang on your wall

8. When you go shopping... like to the grocery store... or like a wal-mart type of store... you have to pay for the plastic bags... its about 5 cents a bag... but when you bring it back... you get your money back.

it's a fairly new policy to reduce garbage

9. Everyone here has a super crazy lookin' cell phone... it takes pictures, makes movies, plays games, it has a MP3 player, it has a built in credit card type thing... so when you get on the bus or subway you can pay with your cell phone.

10. Minimam wage here is like $3.00!

yeah and everything is super cheap so everything evens out.

12. You can get a bomb ass BBQ dinner for less then $4.00, and theres a shit load of food... enough to feed 2 people!

only thing i like about korea really.

13. You can shop 24 hours... seriously... there are shopping centers here that open at 3 am.

dunno what she's talking about, they are open 24/7. me and my parents go grocery shopping at midnight sometimes

14. The people here are very blunt... they will tell you every thing that is wrong with you... they judge everything on appearance.

it's what shaped the korean culture and attitude across the world. materialistic bastards. your social status is based on what car you own. it's pathetic.

15. Teens live with there parents till they get married... and most of them dont know how to drive.

same with japan and china... but things are changing gradually.

16. School here is a nightmare... they go to school at 7am and come home at 11pm... they go to school 6 days a week... and only have 3 weeks off for summer! And everyone has to wear a school uniform... no if, ands, or buts!

only in high school I think? unlike america, the last year of high school is very important and high school is totally killer, or that's what I heard. but college is cruise. no experience, so i don't know first hand.

I'm glad your friend is enjoying her time there though (or is she?). I'm in korea right now too and it's boring as fuck because I have no friends here. usually I just stay at my parent's place on the internet all day playing guitar watching tv and shit

[Pope John]

I never questioned my washing/drying appliances. not once. I trust them and they trust me. It's a good relationship.

[mistawiskas]

There are washer/dryer combos available here. They are impracticle in that they are expensive to repair and the dryers wear out fast....if your dryer goes out, you have no washer either. And floor heat is the only way to go. It's not new, the concept took root in the Pacific Northwest back in the early 70's. It's expensive to incorporate into homebuilding compared to standard HVAC, but it pays off in the long run.

[randomtask]

Originally Posted by mistawiskas

It's not new, the concept took root in the Pacific Northwest back in the early 70's. It's expensive to incorporate into homebuilding compared to standard HVAC, but it pays off in the long run.

Actually it is older than that, the romans designed an underfloor heating system that apparently worked pretty well. (or so i hear)

[Sweatervest]

Originally Posted by randomtask

Actually it is older than that, the romans designed an underfloor heating system that apparently worked pretty well. (or so i hear)

Yep.

[Miller]

6. They dont have heaters... they have floors that heat up.

yea thats pretty common, rather expensive tho. i've done about 6-7 systems in garage floors and a few in houses. its just a boiler system with tubes in the floor instead of a radiator/fin tube baseboard setup. a garage system can cost from 6 to 10 grand depending on size and type of boiler

[WoodButcher]

There are electric mats also. Thin enough to lay in the thinset of your tile. I found them right after I finished tiling my basement bathroom. WTF!!!

[MSP]

Originally Posted by Dan-T3D

14. The people here are very blunt... they will tell you every thing that is wrong with you... they judge everything on appearance.

I've seen this behavior by Asians here in the United States. They can be very rude.

[Jishory]

Originally Posted by MSP

I've seen this behavior by Asians here in the United States. They can be very rude.

what do they call you?

i like my combination washer dryer, no complaints here, you dont really need a dryer if your washer doesnt work

[hans5849]

Originally Posted by Miller

6. They dont have heaters... they have floors that heat up.

yea thats pretty common, rather expensive tho. i've done about 6-7 systems in garage floors and a few in houses. its just a boiler system with tubes in the floor instead of a radiator/fin tube baseboard setup. a garage system can cost from 6 to 10 grand depending on size and type of boiler

i think they mean something else because thats a pretty common thing here in the states

[MSP]

Originally Posted by Jishory

what do they call you?

They just say blunt things. I come in early and generally eat lunch around 11:30AM. One time one of them said to me "Eating lunch already?" None of your fucking business pal! And I've been to a few Asian markets where they are just rude, standing in the way, pushing each other. It was shocking.

[nidex]

Originally Posted by MSP

They just say blunt things. I come in early and generally eat lunch around 11:30AM. One time one of them said to me "Eating lunch already?" None of your fucking business pal! And I've been to a few Asian markets where they are just rude, standing in the way, pushing each other. It was shocking.

You take shit from people 2 feet shorter than you? Come on here.

[rx]

Originally Posted by MSP

They just say blunt things. I come in early and generally eat lunch around 11:30AM. One time one of them said to me "Eating lunch already?" None of your fucking business pal! And I've been to a few Asian markets where they are just rude, standing in the way, pushing each other. It was shocking.

cultural differences and social constructs