Fitting In

Bow when saying hello, goodbye, and thank you.

Do not bow lower than the another person unless they are a superior, such as a boss or older person.

Don’t bow to the greeter at E-mart.

Walk quickly to a destination.

Cross uncontrolled intersections tenaciously and with purpose (right of way is up for grabs, so take it).

Cross controlled intersections only after the light has turned green and all the cars have stopped completely but before cars in the right-hand lane turns.

It’s not necessary to constantly yield less to other pedestrians (walking to work is like playing pedestrian chicken).

“Neh” it the term for the affirmative (more people understand “neh” than “yes”. Aniyo means “no.”).

Pretending to only speak Spanish when a drunk person wants to practice their English with me (learned this from a fellow expat).

Age, marital status, income, social status, level of education, college attended, number of children, favorite pets, are all personal and private, not to be shared with students.

How to tell which cabs are available for passengers.

How to tell the cab driver “there (chogi), “here” (yogi-oh) and “thank you” “comsa hamnida.”

Refrain from smiling at strangers, or expect a smile in return.

Do not be offended when people bump into you with force as they pass.

Do not be shy to grab whatever tangerines you want from the bin in the grocery store.

Always get produce weighed and tagged by the woman at the scale in the grocery store.

When the clerk at the grocery store turns and says something, she’s probably asking “how many bags.”  “Hana” means one, “doogay” means two, and “segay” means three.

Which Korean words the kids say that they shouldn’t. say (they are swear words).

Crossing the forearms means in an X formation means “NO.”

Walk fast, burst into a little run, walk fast again. Everyone does it. I don’t know why exactly, except that there is always a sense of urgency here. I’ve started doing it too.

Run to catch the light, run to catch the elevator, run to catch the bus, run to catch the subway, run to catch the student.

Where to find underground pedestrian crossings.

Where to find “better than McDonald’s” hamburgers.

How to get to Itaewon, Gangdam, Dongdaemun and Seoul Grand Station by subway.