Crazy Crazy Koreans!

So I have been here for about a month now and I have decided that Korean's have very little common sense.... maybe I just don't understand but to me a lot of things here seem ridiculous.

SEATBELTS
One problem I have noticed is that taxis never have functional seatbelts.... So you get in the cab and maybe you will find a strap but then there is no buckle to put the strap in. Another day you might get into a cab to find that there is a buckle but no strap! Now back home I always wear a seatbelt but here in Korea I feel as though a seatbelt is even more of a necessity and they aren't around which brings us to my next concern...

ROAD RULES
Korean's do not seem to understand the laws of the road. A red light does not mean don't drive it means you probably shouldn't drive... but if you don't want to wait you can go ahead... I am like "What???" Many cabbies have just chosen to ignore the red light and okay maybe if there is no traffic around it kind of makes sense but still a car could come and kill us and well I am not wearing a seatbelt!

FAN DEATH
My coworker Jon has been here for three years and he has told many stories. The most recent being about fan death. Basically many Koreans believe that if they are in a room with all the windows shut and they turn on a fan, then they will die! What? What is this blasphemy? Check out this link! http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2009/01/fan-death-is-real.html

NO SHOES PLEASE
Now this one I think is kind of cool... Many restuarants require you to remove your shoes when you enter. This stems from the fact that many Korean's sit on the floor while eating! Which is kind of cool.... but also can be painful. Some restaurants have tables and chairs and shoes are not taken off for most of these places but on occasion they are.

MAGICAL FOOD
Many Korean's believe that the food they eat has special powers and I would even go as far to descrbe them as magical powers. When you have any problems with your throat, you should eat pork. Yes pork cures all! Anything phallic shaped is good for male stamina as anything round shaped is good for female stamina. This is why Korean men eat and drink soooooo much ginseng! Many Korean's believe that Koreans do not get as sick as people from other countries because the food they eat cures all. Kimchi (fermented cabage that actually tastes quite good) is supposed to be a cure all for everything and it is what causes Koreans to live such long lives. Well if you look at world life expectancies, a Korean life spans average is shorter than a Canadian....

YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND
People can not be friends with someone of a different age. Even students who are only one year apart cannot be friends. My students were shocked that I have friends who are significantly older than me and laughed at the idea of calling each other friends when they are different ages.... Seems weird to me. It stems from the fact that you have to show respect for someone who is older than you. A very important question to ask someone when you first meet them is to ask there age because the language you use is different depending on if you are older or younger!

DRINK YOURSELF STUPID
Almost everyone drinks here and there is always one person in the group who can't walk home. Korean's get stupid drunk to the point where a man wearing a nice suit will be passed out in the gutter of a main street. I have seen sleeping men in suits many times. I have also seen friends carrying a friend who is completely passed out. There is vomit everywhere on Thursday and Friday night!

So I have decided that Korean's have limited common sense and something else must be ruling their brains!