Culture differences

Today is one of those days when cultural differences were so obvious to me I had to write them down. I think being here for as long as we have I just don't notice them as often. It's become part of me to ignore them or if I do notice it, to not really pay attention. The first difference happended morning I went for a bike ride around our neighborhood "dong" about 9:30am and was surprised to see the streets deserted. A few shops were open but most were still closed, including our local grocery store which doesn't open till 10am. It's just part of the culture that people do more at night then in the morning. I recall the first day we arrived in Cheonan and being surprised at the many people on the street at 11pm including children. I also remember the shocked look on my Korean friends face when I told her my children went to bed at 7:30pm.

This summer when we first got back to the US and were adjusting to the time change, we had jet lag and napped all afternoon, so in the evening I took the boys to the grocery store. It was probably 8:30pm, the store was empty and the few people who were there seemed to be looking at me like "why in the world are you at the grocery store, with your children at 8:30pm?" I felt like I should hang a sign around my neck saying "we are jet lagged, and slept all afternoon" to explain why we were there.

The other cultural difference happened this evening. I had just finished putting the boys to bed when the door bell rang. First of all not many people just randomly stop by our apt, especially at 8:45pm, and so I was surprised to hear the doorbell, then knocking, then the doorbell and knocking again, all within maybe a minute. Thinking something was wrong I hurried and opened the door. Two Korean men were standing there and by their motions I realized they wanted to come in. I am home alone. NO way, I'm thinking! My face must have showed that and my annoyance because they finally showed me why they wanted to come in. To change my gas meter! Now at 8:45pm?! I was here all day long, somebody couldn't have come earlier?

This was just another reminder to me that we operate differently in my culture and theirs.
Most working Koreans don't get home till after 8pm or later. In their culture it makes sense why the service men are going around at this time and why the grocery store would stay open till 12am. In the US we get up earlier, and go to bed earlier. Here they stay up late. Is one way right? No, just different.