My recent photos of KOREA

Nightlife in Insadong, near Jeon station.

South Gate, Suwon

City Hall area, Seoul

The Korean Restaurant & Hair Salon Experience

In Korea, you never tip in taxis, hair salons or restaurants. Taxes are also included in the price. I can't seem to shake the habit of calculating 15% like I did in Canada. There are exceptions; some American eateries like VIPS steakhouse add a 10% service charge to the bill.

I much prefer the Korean restaurant experience. Instead of a waiter hovering over your table with a cheese grater and pepper shaker, asking, "everything alright?" you're served your meal and left alone. You even pour your own water from a pitcher on the table.

There isn't a coffee and desert custom here. Koreans rarely eat desert after dinner and, although there's a coffee shop on every corner in Seoul, you'll be hard pressed to get a good cup of coffee at a Korean restaurant.

Minimum wage in Korea is surprisingly low: 3,480 W/ 3.50 USD, an hour. But many restaurants are family owned and operated, so minimum wage doesn't apply. Tipping could even be interpreted as an insult. Times I've attempted to tip at a restaurant, I've been met with a furrowed brow. "Anayo, anayo." (No, no.)

There was one taxi driver who practically kissed my feet when I gave him 1000 won, but just save your money!

You never tip at hair salons, either. Compared to Montreal, Korea offers up a deal. The average cost is about 30,000 W, for a wash, cut, blow dry and if you're lucky- a cup of coffee. That's right. Get your coffee at the hair salon, not the restaurant.

Some Koreans have very thick, course hair, but it's generally straight. I've noticed a lot of Koreans with razored hair ends. That might work on glossy locks, but if you have wavy or curly hair (which is more porous), don't let your hair dresser come near you with a razor.

In fact, you might want to travel to Itaewon in Seoul, also known as Western town. There, you can find International restaurants and products. Hairdressers are likely more adapt at cutting international hair types.

It can be a dangerous area at night, though, and if you're going to run into a "happy ending" barber shop, it's probably there. After a hair trim, men may be shocked when asked if they want to be taken into the back. Prostitution has long been visible in Itaewon, and the centre of prostitution in Itaewon is called "Hooker Hill."

Fashion-Conscious Korea

What's popular in Korea are men who would make attractive women-- tall, thin, dressed in formal attire, not a hair out of place.

The Korean media romanticizes men, presents them as sensitive and vain. I think appearance is more important for men, here, than it is in the west. Men are constantly analyzing each others looks.

In this video clip, taken last night, Sonny discusses his friend's deplorable style. The guy never changes his hat, and *gasp* has oily skin! You don't hear it on the tape but Sonny purchased his friend blotting papers, to "make him feel better about himself."

A Japanese in Korea/ Love.

Squid, served at bars in Korea and Japan.

There's something romantic about forbidden relationships. As a girl from a watered down Christian family, I've been drawn to more than one Jew. The culture clash is exciting, in a Romeo and Juliet sort of way.

Last night, I rode the subway to Inchon to meet my friend Min's Japanese girlfriend. She moved to Korea with the facade of teaching, but mainly to be with Min.

ESL teachers earn twice as much as Japanese instructors. She won't make much money here, unless she tutors illegally.

In a culture concerned with blood lines, I'm pollution according to the older generation, and a commodity in the eyes of the youth. Everyone has gone out of their way to welcome me, but on a polite, surface level.

My friends here are Koreans who have traveled abroad and have a general understanding of western culture.

J. was telling me about a Jewish Canadian who married a Korean man. She spent years here-- secured a great job in Seoul, fell head over heels with Korean culture and cuisine. But the couple had to relocate to America so they could be accepted.


Given the history, there's still tension between Korea and Japan. My students have even expressed hatred. Min hasn't told parents he has a girlfriend: Hiroko, let alone that she moved here, suitcases in tow.

I'd like to visit Japan, so I asked Hiroko how it differs from Korea. The countries are in such close proximity that they can't help but influence each other. Karaoke and high fashion have infiltrated Korea through its neighbouring country.

Hiroko told me to look around the bar. "This is what Japan's like," she insisted, "It's a bit cleaner, more expensive, but basically the same." She is trying her hand at learning Hangul and making a home for herself in a country that is not her own.

How to Pee in Korea

Looks comfortable, right? Sorry for the recycled material but this is an in-depth toilet article so give me a break. I'm even degrading myself for you, in the above photo!

My running joke about toilets in Korea is, "why do you need toilet paper when you can spend the whole day drip-drying to the sound of chirping birds?" Courtesy bells are popular here.

Peeing into a squat toilet is great fun. Cheap restaurants and bars practically never have in-house washrooms. You're handed a key, and given directions to a bathroom shared by more than one business. Cleanliness is always... questionable.

There's rarely soap and if there is toilet paper, don't assume it's in the stall. A dispenser may be located in the hallway or beside the sinks. You take what you need before entering the john.

At a coffee shop the other day, the server behind the counter handed me a key and asked if I needed toilet paper. I'm a girl, of course I do. She held out a roll and let me unroll some, in front of the other patrons.

Carry a packet of Kleenex to avoid that embarrassment!

Squat toilets don't always flush. You may have to do it manually by pouring a bucket of water down the hole. And the trash bin at the bottom right is for toilet paper. There's an unspoken rule in Korea that you don't flush. Wipe and toss it into the garbage. It isn't the most hygienic practice.

The pinnacle of my toilet-shock in Korea was at Tae Hun's house on New Years. He has an outhouse in the yard for "serious business" but his family pees into what looks like a shower drain hole, in the middle of the bathroom floor. The hole is minuscule, and there's a bucket to fill with water and pour onto the floor, afterwards.

Do you have a fun toilet story? Let's hear it!

The Seoul Museum of Art

Korea's Samil Movement is commemorated on March 1st. Today marked the 88th anniversary of the Independence Movement against Japanese colonial rule. It also meant I was "free" from work.

I took bus 7000 from Suwon to Sadang Station, and rode the metro to City Hall station to see the Rene Margritte 'Empire of Dreams' exhibition at the Seoul Museum of Art: SeMA.

The Koreana Hotel, 5 minutes from City Hall.

A fine gentleman, like Al Pacino in 'Scent of a Woman.'

The entrance to Deok Su Gung Palace, located beside SeMA.

Deok Su Gung Palace has quiet grounds including a pond and benches. Korea's National bird rustles the trees.

The path to Seoul Museum of Art:

Below: A free collection, on the first floor, showing until April 8th. Kwon Young-Woo's Lifework in Paper.

With a 10$ ticket I gained admittance to both the showcase exhibit and Chun Kyung-Ya's Spirit: a standing exhibition. Cameras were forbidden but I was blown away by her donated works. The pieces were completed between 1940 and 1990, inspired by her travels abroad. She has a keen sense of color, and storytelling ability.

Next came Rene Magritte's Empire of Dreams, sprawlling two floors. Rene is a surrealist master of the 20th century, a revolutionary artist. The exhbit included a display of intimate photos and videos, inviting the world into Rene's life and marriage.

Instead of juxtaposing unrelated objects to shock the eye, he places familiar ones in abstracted contexts. There's a mesmerizing quality to his work. Even if his art isn't your thing, you won't be able to peel your eyes way.

A night shot of the museum: