1. Public restrooms offer soap on a stick. There are restrooms where you’ll find soap in a dispenser or no soap at all, but blue and on a stick is a definite possibility.
Soap on a stick, folks.
2. Koreans love being outdoors. Trails and parks are interconnected, and hiking is a pastime. Folks young and old hit the parks and trails, even in winter. In the spring, though, flowers are in bloom and the parks are glorious. Our apartment is a block away from a walking path, and a short bike ride from three grand parks.
The rose garden at Haedoji (Sunrise) Park is a must-see in springtime. You can set up a tent to relax, or enjoy the walking or biking paths around the park.
3. Education is taken very seriously and can be intense. Students attend school, and then they attend after-school school. Hagwons are tutoring academies where students supplement their studies in everything from English, math, and science, to music and sports.
4. The country is mountainous – 70% of Korea is mountains and hills, so you are guaranteed to go through tunnels when traveling. We drive through a tunnel just to get to an adjacent neighborhood. On a weekend getaway, we kept a tally — 57 tunnels over the course of three hours!
5. The Korean alphabet, created by King Sejong the Great, is called Hangul and consists of 24 basic letters (14 consonants and 10 vowels). Prior to the King’s creation of Hangul, Koreans wrote in Classical Chinese. Hangul was designed so that those with little education could still learn to read and write. South Koreans celebrate Hangul Day on October 9.
6. High rises are a common sight. The Guardian reported in July 2019, that Seoul has 16,359 high rise buildings. This is a very vertical country. High rises abound outside of Seoul, too. We live in a building with 27 floors, and it’s not even that tall compared to nearby buildings.
Here’s the view of Songdo’s Central Park and the high rises surrounding it, from 35 floors up in the Posco Tower Songdo (also known as the Northeast Asia Trade Tower), which is one of Korea’s tallest buildings and has 68 floors. The apartment buildings facing the park in the upper right corner look small but are 50 stories tall!
7. Rocket delivery is a source of national pride. You can get just about anything delivered to your door within hours or a day. We have ordered groceries, potting soil, and a printer, all of which came overnight. Meal delivery comes almost quick as lightning. You can order through apps like Coupang Eats, then watch the progress of your order, from confirmation by the restaurant to when the driver has picked it up. You can even follow the delivery in real-time as the driver’s icon moves from the pickup point to your home. I will confess to ordering donuts for delivery once.
8. Korea is green, and by that, I mean the country is verdant and recycling efforts are going full throttle. Trash must be sorted accordingly — metal, glass, plastic, and food waste each have their own place. Compost (food waste) gets turned into animal feed. Larger items, like furniture, require stickers (which you must purchase) to show you have paid for special disposal services.
Stream and mountains in the distance in Gapyeong-gun. The countryside makes for a great escape from the high rises in the cities.
9. Public restrooms are free and abundant. In the US, I used to rely on McDonalds during road trips. Here, rest stops along the way offer clean toilets. Additionally, the food courts are efficient and serve excellent local fare. Around town, I can stop at any of the buildings and there are free public restrooms.
10. Koreans have a sweet tooth. This is the land of kimchi and all that is spicy, but commonly savory snacks like spicy chips have a sweet undertone. Garlic bread here is also sweet and a source of consternation among foreigners used to it being otherwise.
