America....

I have been in Korea now for 4-5 months. There are some major differences between Korea and the US. I am not going to bash the US or anything, but seriously, America should really look to the far East for some ways to improve our lives.

1. Better food habits here. Yes, I know there is fried foods on every corner, but if you're smart, you can find very healthy foods in Korea. I also LOVE the fact that if I go to McD's or BK or whatever, I can't supersize a meal and put on 100 lbs. It's all one size here. Soda, yeah, that is one of my new years resolutions, to give that up...it's hard to find at times, and no one here really drinks it.

2. Respect for each other. I know there is crime here in Korea...HOWEVER it does NOT make the nightly news days upon days upon days like in the US. NO ONE CARES here about it. It happens, life goes on, no one wants to hear about it. I've also found that Koreans treat their friends like family. I wish this was the case back in the states. I can't remember the last time I was treated by a friend back in the states like I am here. Even strangers here are helpful. I got lost on the subway once and man took time, to get off the train with me and made sure I was going the right way before getting back on and going his own way. Very rarely do we see ANYTHING like that in the states.

3. Lawsuits. The US is sooooo lawsuit happy, it's ridiculous. We sue people over things that aren't their responsiblity or your own stupid actions but aren't willing to own up to them. I am sure there are lawsuits here, but you don't hear a lot about them like you do in the states. My favorite lawsuit was the family in NYC who sued McD's for making them fat...ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? You would NEVER hear of something that ridiculous in Korea.

Now, on the reverse, there are things about Korea that I'm not sure I'll ever get used to.

1. Spitting everywhere. Men. Women. Children. It doesn't matter. If they have a phlegm ball in their throat, watch your step cuz you might be steppin in it soon. It's rather disgusting I think, but they don't, so who am I to argue?

2. Chomping/popping gum obnoxiously loudly. Outside of most western countries, people don't find it rude to chew with their mouth open or make enough noise with their gum to wake the dead. It is a huge pet peeve of mine, and I am still trying to get used to it, but it drives me insane...NO ONE wants to hear that!! Thank goodness for I-pods!!

Anyway, my next blog will have some info on the public education systems of both of these wonderful countries. There are great things about both and their are things that drive anyone nuts in both countries.