I have been in Korea for about a week now. My plan was to be more consistent with this blog, but work seems to have had other ideas. I’m finally getting a chance to type this while on route to my next job assignment.

From what I have seen of South Korea, it is about what I expected. Frankly it looks not much more different from any western country. Cities are big with lots of people and heavy traffic, remote areas are small with a greater predominance of nature and tacky stores. The things I guess that I have found most different about Korea compared with other places I have visited is in little quirks and peculiarities. For example, while vans can be any colour under the sun, cars are either black, grey, white cream etc. Hyundais of course figure prominently. Cars are shaped similarly to north America (in contrast with spain where the cars look like toys).’People seem to be more touchy here. Almost childlike in a way. There is more hand holding between members of the same sex. Gestures that would seem intimate come across as playful or merely kind here. At first it was a bit of a shock, even though I had read something about this online before I came. We are so conditioned in North America. Fashion of course is interesting. Korea I think is known for some interesting styles. I am more and more certain that the world must consider North Americans as very bland or vulgar when it comes to fashion. Here there seems to be a strong inclination to skew lines whereas in Italy it was about fit. Here zippers will be on an angle, hoods and collars will seem extra large making a sweater look like a space suit (though a cool space suit). Slashes across hats and pants for texture, neat rows as opposed to the gaping holes North Americans prefer.I’m still learning more of course, but really, as I’m figuring out on every trip, people are pretty much the same the world over.Some pictures: (I don’t know why the quality is SO horrible!)

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