10 Things South KoreaDoes Faster
One of the first Korean words I learned after my arrival tothe peninsula was bbali. Meaning "fast," it's a term used frequently and, inmy opinion, perfectly summarizes the entire ｃountry in two syllables. Afterall, the nation rose from the ashes of the Korean War in a mere six decades tobecome one of the world's greatest economies. In general, Koreans do a lot ofthings fast. Here are 10 of them, in no particular order.
Transportation
There is few placesin the world that do public transportation as well as South Korea. Sure, theｃountry may be geographically smaller than other nations but its efficiency inmoving its 50 million inhabitants around every day is unsurpassed. Seoul'ssubway system is particularly impressive, with hundreds of pristinestations connecting the entire metropolis. Even better, on most lines,passengers rarely have to wait more than a few minutes for trains. The KTX, orKorea Train Express, is even faster with a top speed of 305 km/hour (190mph) andcan take passengers from one side of the ｃountry to the other in a mere couplehours. With a system so great, it makes me wonder why anyone would ever want todrive on the consistently jammed streets of the nation.
Walking
Most Koreans,especially those of the Seoul variety, walk fast, especially the elderly.Especially when entering and exiting buses, trains, planes and boats. Theseseemingly innate walking skills make them particularly talented atgetting seats on vehicles of public transportation and swiping up all the saleitems at E-Mart before anyone else.
Relationship
In a ｃountry whereone's self-worth is heavily influenced by the presence of a significant other,being single is not something to be proud of. As such, blind dates, matchmakingand even specified bars where singles gather to seek out a significant otherplay an integral role in the dating scene. When two potential love birdsmeet, it doesn't take long to figure out where they stand with one another.
Soon after thesuccessful first date, things really start to pick up. After 100 days, couplescelebrate their long-term relationship success by visiting Seoul Tower,publishing a lot of selfies on social media and purchasing matching couplerings, shirts and panties/boxer sets. Territory is marked and leashes arecontinuously shortened as each subsequent month passes.
Marriage
Marriage is anotherimportant institution in Korea and those that remain single well into theirthirties and forties are considered to be lost causes. Therefore, when one begins to approach his or hermid-thirties (though men can usually get away with being single longer),anxiety begins to settle in and numerous efforts are made to rope in the mosteligible potential spouse. So long as he or she makes a decent living, has areputable-ish family and no criminal record (one of violent crimes, anyway),the wedding date is set. It is not uncommon for couples in their late thirtiesto be wed a few months after first meeting. Baby-making requires a bit of time,after all.
Weddings
Speaking ofweddings, Korean matrimonial ceremonies, despite their importance, arewham-bam-thank-you-ma'am occasions. Families tend to put a lot of doughinto over-the-top weddings, if only to show off their financial stability tothe hundreds of acquaintances, business partners and family members that showup for the short ceremony.
The process for thewedding guest is simple. Show up. Pay the customary cash as a gift tothe newlyweds. When the ceremony starts, chat with the other guests around youand take your phone calls if needed. Eat the provided meal (which is sometimesserved during the ceremony). Leave. Go to the next wedding.
Delivery
Korea's deliverysystem is amazing. There's no other word to describe it. Want McDonald's at 4in the morning? Done, via motorcycle. Low on groceries? Order them on G-Marketand have them packed neatly in boxes at your door the next day. Forgot to sendyour girlfriend her 100 day anniversary gift? Get it hand delivered in minutes. Delivery here is fast, efficient andsomething I just don't know if I'll ever be able to survive without.
Construction
Perhaps thisstarted when the ｃountry needed to rebuild quickly after the war, but eventoday, buildings in Korea are constructed at record-breaking speeds. It's notstrange to visit a neighborhood and see two or three new stand-alone shops orrestaurants whose foundations did not even exist a week before. Unfortunately,the lack of safety precautions and use of cheap materials is most likely one of the reasons constructionsis so fast. Sadly, problems usually arise in new buildings as quickly as ittakes to construct them.
Internet
Many acclaimKorea's crazy fast internet speeds (the fastest in the world, to be exact) toits huge online gaming industry. At 24.6 megabits (mbps) per second (whatever that means), Koreans can dojust about anything online in half the time it takes Americans. And from justabout anywhere, too- from the tops of mountains to the depths of the deepestsubway trains.
Getting Drunk
They're also theworld’s biggest consumer of hard liquor, at 11.2 shots a week on average.Drinking plays an important role in corporate culture and though things arechanging, it's still the norm to hit the soju withco-workers after a long day of work. Koreans also tend to drink more to getdrunk rather than to enjoy their beverages so even before midnight tolls,streets are overflowing with red-faced, staggering men in suits and are dottedwith piles of... Well, I'll just say that Korea knows how to do nightlife, forsure.
Trends
When a nation isused to getting things done quickly, it doesn't take much for them to getimpatient. Such is the case with trends. Food, music, beauty and fashion trendsgo as quickly as they come. Such a constant change in people's preferencesmakes it hard to operate a business, be successful as a musician or even get acosmetic operation in looks-obsessed Korea.
Strangely enough,some of the latest and most popular trends revolve around reviving the slowpace of the Korea of the past. Slowfood. Slow cities. Trips to organic farms, urban beekeeping and weekend’s and glamping in the ｃountrysideare the entire craze right now. It makes one wonder if these trends willstick around for a while, bringing the younger generations to favor a slowerKorea, or if the now-bbali nation willcontinue to be one of haste.
Article Source: http://www.myseoulsearching.com/2014/12/10-things-south-korea-does-faster.html
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VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Pristine(adj.) ~ clean
2. Innate(adj.) ~ existing naturally
3. Integral(adj.) ~ essential or necessary
4. Subsequent(adj.) ~ following in time or order
5. Lost cause(n.) ~ a cause with no chance of success
6. Dough (n./slang) ~ money
7. Customary(adj.) ~ commonly practiced
8. Precaution(n.) ~ an action taken in advance to protect against possible danger
9. Acclaim (v.)~ to praise enthusiastically and often publicly
10. Craze (n.) ~a short-lived popular fashion
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. Howdo you feel about living a fast life? Explain your answer.
2. Whyis it that Koreans prefer to drive when public transportation is considered tobe faster and more convenient?
3. Howdoes fast internet affect your everyday life?
4. Pleasedescribe the usual wedding ceremonies in Korea. How long does it usually last?
5. Doyou often avail of delivery services? Why?
6. What’sthe current trend in Korea? Do you usually follow the trend? Why?
